ISAIAH 10 ~
“1Woe to those who enact evil statutes
And to those who constantly record unjust decisions,”
This woe is to anyone but, specifically fulfilled in Israel and Babylon. Jesus declared 8 woes to the religious leaders immediately before his crucifixion in Matt.23 and explained them to the Disciples in Matt.24 (also Luke 21 and Mark 13) In the New Testament Babylon represents Rome just like Israel is finally called Egypt and Sodom (Rev.11)
2So as to deprive the needy of justice
And rob the poor of My people of their rights,
So that widows may be their spoil
And that they may plunder the orphans.
I can’t help but think of the “Parable of the Unjust Judge” which I believe represents O.T. Judaism. The widow’s husband had died and God promised that (unlike the unjust Judge ~ because whatever man judged by the LAW was guilty of the whole LAW because NO MAN could keep the entire LAW) but, Jesus did as a man! Anyway, unlike the unjust Judge, God would quickly vindicate his people…within one generation!
3Now what will you do in the day of punishment,
And in the devastation which will come from afar?
To whom will you flee for help?
And where will you leave your wealth?
James 5 spoke of this too. The Judge and Lawgiver was Jesus standing at the door. Judgement was coming quickly, not 2,000 years later. The Jews who did not heed Jesus’ very specific warnings to THAT generation had no where to run. The ones who did see the Roman armies (Luke 21) and did not return to their houses but fled the city, ran to the hills survived. The ones who did not take Jesus warnings seriously and did not watch, pray and be ready lost their lives. Interestingly, Josephus recorded that when the very few remaining Jews were brought out of the city (too be taken as slaves and spoil) many had swallowed valuable stones or gold and the soldiers simply sliced many people open alive to find their treasure, hidden inside.
5Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
6I send it against a godless nation
And commission it against the people of My fury
To capture booty and to seize plunder,
And to trample them down like mud in the streets.
Babylon seems to have been the “Rod” that The King of Kings wielded in judgement! He sent Babylon against Israel in the 500’s BC and Babylon (Rome in Revelation) to finish the job at 70 AD.
12So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the pomp of his haughtiness.”
Jesus work was fulfillment of the LAW and prophets.
Luke recorded a parallel of Jesus prophecies from Matt.24 and Mark 13 in Luke 21 ~
20“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.21“Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; 22because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 23“Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
Paul, Jesus and John (Revelation) all confirmed that God’s wrath was being poured out fully on that generation of Jews. When the work was finished, Rome was punished. When Nero (whose name numbered 666 and even secular historians called “a Beast”) killed himself, after initiating Rome’s persecution of Christianity, in a period of one year (68-69) Rome had 4 Emperors and historians recorded that Rome nearly collapsed completely. The Beasts head had been severely wounded.
Jerusalem fell completely. Rome was never the same.
15Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it?
Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?
That would be like a club wielding those who lift it,
Or like a rod lifting him who is not wood.
Isaiah is again referring to Babylon as God’s “instrument”. John the Baptist referenced this to the Religious leaders (who should’ve known the context of his words) in Matthew 3
7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
The Greek tense for “coming” is a PPA, which is a Present Participle Active. It denotes God’s wrath as presently, actively coming. It does not mean “will come” that would be a future tense and Jesus did use that in other cases. The PPA means that it is in the process of coming. It is coming now and will continue to come. Like, I am PPA reading this article. Hopefully you will be PPA reading this article. 🙂
John the Baptist continued ~
8Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Then John prophesied Jesus reaping the first-fruits and God’s wrath on that generation ~
“12“His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
The harvest was the end of the age. The completion of THAT age, the Mosaic or Old Covenant Age. Jesus confirmed this many times…
Back to Isaiah 10 ~
20Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. 21A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
22For though your people, O Israel, may be like the sand of the sea,
Only a remnant within them will return;
A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.
A remnant was left. The last phrase is powerful because that word “determined” is only used 12 times in all of the O.T. Daniel used it 3 of those and Isaiah used it twice in this chapter. It means to decree, sharpen or cut. I am reminded of the Word of God (Jesus) being sharper than any two-edged sword…
26“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”
This is clearly describing 30 AD up to 70 AD. But, he uses it again in the next verse!
(27)And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease…(Fulfilled by Jesus)…and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” (Fulfilled by Rome)
Jesus confirmed the Old Covenant and caused it to become obsolete (which caused them to cease). Remember Jesus declared that Rome’s armies surrounding Jerusalem was THE sign of her desolation. (Luke 21:20) There were many abominations between 30 AD and 70 AD because many false prophets and false Messiah’s (antichrist’s) rose up in THAT generation according to even secular historians.
We can’t let the teaching and traditions of men convince us that God still cares about any outward Temple, animal sacrifice or outward ritual. If Israel were to rebuild a Temple (which no New Testament prophecy ever declares) IT would be an abomination to God. Any animal sacrifice would be an affront to his nostrils!
The interesting phrase in Daniel 9:27 is “complete destruction” because Isaiah had used it in the very next verse of 10.
23For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord GOD of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land.”
This complete destruction was always and only directed towards the whole LAND…of the Old Covenant. Probably specifically Israel but maybe everywhere that Judaism continued to try to creep in as it was fading away and New Covenant glory was being revealed.
33Behold, the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will lop off the boughs with a terrible crash;
Those also who are tall in stature will be cut down
And those who are lofty will be abased.
34He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
The “Iron Axe” was Rome. John warned the religious leaders that God’s wrath was in the process of coming and would continue to come because the axe was already at the root of the tree. The pride of Israel is what brought her low. So proud of her own Scriptural traditions and establishments that they rejected their own Messiah, King and God when he presented himself to them as a loving, humble servant Savior.
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Wonderful Grace of Jesus 