1999_02

The interior ofCave No. 4 at Qumran

The Bedouin who first discovered the scroll caves

Interiorof theShrineof theBook

The exteriordome ofthe Shrineof the Book

F E B R U A R Y 1 9 9 9F E B R U A R Y 1 9 9 9

MESSIAH ON DISPLAYMESSIAH ON DISPLAY

The lines that were copied included the double occur-rence of an unusual form llw’. Literally, it would be trans-lated, “by not.” The Hebrew dictionary gave five columnson the common word lô’, “not.” At the end was a para-graph including every reference to llw’ in the OldTestament. Two references in Chronicles didn’t match;nor did another in Amos 6:13. But the next referenceshowed two occurrences in Isaiah 65:1. Trever writes,“With growing expectancy, I turned to it (in his HebrewBible). There, word for word, and almost letter for letter,was exactly what I had copied from the manuscript! It

was a scroll of Isaiah, without a doubt!”A facsimile of this 24-foot scroll occupies thecentral place of honor in the Shrine of the Book(see inset). On my first visit there, I asked theattendant if he could show me the section ofthe scroll which we call chapter 53. As I beganto quote it (in case he was unfamiliar with thisportion), he turned on his heel and stalked off,spitting out the words over his shoulder, “YouChristians! You’re all the same!”What irony! Of all the ancient Bible scrolls dis-covered at Qumran, the best preserved was theroll of Isaiah—and he, the most eloquent and

exacting portraitist of the suffering Messiah! I, one of thedespised goyim, had discovered Israel’s Light, and He hadilluminated my dark Gentile heart. Yet here, on publicdisplay in the heart of Israel—a heart still veiled in unbe-lief—was her most majestic portrait of Him.

Oh, the verse that showed John Trever he was holdingin his hands the book of Isaiah? Isaiah 65:1 declares:“Iam sought of them that asked not for Me; I am found ofthem that sought Me not: I said, Behold Me, behold Me,unto a nation (goy) that was not called by My name.”

Seven centuries after Isaiah laid down his pen, Paul,who met the Messiah on the Damascus Road, quoted thisverse (Rom. 10:20). It was God’s intention, he said, thatby saving Gentiles the Lord would move the hearts ofIsrael to seek their own Messiah. “Behold Me!” Hepleads to us. If we do, those who would never think oflooking in Isaiah—whether Jew or Gentile—will see thesame lovely likeness of Him reflected in our lives.

he land of Israel may have more museums percapita than any other country in the world.But of all the museums in the country, nonecan compare with the Shrine of the Book and

its sacred treasure. Designed to mimic the clay lids of thejars that contained the world-famous Dead Sea Scrolls,the museum houses Israel’s greatest national treasure.

You’ve heard the story. A teenage Ta‘amireh Bedouin,Muhammed Ahmed el-Hamed, eased himself into a caveon the eastern edge of the Judean wilderness. He wasseeking treasure—and what treasure he found! The firstthree manuscripts he found included the now-famed Isaiah Scroll (IQIs a). These scrolls weresold for £P7 ($28.35) to a monk in the SyrianOrthodox Church, the oldest extant manu-scripts of the Scriptures—older by 1,000 years!

But the monk, Butrus Sowmy, didn’t knowthat. He needed help to decipher the strange let-ters. He thought he could find that help at theAmerican Schools of Oriental Research, onSaladin Road just north of Herod’s Gate. Due tothe Jewish-Arab tensions at the time (it wasonly months before the birth of the state ofIsrael), many of the personnel at the School hadgone elsewhere. John Trever, studying the plants and ani-mals of the Bible, had been appointed Acting Director.

On a cold February afternoon, Sowmy and his broth-er, Ibrahim, laid three scrolls of cream-colored leather onTrever’s desk. One was considerably larger than the othertwo, about 101/2" long and 6" in diameter. To this manu-script the scholar first turned his attention.

It unrolled easily. Because he had left his camera atthe Palestine Archeological Museum, the best Trevercould do was meticulously copy a few lines of the scrolland, using this, seek to determine what he was looking at.The script was puzzling to him. Finding a well-preservedsection, he painstakingly reproduced the text from a por-tion near the bottom of the fourth column from the end.

After the two men had left with their precious cargo(having no idea how precious it was), John Trever andanother Fellow at the School, William Brownlee, beganexamining the precious scrap. What could it be?

2 UUPPLLOOOOKK • FEBRUARY 1999

E D I T O R I A L

b y J . B . N I C H O L S O N , J R .

MESSIAH ON DISPLAYThe attendant saw the lambskin scroll, but I saw the Lamb.

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3UUPPLLOOOOKK • FEBRUARY 1999

UPLOOK(USPS 620-640)

Founded in 1927 as Look on the Fields, UPLOOKis published eleven times a year by UplookMinistries, 813 North Ave., N.E., Grand Rapids,MI 49503.

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Website: http://www.uplook.orgemail: [email protected]

FEATURES

HOODLUMS SPREAD THE GOSPEL Ernie Tan 4

HIS TIMES, OUR TIMES A. Rendle Short 9

ISAIAH: THE HISTORICAL BACKDROP A. R. S. 11

ISAIAH: THE OLD TESTAMENT EVANGELIST Center Chart 14

IMMANUEL: THE VIRGIN’S SON Alfred Martin 16

VINDICATED AT LAST F. B. Meyer 19

ANOINTED TO SERVE F. C. Jennings 23

DEPARTMENTS

EDITORIAL 2

FRONT LINES 5

WHAT’S GOING ON? 8

BOUQUET OF BLESSING 13

LIVING ASSEMBLIES 22

HEROES: The Stundists 25

Uplook Ministries is a tax-exempt corporation looking to the Lord to provide for the needs of this ministry. This magazine is sentfreely to those who request it, but evidently is not freely produced. Donations may be made by check or money order denominated inUS$, Canadian $s or £ sterling. All checks should be made payable to “UPLOOK” and sent to:

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C O N T E N T S

Number 2Volume 66 February 1999UPLOOKUPLOOK

T R U E T O L I F E

Walking a bit faster now, I found myself what theycall, “bracing for impact.” The hoodlums were practical-ly breathing down my neck when suddenly I noticed thatwe were right beside the “Harley Davidson Cafe.” As Imade my way towards it, my pursuers slowly began to

back off. Two bouncers were guarding thedoor, so I whispered to one of them in a softvoice, “Those guys are trying to jump me.” “Who? Those guys?” the one asked.“Yeah, those guys are trying to jump me!”“Oh, I saw you talking with them—I thoughtthey were with you.” “No, no,” I insisted, “they were after my walletand threatening to ‘take me’.” “Oh,” he responded.At that point, the bouncers started making theirway towards the four hoodlums (they wereyoung guys, I assumed around 17-25 yearsold), and the four scattered in the busy streets. My new-found friends suggested that I hangaround the cafe a bit to be safe. I was verygrateful for my deliverance and safety. I was able to give one bouncer a “Thanks a

million” tract and the other “I don’t take this kind of ser-vice…” It was great watching these big fellows readingtheir gospel papers, and then we were able to chat a bit.They were very appreciative of the discussion and werethankful for the tracts. So everything worked out after all.

I can’t help but wonder if the Lord had brought thosetrouble-makers into my path just to give those bouncersthe tracts. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Over that weekend the Lord opened doors for me toshare the gospel with two cab drivers (both from Pakistanand both Muslim) and to give tracts to various people Iran into, serving on the hotel staff.

New York is an interesting place. I wouldn’t want tolive there, but it’s sure an interestingplace to visit. And I’m reminded that“The Lord is…not willing that any shouldperish, but that all should come to repen-tance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

Even two New York City bouncers.

—Ernie Tan is in fellowship in Silver Spring, MD.

Ernie Tan recently sent us this e-mail describing anunusual opportunity to witness while he was on a trip toNew York City. He fellowships with the saints at the NewHampshire Avenue assembly in Silver Spring, MD.

t was dark and I was walking alongMadison Avenue back to the hotelwhen I noticed four young menstanding at the corner (not unusual,

since there are people hanging around almostevery corner in New York City). As I saunteredby, I noticed they were looking at me, so Ilooked back at them and greeted them with afriendly, “What’s up?”

As I turned the corner, they turned it withme, and began following closely behind me.One of them was really big—it seemed like hewas twice my size—and one was a bit shorterbut stocky. Two others were behind them in aloose pack.

The shorter fellow edged up next to me, andsaid with a stern voice, “Gimme yo’ wallet.”

I felt a bit concerned, but with so many peo-ple around, I didn’t think I was in too much danger, so Iresponded, “I don’t have any money.”

The guy wasn’t convinced. Again he demanded, thistime with traces of anger showing in his face, “Gimmeyour wallet!”

At this point I started to clue in to what was happen-ing to me—I was being robbed! By now, the fellows werewalking very closely around me, one by my side, andthree at my back.

I kept walking and praying silently. “Should I reach inthere and get it for you?” the young man growled.

I kept walking… Then I heard the big guy behind mesay, “Should we take him?”

By that point, I was very concerned and prayed,“Lord, whatever happens, may You be glorified.” I had nodoubt in my heart that the Lord would deliver me, but atthe same time I wondered if the Lord might want me togo through something like this for a reason. It occurredto me that even though there were people milling allaround, it would probably take this gang all but 5 secondsto beat me up, take my possessions, and disappear.


HOODLUMS SPREAD THE GOSPELIs there no end to the tactics God can use?

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or to arrange accommodations, callTim Johnson at (616) 791-4179 (h)or (616) 456-9166 (w).

CALLING ALL MEN!On March 26-28, a weekend

retreat is scheduled at CampIroquoina in the Endless Mountainsof Pennsylvania. Topic: “WhenGod’s People Prayed with Power.”Come with your Bible and look for-ward to some good fellowship. EdGray will be the speaker. Call JohnMacPherson at (717) 967-2577 orTom Freeman at (609) 585-1835 toregister or for details.

1999 DALLAS AREA ANNUALSPRING CONFERENCE

The Dallas area 44th conferenceis scheduled, DV, for March 26-28. Inthe will of the Lord, Doug Kazen(WA) and John Bjorlie (MI) will beministering the Word. The meetingswill be held at Wheatland BibleChapel, 1303 W. Wheatland Road,Duncanville, TX 75116. For info.,call Robert Smith at (972) 298-6293.

11TH ANNUAL ST. LOUISLADIES’ RETREAT

Dr. Ruth Schwertfeger’s plannedtopic at the ladies’ retreat March 26-28, is Responding to God’s Call (tothe world or to the “whale”?). Shehopes to give some insights into thechoices of Jonah and others, whoseresponses to God’s call are very

Arnot McIntee Feb. 21-27Dr. Dan Smith Feb. 28-March 6Dr. James Naismith March 7-13Dr. John Whitcomb March 14-20

Send your reservations to: Park of the Palms706 Palms CircleKeystone Heights, FL 32656Phone: (352) 473-4926

WORKERS WANTEDWorkers are needed to be involved

in a three-day gospel outreach inOcala, FL, organized by Bible andLife Ministries on the weekend ofMarch 12, 13, and 14. All food,accommodations, and training mate-rials will be provided. We are prayingfor 40-45 workers to be active in tractdistribution, door-to-door evange-lism, prayer, children’s meetings,open-air ministry, and evening gospelmeetings. For more information,please contact David Dunlap:

Phone: 813-996-1053 E-mail: [email protected]

ALL WELCOMEAn invitation is extended by the

Christians in the assembly atNorthwest Gospel Hall to their annu-al 1999 Spring Conference to be heldMarch 26, 27 and 28. The invitedspeakers are Rex Trogdon (NC) andDr. James Naismith (ON). All meet-ings will be held at White Hills BibleChurch, 3900 East Fulton St., GrandRapids. For additional information,

EXCEL 99A weekend retreat for serious-

minded young people is planned forFebruary 12-14 at Little Pine IslandCamp (about 15 minutes north ofGrand Rapids, MI) with speakerJamie Hull (CO) and others. The sug-gested cost for the weekend (mealsand accommodations) is $35, forthose who are able to pay. If financesare tight, please feel free to comealong and enjoy the retreat at no cost.

Check-in begins at 5 PM on Fridaywith supper provided. The first meet-ing is planned for 7 PM that evening,followed by a time of fellowship.Saturday will be a fairly full scheduleof meetings. On Sunday morningthere will be ministry after the Lord’sSupper. The retreat will end afterlunch on Sunday.

Individuals should bring their ownpillow and sheets (some blankets areavailable). Warm clothing is advisedas there will be some free time foroutdoor sports, Lord willing.

If you have any questions, pleasefeel free to contact us. Space is limit-ed, so if you plan to attend, please letus know as soon as possible.

Call Janice Nicholson at 475-8693or e-mail Caroline Cairns at [email protected]

PARK OF THE PALMSThe 1999 winter conference

schedule for Park of the Palmsincludes the following speakers:


F R O N T L I N E S

RISE & SHINE ’99CINCINNATI, OH

RISE & SHINE ’99CINCINNATI, OH

DECEMBER 27-30, 1999LORD WILLING AT THE

HYATT REGENCY CINCINNATI CINCINNATI, OHIO

WITH A SPECIAL MISSION EMPHASIS DAYHOSTED BY CMML

PRAY & PLAN

Burlington, ON L7M 2W1Phone: (905) 336-8101Fax: (905) [email protected] to the White Oaks Inn will

be printed on the back of the tickets.

WORKERS AND ELDERSThe Ontario Worker’s and Elder’s

conference is planned (Lord willing)for May 4, 5, and 6, hosted by theassembly in Markham and others inthe area. The theme planned is “TheGlory of God.” Bill Yuille fromMarkham, (ON) and Steve Hulshizerfrom York, (PA) have been asked tobe responsible for the morning andevening sessions. Boyd Nicholson,Gary McBride and others have beenasked to take plenary sessions.

SEEKING THINGS ABOVEOn May 21-23, Rex Trogdon

(NC) will be speaking on “SeekingThings Above: Practical Lessonsfrom the Book of Colossians” atBird-in-Hand Inn (Lancaster, PA).The cost of $115 per person includesmeals and accommodations. Sundaymorning meetings will be with theMonterey assembly. For more info:

Mark KolchinP. O. Box 305Lanoka Harbor, NJ 08734

WILLOWBANK, BERMUDA Dr. Dave Reid (IA) will be the

morning devotional speaker for theweek of June 12-18, 1999, at theChristian-owned Willowbank resortin Bermuda. If you are planning on avacation later this year and are inter-ested in fellowshipping with otherassembly believers and enjoyingpractical ministry from God’s Word,write for more information:

Mark KolchinP. O. Box 305 Lanoka Harbor, NJ 08734

FELLOWSHIP FAMILY CAMPCome and enjoy the grandeur of

Steadfast.” Childcare is provided. Forinfo: Ted Willis at (905) 845-0584.

SPRING CONFERENCEThe Christians at Believers’ Bible

Chapel in Rockford, IL, will be host-ing a Spring Bible Conference, April3-4. Everyone is invited to join themfor a time of fellowship and Bibleteaching. The expected teacher isJabe Nicholson (MI). For info:

Warren Henderson(815) 969-9428 whenderson1@compuserve

FAMILY MEETINGSFamilies in the West Michigan

area are encouraged to plan to attendthe special week of family meetingsplanned with Uncle Dave StieflerApril 4-9. This gospel series will bedirected primarily at children butintended for the entire family. It is anideal opportunity to invite relatives,neighbors, co-workers and their chil-dren. The meetings will be held atNorthwest Gospel Hall (corner ofGarfield and Myrtle, Grand Rapids,MI). For information call TimJohnson (616) 791-4179 (h) or (616)456-9166 (w).

LIVING IN THE LAST DAYSA special conference is planned

for April 9-11 at Greenwood HillsBible Conference. Randy Amos(Rochester, NY) is planning to speakon the topic: “Living in the LastDays: Studies in the Book of Daniel.”Cost is $85 per person. Contact:Mark Kolchin P. O. Box 305, LanokaHarbor, NJ 08734

MISSIONARY BREAKFASTThe Southern Ontario Missionary

Breakfast will be held in the WhiteOaks Inn in St. Catharines, ON, onSaturday, April 24, starting at 8:30AM. Tickets cost $12 per person andmay be purchased from:

H. W. (Bill) Allison3199 Sovereign Rd.

instructive. On Saturday there will bean optional Y2K preparation seminarwith take-home materials. Come forthe teaching and the fellowship; bringa friend. The retreat will be held inEureka (St. Louis), MO. Registrationcost is $78 before Feb. 9 and $88after that. Contact LorraineFitzgerald at (314) 638-0116 or SueWinter (314) 727 1150.

LADIES’ RETREATCamp Living Water (Bryson City,

NC) will be sponsoring its first annu-al Ladies’ Retreat, March 19-20. Allladies (age 13 and up) are invited toattend. The theme of the weekendwill be “Gracious Heart—GraciousHome.” Barbara Thorpe (GA) will bethe speaker. Hospitality workshopsand crafts will be offered. For info.:

Theresa Gustafson(828) [email protected]

ECT+5A conference will be held on the

issues surrounding the “Evangelicalsand Catholics Together” agreementwhich was signed in 1994. Hosted byCountryside Bible Church inSouthlake, TX, the expected speakersare John Ankerberg, Dave Hunt, Dr.S. Lewis Johnson, Richard Bennett,Greg Durel, Mike Gendron, JimMcCarthy, and T. A. McMahon. Call(800) 937-6638 for details.

TORONTO EASTER CONFERENCE

The annual Toronto Easter confer-ence is scheduled for April 2 and 3 atMartingrove Collegiate, MartingroveRd. & Eglinton, in Toronto. Meetingswill be held at 2:30 and 6:30 withsupper served at 4:30 and 5:30. Aspecial young people’s meeting isplanned for Friday evening at 8 PM.The invited speakers are J. Lennox(UK), D. Humphries (ON), and D.Robbins (ON), Lord willing. Thetheme of the conference is “Holding


FRONT LINES

well-built apartment homes availablefor occupancy. Call: John Forrest at(352) 473-4926.

FATHER/SON RETREATThe hayride and Capture the Gold

went together like a horse and car-riage! The weather was gorgeous!After waiting two years to playCapture the Gold, Jay Allen led us toa great strategic competition. As the

hay wagon rounded the mountainroads, the sound of guitar and praiseto the Lord echoed out and area resi-dents were greeted. Don Dunkertoncovered various character traits,which were made especially interest-ing with Sword drills and Reesescandy prizes. Forty dads and theirsons enjoyed their weekend at CampIroquoina. Make plans to be therenext year in the will of the Lord!

HOME CALLSBert Randall

On September 10, Bert Randallwent to be with the Lord. He wasborn in British Colombia in 1908and was commended from NewZealand to full-time work in Boliviain 1937. After more than 60 years ofservice, Mr. Randall was on his feetat the time of his death—a directanswer to prayer that the Lord wouldnot let him become a burden to thosearound him.

various types of Bible studies. TheHendersons particularly feel led toencourage the assemblies of God’speople in the work of outreach andplanting new local churches. TheHendersons are released to the graceof God, trusting that He will continueto bless them and make their serviceto the Lord fruitful.

Mr. and Mrs. David IsomThis will amend the commenda-

tion dated November 2, 1997, of Mr.and Mrs. David Isom by the fellow-ship of Christians at the Marble HillBible Chapel in Marble Hill, MO.David Isom has accepted an assign-ment by the Board of Directors ofDayspring Bible Camp (Ironton,MO) as administrator of the camp.Their primary area of service will beat the camp.

Michael and Lesley StrohThe Christians at Hiawassa Bible

Chapel commend Michael andLesley Stroh to the work of the Lordas missionaries with New TribesMissions in Indonesia. They havebeen on the field nearly a year afterextensive training with New Tribes.Michael is a pilot and has now beenlicensed and checked out to fly intothe jungle mission stations. Lesleyhas been trained to provide radio con-tact for Michael or other pilots. Theyhave one daughter, Allison.

Lesley grew up in our assemblyand has always displayed a sweetspirit and a desire to serve the Lordsince becoming an adult. From thetime she and Michael were married,they prepared themselves for the mis-sion field.

We would ask that you join us inholding them and their work up inprayer.

PARK OF THE PALMSPark of the Palms (Keystone

Heights, FL), a Christian Retirementand Bible Conference Center., has

the Rocky Mountains in fellowshipwith others who love the Lord.Fellowship Family Camp’s dates thisyear will be August 8-12. The loca-tion is near Estes Park, CO, in theshadow of Long’s Peak (14,256').There are daily Bible lessons for bothadults and children with lots ofopportunity for recreation in some ofthe most magnificent scenery inNorth America. For info:

Fellowship Family Camp2605 14th Ave. CourtGreeley, CO 80631(970) 356-0817

PIONEER MINISTRIESNorthwest Florida is scheduled to

be the home of a new ministry.Pioneer Ministries (PM) will begin totake shape in the new year, as theLord leads. The purpose of PM is toassist in the establishment of newassemblies, aid small assemblies,provide itinerant ministry in preach-ing and singing, and the distributionof gospel literature. Three assemblieswill be providing guidance in theearly days of developing the work.We ask that you would pray for thisnew effort that it might bring honorand glory to the name of our Lord.

Phone: (850) 678-8897E-mail: [email protected]

COMMENDATIONSWarren and Brenda Henderson

The Christians at Believer’s BibleChapel in Rockford, IL, prayerfullycommend Warren and BrendaHenderson to the grace of God forHis work. Warren and Brenda havebeen in fellowship with the assemblyin Rockford since it began three yearsago in their home. They give evi-dence by their lives and various min-istries that they have a heart exercisedto serve God. They have participatedin various ministries includingchurch planting, teaching/disciple-ship, Sunday school, children’sworks, ladies’ ministries, and leading


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W H A T ’ S G O I N G O N ?

gave a clear and winsome presenta-tion of the gospel in word and song.Jabe Nicholson brought a closingmessage. Prayer continues for theseed sown.

What has God wrought!

On December 6, 1998, the saintsthere were thrilled, as close to 170people gathered for their ChristmasProgram. Many of those attending,some for the first time, were unsavedfriends and relatives. The children

It’s hard to believe, but exactlyfive years before the above photo wastaken, nine adults (with their 7 chil-dren) met for the first Breaking ofBread at what would become theQueen Street Bible Chapel.

AFTERMATH OF BOMBING While the US and British bombing

of Iraq has subsided, mission agen-cies in the West are feeling its after-effects. Words of Hope’s plans to visitEgypt have been put on hold. Rightafter the US/British strikes on Iraqthey were advised by the Christiansin Egypt to postpone the trip. Therehave been a number of crediblethreats by various organizationsagainst American targets as a retalia-tory gesture, because of the bombingof Iraq. The threats aren’t necessarilybad for evangelism. The work of thegospel can’t be stopped just becausethere are threats of opposition; that’salways been the case…sometimespeople have to be willing to lay downtheir lives. But, you balance thatagainst whether or not the sameobjectives could be accomplished ina different way or by delaying a trip.

—MNN

MORE MARTYRSAnother Christian has been brutal-

ly murdered in Sri Lanka, the secondkilling in two months of churchmembers in Jaffna. Both incidentscame shortly after threats were madeby area Hindu groups. The church’sministry has been mainly among theHindus.

It is estimated that moreChristians have been martyred fortheir faith in the 20th century than thetotal in the previous 1900 years. Oneestimate: approximately 150,000Christians martyred each year.

TERRY WINTER HOMECALLSuddenly on December 10, 1998.

Born and raised in British Columbia,Winter trusted Christ under the min-istry of Stan Ford. He gained nation-al prominence as host of a Christiantelevision show begun in 1975. Theshow presently airs on 28 Canadian

stations, featuring interviews withleading international Christians.More than one million people inCanada and the US watch weekly. Formore than 30 years, Terry conductedevangelistic crusades across Canada.

DO YOU HAVE YOUR 1999MISSIONARY PRAYERHANDBOOK?

Each year the staff of ChristianMissions in Many Lands (in conjunc-tion with MSC Canada) does a greatservice to the Lord’s people bypreparing a handbook of assemblycommended missionaries from North

America. If youare serious aboutintercession (orwould like to be),this book is amust. For moreinfo., call: 800-952-2382.

Growing up in the SaultSault Ste. Marie (pronounced Soo Saint Marie) ON, has a population approximating 90,000—andfive assemblies! The fifth is Queen Street Bible Chapel. Here’s an update.

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2:2, 3:11). The land-laws are allagainst the poor man, and the scribeswho keep the court registers are all inleague to cheat him (Isa. 10:1-2).

The landscape is beautiful andvariegated. In the wilder parts thereare high bare hills, often capped bysome small edifice which we cannotat this distance identify. Some of thevalleys are narrow, deep, and stony;others are well-wooded.

A nearer acquaintance with theseplaces, however, proves to be revolt-ing. The edifices on the hilltops areidol shrines or altars, each with itswooden or stone image. Sometimesthere is a tree hung with votive offer-ings, and a circle of boulders enclos-es the sacred area. The paths enteringthe thickets lead us to more shrinesand images, little brick altars forincense, stones for pouring out liba-tions upon, and tables for feasting.

True, in some cases the peopleassure us that these sacrifices areintended to honor Jehovah, but manyonly recognize some obscure local

ceeded him. He is now planning toinvade Judah in company with Rezin,king of Syria. It looks as if they willbe much too strong for Ahaz.

We travel through the countrytowards Jerusalem, and notice that itseems fairly prosperous. We passnumerous large estates, evidentlybelonging to well-to-do owners. Thefields are well cultivated, and the hill-sides are covered with vineyards andcucumber gardens, each with itslonely-looking little stone shack forthe watchman (Isa. 1:8).

But a glance at the peasantry,herded together in miserable villages,reveals another side of the story.Their mouths are full of bitter talkagainst these rich folk who havefilched away their small holdingsfrom them, either by fraud, debt, orviolence, to add to their estates (Isa.5:8). It is useless to seek redress. Thejudges are all in the pocket of the richlandowners; your cause is laughedout of court if you can’t bribe thosewho rule there (Isa. 1:23, 33:15; Mic.

et’s pay a visit to oldJerusalem. The period isearly in the reign of KingAhaz. The main factors inthe situation are the two

mighty empires of Egypt in the south,and Assyria far to the northeast.

Egypt has had its ups and downs;dynasty has succeeded dynasty, somestrong, some weak, but a great powerit remains, thanks to the overflowingNile, which has made Egypt a gra-nary of the world. Fortunately forIsrael, its southern neighbor has inthe main been non-aggressive.

Assyria is a different and newerfactor. True, it is far away, but of lateit has been showing signs of a verydangerous, enterprising spirit. Theking, Tiglath-Pileser (abbreviated toPul in 2 Ki. 15:19), has been an insa-tiable conqueror, like those carni-vores that kill, not to eat, but for thejoy of killing. He has annexed northSyria. He has already taken tributefrom the kings of Damascus,Hamath, Tyre, Menahem of Samaria,Judah, Edom and Moab.

Thus all the buffer states betweenAssyria and Judah are showing signsof weakness. Unfortunately, if Egyptand Assyria come to blows, the roadby which they must get at one anoth-er lies through the territory of Judah.

However, at present, there is noactive trouble threatening from eitherEgypt or Assyria; the pressing dan-gers are nearer home. The presentking of Samaria is the enterprisingPekah, son of Remaliah, who hasmurdered Menahem’s son and suc-


His times, our timesThe days in which the prophet Isaiah ministered are amazingly like conditions in the Christianized West.

I S A I A H S P E A K S

LA. RENDLE SHORT

The IsaiahscrollfromQumran

the direction of all the well-to-do young men they meet.There is no overlooking them; the little bells on theirankles, tinkling as they walk, appeal to our ears and drawall eyes. They are covered with ornaments of gold and sil-ver; rings, chains, pendants, crescents, mirrors, earrings,nose jewels, amulets, and bracelets. What a display! Theshawls, headdresses, and gowns of fine white linen wouldfurnish the wherewithal to keep a poor family in the backstreets for a year (Isa. 32:9, 3:16-24).

The poor man in his cottage is not always very fair inhis judgments of the rich, especially if he has a grievance.Perhaps we should call at one of these good houses andsee for ourselves. But the great man and his lady do notimprove on acquaintance. The house is furnished withwanton display and luxury; lord and lady are reclining onsilken cushions spread on priceless ivory couches, listen-ing to the music of the viol and other instruments, chant-ing and singing, but they have undeniably taken too freelyof the wine in their costly goblets and bowls. Their bod-ies are fragrant with ointments. The most delicate meat,veal, and lamb is on the tables before them, yet the wholescene is not an edifying one. They care nothing for thefate of the nation (Amos 3:12, 6:4-6; Isa. 28:1).

We will try the shops in the bazaar. It is possible for anation to be morally rotten, and yet show a certain respectfor ordinary commercial integrity. The keeper of the stallis quite a prosperous man. But when we ask him to weighup some goods, and have a close eye to his proceedings,we become suspicious. He will not let you look carefullyat his balances, nor does he respond to the invitation toshow that they are true. And the wheat he wants to sell iswretchedly poor in quality. We recollect hearing a frag-ment of a sermon recently preached by a prophet: “Can Ibe pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag ofdeceitful weights?” (Mic. 6:10-12; Amos 8:4-8).

Let’s see how it fares with the Temple of Jehovah.There, at least, we expect to find piety and righteousness.We approach it from the south, and enter the Great Court.Entering this, we are face to face with the magnificentfront of the Temple itself, with the two brazen pillars,about forty feet high, standing before it. The buildingitself of white stone, looks in the sunlight like a mountainof snow.

But, to the indignation of the older, conservativeIsraelites, the king and the high priest Uriah have recent-ly pushed Solomon’s altar to the north side of the court,where it stands neglected, and a new altar copied from aheathen model at Damascus has taken its place. Also,Solomon’s laver has been taken down from the backs ofits twelve brazen oxen, and laid on the ground.

In spite of its architectural glory, the building andannexes look undeniably shabby. True, there are plenty of

deity or some Phoenician idol. (Papyri of the Jewishcolony at Elephantine, dating from the 5th century BC,show evidences of an extraordinary mixture of Jehovah-worship and idolatry.)

It doesn’t make much difference. The meat laid onthose heathen tables is often swine’s flesh, or other abom-inable things. And in the dark depths of that valley, underthe clefts of the rock, are the mounds of newly-turned-upearth where they have buried what was left of their ownslaughtered infants slain to propitiate Moloch in someday of adversity (Isa. 57:5-7, 66:17; 2 Ki. 16:3-4).

One godly old villager, with passion and solemnity,tells us of a great prophet at Jerusalem, Isaiah by name,who has pronounced the doom of the Lord for thesethings: “Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, evengreat and fair, without inhabitant; yea, ten acres of vine-yard shall yield one bath (instead of the normal 500), andthe seed of an homer shall yield an ephah (Isa. 5:9-10).

Let’s go on to Jerusalem. That, at least, is under theshadow of the temple, which Solomon built for the Lord.There the priests and prophets of Jehovah are congregat-ed. But we soon find that town and countryside are allalike. As they are remote from the woods and hills, theyworship their Nature-gods in their town gardens; under atree, the same altars are set up for the same ritual (Isa.1:29, 66:17). Even the cemeteries are pressed into ser-vice, and the valley of the son of Hinnom is the best-known place for the infant sacrifices. The king, himself,has used it for that purpose.

The same loud and only too well-founded complaintsare heard of injustice, bribery, violence, and lying. Noman dare trust his neighbor. Even murder of the poor iscommon and has no remedy. The rich grind the faces ofthe poor, flay the skin off them by their extortions, and,figuratively speaking, break their bones, chop them inpieces, and put them in the pot (Isa. 1:15, 3:15, 33:15).

Down the street come two men whom we can at oncerecognize by the white robe of the one and the hairy gar-ment of the other as priest and prophet respectively. Butthey are walking very unsteadily, and as they pass us it isevident that they are both much the worse for liquor. Weglance at the apartment from which they came out, andare disgusted to see that the tables and floor are full ofvomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. If thepriest and the prophet behave thus, what can we expect ofthe people? (Isa. 28:7-8; Heb. shaghû—reel from intoxi-cation; ta‘û—go astray).

These are the men; are the women any better? Herecome two daughters of Zion. Wealthy, careless, flippant,very much overdressed, and thinking mostly about theirclothes and the impression they are making, they comemincing down the street, throwing languishing glances in


HIS TIMES, OUR TIMES

morally no better than the rest, and just as ready to go tosacrifice at some idol shrine. In fact, beneath the veryshadow of the house of the Lord are certain groups ofdwellings where all the nameless vices of the East arepracticed in the name of religion; there hide like vermin

worshippers, at least on a feast day. The processions arequite imposing, and the animal sacrifices without stint.“Is not the Lord among us? No evil can come upon us,”is the pious refrain they sing (Mic. 3:11).

But the very men who are so forward at the temple are



ntil the middle of the last century, almost allwe knew about the kings of Assyria was con-tained in the Bible, and in unreliable notices in

the Greek historians. So mighty a monarch as Sargonwas unknown to us, apart from the reference in Isaiah20:1, and it was open for any critic to find fault withthe inspired narrative without any outside means ofchecking his theories. But in 1842, the French explorerBotta began a dig at Khorsabad, bringing to light animmense palace, full of sculptures, including many ofthe famous Assyrian winged bulls, erected by Sargon.

Shortly after, Layard and others excavated the ruinsof the palaces of Sennacherib and other Assyrian kings.There they found lifelike statues of the kings, andinscriptions giving the official history of their reigns.Several copies of the Assyrian Eponym Calendar werediscovered, which gives the name of an officer (limmu)for every year, and often a catalog of the outstandingevents of the year, giving a very accurate means of dat-ing the history both of the Assyrians and of the Jews.

Tiglath-Pileser II (745-727 BC), a great warrior, sub-dued Babylonia and assumed the title of king ofBabylon. He besieged Arpad, and took it, then descend-ed on Syria, and his records state that the kings ofHamath, Damascus, Tyre, and Minihimmi of Samaria(evidently Menahem) paid him tribute (2 Ki. 15:19-20).Later, we read: ÒPakaha (Pekah) their king I killed, andAusa I placed over them.Ó AhazÕ tribute is mentioned.

He also overran Galilee (2 Ki. 15:29). The annals nextdescribe the capture of Damascus, after a long siege (cf.Isa. 7:16; 10:9; 17:1). In 727 BC, Tiglath-Pileser died.The delight which this event caused in Palestine isreferred to in Isaiah 14:29-31. But it was short-lived.

The ascension of Shalmaneser IV (727-722) was thesignal for a general revolt in Syria and Palestine, backedby the new Ethiopian king who exercised an overlord-ship over Egypt, Shabaka (the SoÕ of 2 Ki. 17:4). He hadto lay siege to Tyre again, and also to Samaria.

Samaria was taken in the second year of the reign ofSargon (722-705) and 27,280 captives were carriedoff. Next year, he thoroughly chastised Shabaka of

Egypt at Raphia, near Gaza.Tyre fell and Hamath was con-quered by Assyrians.

The succeeding years donot concern us; he was busyfighting in the north. In hislater years, he sent his Tartanor chief general to Ashdod(cf. Isa. 20:1). He claims alsoto be Òthe conqueror of theland of Judah, whose situation is remote.Ó His lastyears were spent in building and beautifying his won-derful palace at Khorsabad, where he was murdered.

Sennacherib (705-681 BC) was SargonÕs son. Themonuments show him as a short, stout, powerfullybuilt man, with the usual square-cut hair, squareAssyrian beard, and a large nose. His first campaign wasagainst Merodach-Baladan of Babylon and his allies theElamites, and he claims complete success.

In 701, he turned his attention to Syria, Palestine,and Egypt, all of which had been conspiring against himagain. The people of Ekron had expelled their king Padi,the Assyrian nominee, and he was imprisoned byHezekiah at Jerusalem. Sennacherib marched down byway of the coast, reducing Sidon on the way, subduedPhilistia, and besieged Lachish and many other Hebrewcities. There is in the British Museum a bas-relief of thesiege of Lachish, from Nineveh.

The most relevant part of his inscription reads asfollows: ÒBut Hezekiah of Judah, who had not submit-ted to my yoke, I besieged 46 of his strong cities,fortresses, and small cities of their environs withoutnumber (and) by casting down their walls(?)ÉHimselfI shut up like a caged bird in Jerusalem his royal city;the walls I fortified against him (and) whosoever cameout of the gates of the city I turned backÉ.Ó

Esarhaddon, Asshurbanipal, and several smallerkings followed. In 606 (in 1923, a tablet was discoveredwhich seems to make the date 612), the Assyrianempire came to an end at the hands of the Medes andBabylonians. ÑA. R. S. Ý

ISAIAH: THE HISTORICAL BACKDROP

UISAIAH:

The Ishtar Gate of the city of Babylon

built by Solomon. (Part of one arch still remains, knownas Robinson’s arch.) Let us take our stand near, and hearthe sermon for the occasion.

Let me sing to my Beloved a song of my Beloved con-cerning his vineyard (or, perhaps, The song of His lovefor His vineyard). There was belonging to my Beloveda vineyard on a very fruitful hillside. And he dug it andcleared out the stones, and he planted it with a choicevine, and he built a tower in the midst of it, and also awinepress he dug out in it; and he hoped it was goingto produce good grapes, and it produced worthlessones…And now let me tell you what I am doing to myvineyard; I am going to remove its hedge, and it shallbe burnt up, and I am going to break down its wall,and it shall be a downtrodden thing…For the vineyardof Jehovah of Sabaoth is the house of Israel, and themen of Judah a plant of His delights, and He hoped forjudgment (mishpat) and behold oppression (mispach),and for righteousness (tse ‘dhaqah) and behold a cry(tse‘aqah) (Isa. 5).

The nation is the Lord’s, but it has grievouslydeparted from Him and provoked to anger the HolyOne of Israel (the prophet’s favorite name for hisLord); they will be judged for their sins, the flameshall consume the stubble and their blossom go up asdust. For all this His anger is not turned away, but Hishand is stretched out still. A far nation will come withspeed swiftly, none shall be weary or stumble amongthem, they shall not untie their shoes to rest at night;they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and noneshall deliver it. The overdressed daughter of Zion inthat day shall have instead of her perfumes a stink,and for a girdle a rope, for well-set hair baldness,clothing not of fine linen but sackcloth, and brandinginstead of beauty. How long? Until the cities be wast-ed without inhabitant, and the land be utterly desolate.

But as the stock of a felled tree at length begins tosprout again, so shall the stricken nation, and Shear-jashub—the remnant shall return (Isa. 1–6).

What a gloomy message! No wonder it is intenselyunpopular. It takes a bold man to utter it. A man, too, whois very sure of his ground, feeling deeply the wrong andwoe of the scenes we have seen. And he must be sure ofhis God, of His holiness, and therefore the inevitable factof judgment to come—unless the people will wash, makethemselves clean, put away the evil of their doings frombefore His eyes. This dim hope sustains the prophetIsaiah through the long, often discouraging years of hisministry. The brighter, surer hope is the certain coming ofJehovah’s Servant, the suffering Messiah who ultimatelywill set everything right. It is our hope as well.

the loathsome q‘dheshîm (2 Ki. 23:7; it is possible thatthese only date from the reign of Manasseh).

In one of the temple courts there is a group of peoplelistening to a prophet, a villainous looking fellow, in hisrough sheepskin cloak. He is in a frenzy, but it looks sus-piciously like the frenzy of strong drink. His talk is piousand orthodox enough. He is full of the glories and peaceof Jerusalem, the wonders of her temple, and the care theLord has for His chosen nation. Psalms roll off histongue like nursery-rhymes. Presently, in response to arequest, he turns to private soothsaying for one of hispatrons, and gets a good fee for it. It is just as well tokeep on the right side of him, or you may be the subjectof his next anathema (Mic. 2:11; 3:5, 11).

Down a side street there is a narrow entry leading intoa darkened room, from which strange mutterings areissuing. We do not care to go in, but on enquiry we learnthat the man who lives there is a spiritist, and claims tobe able to call up and consult the dead—for payment, ofcourse. There may be something in it, or it may all belies. “You can’t trust anybody these days,” says our infor-mant, “not even your own wife and family; in fact, theyare likely to be your worst enemies; honesty simply isn’tto be found” (Isa. 8:19; Mic. 7:2, 5-6).

So far, our discoveries have been very gloomy anddisquieting. Priest and people holding to the outer formof religion, grafting their own notions of what is befittingin worship onto the old phraseology, but leaving theessence of the law of God entirely outside. One may sac-rifice to Jehovah or to Baalim on the same day andalmost with the same ceremony. In all ages, how popularis the outward and respectable form of religion, and howunpopular the inward and searching reality!

We ask, anxiously: “Is there no one left of the old-time faith? Is there no prophet truly of the Lord? We aretold: “Yes, there are a few. There is the prophet Isaiah.And there is a countryman, not so much before the pub-lic, but a great preacher. His name is Micah theMorasthite. They do say, too, that the king’s son,Hezekiah, has been under Isaiah’s influence, and holdsthe same views—but he is a mere child.”

We await a day when the prophet Isaiah takes hisstand, perhaps in the temple courts, or in the open spacesnear the city gates. We shall not attempt to describe him,except to say that he wears the garb of the propheticorder, and is somewhere about 25 or 30 years old, as faras we can tell. He is married and has at least one son,who bears the strange name of Shear-jashub—the rem-nant shall return. He lives in the Tyropoean valley,between two of the hills on which Jerusalem is built, andwhich, apparently, he refers to as the Valley of Vision.The valley is spanned by the great bridge, 100 feet high,


Ý


B O U Q U E T O F B L E S S I N G

ISAIAH: Salvation of Yahweh


Isaiah is like a miniature Bible. The firstthirty-nine chapters (like the 39 books ofthe Old Testament) are filled with judg-ment upon immoral and idolatrous men.Judah has sinned; the surrounding nationshave sinned; the whole world has sinned.Judgment must come, for God cannotallow such blatant sin to go unpunishedforever. But the final twenty-seven chap-ters (like the 27 books of the NewTestament) declare a message of hope.The Messiah is coming as a Saviour and aSovereign to bear a cross and wear acrown. —Nelson Bible Study Helps

Isaiah is the greatest of the Hebrew prophetsand orators. For splendor of diction, brillianceof imagery, versatility and beauty of style, heis unequalled. Correctly he has been called the“Prince of Old Testament Prophets.”

—MERRILL F. UNGER

Isaiah is rightly called the EvangelicalProphet, and by common consent is oneof the greatest of the prophets in splendorof intellectual endowments. He takes anunchallenged place among the very greatwriters whom humanity has produced.His power of vivid, luminous visualiza-tion of truth, touched with extraordinarydepth of emotion is unmatched. He isequally distinguished for intensity and formajesty of utterance. —W. G. Scroggie

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hathclothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of right-eousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adornethherself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust,and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHO-VAH is my strength and my song; He alsois become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2

Lift up your eyes to the heavens,and look upon the earth beneath:for the heavens shall vanish awaylike smoke, and the earth shallwax old like a garment, and theythat dwell therein shall die in likemanner: but My salvation shallbe for ever, and My righteousnessshall not be abolished. Isa. 51:6

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed onThee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever:for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. Isaiah 26:3-4

Isaiah is justly accounted the chief of thewriting prophets. He has the most com-prehensive testimony and is distinctly theprophet of redemption. Nowhere else inthe Scripture written under the law havewe so clear a view of grace. The NewTestament Church does not appear, butMessiah in His Person and sufferings,and the blessing of the Gentiles throughHim, are in full vision. —C. I. Scofield

Visitors to Ireland’s lovely capital who appreciate Christian cul-ture are often shown a private house where one of the greatestmusical compositions had its world premiere. It was in Dublinon April 13, 1742 that Handel’s Messiah was first performed.No knowledgeable person has ever questioned the excellence ofHandel’s composition as to the music, but what about the libret-to (words) of this most famous of all oratorios? They are allfrom God’s Word, especially from the OT Messianic prophe-cies. And the prophet who contributed most to the libretto wasa Hebrew writer who lived seven centuries before the incarna-tion of his Messiah—and Handel’s and yours, and mine. Hisname is Isaiah and he wrote the longest, loveliest, and mostMessianic of OT prophecies. —WILLIAM MACDONALD

• History is His Story (The Dispensations) L-CHA• The Feasts of Jehovah L-FCH• Key Events in the Life of Peter (map) L- CPE• The Seven Churches of Revelation 2 & 3 L-SCR• Stir up your Gift L-GCH• The Habitation of God on Earth L-TCH• The Levitical Offerings L-OCH• The Seven Parables of the Kingdom L-PCH• Key Locations from the days of the Early Church (map) L-CKL• The Conspiracy of Love: God’s Tactics in Evangelism L-CLL• Psalms: Heaven’s Poetry L-CPS• The Long Walk: Israel’s Wilderness Journey (map) L-CLO• Compound Names of Jehovah L-CNA• Unlocking the Treasure Chest: the Sources of Truth L-CUT• Multiple Names and Titles of the Lord Jesus L-MNT

• Real Snake Handling:The Devil’s Devices L-RSH• Love By Association L-LBA• Isaiah:The Old Testament Evangelist L-OTE• A Brief Church History at a Glance L-CHG• Unfolding of the Doctrine of Dispensations L-UDD• Ten Test Questions to Discern Biblical Orthodoxy L-TTQ• So Great Salvation (definitions, examples, references) L-SGS• Revelation:The Book of Opened Things L-BOT

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classes and for reference. Printed on quality paper and shipped in durable mailers.

O r i g i n a l l y p u b l i s h e d i n t h e F E B R U A R Y 1 9 9 9 I S S U E O F UUPPLLOOOOKK M A G A Z I N E A v a i l a b l e f r o m G o s p e l F o l i o P r e s s , P . O . B o x 2 0 4 1 , G r a n d R a p i d s , M I 4 9 5 0 1 - 2 0 4 1

ISAIAH: The Old Testament EvangelistISAIAH: The Old Testament Evangelist

THE REIGN OF GOOD KING HEZEKIAH

“Isaiah is very bold”: Isaiah in the New Testament

THE DELIVERANCE OF THE REMNANT

“…chiefly ministry to the conscience of Israel and Judah,suffering under God’s hand in government, with Messiah’s comingas the goal of blessing before them…an orderly, connected seriesof messages or burdens, evidently uttered by Isaiah before the illness of Hezekiah. ” —H.A. Ironside

1. Prophecies re Judah & Israel (chs. 1–12)◆ chs. 1–5: Warning: promises of judgment● ch. 6: Scattering: the voice from the temple▲ chs. 7–12: Events & prophecies: historic (Ahaz)

2. Divine judgments & deliverances (chs. 13–35)■ chs. 13–27: Burdens alternate with Israel’s blessingsA.The book of burdens for the nations & Judah (chs. 13–23)

B. Universal judgment (ch. 24)C.The books of songs and woes (chs. 25–27 & chs. 28-35)

a) Song of the oppressed delivered (ch. 25:1-8)b) Song of the enemy humbled (ch. 25:9-12)c) Song of the land of Judah (ch. 26)d) Song of the restored vineyard (ch. 27)

■ chs. 28–35: Woes alternate with Jehovah’s gloriesa) Woe to the crown of pride (ch. 28)b) Woe to Ariel—Jerusalem, the Lion (ch. 29:1-14)c) Woe to the deceivers (ch. 29:15-24)d) Woe to the rebellious children (ch. 30)e) Woe to those who go down to Egypt (ch. 31)f) Woe to the spoiler (ch. 32)

D. Future of the nations & Israel contrasted (chs. 34–35)

“…historical, though of a prophetical, and typical character,showing how, for Judah, all blessing is bound up with a Son ofDavid who goes down to death but is raised up by omnipotentpower. It…is almost identical with 2 Kings 18:13 to 20:19 andalso, as to the main points, with 2 Chronicles 32.” —H.A. Ironside

▲ chs. 36–39: Events & prophecies: historic (Hezekiah)

1. Recollection:Assyrian invasion (chs. 36–37)

a) Hezekiah’s distress (ch. 36)

b) Hezekiah’s deliverance (ch. 37)

● ch. 40:1–11: Gathering: the voice from the wilderness

◆ chs. 40:12–66: Hope: promises of restoration

1. Israel’s God & heathen gods (chs. 40:12–48)

The first song of the Servant (ch. 42:1-9)

2. Sufferings & glories of the Servant (chs. 49–57)

The second song of the Servant (ch. 49:1-13)

The third song of the Servant (ch. 50:4-11)

The fourth song of the Servant (ch. 52:13–53:12)

3.The godly & ungodly and their ends (chs. 58-66)

The Servant’s reply (ch. 61:1-3)

2.Anticipation: the Babylonians (chs. 38–39)

a) Hezekiah’s sickness (ch. 38)

b) Hezekiah’s sin (ch. 39)

N.B.: The points preceded by colored shapes are largely from anoutline by E. W. Bullinger, showing the symmetry of the book ofIsaiah.* So for example, the first and last sections, marked with a◆, answer to each other; the second and seventh sections, with a●, mirror one another, etc.

* This partly answers the charge that the book of Isaiah is a compilation penned by various authors. The more obvious proof isthe acknowledgement by the New Testament writers and by ourLord Himself, quoting from every section of the book and alwaysascribing the verses to Isaiah.

“…concludes the prophecy…It sets forth the utter failure of thefirst man and the bringing in of the Second, the Lord from heaven. Israel, as the servant of God is shown to be unfaithful inevery particular and is set aside that the True Servant, the Elect of Jehovah, may be manifested.” —H.A. Ironside

Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible has a list of quotations from Isaiahin the New Testament.Verses from Isaiah chapters 1, 2, 5-14inclusive, 19, 21-30 inclusive, 32-35 inclusive, 37, 38, & 40-66inclusive are referenced in the New Testament.The only bookswithout quotes from Isaiah are: 1 & 2 Timothy, Philemon, and 2 &3 John.There are 416 separate references from Isaiah included inthese 22 New Testament books. Obviously, Isaiah “is very bold,”as Paul states, and many of the clearest and most convincingmessianic prophecies are found in this major prophet’s writings.

IsaiahÕs name, Jehovah’s salvation, suits the immense scope of the man and his messageonly if we remember that GodÕs salvation includes everything He has for us in Christ, HisPerfect Servant. Salvation is clearly one of the biggest words in the Bible.

With appreciation for help from the following: Sir Robt.Anderson, Henri Blocher, E.W. Bullinger, H.A. Ironside, G. Scroggie, and W. E.Vine.

A BABYLONIAN FORWARD LOOK

DIVISION ONE (chs. 1-39)

PROPHETIC (chs. 1-35) HISTORIC (chs. 36-39) MESSIANIC (chs. 40-66)

DIVISION TWO (chs. 40-66)

JUDAH, ISRAEL, AND THE NATIONS

THE ASSYRIAN PERIOD

AN ASSYRIAN BACKWARD LOOK

THE BABYLONIAN PERIOD

a) Babylon (chs. 13–14:27)b) Philistia (chs. 14:28-32)c) Moab (chs. 15–16)d) Damascus—Syria (ch. 17)e) Egypt (chs. 18–20)

f) Babylon (ch. 21:1-10)g) Edom (ch. 21:11-12)h) Arabia (ch. 21:13-17)i) Jerusalem—Judah (ch. 22)j) Tyre—Lebanon (ch. 23)

Ý A Brief Church Historyat a Glance

M O R E T O P I C A L C H A R T S A M P L E S

Ý The Feasts of Jehovah and Jewish Calendar Months

Ý The Seven Churches ofRevelation 2 & 3

Ý The Key Locations of the Early Church

Ý Outline of the Dispensationsshowing the purpose of the ages

Ý The Multiple Names and Titlesof the Lord Jesus Christ

Ý Stir Up Your Gift with defintions& examples of gifts in Scripture

Ý 7 Parables of the Kingdom

M O R E T O P I C A L C H A R T S A M P L E S

evasions, Isaiah 7:14 is a directprophecy of the virgin birth of theLord Jesus Christ. The quotation of itin Matthew 1:23 settles the question.Objection is raised that this could notbe a sign to Ahaz, since the fulfill-ment did not come until long afterhis day. But the statement was madenot merely to the individual, Ahaz,but to the “house of David,” whichAhaz represented—no matter howpoorly—in his generation. There isno need to see in this prophecy twochildren, one born at that time bynatural processes and the other thevirgin-born Son. Exhaustive studiesby Robert Dick Wilson and othershave shown that the Hebrew word isproperly translated “virgin”; certain-ly the Greek word in Matthew 1:23,which is a quotation of this versefrom Isaiah, can be translated in noother way.

There is, of course, contingencyin the prophecy. The thought of verse16 seems to be that if the babyImmanuel were born in the immedi-ate future, before He would be oldenough to make known His distinc-tion between good and evil, the twoenemy kings would withdraw. Thereis, therefore, both a message for theage and a message for the ages. Ahazhas the assurance that the Syrio-Israelitic invasion will not prevail;the house of David has the greaterassurance of the great Deliverer,Immanuel.

This great prophetic name of theLord Jesus Christ— “God withus”—sets forth both His deity and

term Ephraim is often used in theprophets for the Northern Kingdombecause of the leading place that thetribe of Ephraim exercised in it.

In the midst of the universal terror,the prophet of God sturdily wentforth at God’s command to meet theking, taking with him—also bydivine appointment—his son with asymbolic name-Shear-jashub, a rem-nant shall return (7:3). Amid humanconfusion there is divine assuranceand stability. “Thus saith the LordGod, It shall not stand, neither shall itcome to pass” (7:7).

Then, to reinforce the flat state-ment of deliverance, God invites theking to ask for a sign. Ahaz (whosecharacter is well known from 1 Kings16:30-33), with a pretense of piety,sanctimoniously protested that hewould not tempt the Lord. The histor-ical record tells us that Ahaz, far fromdepending on God, was even thenseeking the help of Assyria to defeathis more immediate enemies. Thiswas like a mouse sending for the catto help him against two rats!

Passages such as this are the testof whether one really accepts theBible as the Word of God or not.Liberal interpretation wallows in aquagmire of immediacy. It cannot orwill not admit that God can blendtogether a near and a far view. It mustseek the complete explanation of thepassage in the prophet’s own day, andthat in the face of the fact that theNew Testament plainly declares oth-erwise.

In spite of rationalistic denials and

t is characteristic of predictiveprophecy that it often minglesdifferent times in one com-posite picture. The prophetmust speak, of course, to his

own time in a way that can be under-stood by his contemporaries. Yet he isnot confined to this. The Holy Spiritoften bears him along to distant timesand realms. The Spirit especiallybrings to the notice of the prophet’shearers the times of Messiah.

This section of Isaiah—chapters 7though 12—is an excellent illustra-tion of this principle. The prophecieswere given during the reign of Ahaz(7:1), at a time when Syria and Israelwere allied against Judah. Thecraven, paganized Ahaz momentarilyexpected to be destroyed by these twoenemies. Furthermore, the power ofthe far mightier Assyria threatenedon the horizon.

God through His prophet promisesdeliverance from these enemies, butthe ultimate deliverance of His peo-ple can come only through the Onewhose name is Immanuel. In thesechapters are some of the best-knownprophecies of the coming Christ.

THE BIRTH OF IMMANUEL

It was a mark of the degenerationof Israel that one branch of themwould form an alliance with a pagannation against the other. This was notthe first time for such a sordid occur-rence, but we can imagine the con-sternation in the corrupt court ofAhaz when the word came, “Syria isconfederate with Ephraim” (7:2). The


Immanuel: the virginÕs SonDoes this passage in Isaiah 9:6-7 refer only to some child born in the days ofAhaz? Or was the king being given a preview of the coming Messiah?

I S A I A H 7 – 1 2

IALFRED MARTIN

versal reign has not yet been fulfilled. That awaits Hisreturn. Here, as has been noted, are the two natures ofChrist in one Person. “A child is born”—that is His per-fect humanity. “A son is given”—that is His absolutedeity. Lest there be any doubt of this fact, the prophecygives Him titles which no mere man could have:“Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlastingFather, The Prince of Peace.”

In a day when men are praised too much, even amongChristians, we need to praise Him who alone is worthy of

praise. It is easy to exaggerate in ourestimation of men; no one could everexaggerate the worth of Christ. He is“Wonderful” in His unique Person andin His unique atoning work. No oneelse is the God-Man; no one else coulddie for our sins, or even help Him to doso: “When He had by Himself purgedour sins, sat down on the right hand ofthe Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3).In Him are “hid all the treasures of wis-dom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). Nowonder His name is “Counselor.” Hisalmighty power, manifested in creationand available to us, is seen in His title,“The mighty God.” He is “The Fatherof eternity,” the One who nourishes Hisown forever. He is the “Prince ofPeace,” the One who brings peace tothe individual and who will ultimately

bring peace to the world. In order to show the certainty ofthis, the statement is made, “The zeal of the Lord of hostswill perform this,” a statement which occurs only in twoother places (Isa. 37:32; 2 Ki. 19:31).

GODÕS STRETCHED-OUT HAND OF JUDGMENT

The stretched-out hand of God, as seen repeatedly inthis section (9:12, 17, 21; 10:4; cf. also 5:25), is not inthis instance a display of mercy, but instead, an indicationof judgment. God’s previous judgments have not had thedesired effect of turning His people to repentance (9:13);therefore He must continue to smite them.

We find, then, a paradoxical fact: God is actuallyusing the wicked nation of Assyria to punish His ownpeople (10:5). “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee”(Ps. 76:10). Yet God will not allow Assyria to escape Hisrighteous judgment. How men delude themselves intothinking that they are going their own way, declaring theirindependence of God! Assyria, that mighty nation, isserving a divine purpose as a tool in the Lord’s hand. Thisdoes not excuse Assyria’s actions or absolve it of its guilt:“Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath

His humanity. This is what John had in mind when hesaid: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongus, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the onlybegotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).The same truth is revealed in a parallel passage to this inIsaiah 9. In connection with these prophecies one shouldread the passage on the person of Christ in Philippians2:5-11.

THE ASSYRIAN INVASION

The prophet goes on to show thatAssyria will come in a more devastat-ing invasion than that of Syria andIsrael (7:20). As a symbol of this com-ing judgment, Isaiah is instructed toname his second son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, Haste ye, haste ye to the spoil(8:1, 3). No matter how great a confed-eration of enemies there will be, how-ever, God will deliver Judah if they willlook to Him. They are to stand in rever-ential fear before Him rather than interror of any adversaries: “Sanctify theLord of hosts Himself; and let Him beyour fear, and let Him be your dread”(8:13).

Against those false teachers whowould turn the people to idolatrous andabominable spiritism, Isaiah exhortsthem to seek unto God. He alone canbring deliverance.

THE DAVIDIC KINGDOM AND KING

Here again a tremendous leap is made across the cen-turies. In fact, two leaps are made. We are informed inthe New Testament that the prophecy is partially fulfilledin the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in Galilee at Hisfirst advent (cf. 9:1-2 with Mt. 4:13-16).

Nevertheless it must be acknowledged that here, aselsewhere, the two comings of Christ are brought togeth-er in one prophecy. Indeed, from the Old Testament aloneit could not be clearly seen that there were to be two com-ings. That is a New Testament amplification. Peter tellsof the bewilderment of the Old Testament prophets. “Ofwhich salvation the prophets have inquired and searcheddiligently, who prophesied of the grace that should comeunto you: searching what, or what manner of time theSpirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when [He]testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and theglory that should follow” (1 Pet. 1:10-11).

The birth of the child prophesied in Isaiah 9:6 hastaken place long ago, at Christ’s first coming; His uni-


IMMANUEL: THE VIRGINÕS SON

The portion of the Isaiah scrollcontaining the renowned 7:14.

the true successor of David, the Messiah-King. Thedescription of His endowment by the Spirit of God (v. 2)recalls that “God giveth not the Spirit by measure untoHim” (Jn. 3:34). His kingdom has been seen in a previ-ous passage (9:7) as bringing peace; here the emphasis isupon the righteousness which will characterize it. Menare always looking for peace, but are not ready for apeace that will be based on righteousness. No ordinaryman, no matter how good his intentions may be, couldpossibly reign in perfect righteousness. Only the all-knowing, all-wise, all-holy Son of God can reign in right-eousness (cf. 32:1).

Many are disposed to allegorize or spiritualize the OldTestament prophecies concerning the kingdom. Fulfilledprophecy, however, furnishes us a standard by which tointerpret prophecy yet unfulfilled. If the prophecies con-cerning the sufferings of Christ were fulfilled in generalin a literal manner, ought we not to expect the propheciesconcerning His glory to be similarly fulfilled?

None can deny that there are many figures of speechin the prophetic passages; nor can God describe the com-

ing glory for us in a way that we can understand com-pletely. But if kingdom prophecy means anything, itmeans that there will come a day when Christ shall lit-erally reign over this literal earth. This Messianic reignis often referred to as the Millennium, from the pas-sage concerning the thousand years in Revelation 20.The New Testament tells us that eventually the mater-ial creation is to be delivered from the bondage intowhich it came because of man’s sin (Rom. 8:19-22).This brief picture in Isaiah 11 shows us something ofthe glory of that day: “They shall not hurt nor destroyin all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full ofthe knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea”(11:9).The “highway” for the “remnant” of God’s peoplefinds an echo in later chapters of Isaiah (35:8; 40:3), anindication of a fact which every student of Isaiahshould observe—the prophet’s repeated use of themesor motifs.

THE SONG OF REDEMPTION

This lovely song, with which the section closes,expresses the praise and thanksgiving of the godlyremnant of Israel in the coming day of salvation, “thatday” (v. 1). It is in two parts (vv. 1-2 and vv. 3-6). Thefirst part looks back upon the judgment of God andthen rests in His comfort (cf. 40:1). It acknowledgesGod as “strength,” “song,” and “salvation.” The secondpart is a pure hymn of praise, celebrating the “HolyOne of Israel” in the midst of His people in Zion. Andwe rejoice with those who do rejoice.

performed His whole work upon mount Zion and onJerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of theking of Assyria, and the glory of His high looks” (10:12).

God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are alwaysin perfect balance in the Word of God. Even though weare not able to reconcile these paradoxical facts, we canbelieve both because the Bible teaches both. God is sov-ereign in His universe; and at the same time man is fullyaccountable to God for all his acts.

The reference to “that day” (v. 20) seems to carry theprophecy over from the historical invasion in theprophet’s own time to another tremendous invasion of theland in the end-time. Whatever the exact connection maybe, the sequel in chapter 11 would seem to indicate sucha far view.

THE BRANCH FROM JESSEÕS ROOT

How exquisitely the Lord Jesus Christ is portrayed inthese messages of the evangelical prophet! Here (11:1)He is characterized again as the “Branch,” although theHebrew word here is not the same as in 4:2. He is seen as


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IMMANUEL: THE VIRGINÕS SON

T H E B O O K O FI M M A N U E L

(chapters 7-12)

A. The birth of Immanuel (7:1-16)1. Occasion of the prophecy (7:1-9)2. The sign to the House of David (7:10-16)

B. The Assyrian invasion (7:18Ð8:22)C. The Davidic kingdom and king (9:1-7)D. GodÕs hand of judgment (9:8Ð10:34)E. The Branch from JesseÕs root (11:1-16)F. The song of redemption (12:1-6)

T H E B O O K O FI M M A N U E L

them; and the triumphant vindicationwhich He has received.

A STORY OF SORROW AND PAIN

Three mysteries meet here, asclouds brood darkly when a thunder-storm is imminent:

The mystery of humiliation. Thetender plant painfully pushing itsway through the crust of the cakedground; the absence of natural attrac-tiveness—such imagery receives its

consists of five stanzas of three vers-es each, the closing paragraphs beingsomewhat longer. No English transla-tion can give a conception of thecadence and sad minor tones whichsob through its chords.

The theme is the sufferings of theServant of God; the wrong conclu-sions which His fellows formed of

here is only one browwhich this crown ofthorns will fit. As theeunuch sat in his chariotand read this wonderful

lyric of sorrow even unto death, hequestioned of whom the writer spoke.Philip, in reply, commenced to preachfrom this same scripture, Jesus.

Efforts have been made to applythis prophecy to one or another of thegreat sufferers of history: Jeremiah,Ezekiel, or some unknown martyr inthe days of the captivity. And it isquite likely, since sorrow and pain arethe heritage of all, that in some par-ticulars this vision was realized bylesser men than the Son of Man. Achild’s hand may strike notes on theFreyburg organ, but who but theChrist could take these words in theirentirety and say, “This portrait isMine; there is not a line here whichhas not its correspondence in Me.”

When the Man of Nazarethapproaches, and claims to have ful-filled this dark and bitter record,when He opens his heart and showsits scars; when He asks if there wereever grief like His—who would dareto challenge His right to claim thisempire as His own? In fact, deepdown in the heart, there is a tacit con-fession that He drank more bitterdraught than even these words record.

This elegy of sorrow is unfortu-nately divided by the arbitraryarrangement of the chapters in ourBibles. Really, it begins at 52:13,with the word which so often arrestsattention in this book, “Behold.” It


Vindicated at lastIsaiah 53 does not end with a root out of dry groundor a lamb led to the slaughter.

D E V O T I O N A L

F. B. MEYER

T

Isaiah by Gustav Doré

soul, but He has found the wall in ruins, and the choicestores rifled; slights, where there should have been ten-derness; rebuffs, where He looked for a welcome; put toopen shame, instead of in the inner shrine of esteem andlove. Surely this will account for this mystery of sorrow.

The mystery of pain. Wounded, bruised, chastised; thespittle of the soldiery on His face; the scourge plowinglong red seams in His flesh; the bloody sweat beading Hisbrow; the cry “Forsaken!”; the sigh of the broken heartwrung from His lips. There is suffering here! Well mightPilate cry, as though to move the pity of the crowd withsuch a spectacle of misery, “Behold the Man!”

O King of suffering and sorrow! Monarch of themarred face, none has ever approached Thee in theextremity of Thy grief; we bow the knee, and bid Thee“All Hail!” We are conquered by Thy tears and woes; ourhearts are enthralled; our souls inspired; our lives surren-dered to Thy disposal for the execution of purposes whichcost Thee so dear.

WRONG SUPERFICIAL CONCLUSIONS

Every age has connected misery with guilt, anguishwith iniquity, suffering with sin. Special pain has beenregarded as the indication of special wrong-doing. It wasin vain that Job protested his innocence; his friendsinsisted that the reason of his awful sufferings must besought in evils, which, though he had screened them fromthe gaze of men, were doubtless well known to himselfand God. The awful absence of sight which the blind manhad suffered from his birth made the disciples speculateon the likelihood of his having perpetrated some terriblecrime in a previous state of existence, of which that pri-vation was the evidence and the result. And when, on thestorm-swept shore of Malta, the apostle’s hand was sud-denly encircled by the viper, creeping out of the heat, thenatives concluded that he was a murderer, who, though hehad escaped the sea, could not escape the penalty whichjustice demanded. So the verdict which the thoughtlesscrowd might be disposed to pass on the sufferings ofChrist would be that they were, without doubt, richlymerited. This is the explanation put into the mouth of Hisown people by the prophet: “We did esteem Him smittenof God, and afflicted.”

Perhaps the members of the Pharisee party who con-sented to His death, swept on against their better judg-ment by the virulence of Caiaphas and Annas, may havecomforted themselves, as the shadows of that memorableday fell on the empty crosses, that such sufferings couldnot have been permitted by God to overtake the Nazarenehad He not been guilty of the blasphemy for which Hewas judged worthy of death.

But all this while Jesus opened not His mouth. Silent

full interpretation from the New Testament, with its storyof Christ’s peasant parentage, His manger-bed, and lowlycircumstances; fisherfolk His choice disciples; povertyHis constant lot; the common people His devoted admir-ers; thieves and malefactors on either side of His cross;the lowly and poor the constituents of His Church. Thiswas humiliation indeed, though the irregularities ofhuman lot are scarcely distinguishable from the heightsfrom whence He came.

The profoundest stoop of His humility was that Hebecame man at all. He was Infinite in His unstintedblessedness; rich with the wealth that has flowered outinto the universe; radiant in the dazzling beauty of per-fect moral excellence. What agony, therefore, must havebeen His—to breathe our tainted air, to live in daily con-tact with sinners, and to be perpetually surrounded by themost miserable and plague-stricken of the race! And thatHe should die—that the Life-giver should pass under thedark portal of the grave! That the Son of God shouldbecome obedient to a death of ignominy and shame at thehands of men is a mystery of humiliation indeed.

The mystery of sorrow. You can see its ineffaceablemarks on that marred face. We need no further proof thatHe was a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Butwhat is sorrow? Each of us knows by experience what itis; but who can define it, or say in a sentence of what itconsists? It is that emotion which results when lovemeets with dark shadows threatening its beloved. Thereis doubtless a selfish kind of sorrow which repines atlosses that can be counted in gold, and bewails the cur-tailing of sensual gratification. But this may not be men-tioned here, where we are within the precincts of the sor-row of the world’s Redeemer. We are treating sorrow as itmight exist in His peerless heart, and in those who arebeing molded in His image.

When love beholds its objects eluding its embrace—their love turning cold, their souls poisoned by misun-derstanding and misrepresentation, their lives engulfedby eddies from which it would save them if it could, butthey refuse its aid—then there is sorrow; as rain meetinga blast of frosty air will turn to snow.

We need go no further for the reason why Jesus sor-rowed as He did. It could not have been otherwise. Mencould not be loved by Him without causing Him infinitepain. Have you not wounded Him, crucified Him, wrungHis heart, just because you were not able to appreciatethe sensitivity of the heart which was pouring out itsstores for you? Throughout the ages He has come to Hisown, and they have barred the door to His entrance; Hehas desired to gather them, as a hen her chicks, but theyhave refused Him; He has come into His garden to gath-er the precious fruit and spices that would refresh His


VINDICATED AT LAST

grant violation of the principles of Jewish jurisprudence.But where high-handed evil rushes forward, then our wis-est and most Christ-like attitude is not to revile again, northreaten, but to lift up our eyes to the hills from whenceour help comes.

THE SUFFERER’S VINDICATION

It may tarry, but it surely comes at length. It came, andis always coming, to Christ. Each age has only estab-lished more completely His absolute moral beauty; thedignity and majesty of His bearing under the sufferings

of His last hour; and the infinite value of Hiscross.Vindicated by the growing convictions of men.We, the prophet says, speaking of men gener-ally—we esteemed Him not, because wethought that God was punishing Him for Hissin, but now we have discovered that He boreour griefs, and carried our sorrows; that Hewas wounded for our transgressions, bruisedfor our iniquities, chastened for our peace. Inother words, the great truth of substitution islooming ever clearer on the conscience andheart of man. As never before, light is break-ing on the heights of the doctrine of vicarioussuffering, bringing into distinctness that won-drous line of virgin peaks which no human

foot but One has ever scaled. Not that we can fully mea-sure or define what Jesus did for us on the cross; but thatwe are coming to understand that His sufferings therehave secured redemption for mankind, and laid the foun-dation of a temple whose walls are salvation and its gatespraise. The growing conviction of this fact is, in part,Christ’s vindication.

Vindicated by the trust of each individual soul. Eachtime one comes to Him, and finds peace and salvation inHis wounds, cleansing in His precious blood, shelterbeneath the outspread arms of His cross, He sees Hisseed, He sees of the travail of His soul, and is satisfied;He is vindicated, and recompensed for all His pain.

Vindicated by His exaltation to the right hand ofpower. “Ye denied the holy and righteous One, and killedthe Prince of Life, whom God raised from the dead.” Thatis His vindication, that He is seated on His Father’sthrone, entrusted with all authority, and able to save to theuttermost all who come. Every cry of angel or seraph thatHe is worthy; every crown cast at His feet, or palm wavedin His train; every accession of honor and glory as theages roll; His raising of the dead; His session on the greatwhite throne; His eternal reign—all attest the vindicationof the Sufferer and His Father. “…and the pleasure of theLord shall prosper in His hand” (Isa. 53:10).

before Caiaphas, except when His refusal to speak mightappear to compromise His claims to death; silent beforeHerod, as one to whom speech was vain; silent beforePilate, except when the Roman governor seemed reallyeager to know the truth— “He was led as a lamb to theslaughter, and as a sheep, dumb before her shearers, soHe opened not His mouth.”

Why this speechlessness? In part it was due to theSaviour’s clear apprehension of the futility of arguingwith those who were bent on crucifying Him. It was alsodue to the quiet rest of His soul on God, as He commit-ted Himself to Him that judgeth righteously,and anticipated the hour when the Fatherwould arise to give Him a complete vindica-tion. But it was due also to His consciousnessof carrying in His breast a golden secret,another explanation of His sufferings thanmen were aware of, a divine solution of themystery of human guilt.

We give our highest eulogy to those whosuffer for others without a murmur of com-plaint; carrying silently a load of pain andgrief which these have caused them; misun-derstood and maligned, but keeping their lipsfast sealed, lest the true reason should escapeuntil the best moment had come for its reve-lation. With what reverence then should wenot regard the Lord’s reticence. He knew the secret thatunderlay the Levitical dispensation, and that gave all itsmeaning to His own approaching death—the great law ofthe transference of suffering. He realized that He wasGod’s Lamb, on whom the sin of the world was lying; thescapegoat carrying guilt into a land of forgetfulness; theantitype of bull, and calf, and dove.

His soul was quieted under the conviction of thesesublime conceptions, and He could afford to be dumbuntil He had put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.What though men judged Him falsely, God the Fatherknew all that was in His heart. Time would vindicate Himpresently: what He carried as a secret in His heart wouldbe proclaimed from the housetops of the world.

We all need to learn this lesson. We are so quick topour the story of our wrongs into the ears of men, com-plaining of every injury and slight. We are prone to rushinto speech or print, justifying our conduct, rebuttingfalse accusations, and demanding justice. All this isunworthy of those who know that God is waiting in theshadow, “keeping watch upon His own,” and sure tobring their righteousness to the light, their judgment tothe noonday. For the sake of the wrong-doer we shouldendeavor to arrest the commission of wrong; as Jesus didwhen He remonstrated with the high priest for his fla-


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VINDICATED AT LAST

His resurrection,

His exaltation,

His installation on

the FatherÕsthroneÉ

all this and more is

His vindication

2. Lending our spiritual gift. The New Testament isfull of examples of believers who traveled to localchurches, many assisting Paul in his work. See forinstance the list in 2 Timothy 4 or Ephaphroditus of thePhilippian assembly or Epaphras of the Colossian assem-bly. These were men who gave themselves to the work ofthe Lord for the benefit of other local churches. Theirown assemblies must have missed them. They were evi-dently men of ability and gift. They may have been goodpreachers or teachers. Some undoubtedly were men ofpractical ability, assisting Paul in work and travel. Itwould be worth considering whether some in our assem-

bly could be relieved of local responsibilities tohelp in other area assemblies. A gifted Bibleteacher should not dominate the public min-istry of his own local assembly. Why not beavailable to other assemblies?3. Supporting gospel outreaches and confer-ences. People attract people. When an assem-bly engages in a form of outreach, it is good tohave as many people as possible there for sup-port. Yes, it is true, God does not need big num-

bers to do a work. But it is also true that we encourageone another by attendance. When another assembly sendsinvitations, try and attend. Sure, you’re busy enough inyour own assembly, but try and attend anyway. Manysmaller assemblies are encouraged when other believersvisit for conferences. Schedule a few conferences duringyour year. Plan on attending. It will bless others.

4. Avoid a critical or competitive spirit. TheCorinthians were “puffed up.” It was not to their credit.We will not always agree with what other assemblies do.Our duty is to obey the truth in our own sphere. Paulnever compromised on the truth, yet he was generous inspirit to those who were advancing the Lord’s work. (Phil.1:15-18). Unconfirmed reports of the practices of otherassemblies should not occupy our conversation. Our ownblessing is multiplied when we wish the same for others.Blessing comes when we “rejoice with them that dorejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Rom. 12:15).

Be an assembly that enriches others by sacrificial giv-ing. Be a Macedonian assembly.

am privileged to live in an area where fiveassemblies enjoy happy fellowship with oneanother. These assemblies grew from one overthe years. Each time a few believers left their

assembly in harmony, with the interest of seeing anotherassembly planted. Four times a year we meet for a unitedprayer and ministry meeting. The elders meet annually toreview joint ministry outreaches, although never to dis-cuss local assembly business. It is a delightful blessing.

Autonomy or self government is one of the character-istics of the New Testament church. The early apostlesnever organized groups of assemblies, but each wasintended to function independently andaccountable to the Lord Himself. He was Headof the Church, Paul would show the Corinthians(1 Cor. 11), the Ephesians (Eph. 1:22; 4:15) andthe Colossians (Col. 1:18; 3:19). No churchwould form special fellowships or associationswith other churches in an exclusive way.

W. E. Vine states it well: “The only bondbinding churches together was spiritual, that ofa common life in Christ and the indwelling ofthe same Holy Spirit. There was no such thing as exter-nal unity by way of federation, affiliation or amalgama-tion, either of churches in a given locality or of all thechurches together. Apostolic testimony is against theorganization of churches into an ecclesiastical system.”

But this autonomy was not intended to be isolation.New Testament churches set the example by assisting oneanother. It was a spiritual investment in each other. Witha renewed interest in gospel outreach and planting bibli-cal assemblies, here are some things to consider.

1. Providing financial assistance. This is what Paulwas referring to in 2 Corinthians 8. The Macedonianbelievers gave generously for the saints at Jerusalem. Wemight be tempted to think that the Macedonian believershad lots of money and no problems of their own, andtherefore could give so generously. But Paul reports,“…how that in a great trial of affliction the abundance oftheir joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the rich-es of their liberality” (2 Cor. 8:2). Consider helpinganother assembly financially.


L I V I N G A S S E M B L I E S

b y B R I A N G U N N I N G

INTER-ASSEMBLY CO-OPERATIONThe Macedonians gave to others because they first gave themselves to the Lord.

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tered: to cry: ‘Tis the year ofJehovah’s good will.”

Can you see the agitated crowd?Yet what gracious words! Betweentwo general proclamations of“preaching the gospel” and “theacceptable year,” are three specificforms of grace.

THE HEART-BROKEN & CAPTIVES

First, the “heart-broken,” thosewho no longer stout-heartedly insistthat they have “done their best,” but,finding tender love where theyexpected a curse, are filled with self-abhorrence. These must be healed.

Next, and along the same line,men have dark and false views ofGod. “I,” says the speaker, “amgoing to give them light as to that,and proclaim Him by a Name thatshall draw their heart’s confidence toHim in joyous liberty, making themfree indeed” (Jn. 8:36).

In a word, it is the year of jubilee,when the sound of the silver trumpetsweeps over the hills and vales. Asthose notes reach the ear of everybondman, he springs up free, andhastens to resume the patrimonialinheritance that he had forfeited. It isa picture too beautiful to be spoiledby human comment, for it tells ofman’s place in the very heart of God,forfeited, but by that speakerregained, and more than regained, forit is never again to be lost.

THE MISSING PHRASE

But here the Reader stops. Notthat the “day of vengeance” does notin itself mean “the acceptable year”for Israel; it surely does. The onlydeliverance for the Jew on this earthwill be by retributive justice on theoppressing nations. That vengeancewas in the mind of Isaiah, who madeno pause; to him the two things wereindissolubly linked. But the Prophetof Luke 4, foretelling that He would

comes, or the first text that strikesHis eye. Instead, He finds the placewhere it is written: “The Spirit of theLord is upon Me,” and having read afew words only, He resumes His seat.There is a pause while the eyes of allthe congregation are expectantly fas-tened on Him, to hear His comment.

Now mark the astonishment thatcomes over every face as He—theson of Joseph (as they think)—says,“This day is this scripture fulfilled inyour ears,” and quietly assumes theplace of being Himself the speaker inthe prophecy of Isaiah!

PART ONE: THE LORDÕS MINISTRY

As He takes every sentence andapplies it to Himself, amazementsweeps over the congregation. Hadwe been there, would we not haveshared that amazement? He, ourneighbor who has been among us forthirty years, now claims to have beendivinely anointed “to preach the gladtidings to penitent poor, to heal theheart-broken: to cry to the slaves: Yeare free! Prison door open to the fet-

ur chapter is not a longone, but it will be foundfilled with interest andrefreshment if we cantrace in it the path of our

Lord Jesus Christ from His earlyhome in Nazareth, till in a day, yetfuture, He finds a dwelling with Hisbeloved Israel in a land itself restingunder His beams as the Sun ofRighteousness.

The division is so clearly a three-fold one that it could not be mistaken:1. The threefold ministry of the Lord,first in grace (rejected); in judgment;then in healing (vv. 1-3). 2. Israel inmillennial blessedness (vv. 4-9). 3. Messiah rejoices with His rejoic-ing people (vv. 10-11).

This chapter should be of supremeinterest to us, for almost 2,000 yearsago a laborer about thirty years of agemight have been seen standing upamid a Jewish congregation in a vil-lage of a despised district in adespised country, as though Hedesired to address those present. Weare told nothing of His personalappearance, but evidently He was notof any exalted social standing. Hisclothing must have been that of anordinary artisan, for He was but acarpenter. The villagers among whomHe had grown up assumed that theywere thoroughly acquainted withHim and all His relatives.

Yet He was respected, or theywould not have handed Him theScriptures from which to read. As Hestands there, He unrolls the book, notcarelessly, taking the first page that


Anointed to serveThe Man of Nazareth, once named the Man ofSorrows, will yet lead His people’s praise.

I S A I A H 6 1

OF. C. JENNINGS

many “waste places;” but the end of that faithless witnessis not for those waste places to be restored, or the ruinsrebuilt, but (the true having been caught up to be foreverwith the Lord) absolute reprobation as a vile thing to bespewed out of the Lord’s mouth—no longer owned as Hiswitness at all. That is not a rebuilding as is promised here,nor any form of restoration.

Apply the prophecy to the literal nation of Israel, andhow simple it all is. Its cities shall be rebuilt; its wastescovered with fertile beauty, and its desolations throbbingwith life. Foreigners shall do the servile work, whileIsrael’s own people shall be known as having peculiaraccess to God, a nation of priests. The very wealth of thenations shall be the glory of Israel and their joy shall flowperennially in unbroken song.

Jehovah’s character is the basis of His dealings withmen. He loves righteousness. Every act of His, then, mustbe in strict accord with it. But robbery—the assumptionof that to which the pretender has no right—is in viewhere, as when the devil would be as the Most High, orman, his dupe, would claim to be God (2 Thess. 2). Thatis robbery of such a transcendent character that it iscalled “robbery with iniquity” and is hateful indeed.

There was One to whom even such a claim was norobbery. It was He whose mind was to go to the lowestplace on earth, and that is the mind His Spirit works inHis people (Phil. 2).

In that day, no longer shall the word Jew be a reproach,but as in 25:8, every Israelite shall be honored as one ofa people peculiarly blessed.

PART THREE: MESSIAH REJOICES

Here we listen to the song of Messiah as He identifiesHimself with His beloved Israel. He leads their joyfulsinging; His joy is one with theirs; nor surely less so withours. Here we see the fulfillment of the word: “In themidst of the congregation will I praise Thee” (Ps. 22:22).On the feeblest of us, too, are the garments of salvation,and the very righteousness of God covers us, for it is “onall those who believe” (Rom. 3:22).

Again, what a beautiful figure, not as a lightning-flash, gone as soon as seen, but as a garden sprouts withwhat is to be long enjoyed—in this case, forever. Thus theJew is no longer despised, but is the object of praise of allnations, as flowers cover a garden.

It is the knowledge of love to us poor, wrath-deservingsinners that results in practical holiness. Not legalendeavor, but finding out that love has provided for allour helplessness in the Son. The Spirit’s law is that ourtrue life, with all its power, is alone in Christ, and therighteousness of the law is fulfilled in us “who walk notafter the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Rom. 8:4).

be rejected by “His own” (and the hill of Nazareth soonwitnessed that rejection, foreshadowing Calvary), alsoforetold that these spiritual blessings should go forth to“every creature under heaven,” and His stopping in themiddle of the verse leaves room for the heavenly callingof the Church.

THE MOURNERS

Have you not been struck with God’s appreciation ofmourners? The beatitudes seem to affix blessing to whatworldly Christianity ridicules as pessimism. “Blessed arethe poor,” “Blessed are they that mourn,” “Blessed are yethat weep now!” Is that the language of the present day?“Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and youweep alone,” is this world’s way. “But,” you say, “we aretold to rejoice in the Lord alway,” which seems to forbid,rather than to approve of, mourning.

True, but there are strange paradoxes in the life of aChristian. Not the least of the apostles wrote that he him-self was “sorrowful yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10).And today, as long as the Holy Spirit is with us to take ofthe things of Christ and show them to us, we rejoice in allwe have in Him. Yet that same Spirit would undoubtedlylead to sincere mourning at the appalling condition ofChristendom, and the wave of apostasy that is sweepingover it. Let us not shrink from the taunt of “pessimism,”but confess ourselves to be pessimists indeed as to allthat depends on the “first man,” but optimists withoutlimit as to all that depends on the “Second Man,” for Healways does all things well.

But Isaiah had to do with the Jew, who today is goingback to his land, an undistinguishable mass of unbelief inthe true Messiah, Jesus. Soon a sharp dividing line willbe drawn. On one side will be some who mourn, “as themourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo”(Zech. 12:11); and on the other, a mass of impenitent,who are morally gathered at Har-mageddon which is inthe English tongue, “the gathering place of the lofty.”

PART TWO: ISRAELÕS MILLENNIAL BLESSEDNESS

It has become increasingly clear that the prophecies ofthis book have a double application. First, they wereaddressed through a Jew to the nation of the Jews, andtherefore their scope is earth and not heaven. The penal-ty threatened is reprobation on the earth. But it is equal-ly clear that the first words of this chapter must have awider and more spiritual application to the present—aday unknown to the Old Testament prophet.

Yet as we come to verses 4-9, it becomes increasinglydifficult to apply such words to the Church. I do not saythat the professing Church, as left to man, is not in a ruinthat corresponds with Israel. It is, and there are indeed


ANOINTED TO SERVE

Ý

straightway to the conviction that the New Testamentteaching and pattern was the baptism of believers byimmersion, and in their thorough consistency immediate-ly put this into practice, so that it became universalamong those who believed. They apprehended, too, thatBreaking of Bread was the Lord’s command and was forbelievers only, and on this apprehension they also acted.The clerical system of the Orthodox Church disappearedas they understood from the Scriptures the constitution ofthe Church and the churches, the priesthood of all believ-ers, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the gifts and the lib-erty of ministry He gives for rule in the churches, for edi-fying the saints, and for spreading the gospel among all.”

Even open preaching enjoyed a level of freedom underthe Czar Alexander II. It was during this time that two

other movements began, called theBaptists and the Pashkofites. Wejudge that all three movements werespiritual works of God. The Baptistsand the Stundists were active in theCaucasus and in south Russia. ThePaschkofites began through thepreaching of Lord Radstock amongthe nobility when he came to St.Petersburg in 1866. One of the newbelievers was Vassily Alexandrovich

Pashkoff, Colonel of the Guards of His Royal Highness.A man on speaking terms with the Czar, he owned mineson Russia’s eastern frontier, and lived in one of the mostopulent homes in St. Petersburg (it later became theFrench Embassy). G. H. Lang said, “Lord Radstock andDr. Baedeker began that testimony which greatly stimu-lated the vast Stundist movement in Greek OrthodoxRussia.” How did they “stimulate” the movement? Byproviding Bibles and Bible teaching.

As usual, when the work gained strength, so did theopposition. In 1877 and 1878, the Orthodox churchbegan to stoke the fires of animosity. Sadly, the moreforebearing Czar Alexander II was assassinated by aNihilist bomb in the streets of St. Petersburg in 1881.This seemed to explode the careers of any non-joinerslike Pashkoff. In the ruling class, paranoia ran high.

he Stundist movement began in 1858 whenGerman believers began to actively presentthe gospel of Christ to Russian-speakingneighbors near the city of Odessa. The

Germans had come into the area under a Homestead Act,but had been forbidden to proselytize among the RussianOrthodox. Some of these Protestants from Germany hadsettled on Russian soil for monetary reasons, but amongthem were those pressed out of Germany for their bibli-cal convictions, such as the colonists coming fromWurttemberg who settled in Bessarabia.

It appears that these German believers languished foryears spiritually, but in the mid-1800s experienced areviving in the province of Cherson under the Bibleteaching of men like Bonnenkemper (?-1867). He hadinitially been sent by an organizationcalled Basle Mission to theCaucasus, but was expelled fromthat territory, and instead took up thework in a German colony nearOdessa. Farm laborers came fromdistant places to work at harvesttime. Bonnenkemper introduced thegospel to these laborers, and theycarried the Word of God back totheir homes. This overgrew the wallsof cultural and religious apartheid. The German believerssaw that their Russian neighbors and employees were notso closed or self-satisfied after all.

During the reign of Czar Alexander I, certain evan-gelical Quakers approached the czar about completingthe translation of the Bible into the Russian vernacular.The Czar followed through, and encouraged the sale ofBibles. Hearing about this breakthrough, Bonnenkemperwent to St. Petersburg and obtained Russian-languageNew Testaments and leaflets. You cannot bottle the wind,and in time the testimony of the gospel spread among theRussian Moujiks who began regular gatherings for prayerand Bible study called “Bibel Stunde” meaning the“Bible Hour.” In time the saints themselves were nick-named stunda or stundists.

E. H. Broadbent says, “The Russian believers…came


H E R O E S

b y J O H N A . B J O R L I E

THE STUNDISTSGod has said, “I will work and who can hinder it?” (Isa. 43:13)

T

the views of heretics or dissenters, oraiding such. Punishment: Banish-ment to Siberia, Transcaucasia, orother remote part of the Empire.

Frederick Baedeker wrote, “Thenumber of exiles sent over theCaucasus has lately been greatlyincreased. They are mostly Stundists,Molokans, and Baptists: men andwomen who have been taught by theWord of God, and who will not bowin worship to pictures, nor receiveabsolution from priests…

“Thus Russia treats her best citi-zens; and these men are real heroesof patient endurance…. Threebrethren were brought in, in chains.One of them recognized me, andwept sore. Their homes and wivesand children are in the neighborhoodof Moscow. It is cruel work! Theseare the Czar’s choicest subjects.”

In 1905, the Czar issued an edictgranting liberty of conscience andfreedom of assembly. This reversalof policy testifies that persecutiondid not break the believers. InsteadPobiedonostzeff retired and theMetropolitan of the RussianOrthodox church issued this state-ment, “True faith is obtained by thegrace of God, through instruction,humility and good examples; on thisaccount the use of force is denied tothe Church, which does not count itneedful to hold erring children fastagainst their will. Therefore theOrthodox Church has nothingagainst the rescinding of the law for-bidding to separate from theOrthodox Church.”

MATERIAL TAKEN FROM:

C. A.W., The Stundists, The Persecutionof Believers in Russia at the Close of theLast Century, Bible Truth Pub., 1979.E. B. Lanin, The Tsar Persecutor.J. Brown (editor), The Stundists: TheStory of a Great Religious Revolt, JamesClarke & Co., Fleet St.N. I. Saloff-Astakhoff, Christianity inRussia, Loizeaux.

resolved to deal with dissenters. Thatyear M. Pobiedonostzeff (Procuratorof the Holy Synod from about 1880-1905) called a conference inMoscow, of Orthodox ecclesiasticsfrom Russia’s 41 episcopates, to con-sider the spread of sectarianism in theEmpire. Statistics were presented tothe delegates proving that 28 out ofthe 41 dioceses were badly “infected”and that “the virulence of the infec-tion” was beyond the clergy’s control.

“What are we to do,” he asked, “towin back to our midst those earnestand God-fearing men who have leftus, and despise us?”

Pobiedonostzeff’s answer is in theresolutions adopted by the confer-ence: “The rapid increase of thesesects is a serious danger to the State.Let all sectarians be forbidden toleave their own villages…Let alloffenders against the faith be tried,not by a jury, but by ecclesiasticaljudges. Let their passports bemarked, so that they shall be neitheremployed nor harbored, and resi-dence in Russia shall become impos-sible for them. Let them be held to belegally incapable of renting, purchas-ing, or holding real property. Let theirchildren be removed from their con-trol, and educated in the orthodoxfaith.”

Pobiedonostzeff’s penal code givea few of his practical measures:

Article 187—Offense: Leaving theChurch for another religious commu-nity. Punishment: Loss of civil andpersonal rights. Transportation. Inmilder cases eighteen months in areformatory.

Article 189—Offense: Preachingor writing religious works to pervertothers. Punishment: First offense, theloss of certain personal rights, andimprisonment from eight to sixteenmonths. Second offense, imprison-ment in a fortress from thirty-two toforty-eight months. Third offense,banishment.

Article 196—Offense: Spreading

When Alexander III came to power,he clamped down on certain politicaldissenters, things foreign, and every-thing that did not carry the approvalof the Russian Orthodox church.

In 1883, Frederick Baedeker’smentor, George Muller, visitedPashkoff. Muller may have been theunwitting catalyst of heightened per-secution by innocently holding Bibleteaching meetings in Pashkoff’s man-sion. Muller did not realize that themeetings were forbidden, andPashkoff received a warning. Thatsame year, Pashkoff and anotherprominent Christian, Count Korff,convened an all-Russian conferenceat their own expense. Three thousanddelegates arrived in St. Petersburg.During a recess of the conference, thepolice swept in, arrested all the atten-dees, most of whom were lower classRussian peasants, and sent them backto their homes. The police were soefficient that the conveners of theconference didn’t even know wherethe attendees had gone until somedays later.

The level of malice against thesaints can be measured by the titles oftwo widely distributed leaflets afterthe year 1883, No Salvation Outsidethe Orthodox Church, and TheDamned Stundist, recommended byan Archbishop of the Greek Church.

“Boom ye church thunders!Flash forth ye curses of the councils!Crush with eternal anathemas,The outcast race of Stundists!

“Dark and gloomy, demon-like,He shuns the flock, the Orthodox,He skulks in nooks and corners dark,God’s foe, the damned Stundist.”

In 1884, Pashkoff was exiled andeventually most of his belongingswere confiscated.

Still alarmed by the rapid growthof the Baptist, Stundist, andPashkoffist heresies, in 1892 theHoly Orthodox Church of Russia


Ý

THE STUNDISTS

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Go, worship at Immanuel’s feet;See, in His face what wonders meet;Earth is too narrow to expressHis worth, His glory, or His grace!

The whole creation can affordBut some faint shadow of my Lord;Nature, to make His beauties known,Must mingle colors not her own.

Is He a tree? The world receivesSalvation from His healing leaves:That righteous Branch, that fruitful bough,Is David’s root and offspring too.

Is He a rose? Not Sharon yieldsSuch fragrancy in all her fields;Or if the lily He assume,The valleys bless the rich perfume.

Is He a vine? His heavenly rootSupplies the boughs with life and fruit;O let a lasting union joinMy soul the branch to Christ the Vine.

Is He the Head? Each member livesAnd owns the vital power He gives;The saints below and saints aboveJoined by His Spirit and His love.

Is He a fountain? There I batheTo heal the plague of sin and death;These waters all my soul renew,And cleanse my spotted garments too.

Is He a fire? He’ll purge my dross;But the true gold sustains no loss:Like a refiner shall He sit,And tread the refuse with His feet.

Is He the Rock? How firm He proves!The Rock of Ages never moves;Yet the sweet streams that from Him flowAttend us all the desert through.

Is He the Way? He leads to God;The path is drawn in lines of blood;There would I walk with hope and zeal,Till I arrive at Zion’s hill.

Is He a door? I’ll enter in;Behold the pastures large and green!A paradise divinely fair;None but the sheep have freedom there.

Is He designed a cornerstoneFor men to build their heaven upon?I’ll make Him my foundation too,Nor fear the plots of hell below.

Is He a star? He breaks the night,Piercing the shades with dawning light;I see His glories from afar,I know the bright, the morning Star!

Is He a sun? His beams are grace,His course is joy and righteousness;Nations rejoice when He appearsTo chase their clouds and dry their tears.

Oh let me climb those higher skiesWhere storms and darkness never rise!There He displays His powers abroad,And shines and reigns, th’ incarnate God.

Nor earth, nor seas, nor sun, nor stars,Nor heaven His full resemblance bears:His beauties we can never traceTill we behold Him face to face.

Go, worship at Immanuel’s feet;See, in His face what wonders meet;Earth is too narrow to expressHis worth, His glory, or His grace!

The whole creation can affordBut some faint shadow of my Lord;Nature, to make His beauties known,Must mingle colors not her own.

Is He a tree? The world receivesSalvation from His healing leaves:That righteous Branch, that fruitful bough,Is David’s root and offspring too.

Is He a rose? Not Sharon yieldsSuch fragrancy in all her fields;Or if the lily He assume,The valleys bless the rich perfume.

Is He a vine? His heavenly rootSupplies the boughs with life and fruit;O let a lasting union joinMy soul the branch to Christ the Vine.

Is He the Head? Each member livesAnd owns the vital power He gives;The saints below and saints aboveJoined by His Spirit and His love.

Is He a fountain? There I batheTo heal the plague of sin and death;These waters all my soul renew,And cleanse my spotted garments too.

Is He a fire? He’ll purge my dross;But the true gold sustains no loss:Like a refiner shall He sit,And tread the refuse with His feet.

Is He the Rock? How firm He proves!The Rock of Ages never moves;Yet the sweet streams that from Him flowAttend us all the desert through.

Is He the Way? He leads to God;The path is drawn in lines of blood;There would I walk with hope and zeal,Till I arrive at Zion’s hill.

Is He a door? I’ll enter in;Behold the pastures large and green!A paradise divinely fair;None but the sheep have freedom there.

Is He designed a cornerstoneFor men to build their heaven upon?I’ll make Him my foundation too,Nor fear the plots of hell below.

Is He a star? He breaks the night,Piercing the shades with dawning light;I see His glories from afar,I know the bright, the morning Star!

Is He a sun? His beams are grace,His course is joy and righteousness;Nations rejoice when He appearsTo chase their clouds and dry their tears.

Oh let me climb those higher skiesWhere storms and darkness never rise!There He displays His powers abroad,And shines and reigns, th’ incarnate God.

Nor earth, nor seas, nor sun, nor stars,Nor heaven His full resemblance bears:His beauties we can never traceTill we behold Him face to face.

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