Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20031019.htm

ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVES TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part XV: God's Eternally Blessed USE Of Pain From Evil Oppressors
(Isaiah 24:1-23)
  1. Introduction
    1. When a believer decides to obey God in his life, as 2 Timothy 3:12 predicted, he suffers persecution for it.
    2. Yet, he must not become paranoid in his godliness, for he is always to rejoice, 2 Thessalonians 5:16.
    3. The question then rises, "How are the upright to then supposed handle the pain of ungodly oppression?"
    4. God gave Isaiah a focus so he could adjust to this tension with blessing as follows:
  2. God's Eternally Blessed USE Of Pain From Evil Oppressors, Isaiah 24:1-23.
    1. Isaiah prophetically beheld an era when God would discipline all evil men on earth, Isaiah 24:1-12:
      1. He foresaw when God would create ruin, upheaval of society and dispersion of peoples, Isaiah 24:1.
      2. This ruin is more extensively described in Isaiah 24:2-12 as follows:
        1. All religious (people and priest), class (servant and master) and economic (buyer and seller, lender and borrower, taker and giver of usury [interest]) institutions will be pulverized, creating a platform for individual accounting to the Creator God in an era of great tribulation, Isaiah 24:1-2.
        2. The values men once held will be destroyed as nothing of value will be left, Isaiah 24:3.
        3. The joy and pride of all wicked men will disappear under God's great wrath, Isaiah 24:4.
        4. Men will no longer give themselves to partying and entertainment, Isaiah 24:7-9, 11.
        5. Homes will be shut up and vulnerable to spoilers as the city gates will lie battered in ruin, 24:10, 12.
        6. This enormous, comprehensive, worldwide destruction and huge loss of human life will occur for mankind's departure from obeying God, Isaiah 24:5-6.
    2. Those who believe in God during this coming Great Tribulation Period will react to it with praise to God:
      1. Believers living on the earth during this coming Great Tribulation will rejoice at God's majesty revealed in this comprehensive devastation of the world's institutions, Isaiah 24:13, 14.
      2. Looking into the future, Isaiah himself responded to this insight, encouraging the righteous scattered in the far corners of the earth in the Great Tribulation to glorify God the more, Isaiah 24:15, 16a.
    3. However, Isaiah struggled with the CURRENT tension the upright PERSONALLY felt in his day of having to face great oppression from evil people, Isaiah 24:16b,c:
      1. In contrast to the joy of the godly in the future, Isaiah wrote he felt "leanness," or inner pain, 24:16b.
      2. His consideration of the evil oppression he faced created this inner pain, Isaiah 24:16b, c:
        1. Isaiah told of his inner pain from the abusiveness of the evildoers around him, saying, "the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, yea, they have dealt very treacherously," Isaiah 24:16c.
        2. Accordingly, dwelling on this injustice by evil oppressors left Isaiah with inner pain, Isaiah 24:16b.
    4. God's consolation arose from having Isaiah RETURN to consider His ultimate judgment on the ungodly oppressors: God thus led Isaiah to RESPOND to oppression by wicked people by SHIFTING his hope AWAY FROM THIS LIFE to HOPE God's future KINGDOM BLESSINGS, Isa. 24:17-23:
      1. Isaiah observed in his prophetic trance of the Great Tribulation the great and inescapable fear and physical trauma the wicked would experience under God's great future wrath, Isaiah 24:17-18.
      2. Isaiah also foresaw the coming gathering of the world's unsaved after the Great Tribulation and their execution and being held in the prison of death at Christ's return, Isa. 24:22a,b with Matthew 24:29-31.
      3. Finally, Isaiah foresaw the Great White Throne judgment of the unsaved where they will be cast into the lake of fire for eternal punishment, Isaiah 24:22c-23; Rev. 20:4-6, 11-21:27; B.K.C., O.T ., p. 1073.
Lesson: As Paul did in 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12, Isaiah found hoping for the CERTAIN FUTURE punishment of the wicked and exoneration of the just ENCOURAGED him to handle the CURRENT persecution pains from the ungodly. Thus, GOD ALLOWS even unjust persecution pain to cause the godly to SHIFT their HOPE from THIS life (worldliness) to the LIFE to COME; in this way, our current persecution works FOR us to yield an exceeding greater weight of glory, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

Application: God seeks to USE the PAIN we EVEN UNJUSTLY FEEL from wicked oppressors for godliness in our CURRENT life to WEAN us FROM LOVING THIS life in errant WORLDLINESS to HOPE for HIS TRUE BLESSING in the FUTURE Kingdom and eternal age, 1 John 2:15-17!