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ISAIAH: GOD'S DIRECTIVES TO THOSE TROUBLED AT GOVERNMENTAL APOSTASY
Part XLVIII: God's Salvation Of Israel's Literal Messianic Promises Through Jesus Christ
(Isaiah 61:1-11)
- Introduction
- Religious folk have been challenged by the question: "If Jesus of Nazareth really is Israel's Scripturally promised Messiah, why have we not thus experienced His Messianic reign?"
- If this question is not properly answered, both Jew and Gentile can presume Jesus was not the promised Messiah predicted in the Old Testament Scriptures. Some may seek to support Jesus as God's Messiah but deny there is to be a literal Messianic reign, assuming Israel and the Church are a unit so we are now allegedly living in that spiritual kingdom!
- The answer to the question of why we have not experienced Christ's literal Messianic reign though Jesus IS the promised Messiah is found in understanding how Jesus Himself handled Isaiah 61:1-11!
- God's Salvation Of Israel's Literal Messianic Promises Through Jesus Christ, Isaiah 61:1-11.
- Isaiah 61:1-2a predicts Messiah would be anointed by God with the Holy Spirit so that He would minister God's grace, His healing and liberation for those oppressed in Israel.
- Accordingly, Jesus of Nazareth spoke on Isaiah 61:1-2a in his message to the synagogue in Nazareth, cf. Luke 4:17-21. He significantly stopped in the middle of Isaiah 61:2 to declare that what He had just read in Isaiah 61:1-2a was fulfilled that day in His ministry, Luke 4:18-21.
- Of interest to us with our question about Christ's EARTHLY KINGDOM is the fact that Isaiah 61:2b-11 describes Messiah's international judgment and Messianic REIGN on the EARTH:
- Isaiah 61:2b-3 predicts Messiah will take vengeance on those who have sinned against God so as to comfort righteous people in Israel who mourn from their wicked oppressors, Isaiah 61:2b,3.
- Ancient ruins in Israel will consequently be rebuilt and inhabited under Messiah's reign, Isaiah 61:4.
- Gentiles will serve the needs of the people of Israel in their agriculture (Isaiah 61:5) while Israel will enjoy ruling as a nation of priests and glory in the wealth of the Gentile nations, Isaiah 61:6 NIV.
- God will see that Israel gets the double portion of inheritance in comparison to the Gentiles, Isa. 61:7.
- He will elevate Israel so that the world will note how God's covenant to bless Israel has come to pass, Isaiah 61:8-9. This will be the New Covenant also promised in Jeremiah 32:40.
- Speaking himself in behalf of the redeemed remnant of Israel in the Messianic Kingdom, the prophet, Isaiah expressed his joy and praise for this coming era of Israel's blessing, Isaiah 61:10-11.
- Well, Isaiah 61:2b-11 is NOT to be fulfilled until Christ returns to earth at His Second Coming, for the nation Israel rejected Jesus as her Messiah, cf. Luke 19:41-44; 13:34-35.
- Israel's refusal to believe in Christ as the Messiah of God is exemplified in the events that followed His comments that came after His reading of Isaiah 61:1-2a to the people at the synagogue in Nazareth:
- After presenting the Isaiah 61:1-2a passage, Jesus pointed to the artificial faith His listeners had in regards to His being their Messiah, Luke 4:22-23. Jesus disclosed His hearers were enamored with His miracles and words, not believing these things meant He was their Messiah, cf. Luke 4:22b.
- Jesus then revealed His listeners were as guilty as their Old Testament forefathers who had lived in that area of Galilee for lack faith in God's Word and His prophetic messengers, Luke 4:24-27:
- Jesus implied his listeners were like their forefathers in their area of Galilee where Elijah had helped the Gentile widow of Sidon because there were no godly Hebrew widows in Israel, Luke 4:24-26.
- He reminded His hearers that God had healed the Gentile Syrian, Naaman of leprosy for his faith though not cleansing Hebrew lepers in their area for to their lack of faith in God, Luke 4:27.
- Since His hearers would not accept this critique of their unbelief, they thrust Jesus out of the synagogue and tried to kill Him, showing their lack of faith in Jesus as Messiah just as He had taught, Lk. 4:28-31.
Lesson: Jesus IS the TRUE Old Testament promised Messiah of Israel, and the REASON His literal, earthly Kingdom has NOT YET come is due to Israel's REJECTION of Him as her Messiah!
Application: We must (1) believe that Israel is DISTINCT from the Church as the Messianic Kingdom is YET to COME when Israel REPENTS and ACCEPTS Jesus as her true, promised Messiah! (2) We are thus living BEFORE the LITERAL Millennial Kingdom, and so we are premillennial in theology!