January 2019 · Page 14 of 38 · The Teaching Ministry of Jay Mack

Ak – The Proof of Messiah’s Superiority to Angels from the Scriptures 1:4-14

The Proof of Messiah’s Superiority
to Angels from the Scriptures
1: 4-14

The proof of Messiah’s superiority to angles from the Scriptures DIG: Who created angels? What is the significance of that? Why are the angels called fiery flames? What is the main difference between the nature of angels and Messiah? How do angels serve God’s people? If a child asked you, “How can Jesus be God and still be God’s Son?” how would you explain it? Which of the quotes from the TaNaKh, are now applied to the Son Yeshua? What does that imply?

REFLECT: What do you find out about yourself as you are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ? What does it mean to you that Yeshua’s throne will last forever? What is the ultimate destiny of Yeshua Messiah? Describe what will happen in the Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Fh – The Dispensation of the Messianic Kingdom). What does that have to do with you and your salvation?

This verse completes what in the Greek text is a single sentence the runs from the beginning of verse 1. So Yeshua has become much better than the angels, and the name God has given Him is superior to theirs (1:4 CJB). This seems like an odd ending but there are two explanations. First, Jewish spirituality in that day had an excessively high view of angels. The Jews connected angels with the great events in the TaNaKh, believing that Ha’Shem gave Moshe the written Torah and the Oral Law (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ei – The Oral Law) through angelic mediation and that it was an angelic voice that spoke to Moses from the burning bush in Exodus 3:2. And secondly, people are just fascinated by angels. We know that we need a mediator with God. We need someone to open the doorway to heaven and to the blessing and power of YHVH. We need supernatural help for our otherwise insurmountable problems. But people in the first century, just as in our own time, found in angels an appealing and non-demanding form of spiritual hope and comfort. The fact that we don’t know much about angels makes them attractive for some people to venerate (worship) as the Catholic Church does today; the Roman Church fills in the details as they want them to be.³³ The writer of Hebrews does not quarrel with the overstated Jewish view of angels, but proceeds to prove that God’s Son is much better than angels by quoting seven scriptures from the TaNaKh, which made his argument all the more powerful and irresistible.

1. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father” (Hebrews 1:5a CJB quoting Psalm 2:7b CJB)? The angels had only been ministers and messengers. Only Christ is the Son. The angels are created servants. Though Yeshua came to the earth as a servant – indeed the supreme suffering Servant – He also became the Son. Although His sonship was anticipated in the TaNaKh (Proverbs 30:4), He did not become a Son until He was born into time by the virgin Mary. Prior to His incarnation He was eternal God as part of the Trinity. The term Son has only to do with Christ in His incarnation. It is only an analogy to say that God is the Father and Jesus is His Son. This is the Spirit’s way of helping us to understand the essential relationship between the first and second Persons of the Trinity. Yeshua was always God, but He became a Son in a two-stage process. Just as believers become sons and daughters of God in the fullest sense by being born twice (once at our physical birth and again at our spiritual birth), so Jesus Christ also became a Son in the fullest sense by being born not once but twice. He became a Son at birth; and He was declared to be a Son at His resurrection (Romans 1:3-4; Acts 13:26-34).

This is extremely important to understand because someday a Jehovah’s Witness might come to your door and say, “Since Jesus is the son of God, he is obviously eternally inferior to God the Father. Jesus, therefore, is not God; he is less than God. He is only a son.” You need to understand that Yeshua was not a Son until His incarnation. Before that He was eternally God. He is no “eternal son” always subservient to God, always less than God, always under God. Sonship is an analogy to help us understand Christ’s essential relationship and willing submission to the Father for the sake of our redemption.³⁴

Understanding this, then, how do you deal with Jehovah’s Witnesses? The Watchtower teaches that Jesus is the first of God’s (they say Jehovah’s) creations, the first “thing” God ever brought into existence. The Watchtower identifies Christ as the Archangel Michael, whose name appears only five times in the entire Bible. Without any Scriptural support whatsoever, the Watchtower teaches the personality of Michael the Archangel was somehow transferred to the womb of Mary, was born as a human to be the man, Jesus, and then when Messiah returned to heaven at the end of His earthly ministry, He became Michael again, but in a more exalted position. This comes from the father of lies (John 8:44) because in fact the New Covenant writers never refer to Yeshua as Michael. It is very important for believers to know that if Jehovah’s Witnesses could prove their connection that Jesus is Michael, they would prove that Christ is not God and the Trinity doctrine is false. However, just a brief examination of their proof texts (Dani’el 12:1; First Thessalonians 4:16 and Revelation 12:7-10) will reveal that the Witnesses are making huge assumptions in trying to identify Yeshua as Michael. There is absolutely no direct evidence in the Bible to prove their assumption. You should be very emphatic in bringing this to the attention of Jehovah’s Witnesses who stand at your front door. Unless you’ve had training, the easiest way to deal with them is to say, “Jesus is Jehovah to me,” then they will leave you alone.³⁵

2. Also, God never said of any angel, “I will be His Father, and He will be my Son” (Hebrews 1:5b CJB quoting Second Samuel 7:14 CJB). This quote from Second Samuel is part of the Davidic Covenant (see the commentary on the Life of David Ct – The LORD’s Covenant with David), emphasizing Yeshua’s position as the fulfiller of that covenant. Not only was He declared the Son of God, but He continues in that position. This establishes Christ Jesus as the fulfillment of the covenant as the covenant head. The key promise of the Davidic Covenant is that the God-Man descendant of David is destined to rule over the saved and restored Isra’el from Jerusalem and from the throne of David during the millennial reign of Yeshua (see the commentary on Revelation Fi – The Government of the Messianic Kingdom). So this One, by virtue of the Davidic Covenant, is destined to rule over Isra’el. No angel will have the privilege of ruling over Isra’el in the messianic Kingdom.³⁶

3. And when God brings His Firstborn into the world again a second time, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him” (Hebrews 1:6 CJB quoting Deuteronomy 32:43 CJB where Moshe speaks of the victory of God over His enemies, and avenging His people. The writer probably also had Psalm 96:7 in mind). The title Firstborn (Greek: prototokos) has nothing to do with time. It is a messianic title and refers to position (Romans 8:29 and Colossians 1:15, 18). The return of Messiah to this earth at the Second Coming will be accompanied by legions of worshiping angels (Second Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 19:11-16). The argument of the writer is that since the Son is to be worshiped by angels, surely He must be superior to them, which in fact, makes the New Covenant He inaugurated better than the First Covenant that the angels were instrumental in bringing in.³⁷

4. Indeed, when speaking of angels, He says, “Who created (Greek: poieo) His angels spirits and His servants fiery flames” (Hebrews 1:7 CJB quoting Psalm 104:4 CJB). This fourth quotation stresses the fact that angels are servants. Since Messiah created the angels (Colossians 1:16), He is obviously superior to them. The term winds (Greek: pneuma) emphasize the variableness of the angelic nature. They are created servants and do not operate on their own initiative, but on the direction of Ha’Shem, adapting to any special service. And being such, they are changeable, in marked contrast to the unchangeable Son, who is their Master. The word servants is the translation of the Greek word leitourgos, meaning religious devotion. They are His servants in the sense of being passionately, religiously, devoted to Him. Therefore, since Jesus Christ is their Creator and Master, He is superior to the angels. This makes the new covenant better, not like the previous covenant that ADONAI made with their ancestors when He took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt (Jeremiah 31:32).³⁸

5. But to the Son He says, Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever. The difference between angels and the Son is that Yeshua is the eternal God (John 5:18, 10:30; Romans 9:5; 1 Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13). You rule Your Kingdom with a scepter of equality; You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. As you are conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), you will also learn to love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore, O God, Your God has set You [Messiah] above Your companions [the angels] by anointing You with the oil [the Ruach Ha’Kodesh] of joy (Hebrews 1:8-9 quoting Psalm 45:6-7 CJB). Two things are emphasized in this passage, first, the deity of the Son, and secondly, His future Kingdom will be an eternal one and He will rule in righteousness. Isaiah speaks of His millennial reign and the fact that He will be the King anointed by the Spirit of God (see the commentary on Isaiah Dc – A Shoot Will Come Up from the Stump of Jesse). When Jesus was anointed, it proved that He was greater than the angels. In Acts 10:38, Peter tells Cornelius how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth. The Psalter anticipates the Lord’s anointing (Psalm 2:2) and David is a type of His anointing. The word in the TaNaKh for the coming Redeemer is the Anointed One, which is translated Messiah. All of this, again, points out that Yeshua Messiah is better than the angels.

6. He also says, “In the beginning, ADONAI, You laid the foundation of the earth; heaven is the work of Your hands. The unchangeable and eternal power of the Son find their basis in the fact that He created the earth and shaped the heavens. But the writer says that the [heavens] will vanish, but You will remain; like clothing, they will grow old; and You will fold them up like a coat. Yes, they will be changed like clothing, but You will remain the same, Your years will never end” (Hebrews 1:10-12 CJB quoting Psalm 102:25-27 CJB). While He is eternal, the universe will someday be discarded like an old piece of cloth. In the words of Revelation 6:14, the heaven’s receded like a scroll being rolled up, and in Second Peter 3:10, the heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. The fallen angels, being part of the Son’s creation, are subject to change and decay as are the heavens. But Jesus Christ, the changeless One, is therefore superior to them.

7. Moreover, to which of the angels had God ever said, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool at Your feet” (Hebrews 1:13 quoting Psalm 110:1)? Ultimately, everyone and everything in the universe will be subject to Him. At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth (even those in hell), and every tongue confess that Yeshua Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). When will this happen? When He comes in glory at His Second Coming: Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of ADONAI’s angelic armies. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written (Revelation 19:15-16). In every way Messiah is superior to angels.

The author concludes this part of the argument by describing the status of angels. Are not all the angels merely spirits who serve (ministering servants), sent out to help those who will inherit eternal life (1:14)? While He is seated, showing His work is done, angels, on the other hand, are still busy doing their work. The Ruach ha-Kodesh does not use the Greek word that normally means servant because He pictures angels here as free agents voluntarily working in the employ of another. Here, again, the author uses the Greek word leitourgos, which means religious devotion. These angels are servants to those who inherit eternal life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). This is as close as the Bible comes in showing that believers have guardian angels.

They are assigned specifically to care for us, and this care begins at infancy, which speaks to the foreknowledge of God (Matthew 18:10), and continues throughout our lives (Psalm 91:11). The existence of guardian angels does not mean they make sure nothing bad happens to believers. They are guarding in the sense that nothing will happen to believers outside the will of ADONAI. One angelic role is to observe us; angels observe our sufferings: We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings (First Corinthians 4:9), and angels even observe what we wear (First Corinthians 11:10). When believers die, our souls are escorted to heaven by angels: The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side (Luke 16:22a).³⁹

Hebrews 1:9 says that Messiah loves righteousness and hated wickedness. Name some actions in your life revealing that you love righteousness and hate evil. Are there actions in your life revealing that you hate righteousness because you love sin? What are they? One of the best teachings on righteousness versus wickedness is First John. Take the time to read through it in one sitting. Record every verse reference dealing with righteousness and sin, noting the attitude and actions of those who practice each. Then determine how you might apply the most significant passages to further your active love of righteousness.⁴⁰

David Mack2022-02-14T12:43:29+00:000 Comments

Aj – The Superiority of Messiah to Angels 1:4 to 2:18

The Superiority of Messiah to Angels
1:4 to 2:18

Now the author begins dealing with the first of the three pillars of Judaism of his day: angels. As John MacArthur records in his commentary, because of the popular rabbinic interpretations, the Jewish people of the time Hebrews was written had exaggerated the basic teachings of the TaNaKh about angels. Most Jews believed that angels were very important to the TaNaKh. They honored them as the highest beings next to YHVH. They believed that angels surrounded Ha’Shem and that they were the instruments of bringing His word to mankind and of working out His will in the universe. At that time, angels were thought to be eerie creatures made of fiery substance like blazing light, who did not eat or drink or reproduce. Many believed that angels acted as God’s council and He did nothing without consulting with them – that, for example, the us in, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26), refers to this angelic council.

They believed two hundred angels controlled the stars and that one very special angel, the calendar angel, controlled the never-ending succession of day, months, and years. A mighty angel took care of the seas, while others oversaw the frost, dew, rain, snow, hail, thunder and lightening. Still others were wardens of Sh’ol and torturers of the damned. There were even recording angels who wrote down every word people spoke. There was an angel for death, and, on the other hand, a guardian angel for every nation and every child. They were said to be so many that one rabbi claimed that every blade of grass had its angel.

Many Jews believed that the Torah was brought to them from God by angels. This, above all else, exalted angels in the minds of the Isrealites. They believed that angels were the mediators of their covenant with ADONAI, and that angels continually ministered the blessing of the LORD to them as alluded to in Stephen’s sermon before the Sanhedrin in Acts 7:51-53. Consequently, some adored angels so much that they actually worshiped them. Gnosticism involved, among other things, the worship of angels.

Therefore, to the Jewish mind angels were extremely exalted and immeasurably important. If the writer to the Hebrews was going to persuade his fellow Jews that Yeshua is the mediator of a better covenant, even superior to that given through Moshe, he would have to show, among other things, that Christ is superior to angels.³²

David Mack2021-11-29T11:27:13+00:000 Comments

Ai – The Superiority of Messiah to the Prophets 1: 1-3

The Superiority of Messiah to the Prophets
1: 1-3

The superiority of Messiah to the prophets DIG: To what (to whom) is Jesus compared here? What was the function of the prophets in the Dispensation of the Torah? In what ways was Yeshua’s function similar? How was it different? How is Messiah superior to the prophets? What is the difference between the past and in these last days? Define progressive revelation. What are the seven examples that demonstrate the superiority of the Son? What is significant about the fact that Yeshua is sitting down at the right hand of God the Father?

REFLECT: What are some of the things we trust in today rather than trusting in God? What sometimes keeps us from examining our lives? Where are you in your daily routine that you can become more aware of God’s glory? In what area of your life do you need to ask the Ruach’s power to be like Messiah today?

The author does not delay and uses a pun in the original language to make his point: In the past God spoke at different times (Greek: polimeros) and in different ways (Greek: polutropos), directly and indirectly, in dreams and stories, history and prophecy, poems and proverbs, to our ancestors through the prophets of the Jewish people from Moshe to Malachi, and before Moses to Abraham, Isaac and Joseph (1:1).¹²

The word at different times means that YHVH did not choose to give His whole revelation all at one time. He chose to give it progressively over a span of 1,600 years by some forty plus writers. All could not be revealed at once, because all could not be understood at once. You don’t teach calculus to a first grader. It began to grow, truth upon truth. Sometimes He gave a little portion to Obadiah, which was one chapter long; at other times He gave a large portion as in Isaiah, which is sixty-six chapters long. And although Jeremiah has fewer chapters, it is longer than Isaiah. At different times can also be understood another way. Some prophets ministered for one month. An example of this is Haggai, who gave four prophecies all in one-month’s time and that was his whole prophetic ministry. Others, such as Moshe, Isaiah and Dani’el, gave prophecies that covered a lifetime. The point is that it was always progressive. ADONAI revealed so much and then stopped. Every time the LORD gave some revelation, He answered certain questions and then left some question unanswered. His revelation progressed from lesser to greater light. It did not build from error to truth, but from incomplete truth to more complete truth. And it remained incomplete until the B’rit Chadashah, and the book of Revelation, was finished.¹³

But now in the acharit-hayamin (in these last days) God has spoken to us through His Son (1:2a CJB). Here the author emphasizes finality. The TaNaKh was progressive, but this Word is final. The word last (or end in some translations) primarily means termination. In other words, the B’rit Chadashah revelation was the goal of the TaNaKh. It marks the termination period in which YHVH completes His written Word to us. The expression, in these last days, was a common rabbinic term for the Messianic days. The prophets often spoke of the Messianic age as in these last days (Jeremiah 33:14-16; Micah 5:1-4; Zechariah 9:9 and 16). So it was as if the author was saying, “It is now Messianic times because the Messiah has come, and He was the focal point toward whom all the previous revelation was pointing.”¹⁴The whole New Covenant is centered around Jesus. The gospels tell His story, the epistles comment on it, and the Revelation tells of its culmination. From beginning to end the Messiah can be seen on every page of the B’rit Chadashah. No prophet had been given ADONAI’s whole truth. The TaNaKh was given to many men, in bits and pieces and fragments, and thus, was unfulfilled.¹⁵It expectantly longs for the answer that only comes in Jesus Christ.

God has spoken. Had YHVH remained silent, enshrouded in thick darkness, the plight of mankind would have been desperate indeed.¹⁶But God has spoken, revealing His life-giving Word. This is one of the most important statements that could be made in our time. It is something we need to know. Ours is an age of relativism. Most people insist there are no absolutes, either in matters of truth or morality. In secular society, having removed God, there is no longer a heavenly Voice to speak with clarity and authority. The price we have paid is the loss of truth, and loss of hope. Really, we are told, we don’t know anything for sure, nor can we.

All this is especially important when it comes to our knowledge of God Himself. Is there a Savior to help us? Unless God has spoken, we cannot even be sure He is there; unless God is there, there is no ultimate hope for us, and no answer to the ultimate problem of death. So if God is there and He wants us to know Him, He has to speak to us. And He must speak in a way we can understand. Therefore, there is nothing more important, nothing more essential, than what the Holy Spirit says at the beginning of Hebrews: God has spoken. He has spoken with authority and with relevance to our lives.¹⁷

God has spoken to us through [His] Son. Motivated by love and directed by divinity, surprised everyone. He became a man. In an untouchable mystery, He disguised Himself as a carpenter and lived in a dusty Judaean village. Determined to prove His love for His creation, He walked incognito through His own world. His callused hands touched wounds and His compassionate words healed hearts . . .

But as beautiful as this act of incarnation was, it was not the zenith. Like a master painter, God reserved His masterpiece until the end. All the earlier acts of love had been leading to this one. The angels hushed and the heavens paused to witness the finale. God unveils the canvas and the ultimate act of creative compassion is revealed.

God on a cross. The Creator being sacrificed for the creation. God convincing mankind once and for all that forgiveness still follows failure.¹⁸

God has spoken to us, not through the prophets, but through [His] Son. The word [His] is in brackets because it is not in the Greek text. Some translations may not read through [His] Son, but through [the] Son. But the definite article the is not in the Greek text either. The Greek text simply says through Son. In Greek, the absence of the definite article means there is an emphasis on the nature or quality rather than on personality. In other words, earlier He spoke through the prophets, but now, He is speaking through Son-ness, which is distinctive. Here the writer is not stressing what God said, but he is stressing the means by which His message came: through a Son. This time revelation didn’t come through mere men. This time it did not come through angels. This time it came through a Son. Son is singular in contrast to many prophets or many angels.¹⁹

Someone has said that Jesus Christ came from the bosom of the Father to the bosom of a woman. He put on humanity that we might put on divinity. He became the Son of Man that we might become the children of God. He was born contrary to the laws of nature, lived in poverty, was reared in obscurity, and only once crossed the boundary of the land in which He was born – and that in His childhood. He had no wealth or influence and had neither training nor education in the world’s schools. His relatives were inconspicuous and uninfluential. In infancy He startled a king. In boyhood He puzzled the learned rabbis. In manhood He ruled the course of nature. He healed the multitudes without medicine and made no charge for His services. He never wrote a book and yet all the libraries of the world could not hold the books written about Him. He never wrote a song, yet He has furnished the theme for more songs than all the songwriters together. He never founded a college, yet all the schools together cannot boast of as many students as He has. He never practiced medicine and yet He has healed more people than all the hospitals in the world. This Yeshua Messiah is the Star of astronomy, the Rock of geology, the lion and the lamb of zoology, the Harmonizer of all discords, and the Healer of all diseases. Throughout history great men have come and gone, yet He lives on. Herod could not kill Him. The Adversary could not tempt Him. Death could not destroy Him and the grave could not hold Him.²⁰

But before the Ruach ha-Kodesh identifies [the] Son as Jesus Christ, He describes features that demonstrate His superiority. In a series of seven examples, which are part of a single Greek sentence, the author sets forth the Son’s greatness.

1. He is appointed heir of all things (1:2b NET). This points to His being the focal point of the universe because He is the goal of history. He is the end of all things. Revelation 5 pictures Jesus with the title deed to the earth in His hand (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Cf – You Are Worthy To Take the Scroll). It is the deed for the Heir, the One who has the right to take the earth. He is an heir, and that means lordship. He is exercising the Father’s authority, and so being appointed heir of all things means He is exercising universal lordship. And to be able to exercise universal lordship over all creation means He cannot be less than God. He came as a man, but He came as a God-Man, and He was appointed heir in keeping with Psalm 2:7-8: He said to Me, “You are My Son (and in Isra’el it was the firstborn son who had the right of inheritance); today I have become your Father. Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.”²¹

2. He created the ages (1:2c CJB). The common Greek word for universe is kosmos, but that is not the word used here. The word ages here is aionas, meaning that the Son was in control of the Father’s plan and program for all eternity. Everything in time and space are under His control. Rabbi Sha’ul says it this way: For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16). The expression through Him indicates that the universe was created through an intermediary, which is not an idea foreign to Judaism (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Af – The Memra of God). Also, the idea of aionas is not merely the vastness and majesty of the universe, but that Yeshua was the intermediary of God’s plan as it unfolded down through the ages. Therefore, the Son is the Divine Agent not only of the original creation of the physical universe, but also in the operation and management of that universe and all its creatures down through the ages of time. And that makes Him greater than the prophets.²²

3. He is the radiance of the Sh’khinah glory, the visible manifestation of the presence of God (1:3a CJB). Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory. Therefore, the Son reveals the fullness of God’s attributes because He has an unbroken connection with the Father. So ADONAI’s glory is best seen in Yeshua Messiah. Yeshua is the light of the world (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Gr – I AM the Light of the World) and illuminates God’s nature. Because of Jesus, we are no longer in the dark about what YHVH is really like. Christ came to the earth so we could fully understand God’s glory. The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).²³

4. He is the exact representation of God’s essence (1:3b CJB). The words exact representation are the transliteration of the Greek word charakter and is where we get the English word character. Jesus is the very character of God’s essence. The Greek word means to have a perfect representation of the divine essence. It is a word that was used of the engraving tool from which a coin die was made. When the die was pressed against the metal and lifted off, the coin had the exact representation of what was on the die. Therefore, the Son is the exact representation of the Father. What is true of God the Father is true of God the Son in every respect. The Bible says that all people, not just believers, possess part of the image of God (Colossians 1:15a).²⁴ That is why murder and abortion are wrong (Exodus 20:13; Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Romans 12:19 James 3:9). But the image is incomplete and has been damaged and distorted by sin. So the Father sent His Son on a mission to restore the full image we have lost.²⁵

5. He upholds all that exists by His powerful word (1:3c CJB). Yeshua not only is the Word (John 1:1), but He voices a powerful spoken word (Greek: reima) that upholds all that exists. The word upholds does not mean just to “hold it,” but to carry it towards a goal, and the present tense means He is continuously doing so, even now. All creation has a goal to accomplish a specific purpose and program of YHVH, and by means of His reima, the Son will make sure creation will reach its goal. He controls everything by His powerful spoken word.²⁶Can you imagine what would happen if Messiah relinquished His sustaining power? The universe would be in chaos. But we need not worry. Jesus will finish what He started: He who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6). When your life is given to Messiah, He holds it and sustains it and one day will take it into the Father’s very presence (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). A life, just as the universe, that is not sustained by Christ is chaos.²⁷

6. He made purification of sins through Himself (1:3d CJB). This emphasizes the Son being our Redeemer. The words made purification refer to a priestly work. Yeshua made purification by dying. There are four specific aspects of this purification. First, it was exclusive, for He made it by Himself and no one else provided this redemption. Secondly, it was a sacrificial work of cleansing, because He made purification. Thirdly, it is a finished work as seen by the use of the Greek aorist participle, which emphasizes something already done, and there is nothing more He needs to do to provide purification for us. Fourthly, it is not merely an external purification, like a ceremonial washing, but a purification of sins.²⁸

When God saves a sinner. He breaks the power of the indwelling sinful nature at the instant the sinner places his faith in the Lord Jesus (Romans 6). When that believer dies, he loses the sinful nature and is left with a sinless glorified body. YHVH also removes the guilt and penalty of sin and gives the believer a righteous standing (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith). The Son made all this possible when He died on the Cross. His blood delivers the believer form the power of sin in this present life, and from the presence of sin in the future life. As our perfect High Priest, His blood removes the guilt and penalty of sin and cleanses us from its defilement.²⁹Yet amazingly, there are people who reject Him (see Ag – The Audience of the book of Hebrews).

7. When His work on the cross was finished, the Son sat down at the right hand of HaG’dualh BaM’romim, the Majesty of heaven (Hebrews 1:3e CJB quoting Psalm 110:1a CJB). In the Bible, the right hand is the power side. Jesus took His place at the right hand of God. The marvelous thing about this statement is that Messiah, the perfect High Priest, sat down. This is in great contrast to the Levitical priests. There were no seats in the Tabernacle or Temple. The priest had no place to sit because YHVH knew it would never be appropriate. The responsibility of the priests was to sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice, over and over and over again. Therefore, the priests offered sacrifices daily . . . and never sat down. But Yeshua offered one sacrifice and said: It is finished. He then went and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Christ’s one time sacrifice accomplished what could not be accomplished under the Levitical priesthood, even after centuries of sacrifices.

One of the human author’s main points in Hebrews is that Jesus is greater than all those things associated with Judaism and the Jewish way of life. Sometimes he actually uses the words greater than; sometimes he does not. But in all cases the theme is clear.

Jesus is greater than the prophets: 1:1-3

Jesus is greater than the angels: 1:4-14, 2:5

Jesus is greater than Moshe: 3:1-6

Jesus is greater than Joshua: 4:6-11

Jesus is greater than the Aaronic high priests: 5:1-10, 7:26 to 8:2

Jesus is greater than the Levitical priests: 6:20 to 7:25

Jesus as High Priest in the order of Melchizedek is greater than Abraham: 7:1-10

Jesus’ ministry is greater than the tabernacle ministry: 8:3-6, 9:1-28

Jesus’ B’rit Chadashah is greater than the TaNaKh: 8:7-13

Jesus’ sacrifice is greater than the sacrifices of the Torah: 10:1-14

Experiencing Jesus is greater than the experience on Mount Sinai: 12:18-24 NIV ³⁰

Yeshua honored the Father by fulfilling His purpose on earth. We honor ADONAI the same way. We bring glory to God by worshiping Him, by loving other believers, by becoming like Christ, by serving others with our gifts and by telling others about Him. Living the rest of your life for the glory of YHVH will require a change in your priorities, your schedule, your relationships, and everything else. It will sometimes mean choosing a difficult path rather than an easy one. Will you live for your own goals, comfort, and pleasure, or will you live the rest of your life for God’s glory, knowing that He has promised eternal rewards? Those who love their life in this world will lose it. But those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity (John 12:25 NLT). It’s time to settle the issue.

Who are you going to live for . . . yourself or God? Don’t hesitate. Don’t worry. The LORD will give you what you need if you will just make the choice to live for Him. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness (Second Peter 1:3). Right now, God is inviting you to live for His glory by fulfilling the purposes He made you for. It’s really the only way to live. Everything else is just existing. Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ. If you are not sure you have done this, all you need to do is receive and believe. To all that receive Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God (John 1:12). Will you accept God’s offer?

First, believe. Believe ADONAI loves you and made you for His purposes. Believe you are not an accident. Believe that you were made to last forever. Believe God has chosen you to have a relationship with Jesus, who died on the cross for you. Believe that no matter what you’ve done, God wants to forgive you.

Second, receive. Receive Yeshua into you life as your Lord and Savior. Receive His forgiveness for your sins. Receive His Spirit, who will give you the power to fulfill your life purpose. The Bible says: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life (Yochanan 3:36a). Wherever you are right now, I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity, “Jesus, I believe in You and I receive You. Amen.” Go ahead.

If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God.³¹

David Mack2020-07-22T10:54:56+00:000 Comments

Ah – The Superiority of the Son in His Person and Work 1:1 to 10:18

The Superiority of the Son in His Person and Work
1:1 to 10:18

The first readers of Hebrews were part of a community whose recent history and experiences had been tragically discouraging. Following Isra’el’s captivity in Babylon, hopes were revived for the return of the visible manifestation of God. Yet, the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah regarding the return of the Sh’khinah glory, to rebuild the Temple had not been realized. Five centuries of frustration followed.

In the generation preceding Yeshua’s day, revolts and other bloodshed took the lives of more than 100,000 Jews. In 31 BC, an earthquake had killed another 30,000. Severe famine and pestilence also took their toll. Herod the Great bled the land mercilessly with unrelenting taxation, a blight that continued long after his death. Messages of hope were rarely heard; despair was everywhere. The average person felt the hopelessness of the times and longed for relief, something to buoy the spirit.

In this depressing situation the writer of Hebrews urged his readers to look at Messiah quite differently from the usual way, as the coming Liberator.

The most prominent Jewish expectation associated with Messiah was the exaltation of the Davidic throne. This would be accompanied by a golden age of peace and joy. No rabbi anticipated the magnitude of His glory as it is seen in 1:1 to 10:18. The commonly held Jewish views of Messiah required radical revision. He is no monarch, not even a super-David, but a being of awe-inspiring nature. God had identified with a man by becoming a man. In Him and through Him, YHVH had spoken most conclusively and completely. Nothing remained to be said, for the Son is the radiance of the Sh’khinah glory and the very image of God’s essence (1:3 CJB). When Jewish people speak of the glory of God they use the word kavod. The word conveys the idea of heaviness. In our time, concepts of the LORD are characterized by a kind of weightlessness. You hear it in the songs and prayers, the attitudes of people. But for Isra’el, God’s weightiness is seen in all that He is and all that He does.

The glory that Isra’el witnessed on Sinai (Exodus 24:16) also filled all of God’s world (Isaiah 6:3). Now that same kavod, revealed in Messiah could be known by all who trusted in His saving work on the cross. The writer of Hebrews wanted to strengthen the followers of Yeshua by helping them focus on the superiority of the Son in His Person and His work. It is impossible to estimate the importance of this truth to those Jewish believers who received this letter. Branded mesbumadim (traitors to Isra’el’s faith), they were subject to enormous pressures. Then, as now, faith in Jesus comes at a price. You cannot be a believer without suffering at the hands of the world. Therefore, the rejection of family and friends needed to be offset by the love and full acceptance they received from ADONAI’s eternal Messiah, the God-Man, and sustainer of all things.¹¹

There were three pillars of Judaism in the days when Hebrews was written: angels, Moses, and the Levitical Priesthood. The writer will deal with each one separately: first the angels (1:4 to 2:18), then with Moshe (3:1-6), and finally the Levitical Priesthood (4:14 to 10:18).

David Mack2021-11-28T16:31:22+00:000 Comments

Ag – The Audience of the book of Hebrews

The Audience of the book of Hebrews

As John MacArthur relates in his commentary on Hebrews, there are no references to Gentiles in the book. Problems between Jews and Gentiles are not mentioned, so the congregation being addressed was strictly Jewish. To those suffering Jewish believers – and some unbelievers – are revealed the merits of Yeshua Messiah and the B’rit Chadashah, in contrast to the Levitical system that they had lived and worshiped for so long. We do not know the exact location of this group of Hebrews. Perhaps they were somewhere near Greece. We do know that apostles and New Covenant prophets had evangelized this Messianic community (2:3-4). Evidently this congregation had been founded fairly soon after Yeshua’s ascension. By the time the letter was written, a small congregation of believers already existed there. They were not very mature spiritually, and some were tempted to go back to the entire Levitical sacrificial system.

The book of Hebrews was written to three basic groups of Jews in the diaspora. If one does not keep these groups in mind, the book becomes very confusing, especially in Chapters 6 and 10. If, for example, as some have said, it was written exclusively to believers, there are a number of passages that could not apply to believers. And because it so frequently addresses believers, it could not possibly have been written primarily to unbelievers either. It must have been written to include both. Hence, it is no surprise that there is no greeting to God’s Messianic community like we find in most of the letters in the New Covenant.

Group One: Messianic Jews: There was a Jewish congregation of true believers in Jesus Christ. They had come out of Judaism, in which they were born and raised. They had been born again. The result, as it is many times today, was tremendous hostility from their own people – ostracism from their families, persecution and suffering of all kinds, though not martyrdom (10:32-34 and 12:4). They suffered greatly.

They should have anticipated as much and have been mature enough to deal with it. But they had not and were not. They lacked full confidence in the Good News, and, consequently, in the Lord. They were in danger of going back into the Levitical system – not losing their salvation but confusing the gospel with Jewish ceremony thereby weakening their faith and testimony. They could not bring themselves to accept the clear-cut distinction between the New Covenant in Messiah and the forms, ceremonies, patterns and methods of Judaism. They were still hung up, for example, on the Temple ritual and worship. That was why the Ruach ha-Kodesh talked to them so much about the new priesthood, the new Temple, new sacrifice, and new sanctuary, all of which were better than the old ones.

They had gone beyond Judaism and received Messiah as their Lord and Savior, but, understandably, they were tempted to hang on to many of the Jewish habits that had been a part of their lives for so long. When their friends and countrymen began to persecute them, the pressure led them to hold on even tighter to some of the old Jewish traditions. They felt they had to keep a foothold in their old and familiar relationships. In other words, it was hard for them to make a clean break.

With all the pressure, together with their weak faith and spiritual ignorance, they were in great danger of mixing the new and the old. They were in danger of coming up with a watered-down faith. Jesus had warned the church at Laodicea, “Because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I AM about to spit you out of My mouth” (3:16). They were a whole congregation of weaker brothers (Romans 14:2; First Corinthians 8:9), who were still calling unclean what God has made clean (Mark 7:19; Acts 10:15; Romans 14:12).

The Ruach ha-Kodesh directed this letter to them to strengthen their faith in the New Covenant, to show them that they did not need the Temple to worship God (which in a few years would be completely destroyed by Titus Vespasian anyway, showing that YHVH had brought an end to the Dispensation of the Torah). They did not need the old Levitical system. They did not need the continual sacrifices. They did not need the ceremonies. They had a new and better covenant with a new and better priesthood, a new and better sanctuary, and a new and better sacrifice. The shadow was to give way to the reality.

Group Two: Unbelieving Jews who were Intellectually Convinced: We have all met people who have heard the truth about Jesus Christ and who are intellectually convinced that He is indeed who He claimed to be, but are not willing to step over the line from knowledge to faith. In this Jewish congregation to whom the letter was written, there were such unbelievers. It is likely that every gathering of the congregations of God since Shavu’ot has had people in it who have been convinced that Yeshua is the Messiah, but who have never committed themselves to Him. Why? Perhaps they loved the approval of men more than the approval of God (John 12:42-43). But whatever the reason, they were not willing to make the sacrifice required. And so the Ruach ha-Kodesh urged them to go all the way to saving faith; to go all the way to commitment to the lordship of Christ.

What is the unforgivable sin? They were guilty of acknowledging – but not committing. They were guilty of the great sin of neglecting to do what one is intellectually convinced is right. The truth of the gospel had been confirmed to them through the apostles, with all the miracles and gifts of the Ruach ha-Kodesh. Jesus says that whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin (Matthew 12:31b; Mark 3:29-30). The unforgiveable sin is rejecting Yeshua Messiah. If someone has heard the Good News, understands it, and is intellectually convinced of its truth, but then willfully rejects Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, what more can YHVH do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing! All Ha’Shem can promise is a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God (Hebrews 10:27).

Group Three: Unbelieving Jews: The Spirit of God in the book of Hebrews not only spoke to Jewish believers in order to strengthen their faith, and to the intellectually convinced in order to push them over the line from knowledge to saving faith, but He also speaks to those who have not believed at all. He seeks to clearly show them that Yeshua is in fact who He claimed to be. This message speaks directly to unbelievers, not Jewish believers or those who had already been intellectually convinced of the gospel. It is given to those who first need to know who Jesus really is.

These, then, are the three groups addressed in Hebrews. The key to interpreting any part of the book is to understand which group is in view. If we do not understand that, we are bound to confuse the issues. For example, the Holy Spirit is surely not saying to believers: People are destined to die just once and after that to face the judgment (9:27 CJB). We must always understand who the Ruach is speaking to. As we study the book of Hebrews, we will relate each file to one of those three groups.

The primary message is addressed to Jewish believers. But from time to time the Ruach ha-Kodesh interspersed five warning passages to the two other unbelieving groups. To see these links, lick on letters

Al – The first warning is the danger of neglect: intellectually convinced Jews

As – The second warning is the danger of a hardened heart: unbelieving Jews

Ba – The third warning is the danger of dullness of hearing: unconvinced Jews

Bb – The fourth warning is the danger of falling away: hesitating Jews

Ci – The fifth warning is the danger of apostasy: apostate Jews

In a skillful way the Ruach ha-Kodesh speaks to all three groups. There is confidence and assurance for the Messianic Jews. He warns the intellectually convinced Jews that they must receive Messiah or their knowledge will damn them. Finally, there is a convincing presentation to the unbelieving Jews who were not even intellectually convinced, that they should believe in Yeshua. To these three groups of Hebrews, the author presents Messiah, the Author of a B’rit Chadashah that is greater than the first one. The First Covenant was not bad; it was God-given and therefore good (Psalm 19:7-8 CJB). But it was incomplete and preliminary. It set the stage for the New Covenant.¹⁰

David Mack2021-11-28T16:24:04+00:000 Comments

Af – Background of the B’rit Chadashah and the New Sacrifice

Background of the B’rit Chadashah and the New Sacrifice

Messiah came as the Mediator of a better covenant because it is one that doesn’t have to be repeated every hour, every day, every month, or every year. The Lord comes as the mediator of a better covenant because His sacrifice removes every sin ever committed forever. Yeshua comes as the mediator of a better covenant because He is a High Priest who doesn’t need to make any sacrifices for Himself. He is totally perfect, the Perfect Priest and the Perfect Sacrifice. Christ, in His own sacrifice – His sacrifice of Himself – showed the perfection that eliminated sin. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (10:10). Once. That was something wonderfully new in the sacrificial system – one sacrifice, once offered. But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God (10:12). This was something no priest could ever do. There were no seats in either the Tabernacle or the Temple. The Levitical priest would never sit down because his work was never finished. But Yeshua made His sacrifice and sat down. It was finished. It was done. The atonement for sin had been paid in full (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Lv – Jesus’ Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God). For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (10:14).

Hebrews emphasizes contrast. Everything is presented as better: a better hope, a better testament, a better promise, a better sacrifice, a better substance, a better country, a better resurrection, a better everything. Yeshua Messiah is presented the supreme Best. And we are presented as being in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14), in a completely new dimension – the heavenlies. We read of the heavenly Messiah, the heavenly calling, the heavenly gift, the heavenly country, the heavenly Yerushalayim., and of our names being written in the heavenlies. Everything is new. Everything is better. We have the Substance (Jesus Christ), we don’t need the shadow (the Levitical priesthood). Here is the whole point of what we have been saying: we do have just such a high priest as has been described. And He does sit at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Hebrews 8:1). This is the whole summary of the book of Hebrews in just one sentence. Ours is the High Priest of high priests, and He is seated. His work is done, completely finished for all time.⁸ Hebrews leads us to the resources that are available when life threatens to overwhelm us. Here we can find the strength to resolve and overcome life’s relentless pressures.⁹

David Mack2021-11-28T16:17:42+00:000 Comments

Ae – Difficulties for Jewish Believers

Difficulties for Jewish Believers

Keep in mind that the idea of a new covenant (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Eo – I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el) was not easy for the Jews to accept. Even after accepting Yeshua as Messiah, it was hard for them to make a clean break from everything they had known for their whole lives. The Gentiles didn’t have that problem since they had not taken on the yoke of the Torah or been a part of the Levitical system. They had long before lost any real knowledge of the true God, and therefore, were worshiping idols – some primitive and some sophisticated – but idols nonetheless: For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen (Romans 1:21-25). But since Abraham’s covenant with ADONAI (see the commentary on Genesis Ee – God’s Covenant with Abram), the Jews believed they had a special relationship with God (which they did) and didn’t need anyone or anything else. The Dispensation of Grace was a mystery until Christ came (Ephesians 5:32).

It was not easy for Jews to, in effect, turn their backs on their heritage, especially when they knew the Torah was God given. Even after receiving Messiah as Lord and Savior it was still difficult. The audience of the book of Hebrews was essentially a Messianic congregation. How much Levitical ceremony should they keep? How much should they let go? This had been a part of their lives since early childhood. The Temple was still standing and the Levitical priests were still ministering in it. Thus, part of the purpose of Hebrews was to confront those born-again Jews (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bv – Jesus Teaches Nicodemus) with the fact that they should let go of all the Levitical trappings. All.

Hebrews was written to a people under siege. Many of those Jewish believers were beginning to say to themselves, “This is too hard. We received the Good News about Yeshua and believed it. But it’s tough to break with our own people and traditions that we’ve practiced our whole lives and face all the persecution we’ve received.” When you consider what they were going through at the time, it’s easy to appreciate the difficulties and temptations they faced.

The high priest Ananias was especially hard and unrelenting. He had Messianic Jews automatically expelled from the Temple and considered them cherem, or devoted to destruction. They had access to the Temple their whole lives. Now they could have no part in the Levitical system, they could not communicate with the priests or attend the festivals. They were considered unclean. They could have nothing to do with their own people. They were cut off from their own society. Because of their faith in Yeshua Messiah their world had been turned upside down. Though in the eyes of ADONAI they were the only true Jews (Romans 2:28-29), they were considered worse than Gentiles by their fellow Jews.

Throughout Hebrews these immature believers are encouraged to keep their confidence in Christ, the mediator of a better covenant and their new Great High Priest. They are reminded that they were losing nothing for which they were not getting something infinitely better. They had been deprived of an earthly Temple, but they were going to get a heavenly one. They had been denied an earthly priesthood, but they now had a heavenly Priest. They had been deprived of the Levitical sacrifices, but now they had a final one.⁷

David Mack2021-11-28T16:13:13+00:000 Comments

Ad – Background of the Torah and the Outdated Sacrifices

Background of the Torah and the Outdated Sacrifices

No Jew could see God and live: In the Jewish mind, it had always been dangerous to approach YHVH. But you can’t see My face, because no one may see Me and live (Exodus 33:20 GWT). On Yom Kippur (the great Day of Atonement), which occurred only once a year, the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle or Temple. There, above the ark of the Covenant (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Fr – The Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace) and on the mercy seat (see the commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace), YHVH met mankind. As the high priest sprinkled the blood of a male goat (the azael) onto the mercy seat, the Sh’khinah Glory, the visual manifestation of God’s presence, filled up the Most Holy Place. That was as close as they could get.

Since there was naturally no personal nearness to God, there had to be some basis for communication between ADONAI and Isra’el. So the LORD established a covenant. In this covenant God, in His grace, offered Isra’el a special relationship with Himself. In a unique way He would be their God and they would be His people to reach the world (Exodus 6:7). They would have special access to Him if they obeyed His 365 prohibitions and 248 commandments. To break any one of these was a sin, and sin interrupted their access to Him. Because they were constantly sinning, their access to God was constantly being interrupted.

The outdated sacrifices: So ADONAI instituted a sacrificial system to allow a repentant Jew to atone for his or her sin. But the righteous of the TaNaKh were brought to Abraham’s side (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Hx – The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus) on the basis of faith. Salvation, whether in the Dispensation of the Torah or in the Dispensation of Grace has always been by faith. When that Jew brought an offering to the priest at the Temple, the fact that there was a piece of meat burning on the bronze altar (see the commentary on Exodus Fa – Build an Altar of Acacia Wood Overlaid with Bronze) did not please God in and of itself. It was the attitude of faith by the one bringing the sacrifice that was pleasing to YHVH. It was that kind of an offering that brought forgiveness of sin. Sacrifices brought in the wrong attitude, just going through the motions, were of no avail. Ha’Shem was very clear about this, both in the days of Isaiah (see the commentary on Isaiah Aj – Stop Bringing Meaningless Offerings) and in the days of Jeremiah (see the commentary on Jeremiah Cc – False Religion is Worthless).

Through the Levitical priesthood, the sacrifices of the Jewish people were made to symbolize atonement for sin. And if they were brought in faith, the barrier between them and God was taken down and they would have access to Him. It worked something like this: YHVH gave His covenant, which included 365 prohibitions and 248 commandments, and thereby offered the people access to Him. However, mankind sinned, His prohibitions or commandments were broken and the barrier went up again. Then another repentant act of sacrifice was made so that the barrier would be dropped and the relationship reestablished.

The problem was that every time the Israelite felt the weight of his or her sin, another offering of some sort had to be made (see the commentary on Exodus Fb – The Five Offerings of the Tabernacle: Christ, Our Sacrificial Offering). Their sin was only covered up until they sinned again. Atonement for their sin was never removed forever. As a consequence, the sacrifices continued hour after hour, day after day, year after year. They never stopped. Besides this, the Levitical priests themselves were sinners. They had to make sacrifices for their own sins before they could make sacrifices for the sins of the people. And so the barrier went up and down, up and down, up and down. This in itself proved to be an ineffective system. It was a losing battle against sin and the barrier it erects.

What was needed was a Perfect Priest and a Perfect Sacrifice to open the way to God once and for all – a sacrifice that didn’t deal with just one sin at a time, over and over again, but a one-time sacrifice that took all sin away forever. That, says the writer of Hebrews, is exactly what Yeshua was and what He did.⁶

David Mack2021-11-28T16:06:52+00:000 Comments

Ac – Introduction to Hebrews from a Jewish Perspective

Introduction to Hebrews from a Jewish Perspective

To Gary and Georgia, co-workers in ministry.
Through their spiritual gifts, their skills and heart,
they are true friends and mighty warriors for Yeshua.

Hebrews is a stunning portrait of Yeshua Messiah seen through the lens of the TaNaKh. The author’s intent, under the influence of the Ruach, is to show the superiority of Jesus over the prophets, angels, Moshe, priests, and the entire Levitical system. Christ is the new priest with the new sacrifice that establishes a new covenant between YHVH and His people.

The Use of the New International Version

Because I am writing this commentary on Hebrews from a Jewish perspective, I will be using both the New International Version (NIV) and also relying heavily on the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) by David Stern. There is a good blend between the two.

The use of ADONAI

Long before Yeshua’s day, the word ADONAI had, out of respect, been substituted in speaking and in reading aloud for God’s personal name, the four Hebrew letters yud-heh-vav-heh, variously written in English as YHVH. The Talmud (Pesachim 50a) made it a requirement not to pronounce Tetragrammaton, meaning the four-letter name of God, and this remains the rule in most modern Jewish settings. In deference to this tradition, which is unnecessary but harmless, I will be using ADONAI or Ha’Shem where YHVH is meant.¹ In ancient times when the scribes were translating the Hebrew Scriptures, they revered the name of YHVH so much that they would use a quill to make one stroke of the name and then throw it away. Then they would make another stroke and throw that quill away until the name was completed. His name became so sacred to them that they started to substitute the phrase the Name, instead of writing or pronouncing His Name. Over centuries of doing this, the actual letters and pronunciation of His Name was lost. The closest we can come is YHVH, with no syllables. The pronunciation has been totally lost. Therefore, the name Yahweh is only a guess of what the original name sounded like. Both ADONAI and Ha’Shem are substitute names for YHVH. ADONAI is more of an affectionate name like daddy, while Ha’Shem is a more formal name like sir.

The use of TaNaKh

The Hebrew word TaNaKh is an acronym, based on the letters T (for “Torah”), N (for “Nevi’im,” or the Prophets), and K (for “Ketuvim,” or the Sacred Writings). It is the collection of the teachings of God to human beings in document form. The term “Old Covenant” implies that it is no longer valid, or at the very least outdated. Something old, to be either ignored or discarded. But Jesus Himself said: Don’t think I have come to abolish the Torah and the Prophets, I have not come to abolish but to complete (Matthew 5:17 CJB). I will be using the Hebrew acronym TaNaKh instead of the phrase the Old Testament throughout this devotional commentary.

The Use of the phrase, “the righteous of the TaNaKh,”
rather than using Old Testament saints

Messianic synagogues, and the Jewish Messianic Community in general, never use the phrase Old Testament saints. From a Jewish perspective, they prefer to use the phrase, “righteous of the TaNaKh.” Therefore, I will be using “the righteous of the TaNaKh,” rather than Old Testament saints throughout this devotional commentary.

Author

The human author is unnamed and unknown. How fitting, since the book’s purpose is to exalt Jesus Christ. I stand with Origen, one of the great teachers of the early Church, who simply said, “No one knows.” Many have speculated about his identity, but we do know that it was written by an inspired believer to a suffering, persecuted group of Jews living somewhere in the East, outside of Isra’el. We also know that he was a dynamic preacher, he was knowledgeable of the TaNaKh and its interpretation, he was highly educated, he was a committed minister of Yeshua Messiah, and he was deeply concerned about the spiritual state of the congregation of Jews he was addressing.²

Date

It is impossible to fix an exact date to the composition of the letter. However, it seems likely that it was written prior to the destruction of the Temple (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD), since the author consistently refers to it in the present tense. The seeds of the Jewish revolt were being sown, but the full-scale revolt had not yet begun. Therefore, the book was probably written somewhere between AD 64 and 66 [Jewish revolt AD 66-70].

The use of Midrash by the Human Author

The author’s method was to show the superiority of the Messiah over the Levitical system. That which they had in Yeshua superseded what they had in Judaism. The contrast was not between what was good and what was bad because YHVH had given the whole Levitical system. The contrast was between what was good and what is better. Biblical Judaism was good, but Messiah is better. As the author gives further details about the good and the better, he takes the three main pillars of Judaism of the day – angels, Moshe, and the Levitical priesthood – and shows what the readers now have in Yeshua is superior to all three pillars of Judaism. This is a concept also found in the Midrash (an ancient commentary on part of the Hebrew scriptures).

The book of Hebrews attempts to demonstrate that Jesus is the Messiah, that He is greater than the prophets (1:1-3), greater than the angels (1:4-2:14), and greater than Moshe (3:1-6). A parallel Midrash is found in Tanhuma (Buber’s edition, Toldot 134-135; and Vulgar edition, Toldot 14). The Midrash is on Isaiah 52:13: My Servant will accomplish His purpose. He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. The Messiah will be raised up more than Moshe, lifted up more than Abraham, and more higher than the angels. This Midrash is found in a late collection; but it is clear that the book of Hebrews proves that it had existed already at the time of the Second Temple or soon after its destruction. The fact that this Midrash existed in the ancient past is also demonstrated by a Tannaic Midrash, namely Sifre, on Numbers 12:3-7. There, the rabbinic tradition states that Moses is greater than the Patriarchs, including Abraham, and the Archangels. This is a Midrash we find in both Tanhuma and in Hebrews. It is interesting that a medieval Jew who converted to Christianity, Friar Paul Christiani, noticed the similarity between the Tanhuma Midrash and the book of Hebrews, and tried to prove that the Talmudic Sages had known the truth about Yeshua, but had concealed it from the Jews. In his debate with the Jewish Rabbi Nachmanides, this convert to Christianity said, “Indeed, your own Sages have said that the Messiah has more honor than the angels, which cannot be anyone other than Jesus.” Then he quoted what was written in the Midrashic legend, “Raised up more than Moshe, lifted up more than Abraham, and more high than the Archangels.” Nachmanides, of course, had his answer at hand (The Writings of Rabbi Moses be Nahman, Chavel’s edition, Volume I, page 311).³

Quotations from the TaNaKh

Throughout the book of Hebrews the inspired human author quotes liberally from the TaNaKh. In an effort to show which portions of any verse are direct quotations, I have put the quote in purple and the scripture quoted in parenthese in purple. In that way, it is easy to get a feel for how often the Ruach uses the TaNaKh to make His point that Yeshua is better and more superior than all that came before Him.

Literary Form

Hebrews is commonly referred to as a letter, though it doesn’t have the typical form of a letter. It ends like a letter (13:22-25), but it begins more like an essay or sermon (1:1-3). The author does not identify himself or those addressed, which letter writers normally did. And he offers no manner of greeting, such as is usually found at the beginning of ancient letters. Rather, he begins with a magnificent statement about Jesus Christ. He called his work a message of exhortation (13:22), the conventional designation given to a sermon in a synagogue service (see Acts 13:15). Like a sermon, Hebrews is full of encouragement, exhortations and stern warnings. It is likely the author used the materials that made up his sermons and sent them out in modified letter form.⁴

Key Words

There are five key words in Hebrews. One is perfection, not meaning sinlessness, but maturity in contrast with immaturity (2:10; 5:9; 6:1; 7:11, 19, 28; 10:14; 12:1-2). The second key word is eternal in contrast to what was temporal such as the 365 prohibitions and 248 commandments of the Torah to be obeyed, the sacrifices, and the Levitical system in general (5:9; 6:2; 9:12, 14-15; 13:20). The third key word is forever, which is a corollary to eternal (1:8; 5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 28; 13:20-21; 8:1; 9:24; 12:25-26). The fourth key word is heavenly in contrast to what is earthly (3:1; 6:4; 8:5; 9:23; 11:16; 12:22). And the fifth key word is better in contrast to what is good (1:4; 6:9; 7:19, 22; 8:6; 9:23; 10:34; 11:4, 16; 11:35, 40; 12:24).⁵

Theme

The theme of the book of Hebrews is the superiority of Yeshua Messiah.

David Mack2021-11-28T15:59:04+00:000 Comments

Ab – The Outline of the Book of Hebrews

The Outline of the Book of Hebrews

The basis for this commentary and outline
is taken from the MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Hebrews

Introduction to Hebrews from a Jewish Perspective (Ac)

Background of the Torah and the Outdated Sacrifices (Ad)

Difficulties for Jewish Believers (Ae)

Background of the B’rit Chadashah and the New Sacrifice (Af)

The Audience of the book of Hebrews (Ag)

I. The Superiority of the Son in His Person and Work – 1:1 to 10:18 (Ah)

A. The Superiority of Messiah to the Prophets – 1:1-3 (Ai)

B. The Superiority of Messiah to Angels – 1:4 to 2:18 (Aj)

1. The Proof of Messiah’s Superiority to Angels from the Scriptures – 1:4-14 (Ak)

2. The Danger of Neglect: Intellectually Convinced Jews – 2:1-4 (Al)

3. The Proof of Messiah’s Sovereignty – 2:5-9 (Am)

4. The Proof of Messiah’s Salvation – 2:10-18 (An)

C. The Superiority of Messiah to Moses – 3:1-6 (Ao)

1. The Superiority of Messiah to Moshe in His Person and Work – 3:1-4 (Ap)

2. The Superiority of Messiah to Moshe in His Position – 3:5-6 (Aq)

D. The Superiority of Messiah in the Rest He Gives – 3:7 to 4:13 (Ar)

1. The Danger of a Hardened Heart: Unconvinced Jews – 3:7-19 (As)

2. A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God – 4:1-13 (At)

E. The Superiority of the Messiah to the Levitical Priesthood – 4:14 to 10:18 (Au)

1. Messiah is in a Better Position Than Aaron – 4:14-16 (Av)

2. Messiah is a Better Priest Than Aaron – 5:1 – 7:28 (Aw)

a. Qualifications for the Great High Priest – 5:1-4 (Ax)

b. Messiah’s Qualifications as our Great High Priest – 5:5-10 (Ay)

c. Unbelievers and Believers in Messiah – 5:11 – 6:20 (Az)

(1) The Danger of Dullness of Hearing: Unbelieving Jews – 5:11-14 (Ba)

(2) The Danger of Falling Away: Hesitating Jews – 6:1-8 (Bb)

(3) We Have This Hope as an Anchor for the Soul – 6:9-20 (Bc)

d. The Priesthood of Melchizedek – 7:1-28 (Bd)

(1) Melchizedek Was a Type of Christ – 7:1-3 (Be)

(2) The Order of Melchizedek and the Order of Aaron – 7:4-10 (Bf)

(3) The Levitical Priesthood and the Priesthood of Jesus – 7:11-25 (Bg)

(a) The Former Priesthood Has Changed – 7:11-14 (Bh)

(b) The Former Priesthood Was Temporary – 7:15-19 (Bi)

(d) The New Priesthood Lasts Forever – 7:23-25 (Bk)

(4) Yeshua the Melchizedek Priest – 7:26-28 (Bl)

3. A Better Covenant – 8:1-13 (Bm)

a. The Superiority of the New Covenant – 8:1-6 (Bn)

b. Proof of the Superiority of the New Covenant – 8:7-13 (Bo)

c. The Dispensation of Grace (Bp)

4. A Better Sanctuary – 9:1-10 (Bq)

a. The Insufficiency of the Former Sanctuary – 9:1-5 (Br)

b. The Insufficiency of the Former Priestly Service – 9:6-7 (Bs)

c. The Insufficiency of the Former Sacrifices – 9:8-10 (Bt)

5. A Better Sacrifice – 9:11 to 10:18 (Bu)

a. The Superiority of Messiah’s Sacrifice – 9:11-12 (Bv)

b. The Results of Messiah’s Sacrifice – 9:13-28 (Bw)

(1) The Insufficiency of the Blood of Bulls and Goats – 9:13-14 (Bx)

(2) Forgiveness Demands Blood – 9:15-22 (By)

(3) The Better Tabernacle Purified with Better Blood – 9:23-28 (Bz)

c. Messiah, the Perfect Sacrifice – 10:1-18 (Ca)

(1) The Insufficiency of the Levitical Sacrifices – 10:1- 4 (Cb)

(2) The Sufficiency of Messiah’s Sacrifice – 10:5-10 (Cc)

(3) Messiah’s Sacrifice Was Once For All Time – 10:11-14 (Cd)

(4) I Will Put My Torah in Their Hearts – 10:15-18 (Ce)

II. The Practical Application of the Supremacy of the Son – 10:19 to 13:25 (Cf)

A. Messiah’s Sacrifice Opens the Way to God – 10:19-39 (Cg)

1. Let Us Draw Near to God – 10:19-25 (Ch)

2. The Danger of Apostasy: Apostate Jews – 10:26-39 (Ci)

B. Faith in Action – 11:1-40 (Cj)

1. Now Faith is the Assurance of Things Hoped For – 11:1-3 (Ck)

2. The Hall of Faith – 11:4-40 (Cl)

a. The Faith of Abel – 11:4 (Cm)

b. The Faith of Enoch – 11:5-6 (Cn)

c. The Faith of Noah – 11:7 (Co)

d. The Faith of Abraham – 11:8-19 (Cp)

e. The Faith of Isaac – 11:20 (Cq)

f. The Faith of Jacob – 11:21 (Cr)

g. The Faith of Joseph – 11:22 (Cs)

h. The Faith of Moshe – 11:23-29 (Ct)

i. The Faith of Rahab at Jericho – 11:30-31 (Cu)

j. Faith Through Trials – 11:32-40 (Cv)

C. Faith to Run the Believer’s Marathon – 12:1 to 13:25 (Cw)

1. Faith and Discipline – 12:1-11 (Cx)

a. We Are Surrounded by a Great Cloud of Witnesses – 12:1-3 (Cy)

b. God Disciplines His Children – 12:4-11 (Cz)

2. Warning and Encouragement to Believers – 12:12-29 (Da)

a. Falling Short of God’s Grace – 12:12-17 (Db)

b. The Earthy Mount Sinai and the Heavenly Mount Tziyon – 12:18-29 (Dc)

3. Believer’s Behavior in Relation to Others – 13:1-3 (Dd)

4. Believer’s Behavior in Relation to Ourselves – 13:4-9 (De)

5. Messiah’s Sacrifice Has Cleansed Us – 13:10-19 (Df)

6. Benediction and Final Greetings – 13:20-25 (Dg)

Glossary (Dh)

Endnotes (Di)

Bibliography (Dj)

David Mack2022-07-27T01:37:47+00:000 Comments

Aa – Hebrews, Where Life and the Bible Meet

Hebrews, Where Life and the Bible Meet

1. Look at the outline (Ab), and the Introduction (Ac) before starting the commentary.

2. The DIG and REFLECT questions are in bolded gray and will help to give you a deeper understanding of the book and make it more personal to you. Go slowly and give yourself time to answer these questions. They really strike at the heart of the commentary. What are the DIG questions for? To dig into the Scripture “story.” To find out what’s going on, to figure out the main idea, the plot, the argument, the spiritual principle, and so on. What are the REFLECT questions for? To apply the “story” in the Scripture to your own life; to take personal inventory and to decide what you are going to do about it! The DIG and REFLECT questions are taken from the John MacArthur’s Bible Study, the Warren Wiersbe series on Hebrews, “Be Confident,” and the Serendipity Bible.

3. I would strongly suggest that you look up the references that are given in each section. Many times this will greatly enhance the background, and hence, your understanding of the Scriptures that you are reading on a particular day. Take your time, read only as much as you can digest.

There are times when I refer you to either another file in Isaiah, or a file in another book of the Bible, to give you more detail on a particular person, topic, concept or theology. An example might be something like the Great Sanhedrin (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Lg – The Great Sanhedrin). If you feel you already know enough about the Great Sanhedrin, you can skip the reference and continue reading. But if it interests you, or if you don’t know what the Great Sanhedrin is, you can go to that file and read it first before continuing. It’s your choice.

4. All Scripture is in bold print. The NIV is used unless indicated otherwise. However, sometimes the purpose of the bold print is merely for emphasizing a certain point. When bold maroon is used, it is for special emphasis. The words of Jesus are bolded in red.

5. When bold teal is used, it is quoted from one of the two Jewish commentaries listed in the bibliography. This will give you the moderate Orthodox Jewish interpretation. It is useful for word studies, but its Christology is obviously entirely wrong. Where rabbinical interpretation is cited, I will add, “The rabbis teach. . .” in front of the passage. Although it is not a Christian interpretation, I think it is interesting to see how the rabbis interpret these passages.

6. The writer to the Hebrews quotes the TaNaKh extensively. When bold purple is used, it is quoting some section of the Hebrew Scriptures.

7. Read the Scriptures for a particular day first, then skim the DIG or REFLECT questions, read the commentary and reflect on it; answer the DIG or REFLECT questions, then read your Bible again. Hopefully, it will have greater meaning for you the second time you read it. Then live it out.

8. If you come to a Jewish word or phrase you do not understand, see the Glossary at the end of the book (see Dh – Glossary).

9. To download a pdf file, click on the red rectangle on the top of any page.

10. You can download anything you want from this devotional commentary for Bible study,
but nothing can be sold © 2019 all rights are reserved by Jay David Mack, M.Div.

David Mack2024-05-17T18:36:25+00:000 Comments

Lb – Bibliography

Bibliography

Barker, Kenneth. NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.

Boettner, Loraine. Roman Catholicism. New Jersey: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962.

Cocoris, Michael. Evangelism: A Biblical Approach. South Pasadena: The Church on the Way, 1988.

Coleman, Lyman. The Serendipity Bible for Groups, New International Version. Littleton: Serendipity House, 1988.

Craigie, Peter. The Problem of War in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1978.

Delitzsch, Franz. Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 7, Isaiah. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.

Douglas, J. D. The New Greek/English Interlinear New Testament. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1990.

Driver, S. R. The Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah According to Jewish Interpreters. New York: KTAV Publishing, 1877 and reprinted in 1969.

Edersheim, Albert. Sketches of Jewish Social Life In the Days of Christ. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, reprinted in 1984.

Erickson, Millard. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983.

Feinberg, Charles Lee. The Prophecy of Ezekiel. Chicago: Moody Press, 1969.

Freedman, David Noel. The Anchor Bible Dictionary – Volume 5. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Freeman, James. Manners and Customs of the Bible. Plainfield: Logos International, 1972.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold. Rosh Hashanah: The Feast of Trumpets. Tustin: Ariel Ministries, 1986.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold. The Footsteps of the Messiah. Tustin: Ariel Ministries, 1982.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold. The Three Messianic Miracles, Manuscript Number 35. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 1983.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, The Feast of the Passover, Manuscript Number 114. Tustin, Ariel Ministries, 1986.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, Messianic Christology. Tustin: Ariel Ministries, 2000.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, Life of Christ Tape Series, Tustin: Ariel Ministries, 1990.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold, Isaiah Tape Series, Tustin: Ariel Ministries, 1990.

Geisler, Norman. A Popular Survey of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977.

Gonzalez, Julio. The Story of Christianity, Volume 2. San Francisco: Harper and Row Publishers, 1985.

LaHaye, Tim. Charting the End Times. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2001.

LaSor, Hubbard and Bush. Old Testament Survey, The Message, Form and Background of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982.

Lipsey, Rita. Ariel Ministries Newsletter. Tustin: Ariel Ministries, 2005.

MacArthur, John. Matthew 1-7. Chicago: the Moody Bible Institute, 1985.

MacArthur, John. Matthew 8-15. Chicago: the Moody Bible Institute, 1987.

MacArthur, John. Matthew 24-28. Chicago: the Moody Bible Institute, 1989.

MacArthur, John. Revelation 12-22. Chicago: the Moody Bible Institute, 2000.

Motyer, J. Alec. Isaiah. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1999.

Nubee, Muhammad. Christian and Muslim Dialogue Pamphlet.

Oswalt, John. The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986.

Oswalt, John. The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998.

Oswalt, John. The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.

Packer, James. The Bible Almanac. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1980.

Pritchard, James. The Ancient Near East. Volume 1, 1958.

Safra, Jacob, Chairman of the Board. Plague: Clinical Characteristics of the Human Disease, Encyclopedia Britannica, Chicago, 1966, Volume 17.

Schmitt and Laney, Messiah’s Coming Temple. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1997.

Slotki, L. W. Isaiah – The Soncino Books of the Bible. London: The Soncino Press 1949.

Smith, Chuck. Snatched Away! Costa Mesa: Maranatha House Publishers, 1976.

Taylor, John. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries on Ezekiel. Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1969.

Walton, John. Charts of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.

Walvoord, John and Zuck, Roy. The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1986.

Walvoord, John and Zuck, Roy. The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the New Testament. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1983.

Webb, Barry, The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove: Inter –Varsity Press, 1996.

Wold, Herbert. Interpreting Isaiah. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1985.

Youngblood, Ronald. Themes from Isaiah, A Bible Commentary for Laymen. Ventura, Regal Books, 1984.

David Mack2024-05-14T18:55:09+00:000 Comments

La – End Notes

End Notes

Chapter 1

1 A Popular Survey of the Old Testament, by Norman Geisler, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1977, page 243.

2 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 73-74.

3 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James M. Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 249.

4 Roman Catholicism, by Loraine Boettner, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, Phillipsburg, New Jersey, 1962, pages 289 and 291.

5 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 80.

6 Ibid, page 80.

7 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1036.

Chapter 2

8 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James M. Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 149.

9 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 108.

Chapter 3

10 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James M. Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 249-250.

11 Ibid, page 254.

12 Ibid, page 254.

13 Ibid, page 255.

Chapter 5

14 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 119-120.

15 The New International Commentary on the Book of Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 165.

16 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James M. Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 255.

Chapter 6

17 Themes From Isaiah, by Ronald Youngblood, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 1984, page 19.

18 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 10045.

19 Themes From Isaiah, by Ronald Youngblood, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 1984, page 24.

20 The New International Commentary on the Book of Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 189.

21 Ibid, page 190.

22 Themes from Isaiah, by Ronald Youngblood, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 1984, page 20.

Chapter 7

23 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1046.

24 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 142.

25 The New International Commentary on the Book of Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 197.

26 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 145.

27 Ibid, page 146.

28 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, page 255.

29 The New International Commentary on the Book of Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, pages 215-216.

Chapter 8

30 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1050.

31 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 155-156.

Chapter 9

32 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 162.

33 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 245.

34 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1503.

35 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 168-169.

36 Ibid, page 169.

37 Ibis, page 169.

Chapter 10

38 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 182.

Chapter 11

39 Messiah’s Coming Temple: Ezekiel’s Prophetic Vision of the Future Temple, by John Schmitt and J. Carl Laney, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1997, pages 141-152.

40 Charting the End Times, by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 2001, pages 86-87.

Chapter 12

41 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 194-195.

42 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 293.

43 Ibid, page 294.

Chapter 13

44 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 299.

45 Charting the End Times, by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 2001, page 104.

46 The NIV Application Commentary, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 202-203.

47 The Problem of War in the Old Testament, by Peter Craigie, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1978, page 35.

Chapter 14

48 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 168-169.

49 Ibid, pages 212-213.

50 Ibid, pages 219-220.

Chapter 16

51 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 227-228.

52 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 256.

Chapter 17

53 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 353.

54 The NIV Application Commentary, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 353.

55 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 357.

Chapter 18

56 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 237.

Chapter 19

57 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1066.

58 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 376.

59 Ibid, page 377.

60 Ibid, page 380.

61 The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 5, David Noel Freedman editor-in-chief, Doubleday, New York, New York, 1992.

62 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 381.

Chapter 20

63 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 256.

64 Ibid, page 386.

Chapter 21

65 Isaiah, by Alec Motyer, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, Inter Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1999, page 163.

66 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 258 and 261.

67 Ibid, page 147.

68 Ibid, pages 270-271.

69 Ibid, pages 43-44.

Chapter 22

70 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 265-266.

71 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 258.

72 Ibid, page 256.

73 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 268.

74 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 262-263.

75 Ibid, page 263.

76 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 268-269.

Chapter 23

77 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 276-277.

78 Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries on Ezekiel, by John Taylor, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1969, page 189 and 195.

79 The Prophecy of Ezekiel, by Charles Feinberg, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1969, page 159.

80 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 432.

81 Ibid, page 437.

Chapter 24

82 Snatched Away, by Chuck Smith, Maranatha House Publishers, Costa Mesa, California, 1976, pages 7-9.

83 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 114.

84 Ibid, page 263.

Chapter 25

85 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 463.

86 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 264.

87 Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 7, Isaiah, by Franz Delitzsch, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983, page 440.

Chapter 26

88 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 303-304.

89 Christian and Muslim Dialogue, by Muhammad A. Nubee, page 33.

90 Ibid, pages 34-35.

91 Charting the End Times, by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 2001, pages 91-92.

92 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 470.

Chapter 27

93 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 497.

94 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 312-313.

95 Charting the End Times, by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 2001, pages 86-87.

96 Rosh Hashanah: The Feast of Trumpets, by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1986, page 17.

Chapter 28

97 Roman Catholicism, by Loraine Boettner, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, New Jersey, 1962, page 104.

Chapter 29

98 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 266.

99 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 333.

100 Ibid, pages 332-333.

Chapter 30

101 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 351-352.

102 Ibid, pages 348-349.

103 Ibid, page 351.

104 Old Testament Survey, The Message, Form and Background of the Old Testament, by LaSor, Hubbard and Bush, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1982, pages 449-450.

105 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 349.

106 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 212-213.

107 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 349-350.

108 Ibid, page 356.

109 The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, pages 566-567.

Chapter 31

110 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 359-360.

Chapter 32

111 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 581.

112 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 137.

113 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 369-370.

Chapter 33

114 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 226.

115 Ibid, pages 366-367.

116 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Ontario, Canada, 1986, page 1084.

Chapter 34

117 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, pages 607-608.

118 The Bible Almanac, edited by James Packer, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, 1980, page 213.

119 Interpreting Isaiah, by Herbert Wolf, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, page 165.

120 Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 7, Isaiah, by Franz Delitzsch, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983, page 73.

121 Interpreting Isaiah, by Herbert Wolf, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, page 167.

Chapter 35

122 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 395-395.

123 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 146.

124 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 662.

125 The Three Messianic Miracles, Manuscript Number 35, as taught on the radio by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, San Antonio, Texas, 1983.

126 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, pages 1085-1086.

Chapter 36

127 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 147.

128 Themes from Isaiah: A Bible Commentary for Laymen, by Ronald Youngblood, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 1984, page 106.

129 Ibid, page 101.

130 “The Ancient Near East,” by James Pritchard, Volume 1, 1958, pages 199-201.

131 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, pages 149-150.

Chapter 37

132 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 643.

133 Ibid, page 643.

134 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 150.

135 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 659.

136 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 231-232.

137 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 153.

138 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 267-268.

139 Ibid, page 297.

140 Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 17, Jacob Safra, Chairman of the Board, “Plague: Clinical Characteristics of the Human Disease,” 1966, page 1155.

Chapter 38

141 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 672.

142 Ibid, page 673.

143 Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 7, Isaiah, by Franz Delitzsch, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, pages 461-462.

144 The Bible Knowledge Commentary, by John Walvoord and Roy Zook, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 578.

145 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 155.

146 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 433-434.

147 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 304.

148 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 691.

Chapter 39

149 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 1-39, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986, page 673.

150 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 203.

151 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 438.

Chapter 40

152 The Fundamentals – Volume 1, by Professor George Robinson, The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 1917, page 241.

153 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, pages 160-161.

154 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 268.

155 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 57.

156 A Bible Commentary for the Layman: Themes from Isaiah, by Ronald Youngblood, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 1984, page 114.

157 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 454-455.

158 Interpreting Isaiah, by Herbert Wolf, Academie Books, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, page 187.

Chapter 42

159 Messianic Christology, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 2001, page 46.

Chapter 43

160 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 484-485.

161 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 153.

162 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 492-494.

163 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 178.

164 The New International Commentary on Isaiah, 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, pages 161.

165 Ibid, page 162.

Chapter 44

166 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 506-507.

167 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, pages 172-173.

168 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Illinois, 1996, pages 166-167.

169 Ibid, pages 181-182.

Chapter 45

170 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 200.

171 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 350-351.

172 Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 7, Isaiah, by Franz Delitzech, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983, page 221.

173 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 221.

174 Ibid, page 225.

175 Themes From Isaiah, A Bible Commentary for Laymen, by Ronald Youngblood, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 1984, page 122.

Chapter 46

176 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 531.

177 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 270-271.

178 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, 237-238.

Chapter 47

179 Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Isaiah, by Alec Motyer, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1999, pages 334-335.

180 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 241.

181 The Bible Knowledge Commentary, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1101.

Chapter 48

182 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 259.

183 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 538.

184 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, pages 190-191.

Chapter 49

185 Christian Theology, by Millard Erickson, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, page 424.

186 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 292.

187 Ibid, page 292.

188 Ibid, page 300.

189 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 196.

190 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 556.

191 Ibid, pages 557-559.

192 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 272.

193 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 309.

Chapter 50

194 Sketches of Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ, by Albert Edersheim, William Eerdman’s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, reprinted 1984, pages 3-4.

195 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 171.

196 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 319.

197 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 197-198.

198 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 329.

Chapter 51

199 Themes From Isaiah, by Ronald Youngblood, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 1984, page 138.

200 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 335.

201 Themes From Isaiah, by Ronald Youngblood, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 1984, page 138-139.

202 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 571.

203 Christian Theology, by Millard Erickson, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983, pages 197-198.

204 Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries – Isaiah, by Alec Motyer, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1999, page 364.

205 Christian Theology, by Millard Erickson, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1985, page 207.

206 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, pages 200-201.

207 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, pages 348-349.

208 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 577.

Chapter 52

209 The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the New Testament, by John Walvoord and John Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1106.

210 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 273-274.

211 The Book of Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 370.

212 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 274.

213 The Story of Christianity, Volume 2, by Justo Gonzalez, Harper and Row Publishers, San Francisco, California, 1985, pages 112-113.

214 The Fifty-Third Chapter of Isaiah According to Jewish Interpreters, Edited by Professor Harry Orlinsky, translated by S. R. Driver and A. D. Neubauer, KTAV Publishing House, Inc., New York, New York, 1969 (first published in 1877), pages 429-435 and 450-451.

215 The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1985, page 1107.

216 Evangelism: A Biblical Approach, by Michael Cocoris, The Church on the Way, Los Angeles, California, 1992, page 142-146.

Chapter 53

217 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, pages 382-383.

218 Life of Christ Tape Series, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Tustin, California, 1990.

219 Commentary on the Old Testament, Volume 7 Isaiah, by Franz Delitzsch, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1983, pages 319-320.

220 Matthew 8-15, by John MacArthur, the Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1987, page 19.

221 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, pages 389.

222 Evangelism: A Biblical Approach, by Michael Cocoris, The Church on the Way, Los Angeles, California, 1992, pages 142-146.

223 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1985, page 1109.

Chapter 54

224 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 598-599.

225 The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1982, pages 401-404.

226 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 419.

227 Ibid, page 422.

228 Charting the End Times, by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 2001, pages 70 and 91.

Chapter 55

229 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 436.

230 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, pages 602-603

231 Ibid, pages 603-604.

Chapter 56

232 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 366-367.

233 The NIV Application Commentary on Isaiah, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 609.

Chapter 57

234 The Bible Knowledge Commentary of the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1112.

235 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, page 107.

Chapter 58

236 The NIV Application Commentary, by John Oswalt, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2003, page 627.

237 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 507.

Chapter 59

238 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 227.

239 The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 2004, pages 247-248.

Chapter 60

240 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, pages 542-543.

241 Revelation 12-22, by John MacArthur, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 2000, pages 219-220.

242 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, pages 550-551.

Chapter 61

243 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 233.

244 Charting the End Times, by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 2001, pages 23-24.

245 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, pages 571-572.

246 Ariel Ministries Newsletter, by Rita Lipsey, Tustin, California, “Clothed in White Garments,” Spring 2005, page 5.

Chapter 62

247 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, pages 577 and 595.

248 Ibid, page 580.

249 Ibid, page 581.

250 Ibid, page 584-585.

Chapter 63

251 Manners and Customs of the Bible, by James Freeman, Logos International, Plainfield, New Jersey, 1972, pages 459-460.

252 Charting the End Times, by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 2001, page 63.

253 The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 2004, pages 309 to 357.

254 The New International Commentary on Isaiah 40-66, by John Oswalt, Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1998, page 614.

Chapter 65

255 Matthew 24-28, by John MacArthur, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1989, page 117.

256 The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1984, page 340.

Chapter 66

257 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, page 247.

258 The Footsteps of the Messiah, by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Ariel Ministries, Tustin, California, 1984, pages 475-480.

259 The Message of Isaiah – The Bible Speaks Today, by Barry Webb, Inter-Varsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1996, pages 245-246.

260 The Bible Knowledge Commentary on the Old Testament, by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck, Victor Books, Wheaton, Illinois, 1986, page 1121.

David Mack2024-05-14T17:47:48+00:000 Comments

Ky – From One New Moon to Another, All Mankind Will Bow Down 66: 22-24

From One New Moon to Another,
All Mankind Will Bow Down Before Me
66: 22-24

From one new moon to another, all mankind will bow down before Me DIG: What clear distinction does this passage make? What is the status of the Jews and believing Gentiles during the Great Tribulation? Why are the dead bodies of unbelievers visible in both Babylon and Edom? Do they die? What are they examples of? Why do they find themselves in the state they are in? Who do they symbolize? Why would this be good news for the believing remnant at the end of the Great Tribulation?

REFLECT: God had made a promise to the children to Abraham (Genesis 15:5). But the sin of Isra’el and the pride of the world rulers made it seem as if even God could not keep His promises. However, ADONAI is greater than human sin and human pride. He is the faithful Covenant Keeper, El Shaddai, God Almighty (Genesis 17:1). The very work that the LORD has begun in you, He will finish (Philippians 1:6). As you look back on your life, what evidence of this have you seen?

The fervent prayer of the believing remnant in Chapter 64 is answered by God in Chapters 65 and 66. ADONAI makes it very clear that their sins and unfaithfulness were responsible for the judgment they had endured during the Great Tribulation. But their sins had not frustrated His promises and purposes concerning Isra’el; therefore, He gives a vision of the Messianic Kingdom and her position in it.

In these final three verses the link between judgment and hope reaches its final climax. Here the issues of the book come to light in their clearest simplicity. For Isaiah, ADONAI is the sole Creator. He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth . . . He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in (40:22). He created the first heavens and earth, and He will recreate them at the beginning of the Messianic Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Fh – The Dispensation of the Messianic Kingdom).

There is no other deity; all others are merely imposters who cannot make good on their promises (17:7-8). Just as there are only two families in the world (the family of God and the family of Satan), just as there are only two kinds of spiritual food (angel’s food and devil’s foot), there are only two categories of people on the earth; those who fall down before the LORD and worship Him, and those who are fool-hearty enough to rebel against Him. There are only two fates awaiting mankind. Those who worship ADONAI will live forever, their seed and their name secure. But those who defy Him will be tormented forever.

ADONAI says three things about the society of the Messianic Kingdom. First, He describes the status of the Jews in the Kingdom. “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before Me,” declares the LORD, “so will your name and descendants endure” (66:22). Isra’el will have the same permanence, eternal security and assurance as the new creation herself. She will no longer find herself suffering, no longer find herself expelled, no longer find herself a foreigner to the Promised Land, but shall dwell permanently there in peace. God’s purposes and promises for Isra’el are as eternal as the new heavens and the new earth.

Secondly, He describes the status of the believing Gentiles in the Kingdom. “From one New Moon to another all mankind will come and bow down before Me,” says the LORD (66:23). The Gentiles who accepted Yeshua Messiah as their Lord and Savior before their hundredth birthday (65:20) will worship God in the Kingdom. There will be monthly worship, weekly Sabbath worship, and the festivals of Pesach, Unleavened Bread (Ezeki’el 45:21) and Shavu’ot (Zechariah 14:16-19) will be observed as well. Worship will not be confined to specific days, but will be continuous. The redeemed (see the commentary on Exodus Bz – Redemption) of all ages will worship ADONAI throughout all eternity. That will be the most engaging and important aspect of eternity.

Now everyone in the Kingdom will be able to see God face-to-face and live. This was the goal for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden; this is why ADONAI met Abraham in Ur of the Chaldeans; this is why He spoke to Moses from the burning bush; this is why the Servant of the LORD, Jesus Christ, came to live and die and rise again. His enduring sacrifice made it possible for Him to proclaim the Good News to the brokenhearted, the captives, and prisoners (61:1), so that every tribe and language and people and nation (Revelation 5:9c), could worship the one true God.

Thirdly, He describes the status of the wicked. The dead bodies of unbelievers will be visible in both Babylon (see Dk – Babylon, the Jewel of Kingdoms, will be Overthrown), and Edom (see Gi – Edom’s Streams Will Be Turned Into Pitch). And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against Me (66:24a). The reason that the wicked have no peace (48:22 and 57:21) is because their bodies will be burned, but will not be consumed. They will face continuous torment for all eternity where their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched (Isaiah 66:24b; Mark 9:48). And my friend, eternity is a long time. There will be no peace, no contentment, and no God.

They will be loathsome to all mankind because they are examples of rebellion against the LORD and unbelief concerning ADONAI (66:24c). The Hebrew word loathsome is a very special word only used twice in the entire TaNaKh. This is one time and the other time is in Dani’el 12:2, emphasizing the ugly state that the wicked will find themselves in because they have failed to accept the grace, mercy, and salvation that was clearly offered to them. Babylon and Edom will be perpetual burning wastelands throughout the Messianic Kingdom period. The wages of sin is certainly death (Romans 6:23). While Satan is confined in the abyss during the Millennium, all demons are divided and confined in these two areas on the earth. Whoever has ears, let them hear (Matthew 11:15).

There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked (57:21). Like gravity, this is an axiom of life. In contrast with the abundant peace promised to the righteous, unrest like that of a troubled sea with its mire and dirt is the lot of the wicked. Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14 is an excellent illustration of this fact. There is no rest for the wicked in this life, and there will be no peace in the next life. Each of the three-fold messages (That Her Warfare Had Been Completed – 40:12 to 48:22; That Her Sin Had Been Pardoned – 49:1 to 57:21; and That She Had Received from the Lord Double for All Her Sin – 58:1 to 66:24) ends with one verse that describes the state of the wicked, and that is what we have here. And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against Me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind (66:24).

This awesome way in which the majestic book of Isaiah concludes points to the need for unrepentant people to turn to the LORD, the only God, the Holy One of Isra’el.²⁶⁰ We must always remember the greatness of our salvation and the terrible fate from which we have been saved. What can we do but thank ADONAI and worship Him! Amen.

David Mack2024-05-10T15:35:15+00:000 Comments

Kx – Those Who Survive Will Proclaim My Glory Among the Nations 66: 18-21

Those Who Survive
Will Proclaim My Glory Among the Nations
66: 18-21

Those who survive will proclaim My glory among the nations DIG: Throughout Isaiah, God has shown his concern for all the Gentile nations. How does that concern culminate in these verses? How does ADONAI’s gathering of His people in 58:1-8 parallel ADONAI’s gathering of His people in 66:18-24 (see the chiastic structure on Jj – My House Will Be Called a House of Prayer for All Nations)? What was so shocking to the Jews about the Gentiles being priests? When Isaiah mentions those who survive, who is he talking about?

REFLECT: What types of people do you find it hard to reach out to or care about? Why? What does this vision of the evangelism of Gentiles by Jews say to you about the loving purposes of the LORD for those hard to love people? How might you reflect that love for them this week? What hope is held out for you that such efforts are not useless?

There has been a progression from the new creation (65:17), to a new City (65:19), to a new society (65:20) and finally, to a new house (66:1). It is no surprise, therefore, that Isaiah bring his far eschatological prophecy to a close with a new worshiping people. This time the nations of the world will gather together, not to destroy Isra’el, but to see God’s glory. This is something He pointed out earlier. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD, the visible manifestation of ADONAI, His Sh’khinah glory, rises upon you (60:1). The nations of the world are attracted by Isra’el’s glory and come to see it. When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him (Matthew 26:31-32a).

And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come and gather all the Gentile nations and tongues, and they will come and see My Sh’khinah glory (to see link click Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You) (66:18). The prophet says that there will be evangelism of the Gentiles by Jews during the Messianic Kingdom. The faithful remnant, those who survived (see the explanation below) the Great Tribulation, will be sent to the Gentile nations to evangelize them.

God says: I will set a sign among the Gentile nations (66:19a). Isaiah does not specifically say what the sign is, but since the context is between the two comings of Messiah, the sign can only be the cross. Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed (Revelation 15:4). The truth that ADONAI alone is holy (Revelation 15:4b), is often repeated in the TaNaKh (First Samuel 2:2; Psalm 22:3, 99:5, 111:9; Isaiah 6:3 and 57:15; Habakkuk 1:12).

The Great Commission started with the TaNaKh (see the commentary on Genesis Dt – I Will Bless Those Who bless You, and Whoever Curses You I Will Curse). When Yeshua Messiah came, He reinforced what the LORD had already said to Abram: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have committed you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:16-20). When ADONAI says to the faithful remnant at the end of the Great Tribulation: And I will send (66:19b), He will merely be continuing what He had spoken through Abram and Matthew. His heart for lost Gentiles had not changed (Hebrews 13:8). At the end of the seven years of Tribulation, you would think that the millions of Gentiles who would literally see Yeshua Messiah return to earth, see Him personally kill the antichrist (Second Thessalonians 2:8), and reign from the messianic Temple in Jerusalem, would be open to the Gospel. So Jews are sent all over the world to evangelize them.

In an effort to underline the universal nature of the appeal, the names or places representing the outermost places of the earth are given here. God said that He would send some of those who survive to the nations – to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians, to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of My fame or seen My glory (66:19c) Among the nations He lists is Tarshish. There are several cities known by this name; one was in England, one was in Spain, one was on the northern coast of Africa, and one was on the eastern coast of Africa by the Red Sea. We are not told which Tarshish Isaiah means here. He mentions the Libyans in northern Africa (Genesis 10:6) and the Lydians in western Asia Minor. Lydia is one of most antagonistic states against Isra’el today, but the day is coming when the Jews will be evangelizing in Lydia. Tubal is in Russia and is called Tobalsk (Genesis 10:2; Ezekiel 27:13, 32:26, 38:2-3). And Greece is mentioned (Genesis 10:2, Ezeki’el 27:13) as well as distant nations of the far-away islands to whom the Jews will reach out. The purpose of their evangelism is to proclaim God’s glory among the Gentile nations (66:19b).

The prophets enjoyed using the expression the remnant that escapes (KJ), those among them who escape (NKJ), or those who survive to signify the last remnant of Isra’el prior to the Second Coming. They used this phrase to identify the believing remnant that escapes or survives the final attempt to annihilate them. This is all Isra’el that will be saved (Romans 11:26) at the end of the Great Tribulation. Here are several examples:

In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped (NKJ Isaiah 4:2).

And it shall come to pass in that day that the faithful remnant of Israel, and such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, will never again depend on him who defeated them, but will depend on the LORD, the Holy One of Isra’el, in Truth (NKJ Isaiah 10:20).

And the remnant who have escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jerusalem shall go a believing remnant, and those who escape from Mount Zion. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this (NKJ Isaiah 37:31-32).

And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors, whom the LORD calls (NIV Joel 2:32).

But on Mount Zion will be those that escape; they will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance (NIV Obadiah 17).

God declares: And the Jews will bring all their Gentile brothers, from all the nations, to My holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to ADONAI – on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels (66:20). This description is impressionistic with the prophet using the language of his day to describe what he is being told. Some commentators say that these primitive means of transportation point to the return from the Babylonian Captivity; however, the high point in theology of the TaNaKh is the Messianic Kingdom, not the return from the Babylonian Captivity. When Isaiah gets to the climax of his book, he is emphasizing the return of Messiah and the setting up of His holy Kingdom. So this must be figurative language. No distance of difficulty will be able to stand in their way. The Jews will bring the Gentiles to Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD. The tribulation Temple of the antichrist was unacceptable to God, but the Millennial Temple will be pleasing to Him (see Db – The Nine Missing Articles in Messiah’s Coming Temple).

Lastly, notice that the LORD will select some of the Gentiles to be priests in the Temple (66:21). This message from Yeshua has to be shocking to the Jews living at the end of the Great Tribulation. How could ADONAI let those Gentiles who had hunted them down, and were the very enemies of God Himself, be priests in the Temple! Then they will probably remember the sheep Gentiles (see the commentary on Revelation Fc – The Sheep and the Goats)! It will be of the same thinking as saying a eunuch or foreigner could also be a servant of God (56:5-6). Why, if a Gentile could become a priest in the Temple, then they could not be excluded from anything! Exactly. This flies in the face of the teaching of the Torah, but since the Millennium will not operate under Torah (see the commentary on Revelation Fh – The Dispensation of the Messianic Kingdom), some Gentiles will function as priests in the Millennial Temple (Eph 3:6). Thus, showing that all the nations will be blessed through Isra’el. God declares: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Gen 12:3).

David Mack2023-02-09T12:29:18+00:000 Comments

Kw – God is Coming with Fire, and His Chariots are Like a Whirlwind 66: 15-17

See, the LORD is Coming with Fire,
and His Chariots are Like a Whirlwind
66: 15-17

See, the LORD is coming with fire, and His chariots are like a whirlwind DIG: What is God’s purpose in ending this book with this final warning? How will the chariots of fire affect unbelievers? The faithful remnant? How is the rebuke for the wicked and promises to the faithful in 56:9 to 58:14, parallel to the rebuke for the wicked and promises to the faithful 65:1 to 66:17 (see the chiastic structure in Jj – My House Will Be Called a House of Prayer for All Nations)? In what sense is the LORD jealous? Is that good or bad?

REFLECT: What form of idolatry would you like to see destroyed today? Do you feel sad or happy when you read these verses? Do believers need to be concerned about the judgment of God (Rom 8:1)? The Bible teaches that with fire and with His sword God will execute judgment. How comfortable are you with the judgment of God? Can you think of an example when you said no to something specific that you knew you shouldn’t be doing? What does that have to do with our sin nature? Why do you think God gave us a choice?

When the LORD returns, He is coming with fire and His chariots like a whirlwind (66:15a). A whirlwind is His sweeping, irresistible wind of judgment that leaves nothing behind. His judgment and vengeance will be inflicted upon His enemies. The rabbis teach that the fire here is the fire of Gehenna in which the adversaries of God are placed. He will bring down His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire (66:15b). Fire represents ADONAI’s holiness, aroused by sin. When God restores His people in Jerusalem during the Millennium, they will rejoice and prosper, but on His and Isra’el’s enemies He will swoop down in judgment like a fire (Isaiah 10:17, 29:6, 30:27 and 30; 2 Thess 1:7b-9). Human rebellion will no longer be able to stand up to the terrible presence of God than a field of wheat can stand up to a tornado.

We know from Matthew 24:1-25 and Zechariah 13:1-6 that Isra’el once again will revert to idolatry during the Great Tribulation. But now all of that will be removed. For with fire and with His sword the LORD will execute judgment, literally, return (shub, which is the key word in the book of Jeremiah) on all people and many will be those slain by the sword (66:16). The Bible teaches us that two-thirds of the Jews will be struck down and perish during the Great Tribulation (Zechariah 13:8). Undoubtedly, many, if not most, will be killed by the antichrist in Satan’s effort to eliminate Isra’el from the face of the earth; however, many will also be killed by God’s holy wrath upon a sinning world. Once again, many people have a difficult time seeing the righteousness in this judgment of ADONAI. Yes, God is love (First John 4:8) and He is patient (Second Peter 3:9). But He is also a righteous God who cannot tolerate idolatry or sin. And there is a limit to His patience. He will come again to return on His enemies the choices of their rebellion (57:18, 59:18, 65:6-7, 66:6).

Isaiah leaves no doubt that those who refuse God’s ways will suffer the consequences. Earlier, the prophet said that those who resist and rebel will be devoured by the sword (1:20 also see 27:1 and 34:5-6). While in typical Hebrew fashion he makes ADONAI the first cause of the destruction (Jeremiah 25:23; Zephaniah 2:12), we must remember that those killed during the Great Tribulation, whether Jew or Gentile, will die as a result of their choice of sin over righteousness. We all have that same choice today.

What is different for believers, is that now we have a choice not to sin. The Bible teaches that we all inherited the fatal disease of sin from Adam, for when he sinned, sin entered the world (Romans 5:12 NLT). And before having the power of the Ruach ha-Kodesh in our lives, the psalmist Asaph would declare that he had no choice, saying: I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You (Psalm 73:22). But after being plugged in to the changing power of the Spirit of God, for the first time we have a choice. Paul would write to the church at Rome: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin (Romans 6:1-2a). It doesn’t mean that we are perfect now or in the future, but when confronted with something we know is wrong, we can say, “No thanks.” Sin carries with it its own judgment, and righteousness carries with it its own reward.

At the end of the Great Tribulation there will be a destruction of every form of idolatry (57:5). Those who consecrate and purify themselves by occult practices and go into the gardens that were favorite spots for idol worship, following the one in their midst (66:17a). The one in their midst may possibly be a person or an idol. But whatever or whoever it is, the worshipers will meet their end together suddenly (66:17c). Because Jesus Christ will set up His Kingdom and rule and reign from Jerusalem, all idolatry must end. Those who participate in the occult when they eat the flesh of pigs and mice (the mouse was a symbol of the occult in the ancient world) and other abominable things (66:17b) must go the way of Achan (Joshua 7). The eating of the flesh of pigs and mice, which were forbidden to the Jews, formed the basis of the sacrificial meals for those who practiced the occult. When people stop believing in the revealed truth of the Bible, it is not that they end up believing in nothing, but that they will believe in anything – gardens, pigs, mice or whatever!

But now these occult practices are devoted to destruction by the LORD (34:2). I, ADONAI your God, am a jealous God in the sense of a husband being jealous over advances made toward His wife. But this isn’t a petty jealousy, its a passionate devotion (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Dl – You Shall Not Make for Yourself an Idol). It is just and right that He would want an exclusive relationship with His wife. The Commandments point us in the right direction (see the commentary on Exodus Dk – You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me).

Hell, in the end, is ADONAI simply allowing people to wallow in the sin that they have chosen. God will not violate our free will to choose or reject Him. Isaiah is quite clear about this. To be servants of the LORD, or not, is a personal decision that none of us can avoid. There are only two kinds of spiritual food; there is angel’s food or devil’s food, and if you aren’t eating one – you’re eating the other. Choose wisely because the consequences are eternal. There will be a new world, but God will not force us into it. The choice is ours.²⁵⁹

David Mack2024-05-10T16:52:07+00:000 Comments

Kv – I Will Extend Peace to Her Like a River, and the Wealth of the Nations 66: 10-14

I Will Extend Peace to Her Like a River,
and the Wealth of the Nations Like a Flooding Stream
66: 10-14

I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like a flooding stream DIG: Who is God talking to here? At the end of the Great Tribulation, who were the three groups that would mourn over what Jerusalem had become? Who is portrayed as a nursing mother? Who is not? Why? To what extent will the holiness of Jerusalem and Judah be seen? How will His hand of blessing or His fist of fury be evident?

REFLECT: How do you see yourself in this picture of the future? Which of the three groups who would mourn do you identify with the most? Why? If only God can completely supply all the needs of His people, how has He supplied your needs? Does His ability to supply all your needs mean that all of your needs have to be met by Him? Why or why not? Who is the Potter and who is the clay (Isaiah 29:16; Jeremiah 18:1-6)?

In God’s continuing answer to the cries of forgiveness and salvation from the believing remnant in Chapter 64:1-12, the LORD continues to answer. After making it crystal clear in the last segment that all His promises and purposes concerning Isra’el were to be fulfilled, ADONAI now gives the faithful remnant a vision of her new life in the messianic Kingdom.

The Ruach declares: Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her (66:10). At the end of the Great Tribulation there would only be three groups who would mourn over what Jerusalem had become – the religious capital of the world for the antichrist. The first group would be the believing remnant; the second group would be the 144,000 Jews who will preach the gospel, seemingly for the entire seven years (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Cr – Then I Heard the Number of Those Who Were Sealed, 144,000 from all the Tribes of Isra’el); and the third group would be the sheep Gentiles who help the Jews survive during the second half of the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Revelation Fc – The Sheep and the Goats). What will be the cause of rejoicing?

The people of Isra’el will delight in Jerusalem as an infant delights in her mother’s sustenance. For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance, literally, the nipple of her glory (66:11). It is important to understand that ADONAI is not being compared to a nursing mother – Tziyon is. Their beloved City will be restored and then provide for all their needs. Jerusalem had seen far too much heartbreak. But, the prophet says, the day has come when such tragedy will merely be a distant thought of the past. We can see the deeply contented expression of a mother who has more than enough milk for her baby, and we can also see the perfectly satisfied look on the face of a nursing baby. This will be the joy of Jerusalem during the Messianic Kingdom, every need will be supplied. Tziyon’s abundance will be the source of strength for the believing remnant, the 144,000 and the sheep Gentiles. The mother’s milk will provide everything that her children may need to live strong and stable lives.

Ultimately, only God can completely supply all the needs of His people. If Yerushalayim will be able to supply her children’s needs, it is only because God is there (see Db – The Nine Missing Articles in Messiah’s Coming Temple). ADONAI’s promises rest on the sole guarantee of His word. For this is what the LORD says: I will extend peace to her like a river (66:12a). Throughout the book of Isaiah, shalom has been presented as the integration of all parts of life that constitutes the ultimate blessing of a true relationship with the suffering Servant (53:1), Yeshua Messiah. And concerning the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees (66:12b). She will receive the wealth of the nations (60:5, 11 and 61:6). She will receive peace (48:18 and 55:12) like a river and the Gentiles will carry the inhabitants of the City to the Land like a child is carried on her mother’s arm.

The Hebrew word ish, means a man, in an hour when his need is much greater than the need he had as an infant at her breasts. As a man – (ish) comforted by his mother, I will comfort you; in Jerusalem you will be comforted (66:13 CJB). The fact that the Ruach Ha’Kodesh uses the phrase, like someone comforted by, shows this is merely an analogy. In this analogy, God is compared to a mother who embraces her grown son. The adult son, this man is a picture of Isra’el and the need is not physical but spiritual, as he faces grief, failure and loss. Undoubtedly, this careful distancing of God from the nursing motif is the same reason that God is never said to give birth. The Bible goes to great pains to protect the truth of the transcendence of God. He is fundamentally different than we are. He is not an extension of us; however, all that is personally and spiritually true of both mothers and fathers is also true of ADONAI.

Although Isaiah is the primary prophet describing Jerusalem in the Millennium, Jeremiah has much to say regarding her comfort. He describes the reestablishment of the throne of David, making it the center of Gentile attention. At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts (Jeremiah 3:17). The increased size of Zion, its holiness, and indestructibility are pointed out in Jeremiah 31:38-40. God Himself will dwell there (Zechariah 2:10-12 and Joel 3:17) and rule over a regathered Isra’el (Micah 4:4-8 and Zephaniah 3:14-17).

Yerushalayim will be comforted and will rejoice both inwardly with the heart and outwardly. She will prosper and flourish like grass (Psalm 35:10, 51:8; Isaiah 58:11). The hand of the Lord will be made known to the believing remnant, but His fury will be shown to His foes (Second Thessalonians 1:7-10). In a positive, holy sense, God has always had a special jealousy for Jerusalem that will cause Him to return to her and dwell in her midst. I am very jealous for Tziyon; I am burning with jealousy for her and I will return to Tziyon and dwell in Jerusalem. This Yerushalayim will be called the City of Truth and the mountain of the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies (CJB) will be called the Holy Mountain (Zechariah 8:2-3).

Finally, the holiness that will characterize Jerusalem will extend to the bells upon the horses, and to the cooking pots in the kitchen. When that day comes, this will be written on the bells worn by the horses: Holy to ADONAI; and the cooking pots in the house of ADONAI will be [as holy] as the sprinkling bowls before the altar. Yes, every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies. Everyone who offers sacrifices will come, take them and use them to stew the meat. When that day comes, there will no longer be merchants in the house of the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies (Zechariah 14:20-21 CJB).²⁵⁸ God promises that He will reveal Himself to those who seek Him. And those who call themselves the children of God can lay claim to that promise both now and in the golden age of Jerusalem yet to come.

When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to His servants (66:14), but His fury will be shown to His enemies (63:1-6). God’s generous treatment of Jerusalem and her children at the end of the Great Tribulation will clearly show the difference between His servants and His enemies. For far too long, the distinction has not been clear in this world. People ask, and rightly so, what good is it to live a godly life when the wrongdoers seem to get off the hook (Psalm 37 and 73; Malachi 3:13-15). It seems as though someone is asleep at the switch. When Yeshua Messiah returns a second time His hand of blessing will be evident from the blessed condition of His servants, but His devastating fist of fury will strike His enemies (see the commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment).

David Mack2024-05-10T15:32:35+00:000 Comments

Ku – Do I Bring to the Moment of Birth and Not Give Delivery? 66: 7-9

Do I Bring to the Moment of Birth and Not Give Delivery?
66: 7-9

Do I bring the moment of birth and not give delivery? DIG: When and where does this rebirth take place (63:1-6)? What must precede it (63:7 to 64:12)? How many are saved at that time? What does ADONAI say about His faithfulness (40:8)? What would this message mean to the faithful remnant at the end of the Great Tribulation as the antichrist and his world army tightened the nose around their neck at Bozrah?

REFLECT: What do these verses say about God’s promises to you? What does this do to your faith? Your hope? Your trust? When were you born-again? Are you born-again? If you would like to know how to accept Christ, to see link click Jd – It Was the LORD’s Will to Crush Him and Cause Him to Suffer.

The fervent prayer of the believing remnant in Chapter 64 is answered by God in Chapters 65 and 66. ADONAI makes it very clear that their sins and unfaithfulness were responsible for the judgment they had endured during the Great Tribulation. But their sins had not frustrated His promises and purposes concerning Isra’el; therefore, here the LORD gives a vision of the Messianic Kingdom and her position in it.

In this segment the focus returns to hope, picking up the theme of Jerusalem as mother that has occurred frequently throughout Isaiah. Elsewhere this theme has been used to point to mourning and denial (26:16-18, 37:3, 51:18-20); but also, of hope and promise (49:19-21; 54:1-3). Zion will be known for her abundance and blessing, and will provide such for her inhabitants. Gone will be the days when she was stripped bare, when her children were slaughtered and it seemed impossible that she would ever give birth again. This is a summary of the rebirth of Isra’el. Yeshua Messiah will not return until He is asked to by the leadership and the people of Isra’el at the end of the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ).

Like childbirth, the Great Tribulation will be a time of labor. Here again is one of Isaiah’s graphic metaphors used to make a point. Isra’el will go through the Great Tribulation after Messiah is born in Bethlehem – before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a Son (66:7). The Church Age was a mystery to the righteous of the TaNaKh. Paul said: This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the Church (Eph 5:32). But the believing remnant would read these words with complete clarity. It will help them understand what they have been through, and why they had to go through it.

The sudden and speedy repopulation of Zion is depicted to hearten the faithful remnant. Isaiah highlights the amazing nature of what he was saying with four rhetorical questions, all of which are all grammatically designed to expect a negative answer. Who has ever heard of such a thing? No, of course not. Who has ever seen such things? It is contrary to nature. This is obviously a work of God. Then the prophet changes the subject of this dramatic turn of events. Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment (66:8a)? Oh, we are talking about the birth of a country. All at once? In a single moment? Who could be the mother of such children? This surely was puzzling to the faithful of Isaiah’s day, after all, Ezeki’el’s description of the valley of dry bones springing to life was not written until over a hundred years later (see my commentary on Jeremiah Gk – The Valley of Dry Bones). Yet the believing remnant at the end of the Great Tribulation, crying out in pain and suffering would have no doubt that the mother was Yerushalayim. However, who were her children?

Yet no sooner is Tziyon in the labor of the Great Tribulation than she gives birth to her children (66:8b). Isaiah was talking about them! It was them! Yes, they had been in labor. Yes, they had been in distress. But destruction was not God’s ultimate goal. It was to give them life! The Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it (John 5:21b)! It was like Yeshua was talking directly to them on the road to Emmaus: Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and they asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us” (Luke 24:13-35)?

Do I bring the moment of birth and not give delivery? says the LORD (66:9a)? God will make sure that all He has promised is accomplished, nothing will be left unfinished. Shall He start the birth process as He had in the creation of the nation of Isra’el, and not bring it to completion? But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead (26:19). The word says, as in says the LORD, occurs twice in this verse. The first instance is in the imperfect tense, or keeps saying. ADONAI keeps saying, do I not follow through on what I say I am going to do?

The second instance is in the perfect tense, something already settled. Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery? says your God (66:9b). These illustrations point out that God keeps saying what He has declared, and has declared what is already settled. The 144,000 Jews who are sealed at the beginning of the Great Tribulation will make it through. Every single one of them (see the commentary on Revelation Cr – Then I Heard the Number of Those Who Were Sealed, 144,000 from all the Tribes of Isra’el).

The world, the antichrist, the false prophet and Satan himself may have said that Yerushalayim was barren, and even if pregnant, was too weak to give birth to anything like the righteousness of ADONAI (37:3). But it is not Tziyon saving the world, it is God. And He is the One who has proved that what He says is so. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out of My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (55:10-11). Therefore, if the LORD says that He will bring spiritual life back to the nation of Isra’el, we can count on it. For nothing, absolutely nothing, can prevent that promise from being realized.

David Mack2021-12-17T12:18:12+00:000 Comments

Kt – Hear the Word of the LORD, You Who Tremble at His Word 66: 5-6

Hear the Word of the LORD,
You Who Tremble at His Word
66: 5-6

Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at His word DIG: Why is this message necessary? What will the faithful remnant endure during the Great Tribulation? Who will oppose them during the first three-and-a-half years of Tribulation? Why? Who will persecute them during the second three-and-a-half years? Again, why? Why is it important that the enemies of God get all they deserve?

REFLECT: How are you distinguished from your nation as a whole? When did your rebirth take place (John 3:1-21)? Where does your citizenship lay (see Philippians 3:20)? If you were arrested for being a believer in Yeshuah Messiah, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Are you a friend of the world? Or trying to please an audience of One?

The fervent prayer of the believing remnant in Chapter 64 is answered by God in Chapters 65 and 66. ADONAI makes it very clear that their sins and unfaithfulness were responsible for the judgment they had endured during the Great Tribulation. But their sins had not frustrated His promises and purposes concerning Isra’el; therefore, looking back at their actions during the Great Tribulation, here the LORD addresses the faithful remnant.

This message distinguishes the faithful remnant from the secular Jews as they went through the Great Tribulation. God acknowledges the ones that the world did not acknowledge. Just before the Second Coming, as the believing remnant confesses their sins and pleads for Yeshua Messiah to return, He acknowledges that they did not participate in the worthless sacrificial system in the Tribulation Temple (to see link click Ks – The Rejection of the Tribulation Temple). The secular Jews disfellowshipped them from the Tribulation Temple (not that they wanted to worship there anyway), and supposedly put the cherem judgment, or that which was devoted to destruction, upon them (Joshua 6:18; Isaiah 34:2). Little did they know; however, that they had actually put the cherem judgment on themselves!

God will make the distinction between the true and the false – that which is spiritually alive and that which is spiritually dead. In His parable of the Weeds, Christ said: Let the wheat and the weeds grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into My barn” (Matthew 13:30). The believing remnant was protected from destruction because of their faithfulness to His Word. Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at His Word (66:5a). ADONAI is always . . . always on the side of those who love His Word.

The LORD’s plan of action at the end of the Tribulation included protection from the antichrist as they were hold up at Bozrah (63:1-6). Earlier, at the beginning of the Tribulation, He had allowed them to suffer as ADONAI reminded them: Your brothers hate you, and exclude you because of My name. To be totally sold-out for God, to make His ways the very focus of your life, is to be an embarrassment to those who choose to follow their own way. Those truly seeking God become the butt of jokes. The lost say, “They are always constantly talking joy of the LORD and the glory of God.” Fine! Let the LORD be glorified somewhere else, so that we may see your joy when you’re on the street (66:5b)! During the first three-and-a-half years of the Great Tribulation the secular Jews will hate and taunt Jewish believers because they will refuse to worship in the Tribulation Temple. Interesting, the entire first part of verse 5 describes the problem, and only the last two Hebrew words describe ADONAI’s solution. But those last two words slam the door on their fate when He says: They will be put to shame (66:5c).

The very Temple that was supposed to be a blessing will be a curse. Like Malachi, Isaiah saw that Jerusalem and its apostate Temple would be the scene of God’s final judgment on faithless Isra’el (Malachi 3:1-5).²⁵⁷ The sound that will be heard coming from the Tribulation Temple in Jerusalem will be the sound of ADONAI repaying His enemies for all they deserve (66:6). As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous believing remnant will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear (Matthew 13:40-43).

Who are the enemies of God? The Bible is very clear about this: Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world (First John 2:15-17) becomes the enemy of God (James 4:4). His enemies will not be Jews, but the wicked Gentiles present at the Temple at the end of the Great Tribulation. The Jews will not be anywhere near the Temple at the end of the seven years of Tribulation because they will be fleeing the persecution of the antichrist and his armies. But ADONAI will deal with the enemies of Isra’el because they are His enemies also. So just when the LORD’s judgment is about to be completed and the Tribulation Temple has been proven to be totally useless, the rebirth of Isra’el will come. Darkness will suddenly turn to joy.

David Mack2021-12-17T12:02:58+00:000 Comments

Ks – The Rejection of the Tribulation Temple 66: 1-4

The Rejection of the Tribulation Temple
66: 1-4

The rejection of the Tribulation Temple DIG: Why would God reject this Temple? How were the Jews deceived? How does the rebuke for the wicked and promises to the faithful in 56:9 to 58:14, parallel to the rebuke for the wicked and promises to the faithful in 65:1 to 66:17 (see the chiastic structure in Jj – My House Will Be Called a House of Prayer for All Nations). Why is a dog’s neck and pig’s blood mentioned?

REFLECT: When you go to church or messianic synagogue, what is more important, the fact that you are there or your spiritual attitude? Have you ever found yourself focusing on the form of worship and missing the Person of worship? How did you see it? Change it? What do you think the LORD cares about more?

Here the prophet speaks of the Tribulation Temple that God will not accept. This is what the LORD says: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house you will build for Me? Where will My resting place be (66:1)? This excludes Solomon’s Temple or the first temple because God had accepted those. This was proved when God moved His Sh’khinah glory from the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle to Solomon’s Temple. This rejected Temple also excludes Herod’s Temple or the second Temple. Haggai and Zechariah were prophets that encouraged the people to have that second temple built. Nor could this be talking about the fourth Temple, or the Messianic Temple (Ezeki’el 40-48) because God Himself will build it. So the only Temple that the Bible talks about that could be disapproved of would be the third Temple or the Tribulation Temple (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Bx – The Tribulation Temple).

We know from Scripture that by the middle of the Great Tribulation this Temple is both standing and functioning (Dani’el 9:27, 11:31, 12:11). Therefore, it is not a Temple that God will bless or accept because it will be based on a sacrificial system that has been done away with. Rather, God says that what He accepts or esteems during the Great Tribulation is not a sacrificial system. ADONAI asks a rhetorical question: Has not My hand made all these things, and so they came into being, declares the LORD? The appropriate response would be, “Yes, of course, LORD, You have brought out the starry host one by one, You call them each by name, and because of Your great power and mighty strength not one of them is missing. You have created all these things (40:26)! But God answers that His sanctuary is the human heart. This is the one I esteem: The person who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at My word (66:2).

God says that no sacrifice offered on the Tribulation altar will be accepted. Whoever sacrifices a bull is like one who kills a man, and whoever offers a lamb, like one who breaks a dog’s neck; whoever makes a grain offering is like one who presents pig’s blood, and whoever burns memorial incense, like one who worships an idol (66:3a). Killing men, breaking dog’s necks or worshiping idols were never acceptable sacrifices to God, but they were evidently being offered during the second half of the Great Tribulation by the Gentiles offering their own form of Temple sacrifices. The reason God will reject all of them is because they have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations (66:3b). By rebuilding the Temple and reinstituting the counterfeit Levitical system, they will have foolishly chosen to try to establish their own righteousness, and by doing so they will reject the righteousness of God.

Then the judgment of God will come. These next four lines of Hebrew text are almost identical with 65:12b. The only difference is that here apostate Gentiles are in view, and there apostate Jews were doomed because of the spiritual adultery. So I will choose harsh treatment for them. Their delusion about being able to establish their own righteousness will cause God to bring upon them what they dread. Why? For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. Because they did not listen to God and chose, instead, to do evil in His sight. They did evil in My sight and chose what displeases Me (66:4). That harsh treatment, ta’alulim, is probably better rendered sudden judgment here. Therefore, sudden judgment will be their lot when Yeshua Messiah returns with justice to judge and make war (see the commentary on Revelation Ew – I Saw Heaven Standing Open and a Rider Whose Name is Called Faithful and True).

David Mack2021-12-17T11:52:50+00:000 Comments

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