ISAIAH’S END-TIME TIMELINE

Isaiah’s End-time Timeline Chapters 44-45

CLAY IN THE POTTER’S HANDS

Daniel 12:1, Hebrews 1:8, 2 Peter 2:7-9, Revelation 4-5,7

ISAIAH 44 & 45 CLAY IN THE POTTER’S HANDS: Are We Yielded Vessels to our Maker?

We spoke before how Isaiah 43:1’s “But Now….” precedes comforting Words that will accompany them into and through the day in which God pours out His great anger and the strength of battle. In that it was He “Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers” in the “great Tribulation” period. In the face of this, He exhorts His people of Israel to Fear Not. These words are complimentary to those of Isaiah 26:20: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity…In that day the Lord with his sore and great an strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall sly the dragon that is in the sea.” [Isaiah 26:20, 27:1]

Isaiah 44:1-5 Following it is the time of the restoration, the pouring out of my Spirit in the Millennium.

In verse 6 It is necessary to explain the Investiture of Jesus Christ and its time, in that the Lord Himself applies these Words of Isaiah 44:6 to Himself in Revelation chapter 1:11. “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last”. The words Jesus uses to describe Himself in the book of Revelation relate to the end times, which begin and end in Him.

What we have seen, if we have applied these Scriptures correctly, is God’s great anger, and “the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion.” Also applicable are the sister scriptures of Jeremiah 30:7 of “Jacob’s Trouble” and Daniel’s words in Daniel 12:1: “…and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered.” To that of the end time, then preceding must be the investiture of the Lord Jesus as rightful King of this world and Messiah of Israel. For it is Him who alone is worthy to take the book of the “new covenant” and open the judgment seals, as He alone has won the right of victory as the Lamb who shed his Blood, by which He has, (upon Resurrection from among the dead) cleansed Heaven’s utensils of worship. He has, up to this point, ministered there as High Priest, at the right hand of the Father’s Throne, “…ever living to make intercession for those that come unto God by him.” [Hebrews 7:25,26] That is to say until “the fullness of Gentiles be come in.” That time is come, the time of Mercy and Grace is closing. The great day of God’s vengeance is here. Jesus Christ is to now receive His Throne (Hebrews 1:8, Revelation 3:21) and exercise His dominion in the World.

“I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me….. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.” [Isaiah 45:5-7] I am the God of Mercy and Grace and I am the God of Justice and Holiness. There is not a god of blessing and a god of evils. This answers to Cyrus’s two gods, but more vitally answers to the powerfully deceptive and blasphemous Anti-Christ and the false prophet in the day of Israel’s great test.

It is He who shall also, like Moses, mightily lead Israel in their great future redemption that exceeds that of out of Egypt. These end time events are brought into clearer view by Isaiah’s prophesying of Judah’s destruction and soon coming captivity in literal Babylon. And their later deliverance and Temple restoration by God’s appointed king Cyrus, who does so without fee or reward, all having in view the last days’ deliverance of God’s elect (Israel) from mystical and spiritual Babylon and the Millennial construction of Ezekiel’s Temple. Which is marvelously wrought without fee or reward by their Messiah King Jesus. The great Millennial work following; specifically for Israel/ the Jews, then shall fulfill the promises to Abraham’s seed.

We can better understand the necessary end-time timing and meaningfulness of the investiture of Jesus in Kingship when we compare the sister Scriptures of Daniel 7 to Revelation 4 & 5. Wherein it is written in Daniel 7:13,14 that God the Ancient One, grants or gives unto “…one like the Son of man….dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” It is that same one, and the event being the same of Revelation 5:5,12. “..behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David….saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing…”

Isaiah 44:23 “Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.” Couple this with Isaiah 45:8: “Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it.

These Words of prophecy speak to the end time verses of Revelation 5:13: “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” These verses speak to the location of the Investiture of Jesus Christ. That is to say in the heavens associated with this World, from where the end time judgments will be administrated from. From the unseen World in the first and second heavens. It is there where all Angelic forces gather to THEN do CHRIST’S bidding THROUGHOUT the Tribulation until His actual return to the earth. When…. “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: ….Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father…” It is from the heavens that all these things are comprehended in the last 7 years of the Tribulation period.

THE TWO FLOCKS OF THE SHEPHERD

“And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds); The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” [2 Peter 2:7-9]

Revelation chapters 4 & 5 with 7:1-8 lays Isaiah’s verses open for us to see it is in the heavens associated with this World that the Tribunal Throne and the thrones associated with the ruling Angels are set up. Then from there, the “heavens” come down to the EARTH in the form of the Angels sealing the elect 144,000 of Israel from “…the great day of his wrath.” Which will occur between the opening of the 6^th seal and the opening of the 7^th seal.

Then “After this…” after the great day of His wrath…we have disclosed to our view the results of that great day; as it relates to a great multitude, now gathered in the heavens above associated with this World. From where all judgments following that Investiture were administrated by Him. Where His Throne is now established, and from where all His Millennial Kingdom affairs will be administrated from. That multitude “…of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, STOOD BEFORE THE THRONE, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes….” This is not the elect flock of Israel, to be established in the Millennial earthly kingdom, but the heavenly flock sealed by the Holy Spirit in their hearts. [2 Corinthians 1:21,22] “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, (the tabernacle spread over them in the heavens just above) and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.”

These now literally raised up to sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus are to be established in the heavens associated with this World.

GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST SEALING BY THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES NOT MEAN PERFECTED

Nor does it mean deliverance from this World’s troubles in Christ’s Body. “Sealing” means TO BE witnesses to the World in the time of Mercy and Grace. It does not necessarily protect from Judgments upon the earth in this dispensation. But now God’s work in this Dispensation is now finished. But Now in the intermediate Dispensation of the Tribulation period, there is another sealing, that of the elect servants, at a specific time in the Tribulation, from the Wrath of God. And just as in the type, in the time of Ezekiel’s sealing, where moral character was the issue, so will it be again in the sealing of the end time Jew. (See Ezekiel 9:3-4)

ISAIAH 45:9 “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! ….Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?”

Whoever the Lord here is reproving; whether Jew or Gentile, He states His case that “He has made the earth, and created man upon it: I even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.” And that a woe is pronounced over those who “….saith unto his father, What begettest thou?”

Similarly, Paul applies the reproof to the Jews who resisted the idea of the Gentiles being shown the favor of God. And Paul reproved them with the Wisdom of Scripture in that, ‘Does not God have the right of Creator to have mercy on whom He will?’ “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” To which the religious Jew responds arrogantly: “Why doeth he yet find fault?”

Paul rebuked them: “Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? …..Hath not the Potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonor?” Paul describes all fallen man as “….vessels of wrath fitted to destruction…” And it is only by His merciful grace that He extends a persuading call. To which Abraham responded and being persuaded, he left Ur and crossed the river and followed God until he was fully persuaded. [Romans 4:21] But his seed stumbled on Jesus Christ. And if it were not for the Lord having intervened, by appointing by His Will an elect out of Israel, they would have no seed of Abraham left, but would have been like unto Sodom and Gomorrah.

THE POTTER AND THE CLAY

So we see 2 works of GRACE reflected in the 2 groups of Revelation. One work in the appointed elect of Israel and one work in the called of Jesus Christ.

Clay in the Potters hand….

And if we are not mistaken, we comprehend that work of GRACE in the individual, as typed for us in: Lot and Abraham. Wherein we notice Lot having also heard the call (as Scripture bears out there in 2 Peter 2:7) as do the elect of God. With all the hearing accompanying the answering of the calling with enlivened conscience, yet not willing to separate himself from the World. But yet having answered the call of the gift of justification, was therefore a child of God, who was kept from the destruction of Sodom. In which we find the shadowing of the last days’ great anger and wrath of God. But Lot’s righteousness was such as but would carry him into the plain. Whereas Abraham, having also heard the call of GRACE into the gift of justification, followed God in faith. In commandment after commandment all of his life until finally he was fully persuaded. Grace with patience having fulfilled its perfect way, was in the end, (as it relates to God’s Judgments) found far away, untouched and in observation only of judgement, high up on the mountain. Abraham is a type of the 144,000.

So it is, Isaiah states that the people of Israel refuse the calling work of God as they are like a piece of clay that questions the Potter in the way they should be made. On the one hand, questioning the deeper calling of which their father Abraham answered. And on the other hand, using as an excuse, to stay in their current state, as they argue “who can resist the will of God?” The analogy in the Christian is that rebirth of which we find in John 3. That by the Spirit is the Grace work of the Potter performed upon the heart of the willing, a “re-shaping” of his being like unto being born again

Now then, Sanctification is that same re-shaping, but not an event, but a process of Grace working with the clay that is not resisting the on-going re-forming of our character. The resisting of the greater work of Grace/the Holy Spirit is like unto the woe of Isaiah’s example. That is the Clay saying: ‘Why have you re-formed me thus and thus?’ That often being as a result of not knowing that the first work of Grace, set the spirit of man at odds with his own flesh. That is to say the battle of the now enlivened conscience at re-birth of the spirit against the remaining fallen carnal nature of the sensual body and un-renewed mind. To which Grace awaits to empower the will and yield unto the Potter unto the final vessel’s calling unto glory. A vessel fit for the Maker’s use!

Having willingly experienced the ‘first grace’ reshaping, now the flesh resists the Potter’s Hand of the ‘greater work of sanctification’

(second grace) and persistently left to do so, the newly reshaped clay becomes overcome by the flesh. And it says finally; ‘You have made me this way’…and lays the cause of their un-persuaded state of being at the feet of God. But God declares now and finally in the judgment day, it was your love of the World, the love of darkness, from where the resistance came. Seemingly it was too difficult or impossible for a work of reshaping of the Potter unto a personal righteousness came.

Righteousness necessary for worthiness and ruling with Christ. (There is a cleanness associated with the gift, that is to say with the beginning work of Grace. But there is a whiteness associated and added with the righteous clothes of the overcoming / sanctified Bride of Christ. See Revelation 7:14, Mark 9:3, Exodus 30:17-21, 28:41-43.

It is in the rapture and in the first resurrection that we will see the effect. [1 Corinthians 15:41 And in the 10 virgins now asleep of Matthew 25]

Overcomers had attended to the Word and by Grace had kept themselves unspotted from the World. [James 1] All is of Grace: but grace used, not abused. Minor Grace = justified in His righteousness. But those who would share in His Holiness are those who humble themselves under the mighty hand of the Potter. And they are finally shaped into worthiness. (Major Grace) And that via loving obedience to Christ’s commandments and chastenings brought to bear upon the willing soul. This is the preparation for Bride-ship (of which Esther is a type….There was a process in which she went through before she could become the Bride.) Likewise, relationship to Aaron was indispensable but not sufficient for access into the presence of God.

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