ISAIAH’S END-TIME TIMELINE

Isaiah’s End-time Timeline Chapters 17-18

The Promise of God to Preserve a Remnant of Jacob and a Remnant of the Body of Christ

Judgments of this prophecy by its title should relate only to Damascus. But it more fully concerns Samaria and the Israelites, who are confederated with Damascus and the Syrians against the kingdom of Judah. God’s declared Judgments fulfilled by the King of Assyria, Tiglath-pileser’s taking Damascus, and carrying those captives to Kir, [2 Kings 16:9] and overrunning much of the kingdom of Israel. And carrying a great number of the Israelites also captive to Assyria. And still more fully in regard to Israel, by the complete conquest of the kingdom, and the captivity of the people, effected a few years after by the then king of Assyria, Shalmaneser. [2 Kings 18:9-11] Judgments on Damascus, verses 1-3; and upon Israel, verses 4-6, 9-11 with a small remnant or gleaning that should escape them, verses 7, 8. The remaining verses 12-14 is a distinct prophecy, dealing with the enemies of Jacob’s children (who He has used in their judgments). These are mighty and invade Judah with the intent of total annihilation, but are suddenly overthrown.

ONE GREAT THEME OF ISAIAH IS THAT OF THE FATE OF ALL GOD’S AND JACOB’S CHILDREN’S ENEMIES. Isaiah has made pronouncements on Syria, Assyria, Babylon, Moab, Ammon. Because of the then close alignment of Ephraim and Syria, Isaiah now opens this burden or vision with Damascus, that great ancient city of Syria. Which is to be reduced to a pile of rubble, and its glory lost. And that lost glory is compared to Ephraim’s, whose past glory has steadily and soon will completely vanish. Verses 3-11 deal with Ephraim who once trusted in the Lord of hosts…but hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength…. The ruin related in these verses speak to God’s now determined judgment upon the 10 northern Tribes, in that they will be overrun by a great nation, and are put out of His sight. [2 Kings 17:18]

Verses 12-14 are connected to chapter 18 in thought, that of the fearful Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and also are related prophetically to those of chapter 10:5. Which are words again directed towards the ancient and future enemies of God and Jacob’s seed. Who, although in the past have been mowed to the ground, as predicted, and in type, once wrought, in the ruin of Damascus and Ephraim by Assyria and then the later ruin of Assyria by Babylon. But Divinely appointed, they pop up again as the Lord of hosts has purposed a certain, and designated future time to deal finally with them ALL in the End Times, Jacob’s time of trouble, (Jeremiah 30; Revelation 19) at the end of the Times of the Gentiles. [Daniel 2:31-45]

*Assyria is the world power in the day Isaiah speaks these words. Assyria is used by God to judge other nations at the time of Isaiah. He also makes references to Assyria being an end time player at the time of the Return of Christ. (That is the people and nations that occupy those same ancient lands). Four great empires are to follow before the Messiah establishes His Kingdom according to Daniel 2:31-45 and chapters 7 & 8: Babylon, Medo-Persian, Grecian and Roman, followed by the Stone Kingdom/the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

*Assyria got its roots from Asshur, a descendant of Shem, one of three sons of Noah. Assyria arose out of the land of Mesopotamia, and arose in power over a mixture of tribes, including the Chaldeans. Also the descendants of Shem, who had settled in the vast area where the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers flow through its middle, after the Great Flood. Today it is parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Kuwait. Additionally the descendants of Ham settled in parts of Mesopotamia and were the first to be called Babylonians.

As we are focused on unfulfilled prophecies of Isaiah, what time period do these Scriptures point to? The time of Jacob’s great troubling and humiliation, “when the glory of Jacob shall fail…” And his numbers shall be greatly decreased, and instead of as numerous as sand on the seashore, there shall only be a few. Ultimately this is at the time of the Anti-Christ. And but for the Divine intervention, for these His elect, “…..there should no flesh be saved.”

“…for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.” So says the Lord Jesus in Luke 21. And because of this great smiting in the end times of Jacob’s trouble, Isaiah 17:7 reveals “in that day a man shall trust in his Maker and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy one of Israel.” “….and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn.” [Zechariah 12:10] “…without him was not anything made that was made.”[John 1:3] Compare with Revelation chapter 11:2 and verse 13. Chapter 12:13 & 17, chapter 13 verse 5, 7.

As the Age of mercy and grace closes, and God has now called out a people for His name, the fullness of Gentiles nears completion. God turns to complete His decreed judgements on His people who rejected their Messiah. He had come in His Name, but they have received him who has come in his own. [Daniel 9:26,27; 11:23; John 5:43] Which is the fullness of the thought revealed in Isaiah 17:11, “…thy plant…thy seed…” and their resulting harvest, in this the final woeful scourge. He brings up by the hand of the Anti-Christ all those, their enemy nations, upon them. [Isaiah 17 verse 12 with Zechariah 14:1-2; Revelation 16:13,14; 1 Kings 22:20-23]

God, having accomplished His decreed consumption upon Jacob in the End Time, we then see the dreadful woe upon their enemies who were then set and capable to utterly destroy even the remnant. “God shall rebuke them…” says Isaiah 17 verse 13 with Zechariah 14:3,12. ”Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.” And Zephaniah 3:8, “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured by the fire of my jealousy.”

Revelation 19:19: “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them……These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” And back to Isaiah 17 verse 14: “And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.”

The promise as seen in chapter 18 fulfilled, those who had been deceived by the Anti-Christ, a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land had been spoiled by kings. NOW where the victorious Name of the Lord of Hosts, at Mt. Zion, shall be established and unto Him shall be brought the presents, His People scattered and peeled.

AS IT RELATES TO THE CHRISTIAN, chapter 18 verse 4 (read) speaks of how “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return…..” Luke 19:12 And now in that time of His absence closing, it is in the heat of harvest. It is the pruning and separating of the tares and the wheat. It is the time of final inspection just before His Return. “I am the vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” [John 15:1-2]

The Father shall scissor by sending such troubles and tribulations and persecutions upon Christ’s Body. And in that, its mere professors shall be cut from the vine; as useless nonbearing branches. On “who the ravenous birds and wild beasts shall feast [Isaiah 18:6] These signifying those who have fell prey to the seducing spirits of the great end time delusion. “In the latter days men shall depart from the faith”. [1 Timothy 4:1]

If the Time has come for final judgment, and judgment comes first on the house of God, upon Jacob’s seed, being that house of God…so then upon Christ’s house must it also fall. Before the great harvest, that is before that great day of judgment upon the nations, before the restoration of all Israel. “For this cause God shall send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” [2 Thessalonians 2:11-12] On the one hand the cause directed at unbelieving Israel in the last days who receives the smooth talking Anti-Christ. And on the other, the cause being lukewarm Christians who choose life’s pleasures of unrighteousness for the want of faith, and the want of works, the fruitlessness leading to the believing of a lie.

But like as to the promise to the faithful overcoming remnant of Jacob’s seed who come through the fires of the harvest furnace of Jacob’s trouble, now purged; and being presented as a present to the Messiah back into the Millennial Land; So does Scripture hold forth the great promise of Bride-ship and royalty in co-rulership with Jesus Christ in the transporting transformation into the heavenly kingdom of the first heavens, to the faithful and fruitful who come also out of that great Tribulation Harvest. Those being found worthy are resurrected or caught up to join the Lord, and along with the First Fruits, join Him and sit on heavenly thrones being the priests of God, administrators in the affairs of the earthly Millennial kingdom. [Revelation 20:4-6, 14:4, 12:5, 3:10, 2:26,27]

“And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained….” And unto the good servants according to their faithful works He appointed “……have thou authority over ten cities…. and to another faithful servant “….Be thou also over five cities.” Read Luke 19:12-27.

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