ISAIAH’S END-TIME TIMELINE

Isaiah’s End-time Timeline Chapters 23-24

The Judgement on Tyre As a Warning for us Today

Chapters 24,25,26, & 27 all form one continual commentary which we will see is Messianic. That is to say, looks to the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 23 describes another prophetic Judgment on a specific local level, joining a list of specific nations, cities, people and persons. Judah, Babylonia, Philistine, Moab, Damascus, Israel, Egypt, Idumea, Arabia….etc. And now Tyre, a city along the Mediterranean coast, north and west of Israel, in today’s Lebanon.

All burdens/visions/prophetic judgments so far declared by Isaiah, including this one of Tyre in chapter 23, could be connected to chapters 24-27 by their leading up to them. We are titling chapter 24, “The burden of the entire world upon the immediate approach of the Messiah and His Kingdom.” Wherein we will find the breaking up of the present course of this World. The Lord emptying out of a bottle now full of itself as depicted in Isaiah chapter 24 verses 1-4.

Interpreting God’s Words of Judgment on Tyre in Isaiah 23:

The Chapter is an indictment against those of Worldly prideful commerce. The Judgment on the City / Nation of Tyre is indicative of the end time world-wide prideful trusting in commerce of man. The weightiness of men (cities/nations) is measured in their prideful wealth and power, a condition man celebrates and God hates. The word merchant used in verse 11 is the Hebrew word canaan, meaning one who gets money. World Commerce is about getting money. And “For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Pride is a big part of getting money, and a prideful look accompanies it. Along with the other 6 things that are an abomination unto God. [Proverbs 6:16]

Canaan being both the cursed son of Ham (as was Cush who begat Nimrod) and the place where Canaan spread and dwelt; ancient Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel. Also known as Phoenicia. [Genesis 10:19]

Note worthy then also are the terms the Spirit uses in describing Tyre/Sidon. She is considered the illicit mother of many prosperous people and places. And her demise is the sorrow and hardship of those who have gained because of her. Her destruction, and her paramours’ grief have in view and speak of the End Time Great Tribulation period. More on that in a moment.

Isaiah 23…..

Isaiah 23 speaks of Tyre as the ancient hub of international business, where both Judah and Israel traded, as spawning and corrupting, full of commercial pride. Isaiah predicted its desolation and fall, and can be laid side by side with Ezekiel 27. Which together may be laid beside the Book of Revelation chapter 17 in its antitype “Rome”. With the understanding that Rome and its exponential prideful self promotion and self indulgences is the “spiritual” leader in World Commerce is thus destroyed. (Read) The typed connection is clearly seen here in Scripture’s End Time corrupting “Rome” , wherein the future World’s both ungodly and lawless ancient commercial nature is pin-pointed and judged for total destruction.

By whom in type is this destruction accomplished? Ezekiel, in the previous chapter 26 verse 7 tells us… “For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings…And they shall make a spoil of they riches, and make a prey of they merchandise.…” What Isaiah 23 begins to allude to in the consummation of the prophetic judgment word against the trafficking of the entire World in the End Time, Ezekiel expands our understanding of the same events. Not only in chapter 27 but in 26 & 28 therein to include the two main End Time World leaders. The Anti-Christ and Lucifer/satan, their nature, their intent, their final judgments, in the corresponding End Time scenario scenes of the Book of Revelation, developing in chapters 11-20.

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon is here but the type for the End Time militarily minded Anti-Christ rising from the Pit. (Revelation 11:7) Who fills these prophetic Scriptures up with meaning as he and the 10 confederated kings, utterly destroy the future “Tyre” signaling the near end of the hated pride-filled ancient “MYSTERY BABYLON. The ancient Babylonianish system of the World.

HEEDING AND APPLYING THE WORD HERE TO HEART

Scripture clearly speaks of the worsening condition in man’s growing lawlessness, as the earth loses its salt and light savor. Particularly advancing now in the prideful pursuit of gain and prosperity in corrupt commerce throughout the World. (Truly the love of money is the root of all evil ) Finally bringing the full judgment of God upon it. [Isaiah 24:5]

And since many Christians are apathetic, sleepy, caught up in the snares of the mystery harlot, they do not perceive and therefore do not heed the warnings of these Scriptures. They do not come out from the World, but continue to fornicate with her. These Scriptures and judgments apply to many Christians that are then considered asleep, as trusting in their conversion gift as merely born again. And without the effectual knowledge of the need of the Oil of sanctifying Spirit. So the Word has lost any effectiveness unto the gain of the prize (more on this in a moment). Their condition described in Scripture, “…when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended….…and the cares of this World, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word…”

These things of the World have effectively stolen the Word of God from the changed, but un-disciplined heart. As seen in Luke 21:34, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”

Isaiah 24…..

Tyre is but the historical example or local prototype for God’s future warning to us of the World-wide Commerce deceitful and prideful siren’s song. Ultimately bringing a devastating World wide judgment upon all her paramours in these latter days. As Tyre’s harlot-like full recovery has in view the state of the nations of the End Times.

And God’s limited local judgment on her, simply a type, a mere labor pain as seen in history, but it is the harbinger of the devastation of “in that day…” The then full birth Judgments of Christ (seen in the book of Revelation in the breaking of the seals, the trumpets, and vials) breaking out on the entire planet drunk on her harlotries.

At that time the vain weighty distinctions (the things of this World) of man will be emptied; “…And it shall be as with the people, so with the pries; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with borrower; As with the debtor, so with the creditor; The earth shall be utterly emptied, The habitable world shall be utterly spoiled; For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken this word.”

Isaiah 24 Verse 13 “When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.” This is a clear allusion to the Jews in the Land at the End Time. It is time the Lord refers to in Matthew 24:15-22 and is also the exact vintage time of John’s Words of Revelation chapter 14:17-20 after the Harvest comes this the Vintage winepress. (Read)

These are those alluded to in the next verse (Isaiah 24:14) who have survived the judgments of God. And seeing His Christ, “They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the lord, they shall cry aloud…” in the glorious exaltation of the then visible Lord coming in the form of the Son of Man to take up His rightful Throne and rule over Israel.

And Isaiah 24 verse 21 & 22, “And it shall come to pass in THAT DAY…..” foretells the literal casting down of “the host of the high ones on high”. That is to say the “principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and wicked spirits in high (or heavenly) places”. [Ephesians 6:12] “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world.…” [Revelation 16:14] As The Lord is not judging just earthly beings but heavenly as well, That is to say the unseen occupants of the heavens or the sky that are associated with this earth, the first heaven where satan now occupies, and from where satan now rules. (See Daniel 10:13).

They declare He will overcome and gather up as prisoners and put in the dungeon, the Pit of Hades, where they will not be visited for many days. [Revelation 20:1-3] Those many days being synonymous with the 365,000 days of Christ’s Millennial reign over the earth. This visitation, after many days, of their having been shut up in the Pit of Hades, is the signal time of the general judgment of the rest of the dead, They, being raised up in their respective bodies will be judged at the Great White Throne.

Isaiah 24:23 speaks to both the heavenly signs just preceding Christ’s Return, at the beginning of the Millennial period (Matthew 24:29) and those which follows it 1000 years later. “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign…” [Revelation 20:11]

The Millennial period is emphatically “THE DAY OF HIS POWER’, as contrasted with the Day of His humiliation, the day when His Glory shall be prominently revealed to the world as was before his sufferings and sorrows. Now then at Whose Name every knee shall bow…. As KING of kings shall now rule, over all, “….and before His ancients gloriously.”

Before His ancients is a reference to those now governing Angels and those who will be accompanying the Lord at His Return. [Revelation 4:4, 19:14, with Acts 14:23, and Titus 1:5] This Glory follows His sufferings. And in conformity to this rule, we who would reign with Him must suffer with Him. As Paul prayed, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection (out from among) of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus…I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

To fail to apprehend is the difference between being saved and being crowned. We are not to reign now (1Corinthians 4:8), but to suffer for righteousness sake. To think otherwise is not to understand the end purpose for which we are saved. The prize of our high calling is to be a part of the FIRST resurrection. To then be crowned as an Overcomer of the flesh, the World and satan. Therefore entitled and thought of as being worthy to reign with Christ. Upon failing to apprehend this we lose the influence of grace unto the salvation of our soul. That is to say as it relates to the attaining of the reward for faithful service in suffering, as all who practice godliness will surely continually experience. Then in this Dispensation of Grace and Mercy we are called to faithfully serve and suffer, as we then are also empowered by the gift of the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:17,18 says we may qualify to reign only through minding the Spirit/spirit and suffering. This in the face of the World’s self-indulgences, we are to be Godly as a testimony of Jesus Christ in our refusal to conform to anything contrary to the Words of Christ. And in the pride filled, satanic controlled way of living in the World.

Holding ourselves apart and separate to Him we will surely suffer, In the constant attending to the Words of Christ, of minding the things of the Spirit, wrestling in the spirit/Spirit against the unseen forces of this World, forbearance in the persecution of our flesh. In this manner we apprehend and are apprehended. That is to say He stands ready to judge the quick “….in that day” and those who are now dead, and are within the confines of Hades. From where He will select/apprehend some as worthies in the First Resurrection. [Revelation 20:5]

Closing thoughts: Adding to the significance and eternal weight of our high calling is that understanding, that in the Millennial Age there is no satanic World to contend with. And therefore no call to suffer, and therefore no high calling for Bride-ship and co-ruling.

The reference to the 70 years: The life of one king is an allusion, a picture of the declared limited time of the trafficking economy of satan and him as the “king” of this World, after which in the Anti-type, the 2^nd Coming of Jesus Christ, he will be replaced by Him. That King who will then dedicate both the then Millennial World, and the New heavens and earth economy to: “..be holiness to the Lord; it shall not be treasured up (not in prideful hoarding); for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently….” [Isaiah 23:18]

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