So, we are going to turn to Isaiah chapter 1. But don't worry, we're not going to start over. So we have covered the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, and this will now be message number 48 in our series through Isaiah entitled Lessons from Isaiah. So a little bit different, but I wanted to take a moment to pause in between the first and second part of Isaiah to look back at what we've learned in chapters 1 to 39. So that's the point here. We're going to read verse number 27 from Isaiah chapter 1. Zion shall be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteousness. Now that statement, Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, is the theme of Isaiah's prophecy. And it sets the expectation for this book right from the start. So we've spent 47 sermons in chapters 1 to 39. And before we start that second part I just wanted to step back and review what we've learned. Now we've noted how that Isaiah is rooted in previous revelation, particularly that of the Pentateuch. We've pointed some of that out along the way and also how that Isaiah is foundational to later Revelation, particularly that in the New Testament. It's the second most referred to Old Testament book in the New Testament, the first being Psalms. So there's a lot of quotes and a lot of references to Isaiah in the New Testament. And so I've tried to make a note of those as we have gone along. But what this connection does, What this connection shows is that Isaiah, this book, this prophecy, has a very prominent place in the storyline of Scripture. It's connected to that that comes before and that that comes after. just review some of the major elements of Isaiah's dense prophecy that we've had to this point, particularly those elements pertaining to the kingdom, to the Messiah, and to the two advents of the Messiah, the two comings of Jesus Christ. And then after that, After that review, I want to zoom out and I want us to review some of the tools that we have gained in being able to read and to understand and to interpret scripture, especially prophecy in light of the storyline of the Bible and the revelation of God's purpose for creation from beginning to So, again, focusing on chapters 1 to 39 of Isaiah. Well, the Bible's big story, and we talk about that quite a bit. The Bible's big story, this is one way that I summarized it a couple of years ago in our systematic study. The Bible's big story is the story of God, the heavens, angels, demons, the earth, the earth's land and sea, the plants and animals, the nations of men on the earth, and how the connections, conditions, and relationships between them all change from creation to new creation. So, again, this is just trying to broadly state what is the story, the big story, that the Bible is telling. Now, if we think about Isaiah and how that it relates to this, and so how it's going to relate to other books, but how that it relates to this big story of the Bible. Well, Isaiah gives the Bible a very grand framework. I don't really think that there's any other book of prophecy that has a broader scope than that of Isaiah. So Isaiah shows how the Creator judges and redeems Israel through the servant king, through his servant king, restores Zion, gathers the nations, and brings the whole story of creation to its climax in a new heavens and new earth under the Lord's eternal reign. So, Isaiah, the scope is extensive of everything that Isaiah touches on. So, really we can look at the book of Isaiah in many ways as being rather unique in the Old Testament in particular. this scope and sequence to the storyline is intentionally framed. And it's framed in near and in future events and on a cosmic scale, speaking of even the heavens and the earth. It speaks to the coming of the Messiah in terms of suffering and reigning. and related judgment to purging and Israel's restoration and anticipated the new creation and the centrality of Zion in the Messianic kingdom when it comes. So we want to do a review again. So we're going to look at what we've learned in the first 39 chapters about the Messianic Kingdom, what we've learned about the Messiah, what we've learned about the two advents of the Messiah, and in particular, how to read and interpret scripture. This is what we've learned in these first 39 chapters. So I hope this will be this will be beneficial. Obviously, we're not going to have time to turn and read all these references. I will give a bunch of references as we go along. We're not going to have time to turn and read all of them. But again, the hope is that as you have listened to these messages, as you've been reading Isaiah, and maybe you've taken notes, or maybe you've gone back online and re-listened to some things, that you'll be able to pick up on these things that I'm pointing out, and hopefully will help each one of us to be able to read and understand. Isaiah is a massive book, and it's a book that can seem quite complicated when you look at it, but once you understand it in this context, it certainly becomes easier, not that it's still not a large and complex book. So we're going to start with the Messianic Kingdom. So right from the very start in Isaiah, chapters 1 and 2, Isaiah revealed Zion as the exalted center of the Messianic kingdom, and it is connected with events like the Day of the Lord, that Isaiah referred to, these things that will take place in the last of days, the end of this present age. We've read about how that nations will be streaming into Zion, willingly streaming into Zion in that day, chapter 2, verses 1 to 4. Zion, we're told, will be exalted above all mountains. Zion is compared as a mountain exalted above all mountains. That's an example of some figurative language. If you remember in the previous message there was a couple of points that I noted. Just sort of keep that in mind for this message. So we get some figurative language there, but nevertheless Zion will be exalted above all mountains, all nations of the earth. The new covenant law of the Messiah will be going forth from Jerusalem. There will be universal peace among all the nations over all the earth. Messiah will be ruling over the nations of the earth. And so necessarily then Zion will be purified and glorified in the Messiah's kingdom. Now going on further, the kingdom is ruled by the anointed Davidic king. And we've seen the sign of the virgin giving birth to a son named Emmanuel, chapter 7, verse 14. The royal son whose reign is unending in chapter 9, verses 1 to 7. And the spirit anointed shoot from Jesse in chapter 11, verses 1 to 10. We've also read of the regathering and the restoration of Israel. So there's a second or a new exodus like we saw in chapter 11 verses 11 to 16. Israel regathered from the nations, tribes united in one nation, and victory over all enemies. And we were talking a little bit in the previous message about how those things were prophesied beginning all the way back with the books of Moses. So for a long time beforehand those things were prophesied even before again Israel entered the land or had a king or any of those things. We also have learned pertaining to the kingdom that there is a healed nation of Israel and there's a healed land and we read that song of the redeemed in chapter 12. And there's restoration for Israel that follows judgment. And that's chapter 14, verses 1 and 2. But we can see that as a pattern clearly in these 39 chapters. Now, we've talked about the fact that Isaiah doesn't give us specific timings, so to speak. But nevertheless, it's a very consistent pattern that any sort of restoration that he has spoken of has followed after judgment. And not just any judgment or a general sort of judgment, but a very particular type of judgment upon Israel and upon the nations that will come. in the end of days. So the restoration of the nation of Israel will be to their land promised to them beginning with Abraham. So we've seen how that universal judgment then necessarily precedes the coming of the kingdom. So again, we don't have exact time indicators when this is going to occur. how long that this is going to last and that sort of thing. But universal judgment, a judgment upon all nations, not just on Jerusalem, not localized here and there, and not just a general flow of history, but a judgment coming upon all nations precedes the coming of the kingdom. So we read about aspects of the tribulation, such as that in chapters 24 to 27, which I referred to as the Little Apocalypse, is what a lot of people, the Little Revelation, it sort of follows very closely along with the book of Revelation. And we talked about that. So following tribulation, we have learned that the Lord will reign from Zion, chapter 24, verses 21 to 23. There will be a kingdom feast and victory over death, chapter 25, verses 6 to 9. There will be salvation in Zion, in chapter 26, verses 1 to 4. And Israel will flourish and will fill the world with fruit, according to chapter 27 and verse number 6. And of course, key to this fulfillment is resurrection and eternal life, which we have that the dead will be raised to life, chapter 26 and verse number 19. So like other prophets, Isaiah indicates that resurrection will be individually for the faithful, but will also be nationally for Israel. We've also learned of the king in Zion. He reigns in righteousness according to chapter 32 verses 1 to 8. The creation curse is reversed according to chapter 32 verses 15 to 20. And he reigns in glory in that kavod in chapter 33 verses 17 to 24 which secures Zion forever. And furthermore, in that kingdom, the redeemed live in everlasting joy. So we read about the creation being renewed, healing coming to Israel, to the nations, the redeemed coming to Zion, the highway of holiness, all those things. Chapter 35 verses 1 to 10. So looking broadly at what we read about the kingdom, and obviously I can't point out every single thing, but what we read about or learn about the Messianic kingdom in chapters 1 to 39 is that it is a Davidic kingdom with a Davidic king. It is a kingdom of righteousness. It is a kingdom that is centered in Zion, but extends over all nations of the earth. So it's multinational. It is a kingdom that is transformational. Not only is it healing for people, but as well for the earth. In other words, the reversal of the curse. And then last of all, that this kingdom is everlasting. So once this kingdom has come, there will be no cessation of this reign of the Messiah. All right, so that brings us to the Messiah. In particular, the Messiah and what we learn about the Messiah in chapters 1 to 39 in particular. And there's still more to go. Second part of Isaiah chapter 40 to chapter 66. There's still more Messianic prophecies to go, way more. But nevertheless, we've learned that the Messiah, who's later referred to as the Servant of Yahweh, he's also referred to as the Holy One of Israel, particularly in these earlier chapters. And there's some other titles that are used to refer to the Messiah, the Anointed. But what we have learned is that when Isaiah prophesies of the Messiah, he's prophesying of a personal future figure, not A spirit, not an idea, but a personal future person promised to Israel and the nations that's going to bring this kingdom and all of these blessings after this judgment. We have prophecies pertaining to the Messiah that we could consider more explicit and direct, like the virgin-born son, Emmanuel, in chapter 7 and verse number 14. The divine Davidic son, King, in chapter 9, verses 1 to 7. The spirit anointed shoot from Jesse in chapter 11 verses 1 to 10. The branch of Yahweh in chapter 4 and verse number 2. The righteous and reigning king of chapter 32 verses 1 to 10. 1 and 2, and the King of Glory that we see in chapter 6, verses 1 to 4, later again in chapter 33, verse number 17. So these are just some of the direct, explicit messianic prophecies, and primarily related to His kingship, to His reigning, even though we do see some other aspects there as well. And then we have what we could consider maybe a little more implicit, a little more indirect Messianic prophecies. Like in chapter 28, verse number 16, Isaiah prophesied that he is a tested cornerstone in Zion. Now again, that's metaphor, figurative language. We'll talk about that when we get later to review what Isaiah teaches us about interpretation. We read of one that will be a light to Israel and the nations in chapter 9, verses 1 to 2. A Davidic redeemer of the remnant of Israel in chapter 10, verses 20 to 23. The redeemer of Zion in chapter 24, verses 21 to 23. The victor over death in chapter 25, verses 6 to 9. and the resurrection and the life in chapter 25 as well as chapter 26 and verse number 19. learn of the Messiah in chapters 1 to 39. And again, very dense prophecies, especially pertaining to the Messiah. And again, somewhat unique in its scope. So the Messiah, according to Isaiah, we've learned, is a person who is a divine Davidic king. He's spirit anointed. He is a righteous ruler of peace. He is a lawgiver to the nations. He is a victor over the grave. He is a gatherer and a restorer of Israel. And he is the king in Zion over a multinational kingdom covering the entire earth. Now we want to think in particular and think about the Messiah because there certainly is an issue and that pertains to the two advents of the Messiah. That there's going to be two comings of the Messiah and Isaiah gives us the most extensive collection of prophecies concerning the two advents of the Messiah but he never indicates a gap between the first and the second coming, never indicates a gap. He speaks of things pertaining to first coming in the very same breath as things pertaining to the second coming without ever indicating that there is a long time gap in between those two comings and those things being fulfilled. So if you think about some of the specific prophecies pertaining to his first coming. Immanuel, born as a sign, chapter 7 and verse number 14, this birth of a male child. People in darkness in Galilee will see a great light in chapter 9 verses 1 to 2. He's a stone of faith and a fence in chapter 28 and verse number 16, which we'll talk a little bit about later. But in the New Testament, it's pointed out how that he was that rock or stone of a fence and how so many in Israel stumbled at him, fell at him, and in fact were ground to dust. We get the personal presence of God among his nation, chapter 8, verses 8 and 10, and the holy seed that is preserved through judgment on Israel and David's house in chapter 6 and verse number 13. Now, these are just particular prophecies that apply or speak specifically of his first coming, but there are also those that speak of his second coming. So his second coming, when he is the Davidic king reigning from David's throne forever in chapter 9 verses 6 to 7. He's a king ruling over the nations of this earth, chapter 11 verses 1 to 10. When he regathers and restores Israel, chapter 11 verses 11 to 16. And when he is the lawgiver in Zion over a multinational kingdom of peace where the nations gladly submit and worship him, chapter 2 verses 2 to 4. In resurrection, Chapter 25, verse 69. Chapter 26, verse 19. He's the righteous king seen by everyone in his glory. Chapter 32, verses 1 to 2. Chapter 33, verse 17. And he's a universal judge. In other words, he brings universal judgment before his reign is established in Zion in chapters 24 to 27. And he's a healer of creation and a healer of the redeemed in chapter number 35. So we've seen now some specific examples where here in chapters 1 to 39 we have all these prophecies of the Messiah and we have some prophecies that are clearly His first coming and we have other prophecies that are clearly His second coming and again without any indication that there's any time between, that there would be a partial fulfillment, so to speak, and then a final fulfillment. No indication whatsoever in the text that that is the case. So we can think of it in terms of what I've been talking about quite a bit in Isaiah, that of blended prophecy. For instance, he is a son born and he is a king reigning in chapter 9 verses 1 to 7. Now some of those things there apply to his first coming. Some of those to his second. When the branch appears, Zion is glorified in chapter 4 verses 2 to 6. And he's the cornerstone in Zion, leading to the safety and security of that city, chapter 28, verse 16, chapter 33, verses 20 to 22. So again, these are just some examples that we've seen, where in the very same breath, Isaiah speaks about the Messiah, speaks about his first coming, and speaks about his second coming, with no indication whatsoever that there's any time difference in the occurrence of those events. So what I'm saying is that what we've seen and what we're going to continue to see in Isaiah is that Isaiah never separates the two events, never even indicates that there are two events, that there are two comings of the Messiah. And the distinction is so stark at times in Isaiah's prophecy that some in Jewish tradition even hold to two messiahs because they can't conceive of how could the messiah come and all of these things be fulfilled in one man in one coming. It doesn't seem to all fit together. And so there has been ideas like two different messiahs that would actually come, that would be fulfilled by two different men in different ways. Well, Isaiah was not expecting a messiah to come and not rain. but rather a Messiah to come. I'm sorry, Israel was not expecting a Messiah to come and not reign, but rather suffer and die, which is Isaiah's prophecy. They were not expecting a Messiah to confirm the promise of the kingdom, but then to reveal the mystery of the kingdom, that it is delayed due to the rejection of the Messiah by Israel, and will actually come, not with his first coming, but with his second coming, his return. Now Jesus obviously, though, understood this. Obviously understood this. And He actually displayed that understanding when He was in the synagogue in Nazareth. And He was reading from the scroll of Isaiah, what we know of as Isaiah chapter 61, verses 1 to 2. And this is recorded in Luke chapter 4 verses 16 to 21. And Jesus read from that part of Isaiah and he stopped the reading in the middle of the sentence before he talked about the coming of the day of the vengeance of our Lord. And he said that those things he had read had been fulfilled or are being fulfilled. In other words, when you read that, those things apply to his first coming. and then the rest applies to his second. Now, I know that's later in Isaiah, but this is entirely consistent with what we've seen in Isaiah along to this point. So, this is just sort of a sample of some major elements of Isaiah's prophecy related to, again, that big story of the Bible. So, with that in mind, I want to now turn to what Isaiah teaches us and really trains us to do as readers of scripture to be able to understand and interpret what is written. So that is the goal. Now, broadly speaking, when we're reading Isaiah, these first 39 chapters, broadly speaking, the course of creation history is not chaotic. The course of creation history is not random. It's not arbitrary. But the message of Isaiah has been very, very clear. The course of history is governed by God. And that's going to become even more clear as we continue on in Isaiah. It's governed by God. And it's governed by God according to his own will and to his own purpose. Those things that he has determined before he ever created. the world. And so we learn that God is holy, He is sovereign, He is actively governing history. Now what we see in particular in Isaiah in this regard is that kings and nations rise and fall by His decree. They have their own agendas. They have their own motivations. They have their own goals, the things that they're trying to accomplish. They're not trying to fulfill God's will, but nevertheless, they are fulfilling His will because again, they rise and fall by His decree. He uses the nations as He pleases to fulfill His purpose. And so then judgment, we understand, Judgment is not something that's random. Judgment is not something that is arbitrary. Judgment is something that is purposeful and it is successful. We've all probably been subject to imperfect judgments at times in our lives when from one day to the next you didn't know what was wrong and what you were going to get in trouble for and what you weren't going to get in trouble for. And we've probably all had some experience with that in different ways. Judgment is not determined by what God's mood happens to be that day. That's not what determines judgment. God's will is what determines judgment. His purpose determines judgment. And so it's not random. It's not arbitrary. But again, it's also successful. It accomplishes His purpose. And that is seen especially clearly in chapters 1-39 with Assyria. Assyria, we are told, pretty early on, was a rod in God's hand that He was using to punish Israel and to punish Judah. Now in terms of Israel, the northern kingdom of Israel, that resulted in their being conquered and their being exiled from off the land. And in terms of Judah, it resulted in them being oppressed and you know, ultimately the showdown at Jerusalem that happened in just the last few chapters of Isaiah that we've been looking at. So God was judging, or God was accomplishing His purpose, and then what did He say? Then He said He would turn and judge Assyria. When He was done with them, when they had accomplished His purpose, He would turn and judge them. No more success. In fact, Assyria was done. Assyria, this was just, you know, would turn into Assyria's downfall. One thing else that we learn about God's judgment in Isaiah, particularly this first part, judgment is not terminal, but it's redemptive. Judgment in and of itself is not the end. Israel is judged, nations are judged, the heavens and the earth are judged, all of that we see in chapters 1 to 39, but yet we also see that renewal and restoration are promised and that these judgments are a cleansing, they are a purging that give way to redemption, just as we read in our theme verse that Zion shall be redeemed with judgment. Also, again, we're still broadly speaking, here in Isaiah, the hope, the real hope in Isaiah is a person. And he keeps making that point repeatedly. That's the real hope. It's not a foreign or domestic policy. It's not international relations. It's not the building up of an army and all this. The hope in Isaiah is a person, and sometimes that person is presented in figurative language. He's presented as a son in chapter 7, as essentially the God-man who is of David in chapter 9, the branch of Yahweh in chapter 4, the shoot of Jesse in chapter 11, the king in chapters 32 and 33, and the cornerstone in chapter 28 and verse number 16. Now, just as Isaiah spoke of near and far fulfillments, and he kind of blends those things together, well, the Messiah is also near and far. The Messiah is born in history, he's revealed to Israel, he's rejected and slain, and that's in his first coming. But he will also live and will reign in glory from Zion over a multinational kingdom, and that is in his second coming. So Zion is obviously central. This issue of Zion and Jerusalem has come up numerous times in Isaiah 1 to 39. And what we read there is always consistent. Zion is not a metaphor. Zion is not a symbol. Zion is a geographic, political, theological place. on this earth where God has placed his name and where he will install his anointed son, King. The new covenant law proceeds from Zion. The king reigns from Zion. Nations all over the globe stream to Zion. And Zion is exalted, in other words, rules over all nations in that kingdom. So the kingdom of Messiah It's multinational, but it's also Israel-centric. Nations are streaming to Zion. Israel will be restored and will be leading among the nations, and the fruitfulness of Israel will bless the nations. Alright, so I've been emphasizing how that Isaiah's prophecies blend these near and far future fulfillments And oftentimes the nearer fulfillments are what we could consider as lesser fulfillments. And those things actually occurring signals the far future greater fulfillment that's going to come. Isaiah blends judgment and restoration for Israel. for the nations and for creation. He blends the first and second advents of the Messiah, and he anticipates the future multinational kingdom of Messiah with the exaltation of Zion and Israel above all nations. Again, just all in the same breath. So, Isaiah does teach us a lot, actually, about how to read and interpret, especially in terms of prophecy. So Isaiah doesn't give us any indication of gaps in these blended prophecies that we've been talking about. He gives us the birth and the reign of Messiah, and he gives us that together. He gives us judgment, and he gives us restoration, and he gives us that together. He gives us Israel, and he gives us the nations, and he gives us that together. And he also gives us historical events as prophetic signs. So Assyria's defeat, in other words, Jerusalem's deliverance in the days of Hezekiah. Hezekiah, his deliverance in times of his sickness, the preservation of Jerusalem when facing an overwhelming threat. So Isaiah gives us a consistent Message God's holiness God's sovereignty Israel's place in God's purpose the Messiah's reign Zion's exaltation and a multinational kingdom But he doesn't give us a lot of sequence and time indications. Now he associates many of these events with the last of days, the day of the Lord, and many of these events with the last of days. It's the end of this present age, but it doesn't tell us exactly when that's going to occur or how long is this present age going to last. He doesn't tell us those sort of things. He doesn't tell us the the length of any intervening period. So again, Moses prophesied the exile of Israel, and that exile began with the northern kingdom in 722 BC. And nowhere were we told it would be until 586 BC, over 100 years before the exile of Assyria, nearly 200 years before the exile of the southern kingdom. We're not given those sort of things. So we don't get precise time of future events, and we're also not told. whether or not there will be partial fulfillment and greater fulfillment in the future. Now, Isaiah's prophecy, and again, this is very important in understanding how to read, how to interpret prophecy. Isaiah's prophecies have literal fulfillment. even when the prophecy uses poetic language or figurative language or imagery or symbolism. So as we read through Isaiah, real cities literally fall. Real kings that lived literally die. Israel is literally judged. Jerusalem is literally preserved. And so, Messiah then must literally reign from Jerusalem. Zion must literally be exalted. Nations must literally be redeemed. So, how do we understand this figurative language and literal fulfillment as if there's some sort of tension there, which really there isn't? When you understand poetic expression, poetic expression, particularly in Scripture, is something that captures the experience of an event more than the reality of the event. So we get things like fir trees that are rejoicing and cedars of Lebanon that are singing in chapter 14 and verse number 8. Well, that's a poetic expression. Does that literally mean that trees suddenly have voices? And like you'll say later in Isaiah, they clap their hands and they sing songs from the trees. Again, this is a poetic expression that's describing the experience of renewed creation. And that is literally fulfilled. It doesn't mean that trees grow hands, but it means that renewed creation is literally fulfilled. We're told in one place that in these future judgments that hearts will melt. In chapter 13 verse 7, chapter 19 and verse 1. Hearts will melt. Now does he literally mean that the cardiac muscle is going to liquefy within people's chests at these times of judgment? Again, no. This is poetic figurative expression describing that experience in poetic ways more so than the reality of the event. But literal fulfillment requires a correspondence to reality. It doesn't require this literal, wooden, one-to-one type of fulfillment, but it does require a correspondence to where there is an actual, literal, physical fulfillment of these prophecies. Think about Assyria, in the early part of Isaiah, at one point was called a razor. Chapter 7, verse number 20. A little later, Assyria was called a rod in chapter 10 and verse number 5. Now, they were prophesied as a razor and as a rod, that these were instruments in God's hand that He was going to use against Israel. And this was literally fulfilled. It was literally fulfilled as Assyria conquered Israel and exiled northern Israel and then oppressed Judah. So it was like the shaving and cutting of a razor and the beating of a rod. Assyria didn't literally become a razor. Assyria didn't literally become a rod. God didn't take them up like a razor or a rod in His hand and do work with them. Again, it is figurative language, but it is fulfilled literally. Assyria really did conquer northern Israel and exile them from the land. Assyria really did conquer 40 some cities of Judah and surround Jerusalem threatening its downfall before the Lord intervened. So these things were literally fulfilled even though figurative poetic type language was used in the prophecy of these things coming to pass. So we can confirm this reading of Isaiah. And again, you can stay in Isaiah and you can see one of the benefits of Isaiah is that there are various prophecies within Isaiah that do take place within the book. They do come true within the book. And so you can kind of compare those. But if you step outside of Isaiah and look at how the later biblical writers used Isaiah, again, it's the second most quoted and referred to Old Testament book in the New Testament. If you look at the way that those writers interpreted and understood Isaiah and spoke of their fulfillment, what do you find? We find chapter 7 and verse 14 of Isaiah that speaks of the virgin-born son who will be named Emmanuel. In Matthew 1, verses 22-23, Matthew treats that prophecy as referring to a literal virgin named Mary, a literal birth, and a literal child who was named Jesus. Jesus said that His first coming fulfilled that first part of Isaiah 61 verses 1 to 2. So you look back there, you can see He literally went around preaching good news, literally setting free captives as He was healing and casting out all manner of demons. And so the point is then as you go on reading as to what pertains to His second advent, we have every reason and every indication to believe that the rest will be literally fulfilled just not at the same time. And we're not told how long the time in between the two. If you look at Isaiah chapter 9, it is very clear to see that part of it has been fulfilled. There was a literal son of David born. We can read about his birth in Luke chapter 2, for instance. But what the apostles and those later writers did not do was they didn't accept that Isaiah chapter 9 partly has been fulfilled and then spiritualized the rest of it and to modify the expectation from Isaiah chapter 9 for what remains. They did not do that. Messiah is referred to as a stone, chapter 28 verse 16, a stone, a cornerstone, a foundation stone that God laid in Zion. Now, this cornerstone reference was the fact that he would be a foundation. It would also be a test of faith. Now, this is a use of metaphor. But how did those later writers interpret this use of metaphor? They interpreted this figurative language as literally being fulfilled in a person named Jesus. Romans 9, 33, 1 Peter 2, 6. They refer to this specifically. Even Jesus himself referred to this passage and applied it to himself. Jesus and no one anywhere in the Bible gives any hint to anything different. This is a prophecy that uses figurative language and it is literally fulfilled. Not that Jesus was literally a rock, but that he is the cornerstone. He is the person. That is what the prophecy was about. that Israel will be restored and Zion will be exalted is expected to literally happen. The question of the apostles in Acts chapter 1 and verse 6 and Paul's writings in Romans chapter 11 in particular. And this judgment that is spoken of is viewed as literal, even when it is expressed poetically, like the heavens being shaken, shaken out like a blanket or something that's been lying on the ground, the earth staggering like a drunken man, the sun being darkened, all these sort of things. Jesus and Peter both confirmed that these are to be literally fulfilled through judgments, Matthew 24, 2 Peter 3. The resurrection that's spoken of again is interpreted literally. Daniel chapter 12, Jesus in John chapter 5 and chapter 11, Paul in 1 Corinthians 15. Literal bodily resurrection from dead to life. And the kingdom? The kingdom is future, it is visible, and it is multinational from what Isaiah reveals of it. And that's completely consistent with the other writers as well. The Messiah reigns, nations submit, peace is maintained, creation is healed. And Peter understood that Jesus is presently. He's not reigning from Zion, he's not on David's throne, he's at the right hand of God, awaiting the appointed time to return and establish his kingdom. Of course, that's a reference to Psalm 110, as well as Peter's words in Acts 3, verses 19 to 21. So the point is, nowhere is the kingdom redefined, is it replaced, is it transformed, is it spiritualized, is any of those things, but these things we can all trace to literal fulfillments. So, what does that tell us then about prophecies that are outstanding, prophecies that we don't maybe have specific reference to, prophecies that seem to use very figurative language? Well, what we should expect from that and what we can understand about that is that they will be literally fulfilled. There will be a literal correspondence to some reality. That doesn't mean, again, that trees are going to grow hands and clap literally, but that there will be a literal fulfillment, that the renewal of the creation will be like the very rejoicing of the earth and the plants and all of those sort of things. All right, now, so this has been a quick sort of flyover, but if we grasp this, I believe we will really understand how to read and interpret the Bible. You'll understand that prophecy can be blended together where there can be a partial fulfillment with a final fulfillment later. And those things, those fulfillments can even be separated by a very large gap of time. and there being no indication whatsoever in the text that that is the case. So we've learned enough to see that that can be true. So anyone, anyone, I don't care what their theological system is, anyone who believes in a literal, visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ to the earth believes in gaps. No matter how much that they pretend a gap between the 69th and 70th week in Daniel is a preposterous recent novel invention. You have to. If you believe that there is a second coming, then you can see in Isaiah from the prophecies of the first coming and the prophecies of the second coming that there are these gaps that do exist. You can also understand how that the use of symbol and metaphor and other poetic language, language that's very imagery rich, how that it corresponds to reality in literal people, places, and events. It's not just flowery language that's just sort of going off in some sort of reverie, but actually pertains to something that's literally going to happen. And of course, there are many that mock the insistence on literal fulfillment, but no one, no one believes that Jesus is literally a rock. No one believes that. They're able to read the prophecy of the cornerstone and understand that this is a metaphor, and it's literally fulfilled by person, by Jesus Christ. He was born of Mary, just as the gospel stated. Now, insistence on literal fulfillment is understanding that literal fulfillment of prophecy that's already occurred, like what we're talking about here in Isaiah. We have samples of Isaiah's prophecy and some of those things that were already fulfilled in his lifetime. Even when that's expressed in figurative or symbolic language, like Assyria being a razor or Syria being a rod, it indicates to us that unfulfilled prophecy will be fulfilled the same way, even if it's expressed in figurative or symbolic language. So Isaiah really helps us with, and this is what I believe is really the true central issue, and that is, what story is the Bible telling? What story is this book telling us? How does each biblical author connect with that story, contribute to its advancement, and use the content of prior biblical writers? We have a great example of that here in Isaiah. We can see how that he's rooted in prior revelation, how that his revelation is foundational to later revelation. Again, second most quoted or referred to Old Testament book in the New Testament. And when you look at the use of Isaiah in the New Testament, the writers consistently interpret Isaiah with literal fulfillment in terms of real people, real places, and real events, even if in Isaiah's prophecy the language was poetic or figurative or symbolic. This really is the real key issue. If you want to understand the Bible, you have to grasp what the story is that the Bible is telling. And then you could look at a part of it and ask and see, how does this fit? How is it connected? How is it relying on what's come before? How is it used by those that came after? And it's really how we read and understand the Bible. All right, so hopefully this has been helpful in drawing attention to not just what we've seen in Isaiah to this point, but also how that Isaiah helps us read and understand the Bible itself, and of course, certainly prepares us for the second half of Isaiah as well. All right.