Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Isaiah chapter 53 - 2nd Thessalonians

It might not be the best known, but certainly it is one of best known verses from the Old Testament:

“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”

It is the opening verse from one of the most quoted chapters in Isaiah, chapter fifty-three. The chapter itself is filled with prophesies of the first advent of Christ. The first several verses are a good example of this.

“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:2-7)

The first advent is all over this passage and the rest of the chapter, but is that all that is there? Can we see any thing in this fifty-third chapter of Isaiah that also shows up in the fifty-third book of the Bible, 2nd Thessalonians? The book of 2nd Thessalonians is one of the New Testament books that speak much about another advent of Christ, the rapture of the Church. Let’s take a second at the very first sentence of Isaiah fifty-three.

“Who hath believed our report?”

When I read 2nd Thessalonians in conjunction with Isaiah fifty-three this question jumped up and hit me in the face. Do you see a connection with the following verses?

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” (2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3)

What is Paul talking about here? What report? Someone had circulated a report that the rapture had happened already, and Paul was refuting that notion. Paul was saying; ‘Don’t believe that report.’ He might have asked; ‘Who has believed that report?’ Now look at the last three words of that verse. There is a second question in that first verse as well.

“To whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”

What happens in the rapture? The LORD is revealed to some but not to all. We might ask; ‘To whom is the LORD revealed at the time of the rapture?’ The second part of the second verse continues the connection:

“when we shall see him”

Isaiah was speaking of the first advent of Jesus, and he tells us that Jesus was not some spectacularly dazzling figure of a man. People were not attracted to Him because of His looks. However, 2nd Thessalonians is definitely about a time “when we shall see him”. What does the forth verse say?

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)

Isaiah is still speaking of Jesus’ work of the cross, but notice some words here that speak of the rapture.

“borne” and “carried” and this whole phrase; “we did esteem him”

We will be borne off of this planet and carried to be with Him, and why is that? Because, in this world, we did esteem Him to be worthy and deserving of our trust. Let’s pick it up again in verses eight and nine.

“He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9) And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:8-9)

Is there anything here that links to 2nd Thessalonians? How about these words from verse eight?

‘out of the land of the living”

Is that where we are going when Christ comes for his body, the Church? Absolutely. We will be the most alive human beings in this world that day when Christ takes us out of the (so called) land of the living. The graves (notice verse nine) of the saved will be opened that day, and the dead will rise out of those graves and go to be with Him too. Even the last two verses of Isaiah fifty-three contain connective words to 2nd Thessalonians.

“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:11-12)

Do you see them? How about; “shall my righteous servant justify many” and “a portion with the great”. He has justified us. That’s why we can go with Him when He comes, and what is our lot in eternity? A portion with our Great LORD, Jesus the Christ.

This is chapter fifty-three of Isaiah, and 2nd Thessalonians is the fifty-third book of the Bible. They are connected.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

You quote: “Do you see them? How about; “shall my righteous servant justify many” and “a portion with the great”. He has justified us. That’s why we can go with Him when He comes, and what is our lot in eternity? A portion with our Great LORD, Jesus the Christ.”

I want to comment about those rows that are connected to atonement.


(le-havdil)

How to live in order to enable the Creator in His loving kindness to provide His kipur –atonement- is outlined in Tan’’kh ; and was also taught by Ribi Yehoshua. The first century Ribi Yehoshua from Nazareth (the Mashiakh; the Messiah) taught in accordance with Tan’’kh the only way to get connection with the Creator, This way is found both in Torah and in Ribi Yehoshuas teachings found in our website – http://www.netzarim.co.il