| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
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| 1 Ho Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped! add ye year to year; let the feasts come round: |
Woe to Ariel – Christendom, nominal church. R576:4; D22
A name used for Jerusalem. R1296:3*
Add ye year to year – Although the nominal church has become corrupt, the Lord permits her to continue her existence a few years, that his truly consecrated children may complete their sacrifice and separate from the nominal systems. R576:4
Let them – His truly consecrated children. R576:4
Kill sacrifices – Fulfil their consecration vows. R576:4
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| 2 then will I distress Ariel, and there shall be mourning and lamentation; and she shall be unto me as Ariel. |
Will distress Ariel – The nominal church. R576:4
And it – Many within her are his own dear children; some of them weak, erring and negligent. The object of this distress is to awaken and liberate them. R576:4
Unto me as Ariel – As Jerusalem which, though often chastised, was dear to Jehovah. R576:4
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| 3 And I will encamp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with posted troops, and I will raise siege works against thee. |
Mount – Camp. R576:5
Forts against thee – Bulwarks to hide myself from thee, the nominal church. R576:5
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| 4 And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust; and thy voice shall be as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust. |
Low out of the dust – Once she loudly proclaimed her teachings of eternal torment, but now her voice is low. R576:5
A familiar spirit – Communication with fallen angels. R1643:2
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| 5 But the multitude of thy foes shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones as chaff that passeth away: yes, it shall be in an instant suddenly. |
Of thy strangers – Worldly, unregenerated church members, which she considers to be her strength. R576:4
Be like small dust – Completely scattered in the coming storm. R577:1
Of the terrible ones – The tyrants, the clergy. R577:1
Shall be as chaff – Forsake the church as soon as it ceases to be popular and financially successful. R577:1
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| 6 She shall be visited of Jehovah of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire. |
With thunder – Controversy. R576:6
Infidelity, denial of the ransom, boldly proclaimed in the nominal church, is the most subtle form of controversy. R576:6
With earthquake – Condition of the mass of the nominal church when it fully breaks upon it. R576:6
Great noise – Controversy. R576:6
Devouring fire – The certain destruction that shall surely consume these false systems. R576:6; D528
These are symbolic expressions of the great storm of trouble soon to break on nominal Zion. R576:6
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| 7 And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her stronghold, and that distress her, shall be as a dream, a vision of the night. |
Against Ariel – Jerusalem or Zion; the nominal church, within which are God's own dear children in bondage. R576:4, R577:4
And her munition – Her bulwark, stronghold, the Bible. R577:2
The hosts of infidelity are endeavoring to overthrow the nominal church systems and also to demolish the Bible. R577:4
As a dream – Their victory will prove to be but the delusion of a dream. R577:4
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| 8 And it shall be as when a hungry man dreameth, and, behold he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion. |
Appetite – Thirst. R577:2
Zion – Nominal Christendom. R577:2
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| 9 Tarry ye and wonder; take your pleasure and be blind: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. |
Cry ye out, and cry – "Turn your eyes away (from the truth) and be blinded." (Leeser) R588:3
The truth is now so clear that only those who deliberately turn away their eyes could be blinded. R588:3
In their darkness they wonder at what they consider the strange course of the Lord's dealings. R588:3
They are drunken – They have partaken of the intoxicating spirit and pleasures of the world. R588:3
The drunkenness referred to is of the spirit and mind. R591:4*
Not with wine – Not with the cup of the Lord. R588:3
Wine symbolizes their consecration. R588:3
But with the intoxication of error, of false doctrine, of human schemes and plans, the spirit of man and the Adversary in contradistinction to the spirit and teachings of the Lord. R3104:2
It is the wine of Churchianity which confuses those who use it and beclouds their minds in respect to the true Christianity. It addles their judgment and brings the people into captivity to false doctrines and false teachers. R2904:5
They stagger – Because of indistinct vision and confusion. R588:3
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| 10 For Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, hath he covered. |
Of deep sleep – Spiritual stupor. R3104:3
"God hath given them the spirit of slumber." (Rom. 11:8) This passage is not a temperance lesson. R3962:3
Asleep to spiritual things, but not to earthly things. R588:6
Closed your eyes – "Lo, the word of the Lord have they rejected, and what wisdom is in them." (Jer. 8:9) C157
The seers – An expounder is a special teacher, or a teacher of teachers--a see-er through whom hidden things may be manifested. R732:6
Hath he covered – A veil is cast over the teachings of the prophets and of Jesus and the apostles. R588:6
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| 11 And all vision is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed:
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The vision of all – The vision of everything. R588:6
The revelation of God's truth through the prophets, Jesus and the apostles. R588:6
Is become unto you – Nominal spiritual Israel in the Harvest of the Gospel age. R1847:2
A book – God's Word, a sealed book, understood and appreciated neither by the learned nor unlearned. CR10:1; R2814:2
That is sealed – None should be satisfied with saying, I don't understand and cannot explain certain parts of God's Word. R1214:5
If we study God's Word faithfully, earnestly asking that his spirit enlighten the eyes of our understanding, we shall learn his language and his Word will no longer be "a sealed book" to us. R1062:6*
Would that more had the spirit of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40)--a desire to understand the Scriptures and to avail themselves of such humble instruments as the Lord may be pleased to send. R2110:6
"He that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matt. 7:7) R1150:4
One that is learned – A Doctor of Divinity. R213:1
I cannot – How many of the clergy of all denominations demonstrate that whatever came to them at their ordination has done them no good, but rather harm, in connection with their ability to expound the Word of God. OV160:4
It is sealed – To the teachers of nominal Zion who have studied only at the feet of science and sectarianism and have neglected the school of Christ. R589:1
Very few teachers in the nominal church make any effort to expound the Word of God. R588:6
Because of unwillingness to sacrifice needful time and effort in its careful study. R728:2
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| 12 and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I am not learned. |
I am not learned – Therefore unable to interpret. R2110:6
The unlearned, accustomed to look to earthly learning for instruction in heavenly things, make no attempt to understand the Bible. R589:1
Many have never learned God's language. Our citizenship is of the heavenly Kingdom, therefore we should be diligent to learn its language. R1062:6*
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| 13 And Jehovah said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught them; |
Forasmuch – Because Christendom has not received the truth in the love of it, therefore God will send them strong delusions that they may believe a lie, because they had no pleasure in the truth. R4070:2
This people – Applicable to typical Israel at the first advent, and consequently to nominal spiritual Israel in the present time. R2813:5
With their mouth – Though the forms of godliness have increased, the real worship and submission to God has ceased. R589:2
With bells chiming out hymns, well-trained choirs singing anthems, gifted orators delivering eloquent dissertations outwardly a wonderful zeal for righteousness. R5630:6
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." (Exo. 20:7) "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (2 Tim. 2:19) R1527:6
With their lips – It would be better not to approach the Lord at all than to do so in an improper formalistic manner. R5480:1
Saying "Thy kingdom come" and "Thy will be done" while establishing their own sectarian dominions. R589:2
Heart far from me – Formality of worship and service has taken the place of heart-worship. R589:1
It is not sufficient that we make a profession to be his people, for the "Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7) R4052:3
"Having a form of godliness but denying the power he (2 Tim. 3:5) R3962:3
Their fear toward me – A false kind of fear; because of substituting the "doctrine of devils" for the precious things of God. R4747:1, R2872:6; HG307:6
The bondage of fear instead of love fails to hold the penitent or draw him near to the Lord. R1402:3
Tormented by the doctrines of fire and brimstone and fear for their friends. HG305:5
The scourge of torment is held to be a necessity to restrain men from vice, inspire them to virtue and morality and secure their admission to heaven when they die. R1122:2
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom in contrast with the fears inspired by superstition, which are the beginning of folly and trouble. R3726:2
There is also a proper kind of fear and a proper kind of dread. The proper fear carries this dread with it--a dread to do anything that would displease the Lord. R4746:3
"Fear not." (Rev. 1:17) We cannot come into close sympathy with our Lord and be taught of him and his plan until we learn this lesson. R3570:1
Error does not have a sanctifying effect. The fear which it produces is unhealthy fear. HG490:4
The Lord would have his people free from this fear, though not free from a proper reverence toward him. R3115:3
Greater knowledge of God and of his character will dispel this kind of fear. R4796:3
Hindering one from coming into the sunshine of his love. First we must see a little of the love of God, then we find the entire plan to be "just like him." R311:5
When his true character is love. R330:5
Through the delusions of Satan the "gospel (?) of damnation" has been substituted for the "gospel of the Kingdom." R2872:6
The oppression of thumbscrew, rack and stake for the correction of heretics was the result of fear, and the fear was the result of misunderstanding God's character. R3051:5
Afraid to believe their own senses in the study of God's Word. R1122:2
Precept of men – Human traditions, false doctrines. R4996:3, R4747:1, R4783:3, R4796:3
The eternal torment doctrine. SM382:1, SM22:T
The eternal torment theory is a man-made, not a Scriptural doctrine. R5149:3, R564:5, R1122:2, R3051:5, R790:1, R904:3, R919:2
As unscriptural as they are contrary to every reasonable conception of the proper exercise of justice, wisdom, love and power. R4783:2
Built upon an unconscious violation of language which makes such words as perish, lost, lose life, destroy, death, etc., mean their very opposite--preserve in torture everlastingly. R3242:5
Ignoring Bible doctrine, but holding firmly to human doctrines respecting eternal torment, natural immortality, etc. D173
In their haste to convert the world, the nominal church has wrested parables and symbols to threaten and frighten people. R564:5, R1122:2
Satan is blinding men with fear--fear that good, reasonable, just thoughts toward God and interpretations of his Word are delusions of the Adversary. R3133:6
Systematic theology, like the Talmud of the Jews, is calculated to a large extent to make void the Word of God. D64; HG716:4
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| 14 therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. |
A marvellous work – Of overthrowing the present great systems of men. R589:3, R1487:3
The Harvest work and all the attendant features of a change of dispensation. R1487:3, R885:4
Among this people – Clergymen and others. D173, D239, D473
And a wonder – A miracle. R2813:5
The wisdom – Instead of approaching geology and scientific research from the standpoint of faith in the Bible, scientists approach from the reverse standpoint--that the Bible is certainly wrong in some measure, great or small. R3221:1
The cant from the pulpits of sacred phrases that mean nothing. R821:4*, R820:2*
As in disarmament plans which will have the opposite reaction from what is anticipated. R2361:2
Wise men – Statesmen. R1759:4
Modern critics. R1418:3
College professors, Doctors of Divinity, and the best educated pulpiteers of Christendom. R4955:5, R1488:6
Teachers of Evolution. OV86:3; R5062:3, R1784:6, R1792:1; HG492:6
Great financiers, as in the demonetization of silver. D473
A great falling away from faith is in progress among all nationalities--especially among the "wise" and the "learned." R3008:4
A rejection of the Word of God has more attraction for the clergy than for the masses. R3497:4
Shall perish – Their wisdom becomes a trap and a snare unto them. R2492:6
Scientists are still guessing, and still repudiating the guesses of each other. R4285:2
Their failure comes from neglect of the Word of God. R4404:4
The unbelief of the people grows and threatens to become agnosticism, or worse, atheism. R4955:4
"The wise are taken in their own craftiness." (Job 5:13) R4135:6
The wise are being confounded by the power of the truth in the hands of the humblest of God's consecrated children. R1920:4
When the new dispensation is ushered in, they will see the unwisdom of their course. R5186:5
The faith of many shall be overthrown. R3033:5
Ridding themselves of unscriptural traditions, many ministers have become Higher Critics and Evolutionists. They are discarding cardinal truths which their errors obscured. R3335:2
"For this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they may believe a lie who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thes. 2:11, 12) R4404:4
Hence the Christian of low degree, through the instructions of the Bible, may know clearly things that the famous and learned in other wisdom cannot know. R4135:6
The heavenly wisdom is hidden from the wise and revealed unto babes. R589:3
Thus we should utterly lose confidence in worldly wisdom and the more firmly rely on the wisdom which cometh from above. R2396:1
God will cause all their plans to wonderfully miscarry and fail. R589:3
Their prudent men – Business men. R1759:4
Wealthy men who have endowed colleges to teach unbelief and Evolution. R5062:3
It is the professors and learned ones who are most blameworthy. These have kept back the truth about "hell." R2598:6
As exhibited at the World's Congress of Religions. D239
Shall be hid – Obscured. R2492:6, R676:5
Not visible. R4144:2
"I thank thee, Father, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent." (Matt. 11:25) R589:3
Only in the light of the Scriptures can the peculiar condition of things now at our doors be understood or appreciated. OV86:3
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| 15 Woe unto them that hide deep their counsel from Jehovah, and whose works are in the dark, and that say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? |
Woe unto them – The nominal church. Their counsel shall come to naught; their cherished plans shall fail; their pride shall be humbled; but it will be a blessing in disguise to the individuals. R589:4
A time of reckoning, of judgment, is coming. R722:2, R2612:6
Their counsel – Schemes, plans. R589:3
From the LORD – If our plans are not in harmony with God's plans we may deceive men, but cannot deceive God. R589:3
God knows that the controlling principles of sectarianism are earthly and selfish. R589:4
Who seeth us? – "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." (Prov. 15:3) R722:2
In vain do they hide it and tell the Lord that they are laboring for him. R589:4
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| 16 Ye turn things upside down! Shall the potter be esteemed as clay; that the thing made should say of him that made it, He made me not; or the thing formed say of him that formed it, He hath no understanding? |
Upside down – Perverting the Lord's plans and doctrines. R589:5
As the potter's clay – As the efforts of the potter's clay to oppose the potter. R589:5
For shall the work – "We are his workmanship." (Eph. 2:10) R589:5
Workmanship--the systems or organizations, not the people. R589:5
He made me not? – Some look to Peter, some to Luther, some to Calvin, Knox and Wesley. R589:5
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| 17 Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? |
Lebanon – The majesty and dignity of the nominal church. R589:6
A fruitful field – The humble and lowly saints. R589:6
As a forest – Things shall be reversed; the proud cut down and the humble exalted. R589:6
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| 18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. |
In that day – The Millennial day. D519; R877:4, R1265:4, R2117:1
Surely we are now entering "that day." R536:5
Deaf hear – It will bring blessings to those utterly ignorant of God's Word. R589:6
Blind shall see – The sin-blinded. R1265:4
Blinded by Satan. R1958:4, R2090:6
Because the Lord shall take away the veil of ignorance which now is spread all over the earth. R2330:5
"All flesh shall see it together." (Isa. 40:5) R877:5
With the fall of the great systems (Babylon, confusion), men's eyes will begin to open. SM424:2
As illustrated by the Sabbath-day miracle of healing the blind man at the Pool of Siloam. R1400:6
The Jew first. R1786:4
Out of darkness – Out of the obscurity. R2330:5; SM424:2
With "seven-fold light." (Isa. 30:26) D519
Spiritual light will no longer be confined to the few; it will be universal. R49:4*
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| 19 The meek also shall increase their joy in Jehovah, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. |
Meek also shall increase – As we seek to teach the meek, let us see to it that we maintain the meek, childlike spirit, without which we would not have been worthy of the truth either. R957:4
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| 20 For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scoffer ceaseth, and all they that watch for iniquity are cut off; |
The terrible one – Satan. R589:6
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| 21 that make a man an offender in his cause, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just with a thing of nought. |
For a word – Spoken contrary to them. R590:1
In the gate – Publicly. R590:1
The just – The righteous. R590:1
For a thing – As a thing. R590:1
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| 22 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. |
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| 23 But when he seeth his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name; yes, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel. |
His children – The Christ, the spiritual seed. R590:4
They – Fleshly Israel. R590:4
My name – Jehovah. R590:4
Holy One of Jacob – Christ. R590:4
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| 24 They also that err in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmur shall receive instruction. |
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