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Expanded Comments |
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| 1 I have been inquired of by those who asked not, I have been found by those who sought Me not, I have said, 'Behold Me, behold Me,' Unto a nation not calling in My name. |
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| 2 I have spread out My hands all the day Unto an apostate people, Who are going in the way not good after their own thoughts. |
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| 3 The people who are provoking Me to anger, To My face continually, Sacrificing in gardens, and making perfume on the bricks: |
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| 4 Who are dwelling among sepulchres, And lodge in reserved places, Who are eating flesh of the sow, And a piece of abominable things their vessels. |
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| 5 Who are saying, 'Keep to thyself, come not nigh to me, For I have declared thee unholy.' These [are] a smoke in Mine anger, A fire burning all the day. |
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| 6 Lo, it is written before Me: 'I am not silent, but have recompensed; And I have recompensed into their bosom, |
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| 7 Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, said Jehovah, Who have made perfume on the mountains, And on the heights have reproached Me, And I have measured their former work into their bosom.' |
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| 8 Thus said Jehovah: As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one hath said, 'Destroy it not for a blessing [is] in it,' So I do for My servants' sake, not to destroy the whole. |
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| 9 And I have brought out from Jacob a seed, And from Judah a possessor of My mount, And possess it do My chosen ones, And My servants do dwell there. |
Mine elect – Jesus. the Head and the Church, his Body. R3587:4
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| 10 And Sharon hath been for the habitation of a flock, And the valley of Achor for the lying down of a herd, For My people who have sought Me. |
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| 11 And ye [are] those forsaking Jehovah, Who are forgetting My holy mountain, Who are setting in array for Gad a table, And who are filling for Meni a mixture. |
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| 12 And I have numbered you for the sword, And all of you for slaughter bow down, Because I called, and ye have not answered, I have spoken, and ye have not hearkened, And ye do the evil thing in Mine eyes, And on that which I desired not fixed. |
Ye did not answer – Israel's rejection of Messiah. OV76:T
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| 13 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, My servants do eat, and ye do hunger, Lo, My servants do drink, and ye do thirst, Lo, My servants rejoice, and ye are ashamed, |
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| 14 Lo, My servants sing from joy of heart, And ye cry from pain of heart, And from breaking of spirit ye do howl. |
Vexation of spirit – From a broken spirit ye shall howl. OV76:T
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| 15 And ye have left your name For an oath for My chosen ones, And the Lord Jehovah hath put thee to death, And to His servants He giveth another name. |
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| 16 So that he who is blessing himself in the earth, Doth bless himself In the God of faithfulness, And he who is swearing in the earth, Doth swear by the God of faithfulness, Because the former distresses have been forgotten, And because they have been hid from Mine eyes. |
Blesseth himself – All nations shall bless themselves in becoming Abraham's seed in coming into relationship with the Kingdom of Israelitish basis. R5810:1
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| 17 For, lo, I am creating new heavens, and a new earth, And the former things are not remembered, Nor do they ascend on the heart. |
For, behold – Verses 17 to 25 give a prophetic view of the Millennial reign of Christ. R4411:1*
I create – The Lord speaks of Restitution as a new creation. R604:3*
He that was able to create is also able to recreate those once completely destroyed. R604:5*
New heavens – Spiritual ruling powers. R631:1, R3312:5; PD94/108
Christ and the Church, reigning. Q580:2; PD94/108
And a new earth – Human society. R3312:5; PD94/108; Q580:2
Mankind regenerated, or brought to life again. R631:1, R604:6*
And the former – Having been "removed like a cottage." (Isa. 24:19, 20) D558
Not be remembered – We will try to forget all those things of death and imperfection. Q580:3
Nor come into mind – The grandest earthly arrangements today would seem so trivial you would want to forget all about them, the things in the future being so far superior to these. Q581:7
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| 18 But joy ye, and rejoice for ever, that I [am] Creator, For, lo, I am creating Jerusalem a rejoicing, And her people a joy. |
Jerusalem – The earthly phase of the Kingdom. A297
A rejoicing – Because of the exaltation of the Body of Christ to Kingdom power and glory. R1649:4
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| 19 And I have rejoiced in Jerusalem, And have joyed in My people, And not heard in her any more Is the voice of weeping, and the voice of crying. |
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| 20 There is not thence any more a suckling of days, And an aged man who doth not complete his days, For the youth a hundred years old dieth, And the sinner, a hundred years old, is lightly esteemed. |
No more thence – Conditions under Messiah's reign will be very different than at present. OV127:2
An infant of days – No infant shall be born to die in a few days, as many do now. All shall come to maturity. R631:1, R5218:6; Q492:2; OV127:1
Nor an old man – The old man who died and will be brought back to life again will have just the same chance as the infant in that age--the full length of his probation. R631:2
Not filled his days – He might, at the very least, by obedience to the laws of Messiah's Kingdom, live to the conclusion of the Millennium. HG232:5; E478
The shortest period of probation in the next age will be one hundred years. R631:2, R1649:5
The child shall die – "As a lad shall one die." (Leeser) A144
They will be but "children," partially developed. R1261:6
Spoken of as children compared to those who will live on and become perfect. R4986:2, R631:2, R283:4, R3556:4*; OV127:2
But an infant, at 100 years of age, as in the antediluvian age. R3066:5
Just as, before the flood, when the average life was between 600 and 900 years, anyone dying at 100 would have been dying practically in childhood. Q492:2 OV127:4
The Second Death, because of having failed to benefit by the opportunities given to them. R2304:3, R1261:3
We may be sure that torture will not needlessly be inflicted on such. OV131:5
Electrocution will be the method used. OV131:5
Similarly, in olden times, Aaron's two sons violated their relationship with God and were smitten to death with an electric flash. OV131:5
The decision of some individual cases will be reached long before the end of the age; but in each age there is a "Harvest" or general separating time in the end of the age. R2606:2
The trial for life or death will proceed during all the Millennial age--throughout all that thousand-year judgment day. R4986:4, R2980:2
100 years old – Thus all are granted at least 100 years of trial. A144; OV129:4; R631:2
The extreme limit of reasonable mercy. OV129:4
Ample time for the world to see whether they will make even a little progress upward. R4986:4
After this, if there is a tendency to hold on, to appreciate and make use of the divine favors, "A bruised reed he will not break." (Isa. 42:3) R1772:5
Restitution blessings will recover mankind from the effect of the fall, so that it shall be as in Adam's day-full human maturity will be reached in a century, and a man dying then would be dying in childhood. OV128:2
Before one can then make progress he must enter into the New covenant and formally purpose to come into line with the requirements of the great King. R5240:4, R5388:5
Without receiving all the benefits of the Millennial reign-- simply because he refused to avail himself of them. R1426:4
Four times the period of mature experience in the present time. R1261:6
Not a guarantee--he may die sooner if sufficiently wilful or disobedient; but he may prolong his life, if in a measure disobedient, for 100 years, but no longer. Q201:2, Q492:2
But the sinner – Who makes no progress toward perfection under full light and opportunity. A144, A242; R1649:5, R4794:1, R3066:5; CR376:3
Who, after reasonable trial would oppose the rule of the Kingdom in any particular. F709; R4986:1, R5240:4, R5388:5
The wilfully rebellious sinner. R5442:3; OV127:2; Q201:2; HG148:4
None out of Christ will be made alive, fully resurrected, though all experience the awakening from death and a trial to prove their worthiness or unworthiness. R1592:4
He dies for his own sin, not for Adam's, as Adamic sin and Adamic Death have been cancelled. He dies the Second Death. R631:2
Sin and death go hand in hand, and neither shall be destroyed until the end of the thousand years. R10:3*
Shall be – The decision of some individual cases will be reached long before the end of the Millennial age. R2606:2
Accursed – Cut off from life. D643; R2051:4, R4986:2; SM172:1; Q492:2
If any who prove faithful during the first hundred years should then oppose righteousness, such would be cut off. R4986:2
One may die sooner than a hundred years if sufficiently wilful and disobedient. Q201:2
The sinner shall be accursed who dieth a hundred years old. R2063:5. R4986:2
The new Kingdom will have abundant power to execute summary sentence in the punishment of evildoers, when they have determined to act, but before they have done injury to others. D633
In the Second Death--destruction--from which there is to be no ransom and no resurrection. R1772:1
Not sent to eternal torment. OV131:2
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| 21 And they have built houses, and inhabited, And planted vineyards, and eaten their fruit. |
And they shall – Earthly blessings to Abraham's natural seed, and through Israel to all nations. R4956:6, R329:5, R1227:5, R5575:1, R4966:2
Build houses – Instead of witnessing to them, as to us, that houses and lands must be forsaken to gain a heavenly inheritance. R376:6
In the Times of Restitution. (Acts 3:21) R2323:5
Improved and cultivated homesteads. R1649:5
Earthly blessings. R4956:6; Q282:2
Not according to a fixed, common idea so that everyone will be exactly equal in convenience, elegance or tastefulness, but each may work out his own ideas and enjoy the results. R1326:6
There will not be rich nor poor. There will be socialism in the proper sense. OV186:2
And inhabit them – The individual right of property will be respected. R1326:5
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| 22 They do not build, and another inhabit, They do not plant, and another eat, For as the days of a tree [are] the days of My people, And the work of their hands wear out do My chosen ones. |
Another inhabit – There will be no such thing as a landlord in the coming age. R2904:2, R6013:4, R1649:5; SM791:1; OV1862
Days of a tree – "They shall renew their strength." (Isa. 40:31) R1649:5
It is believed that some trees live to be at least a thousand years old. OV128:3
Mine elect – All the faithful and obedient then. R1649:5
Shall long enjoy – Shall make them continue long (Margin). R3597:4
God's provision for restored Israel and all the families of the earth, but not for the Church. R4966:2
The everlasting possession of the land promised to Abraham. R1652:4
Every hope held forth to the Jew is earthly. OV118:1
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| 23 They labour not for a vain thing, Nor do they bring forth for trouble, For the seed of the blessed of Jehovah [are] they, And their offspring with them. |
Nor bring forth – Seems to indicate that childbearing will continue for some time into the Millennial age, if not up to within 100 years or so of its close. R4411:2*
For trouble – "Unto an early death." (Leeser) R4411:2*
They – A human class and under the administration of the Kingdom. Q426:5
Are the seed – The children. R1649:5
Blessed of the LORD – The Church. R1649:5
The class, coming up by awakening from the dead, are not considered Adam's seed, but are the seed of the "Blessed and Only Potentate," who will then be known as the "Everlasting Father." (1 Tim. 6:15; Isa. 9:6) R4411:5*
Their offspring – During an early stage in the Millennium. Q426:5
The cutting off of the matter of human families will be a gradual one. Q426:5
Perhaps of those who have not been child bearers during the present time, to replace in the earthly family those who will be of the spiritual nature and those cut off in the Second Death. R4411:5*
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| 24 And it hath come to pass, They do not yet call, and I answer, They are yet speaking, and I hear. |
Before they call – Before the desires of their hearts have found expressions in words. R1866:5
So near will the Lord be, so mindful of all mankind's interests. R1649:5[R1649]
God foreknows all our difficulties and has arranged for our relief, merely waiting for us to cry unto him. R5278:4
I will answer – Will begin to so shape events as to bring the answer sooner or later. R1866:5
When, with broken and contrite hearts, they turn to the Lord. R1561:5
First, in the redemption provided; and secondly, in the necessary hard experiences which shall have brought them to repentance and humble dependence on God. R1561:5
While a prophecy relating to the Millennial age, it is nevertheless true of all his faithful ones of this age. R1866:5
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| 25 Wolf and lamb do feed as one, And a lion as an ox eateth straw, As to the serpent dust [is] its food, They do no evil, nor destroy, In all My holy mountain, said Jehovah! |
The wolf – Possibly literal; possibly referring to men of wolf-like disposition. R1649:6[R1649], R5574:4[R5574]
And the lamb – Possibly literal, possibly referring to men of lamb-like disposition. R1649:6[R1649], R5574:4[R5574]
Shall eat straw – No longer eat flesh, but return to his original condition in the Garden of Eden. R2837:1[R2837:1], R5574:4[R5574]
And dust – Signifying the destruction of Satan. "His enemies shall lick the dust." (Psa. 72:9) R1649:6[R1649], R5574:4[R5574]
The serpent's meat – Satan's. R1649:6[R1649], R5574:4[R5574]
They shall not hurt – But shall be fully restrained therefrom. D633[D632:3-D633:1]
"No lion shall be there." (Isa. 35:9) A217[A217:1]
This will be realized when Messiah's Kingdom shall have been established amongst men. R4768:1[R4768]
Nor destroy – The supposition that there would be any catastrophe then would be out of harmony with this prophecy. R5318:1[R5318:1]
The microbes of disease and pestilence shall be restrained. R1771:6[R1771]
My holy mountain – Kingdom. R1649:6[R1649]
The stone which smote the image on its feet and afterwards became a great mountain. (Dan. 2:35) R2375:1[R2374:8]
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