Podcast Introduction

Our reading today is Isaiah 12-17. After that I’ll talk about a message of hope. Then we’ll do our “On This Day In Church History” segment. 

Thoughts

Isaiah chapters 13-23 are prophesies against nations that have attacked and otherwise been troublesome for Israel and Judah. 

As I write this in mid-September 2021, the United States and the world have witnessed growing tyranny. Governments around the globe have slowly stripped away more and more rights, and have imposed mandates and restrictions at alarming rates. And it looks as though this trend will continue for the foreseeable future. 

As a result, crime rates are up, suicides are up, alcohol and drug abuse is up. I could go on. Many people have lost hope. They see no way out, no light at the end of the tunnel. 

Their despair is not hard to understand. When it seems as if the tyrants are in control, the future looks dark.

A Message of Hope

This feeling of hopelessness is part of the reason God gave Isaiah the prophesies in these chapters. God was letting His people know that their tormentors would be dealt with, and that they would be avenged. He wanted to give them hope. And most of those prophesies have been fulfilled, exactly as written. God said He would bring an end to nations that seemed unbeatable, and He did.

The prophecies yet to be fulfilled are sources of hope for us. We know the end of the story, and God wins. Our ultimate enemy, the tormentor of mankind since the Garden of Eden, the father of lies, will be forever condemned to the lake of fire. And we who love God, who belong to Jesus, are going to spend eternity in His presence. 

Knowing this makes it possible for me to remain relatively unscathed by world events. Of course I hate seeing liberties eroded and injustices go unpunished. I hate seeing lies perpetrated as truth and truth being censored as lies. 

But I know that one day, all will be made right.

Eternity is a long time. The entire history of mankind, in light of eternity, will be a mere blip. 

We must keep our eye on the ball. We are here to be a shining light on a hill, showing a lost world the way to Jesus Christ. He said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

There is more than enough reason to have hope, even in 2021. Jesus is on the throne, and looking at current events, I have high hopes that His return is right around the corner. We'll talk about that at a later time.

Today's Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today's episode: Ch. 12 GNT, Ch. 13-17 NKJV

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