Isaiah 27: 1 – 13
Signs
1 In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea. 2 In that day sing to her, “A vineyard of red wine! 3 I, the LORD, keep it, I water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I keep it night and day. 4 Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. 5 Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.” 6 Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. 7 Has He struck Israel as He struck those who struck him? Or has He been slain according to the slaughter of those who were slain by Him? 8 In measure, by sending it away, you contended with it. He removes it by His rough wind in the day of the east wind. 9 Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered; And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of the altar like chalkstones that are beaten to dust, wooden images and incense altars shall not stand. 10 Yet the fortified city will be desolate, the habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness; There the calf will feed, and there it will lie down and consume its branches. 11 When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; the women come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, and He who formed them will show them no favor. 12 And it shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will thresh, from the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; And you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel. 13 So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
I am sure that you are familiar with actor/producer Mel Gibson. In the Christian circle of course he is most identified in his production of the movie – The Passion. In another film, called – Signs – He performed as a minister who lost his wife in a bizarre accident. You have to watch it yourselves to really understand my point, for it keeps you in suspense and to a large degree confusion as to what was really going on. In other words things that were going on were happening for other reasons. Do I have you completely confused by this point?
In the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 4 we read this, “18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
There you go. Now everything I am trying to point out to you is clear. No? Are you still unsure of my point? In the book of Revelation we get confused easily because it is written in signs or a better description is symbols. Why all this mystery? Simple, dear Watson. You see when you go back in the Apostle John’s time you could very easily be put to death for pointing out certain truths especially about Caesar. In addition, seeing into the future to describe something never seen before is hard to put down on paper. So, the apostle John writes down in the beginning of his book something symbolic and then he goes on to explain what he means by the symbol. From this point on he will use symbols and want us to understand from other scripture to know what he is talking about. Let me give you an example from the book of Revelation chapter 1, “9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” 12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.’
Please look at the last verse again. After giving a symbolic description of His angels and churches our Lord then tells us plainly what they represent. This is an example of how we should look at the entire book where John will again use symbols but not tell us what they represent. How come? The answer to that question is that our Lord has already told us in other parts of the bible.
Here let me ask you here to describe some symbols? First of all what does the word dragon represent? You said the dragon represents Satan and you are correct. But how did you know that answer? You are probably saying, ‘because it says so somewhere in the bible.’ That’s true, but where in the bible does it say that? We first come across the word dragon and its identity in the book of Revelation chapter 12 where it says in verse 8, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Now how about the word ‘beast’. If you are thinking about the future you might say that it represents the Antichrist. I do not think that is right. Go to the book of Daniel chapter 7 and let’s see where it talks about beasts and what they represent.
“1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. 2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. 5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’
6 “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. 9 “ I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; 10 A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened. 11 “I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. 13 “ I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. 15 “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16 I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.’ 19 “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; 20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. 21 “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. 23 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. 25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. 26 ‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever. 27 Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’ 28 “This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed; but I kept the matter in my heart.”
So what is a beast? Look again at verse 23 - 23 “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces.’
So, a beast is a kingdom.
If I said to you this statement, ‘that photo looks as though it has been doctored’, what would I be saying? I would be saying that the picture is not accurate. It looks as though someone messed around with the photo and added things that were not in the original photo. Why am I saying this? If I said to you the beast in Revelation is the future evil world leader, would I be correct? No, I wouldn’t. And the reason is that the bible says that a beast is a kingdom. You might say then, ‘Well, a kingdom is run by a man – a king - and kings are men. So, in the future some king or man will rule the entire world. In truth, some kingdoms are and some are run strictly by queens. So, where in the bible does it say an evil king will rule this earth. I know my Master and Lord and Savior, the only True and Worthy King will rule, but not an evil king.
If you look back at Daniel 7 kings are referred to as horns.
I want to look at another mysterious term that is used in today Scripture passages. Great scholars cannot figure out what this thing is? It has been called a dinosaur to a crocodile and who knows what else. This unique name is Leviathan.
1 In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.
The word ‘Leviathan’ comes up 5 times in the bible. So, bear with me and I believe it will be worth the investigation. Let’s look at each. Besides here in the book of Isaiah we find these verses;
Job 3: 8 “May those curse it who curse the day, those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.’
Job 41:1 ““Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?”
Psalm 74:14 “You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.
Psalm 104: 26 “There the ships sail about; There is that Leviathan Which You have made to play there.”
So, who or what is ‘Leviathan’ Instead of just telling you my thoughts on this subject, I want to give a few verses from the bible that also talk about the same things that the verses above mention and have you give your answer.
Genesis 3 says, “And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” The New International version says verse 15 as follows, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” [You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness.]
Jude 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. 8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 Yet these people speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them.
The New King James version says in verse 8, “8 likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries.” [May those curse it who curse the day, Those who are ready to arouse Leviathan.’]
Revelation 20 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.” [“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower?]
Job 1 “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” [There the ships sail about; there is that Leviathan Which You have made to play there]
Revelation 12 “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. [In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea]
By the way the word ‘sea’ in the bible is symbolic for ‘people’. So, this Leviathan will be cast out from messing with people.
So, with all of this who do you think Leviathan is? I believe it is referring to Satan who has been behind the scenes causing disruption and ultimate destruction for mankind since Adam and Eve. He is brought up here all of a sudden in verse 1 and then our Lord inspires His prophet to talk about other things. If you have a chance turn to chapter 14 of Isaiah and chapter 28 of Ezekiel and you will see the same thing happen. Our Lord interrupts His prophet to talk about Satan and then allows him to get back to his original message.
2 In that day sing to her, “A vineyard of red wine! 3 I, the LORD, keep it, I water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I keep it night and day.
Our Lord now gives us a new message. Here in these two verses He gives us a picture of a vineyard which of course you can guess refers to His people Israel and of course us. He first talks about how all fruitfulness – ‘2 In that day sing to her, “A vineyard of red wine!’
Isaiah then reminds us of our Lord’s Faithfulness in caring for His own - 2 In that day sing to her, “ A vineyard of red wine! 3 I, the LORD, keep it, I water it every moment; lest any hurt it, I keep it night and day.’
4 Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. 5 Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.”
Knowing of our Lord’s Love and faithfulness should cause us to make peace with Him. Please note that He Is not angry with us in spite of our sin - 4 Fury is not in Me.”
He protects us and will not let anyone hurt us - 4 Fury is not in Me. Who would set briers and thorns against Me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. 5 Or let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.”
6 Those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit. 7 Has He struck Israel as He struck those who struck him? Or has He been slain according to the slaughter of those who were slain by Him? 8 In measure, by sending it away, you contended with it. He removes it by His rough wind in the day of the east wind.”
Can you see the beauty here? After we make peace with our Creator, He then wants to pour out His Blessings. The first thing He promises His people is that they will return to the land. And once they are back in the land He Is assuring them that the land will flourish for them in produce - 6 those who come He shall cause to take root in Jacob; Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.”
Please note that if some of the Israelites have any thoughts against God for His Judgments, here He reminds them that they got off better than their enemies – ‘7 Has He struck Israel as He struck those who struck him? Or has He been slain according to the slaughter of those who were slain by Him? 8 In measure, by sending it away, you contended with it. He removes it by His rough wind in the day of the east wind.’
No, we like Israel can relish the fact that He has purged our sins. He has cast them away as far as the East is from the West.
9 Therefore by this the iniquity of Jacob will be covered; And this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: When he makes all the stones of the altar like chalkstones that are beaten to dust, wooden images and incense altars shall not stand.
Please note in verse 9 that repentance is not enough. We have to show God that we mean business in our commitment to obey Him. We need to get rid of those temptations that trip us up. If you are tempted by pornography then get rid of your cable TV and computers. Aha…do you see how hard the commitment is?
10 Yet the fortified city will be desolate, the habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness; There the calf will feed, and there it will lie down and consume its branches. 11 When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; The women come and set them on fire. For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, and He who formed them will show them no favor.
Our Lord has His prophet switch back to some particular issues that will occur against Israel’s enemies. First of all Isaiah points out that no matter what defenses you think you might want to muster, in reality, you haven’t a chance to protect yourself when our Lord unleashes His Judgment – ‘10 Yet the fortified city will be desolate, the habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness.’
Suppose we have an EMP [Electromagnetic Pulse] bomb go off above our East Coast. What would happen? We would be plunged back into the past with the same conditions our ancestors faced in the 1800’s. How will you keep warm in the winter when we do not have anymore gas or electric to heat our homes? We will be out scavenging for wood to stay warm and cook our food just like the victims of this Judgment from the Lord - 10 Yet the fortified city will be desolate, the habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness; There the calf will feed, and there it will lie down and consume its branches. 11 When its boughs are withered, they will be broken off; The women come and set them on fire.’
Our Lord Is a Gentleman of the finest sense. He will not stay where He Is not wanted. In the US we are doing all that we can to kick Him out of our country. The end result will be total spiritual darkness and He will not longer favor us with His protection as these verses also point out - ‘For it is a people of no understanding; Therefore He who made them will not have mercy on them, and He who formed them will show them no favor.’
12 And it shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will thresh, from the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; And you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel. 13 So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
Our Lord now switches back to address His own in promising them that all will be re-gathered for worshiping the only True and Living Holy One. He promises that He will beat off everything that may try to hinder His return - 12 And it shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will thresh, from the channel of the River to the Brook of Egypt; And you will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel. 13 So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.’
What a nice way to end His message – one of hope. Thank you Jehovah Elyon – Our Lord Most High.
