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12:1

@@@^Now it is plainly seen that Laodiceanism shall forever pass away, that God will have a church without spot, wrinkle, or any such thing. You cannot afford to be left out of it. You must join the advocates of this Truth if you are to become a part of this glorious movement.

16:1

@@@^Since her people have never to this day been all righteous, it is plain to see that the fulfillment of the prophecy is yet future. And in view of the fact that our message is announcing the imminent purification of the church, the time in which the angels are to sift out the hypocrites from among the faithful, the time in which the net is drawn to shore and the bad fish cast out, the cleansing of the sanctuary — the Judgment for the Living in “the house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17) is about to begin, Inspiration, therefore, in this chapter is addressing God’s church at this particular time. Since we now see that this chapter contains important timely Truth, we shall study it verse by verse.

25:3

@@@^@0@9Verse 3 — “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.”@7@^The burden of the Spirit is to improve the spiritual conditions of those who mourn in Zion, the church: to give them beauty for ashes (for repentance and humbleness), oil of joy for mourning (Present Truth that hopefully lightens the rest of the way) and garments (character) of praise so that they be as living ornaments of righteousness, a new creation of God, that He be glorified.

27:4

@@@^@0@9Verse 8 — “For I the Lord love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in Truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.”@7@^Judgment and justice is God’s motto for all His creatures. The statement, “I hate robbery for burnt offering,” implies that such unbecoming things are now practiced among His people. In this connection, some years ago I heard a certain member of the church say that in some kind of gambling he had won a little money and as his conscience hurt him to keep it, he gave it as an offering to His church! Also, I have heard several say that they work on the Sabbath, but that they turn the Sabbath’s earnings over to the church! These incidents may serve as samples of how foolish, how uneducated in the things of God are the people of God. By bringing such offerings to Him they are making God a gambler and a Sabbath-breaker, and at the same time they imagine that they are doing Him a great favor!

29:2

@@@^@0@9Verse 11 — “For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”@7@^Through the seed of Truth in the heart this experience will come to God’s people as naturally as does the earth cause the seed sown in it to bud and bring forth fruit. This is indeed the “righteousness of Christ,” not the might of men.

29:4

@@@^That Jesus was anointed to preach the good news, news that He was to open the prison door of sin, to bind up the wounds of God’s people, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, to comfort those who mourn, and to give all an opportunity to escape “the day of vengeance”; that because He was thus anointed He was fitted to comfort them that mourn in Zion, to bring beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the gift of praise in place of heaviness, that they might be called “trees of righteousness,” and that God might thereby be glorified; that through the gift of the Spirit His people shall be enabled to build up the desolated places of many generations; that those who are called now are to be ministers of God “and they shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,” and glory in them, and “strangers and aliens” shall be their shepherds and “vinedressers”; that then their shame and confusion will be changed into everlasting joy; that as God hates robbery, He will direct the work in Truth and make an everlasting covenant with them that know Him; that then their seed shall be known to the Gentiles and among the people and they will acknowledge that God has blessed His people; that because the anointed One clothes His people with the garment of salvation, and the robe of righteousness, the testimony of His children will be, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord”; and as a bride adorns herself with jewels so the spiritual adornments, given through these gifts will bring on the “revival and reformation”; and that, as nature brings to fruition the seed sown in the ground, so the anointed One will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations.

6:2

@@@^@0@9Verses 6, 7 — “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give Him no rest, till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”@7@^Not that He will set, but that He has already set watchmen that shall never neglect their duty night or day. And so you that now make mention of the Lord ought not to keep silence, but praise Him and speak of His wonderful love and Truth. Now is your opportunity to promote His cause, to make it your chief business, your chief interest, your highest joy. Now is the time to say, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.” Psalms 137:5, 6. To this end pray and work. Give Him no rest until He makes Jerusalem a praise “in the earth.” Let this be your delight as you are His delight.

8:1

@@@^We therefore cannot do otherwise but go through, for it is our God-given duty to prepare the way for the people. We must build a highway, a way for them to come over to the light of God and thus to His Kingdom. We must gather out every obstacle that stands in the way, and must lift up a standard for the people, a standard which they can see and follow as it leads ahead. What could the standard be? — The very standard which the people are to see and to follow is Jesus in His Truth.

9:1

@@@^“And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape [from the slaying of the Lord, verse 16] of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard My fame, neither have seen My glory; and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to My holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.” Isa. 66:19, 20. The choice is now yours, either to line up with God’s Truth for this time, to accept His salvation and to prepare for the work that is before Him, for the gathering of His saints, or to remain aloof and to be spued out.

11:2

@@@^The words of the person speaking in behalf of the people who are brought face to face with the revelation of this chapter, reveal that he and his people are unknown to Abraham. Since Abraham well knew of the rise of ancient Israel, but understood practically nothing of the rise of the Christians, then the Christians must be the people of whom he is ignorant. The truth, then, stands out clearly that the chapter finds its fulfillment in the Christian era. Now to find whether it is concerning the early or latter day Christians we shall read verses 18 and 19; also Isaiah 64:10, 11, for the subject matter of chapter 64 is but a continuation of chapter 63:

16:4

@@@^Since God’s people of today are not in the land of Edom, south of Palestine, but are scattered throughout the earth, and since the Lord is to slay their enemies in order to free them, the truth is obvious: These are antitypical Edom and Bozrah.

16:5

@@@^After Esau of old sold his birthright for a mess of pottage he was called Edom; and the name Bozrah means “sheepfold.” Plainly, then, the Edomites of Isaiah 63:1 are those who in our day have sold their birthright, and who at the same time are persecuting (as did Esau persecute Jacob) those who have bought it, so to speak. Thus it is that as God’s people had to be delivered from the Sanhedrin in Christ’s day, they must now be delivered from the General Conference, the antitypical Edomite brethren, in order to be led into all Truth, and into their fathers’ land.

2:4

@@@^The people here described like to hear God’s Word, but that is as far as they go. I hope there are none here only to listen, but to do something about it. Only the doers of the Word are justified. Let us kneel and earnestly pray that God will help us not to be mere professors of the Truth, but actual doers of It .

4:4

@@@^Although we as a people profess to be strict in keeping the unclean meats away from our tables, this scripture, nevertheless, unveils the shameful truth. It makes known that many are indulging in these abominable things. In one part of the world perhaps they indulge in one abomination, and in another part of the world they indulge in another abomination.

11:2

@@@^“A mere profession of discipleship is of no value....a belief that does not lead to obedience is presumption. The apostle John says, ‘He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ Let none cherish the idea that special providences or miraculous manifestations are to be the proof of the genuineness of their work or of the ideas they advocate. When persons will speak lightly of the Word of God, and set their impressions, feelings, and exercises above the divine standard, we may know that they have no light in them.

11:3

@@@^“Obedience is the test of discipleship. It is the keeping of the commandments that proves the sincerity of our professions of love. When the doctrine we accept kills sin in the heart, purifies the soul from defilement, bears fruit unto holiness, we may know that it is the truth of God. When benevolence, kindness, tender-heartedness, sympathy, are manifest in our lives; when the joy of right-doing is in our hearts; when we exalt Christ, and not self, we may know that our faith is of the right order. ‘Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.’”

15:2

@@@^If any part of the Bible is become present Truth, Isaiah 66:5 certainly is. Consequently, from the city there is a noise and there is a voice from the temple against us; but the voice of the Lord, the message of today, is what counts and what settles all things. Are you afraid of being cast out? or are you trembling at God’s Word? Now you have to make your choice against opposition if you expect to be in the Kingdom eternal.

15:4

@@@^@0@9Verse 8 — “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.”@7@^The church is now filled with tares, with bad fish and with goats. It is hard to find the saints. She is nevertheless all at once to bring a multitude of converts which no man can number. The Denomination does not believe this; no, no more than the Jews believed that the Saviour was born in the manger, nor any more than did they expect the fishermen of Galilee to take the places of the pious priests and of the exalted religious leaders of that day, and no more than did they expect the Gentiles to share in the promises of Israel. The Denomination of today, too, thinks that tomorrow is to be as today, that the Lord God has left men forever to do as they please. She does not know that the Lord is taking the reins in His Own hands (“Testimonies to Ministers,” p. 300). She still thinks that she is rich and increased with goods (Truth), and has need of nothing more. The church will, nevertheless, see all the promises fulfilled. She will see that these scriptures are not in the Bible merely to fill space. As soon as she thus travails and feels her need, just that soon will her courts be filled with saints and her work finished.

19:3

@@@^@0@9Verses 20, 21 — “And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to My holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.”@7@^Now, in view of the fact that those who escape the slaughter of the Lord are sent as missionaries, preachers, and ministers to all the nations and peoples who as yet know not God and His gospel, there is but this conclusion: that the slaughter takes place only among God’s people; that it is the Judgment for the Living in the “house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17); that shepherds are slain because they have kept the sheep away from the Lord’s green pasture (present Truth); that the faithful laity take their places; that then the church, “bright as the sun, fair as the moon, and terrible as an army with banners,” “goes forth into all the world, conquering and to conquer.” Thus is the gospel work finished and the wicked world brought to an end.

8:1

@@@^@0@9.Verse 13 — “Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted.”@7@^Not that the Lord will comfort His people, but that He has already comforted them, He has filled them with Truth.