The End of the Beginning
“The mighty King of Alleble was about to snap the reins when he felt Aidan’s stare. “King Eliam?” Aidan asked. “Yes, lad?” “Are there adventures in the Sacred Realm?” King Eliam’s deep blue eyes twinkled, and he looked at Aidan kindly. He saw that Antoinette, Robby, Trenna, and many more of the other knights waited to hear his answer. His snowy white mustache curled into a playful smile, and he said, “Beyond your wildest dreams.” – Wayne Thomas Batson, The Final Storm.
Isaiah has carried a theme of God’s view of Israel, both the righteous and the unrighteous, and His judgements of their deeds. As the inspection progresses, two factors become obvious: men are wicked and need a righteous leader. Churchgoers read the Bible with the “sinner saved by grace” narrative auto-playing in the background of our minds. While it is appropriate, sometimes it taints the lens by which we view ourselves. It is easy to dismiss the warnings of Scripture as “for another time” or “doesn’t apply to me personally.” Rather than trying to grow in the gifts of the Spirit or become more obedient, one becomes complacent to let grace cover our mistakes. This flows from the last discussion: for the Christian learning and pursuing the knowledge of the truth is a responsibility. Paul distinctly reprimands the complacent Christian in Romans 6:1, saying, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Considering this position, Isaiah chapter 5 has several lessons and warnings for God’s people.
The beginning of the chapter is praising God for all His work in the vineyard. Yet, despite all His efforts it did not produce good grapes. “What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?” Isaiah 5:4. This passage is distinctly describing the house of Israel and the men of Judah; verse 7 states, “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His delightful plant.” Even though this passage is distinctly for Israel and Judah, the language is very similar to Jesus’ message in Matthew 13:1-9 (parable); 13:18-23 (Jesus’ explanation of the parable to the disciples). In the parable of the sower, there are four people represented.
- No Understanding: Those who hear about Jesus and the kingdom of heaven but don’t understand it, so the gospel gets stolen away from them. (Matt. 13:19)
- The Inconsistent Man with No Foundation: Those who hear and accept Jesus and the kingdom of heaven but turn away from God when affliction, persecution or trials enter their life.
- The Rat Race for the Dollar: Those who hear and accept Jesus and the kingdom of heaven but get caught in material concerns, worries and believe money will fix their problems.
- The New Man: Those who hear and accept Jesus and the kingdom of heaven and follow Him no matter the end; bearing good fruit
These are archetypes for real people; perhaps people we know personally. Tragically, these men and women will die clinging to their sin. The terrifying fact is that three of the four individuals accept the Gospel. In contemporary terms, three of the four are churchgoing Christians! Yet, two of the three will choose to give up following Christ. Their life will either be “too hard” or “too easy.” Those that bear the hard life become bitter that such a “loving” God allowed their life to be full of suffering, shame and disappointment. Those that have the “good life” will forget about Jesus because they are too busy “living it up;” all their sin can be hidden and compensated for with entertainment and material distractions.
Am I the New Man?
During Isaiah’s time, Israel and Judah had chosen to forsake the seed of truth in exchange for comfort and wealth. Isaiah 5 says “Thus the Lord looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress” (vs. 7). This observation is followed by five woes.
The first woe is to those that gather wealth to themselves. The image is revealing. Verse 8 says “Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field, until there is no more room, so that you live alone in the midst of the land!” Since I work in construction, I personally have experienced this description. Some houses I’ve helped build are so big it feels like you can get lost in them. When other people are in the house, you don’t even know they are there. These men and women are amassing wealth for themselves; not giving God the glory or aiding the poor as evidenced that they “live alone in the midst of the land.”
The second woe refers to those that openly and boldly parade their sin before others and mock God because they haven’t seen evidence of His word personally. These people remind me of those during Jesus’ day; Luke 11:29 says “And as the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah” (which is a reference to the prophet Jonah who spent three days in the belly of fish yet lived, symbolizing Jesus being three days in the grave and yet rose again). Sin is their banner of identification and they mock God because they can’t “see” His work.
The third woe is for men and women that exchange goodness for wickedness. This woe is obvious to most individuals. However, identifying these people is tricky. Let me explain. Verse 20 describes these people as such, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” These are clear distinctions but in our politically charged culture that detests identification, Christians are often dissuaded from accurately labelling people. These people purposefully confuse the truth and deceive others. Their agenda is to trade the truth for the lie (Rom. 1:25). The sad reality is that some deceivers might be deceived themselves and be completely blind to the destruction they cause. Yet, when the Bible or believer speaking the truth point out how misguided these people are, these people react with venomous retaliation, rage, spite and seething bitterness.
The fourth woe is for the prideful and self-righteous. They “are wise in their own eyes, and clever in their own sight” (vs. 21). No matter what these men and women do, they are right and believe they commit no wrong. It is a strange and blind position. Unfortunately, humility is the treatment for these individuals; which hurts and stings to realize the depths of one’s errors.
The fifth woe is for the corrupt. “Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink; who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!” Thinking back on my freshman year of college, this was the life. Alcohol was the rave and whoever could drink the most without puking was the most praised. Such achievements are quite pathetic. The second half are the “bought and paid for” individuals. Unfortunately, Hollywood actors come to my mind. Personally, I don’t know for a fact that actors get paid to uphold particular agendas; but their job is to act on behalf of another individual’s script/narrative.
Often the context of a passage and the Spirit of a passage are viewed as disconnected. A vast portion of Isaiah 1-5 discusses the immediate people of Israel and God’s judgement is fulfilled in the Babylonian captivity several generations later. Yet, God’s view of man is evidenced here in Isaiah. Somehow it is easy to categorize Israel as “different;” in truth, Israel was no different than any other tribe/nation/peoples on earth except that God chose them. That is a deep topic that cannot be addressed here, but worth pursuing should you desire. The reason Israel was special is that God gave them the oracles and revealed to them why and how He acted in response to sin and obedience (Romans 3:2). But knowing the truth doesn’t save a man otherwise knowing the law would have been sufficient for Israel, but it was not.
In reflection, Isaiah chapters 1-5 are an excellent presentation of the gospel. Often as an individual born after Jesus’ life on earth it is easy to mistake the “Gospel” as merely a reference to Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. However, the gospel is much, much more! The Gospel reveals the depravity of man, the wickedness and treachery humans commit against each other and God. The Gospel displays God’s good work to create a beautiful creation and how we, sinful man, corrupt it. The Gospel shows us that left alone, we are brought to a place of great woes and punishments for our crimes against God’s goals. The Gospel provides a way out of that punishment and promises of a new life without the mistakes. The Gospel builds a new home and family for us by Jesus dying and coming back to life to conquer all the earth.
The Gospel includes the end. Throughout scripture God’s goal is clear and unwavering. By beginning with the end in mind, the Lord has made our path as Christians straight and full of meaning. Often in my own life, when I forget the end, I begin questioning God and wonder “what is the point of all this?” Perhaps I am alone in this, but I suspect others feel the same. God’s plan is a long-term plan. Even when my actions and daily movements feel useless and meandering, remembering the goal provides purpose and comfort: to bring glory to God, lead others to the Truth of Jesus Christ as Savoir King, to store up treasures in Heaven and await the day to rule with Christ for a thousand years.
The common response to peering the future in the face is fear and terror. Yet, for the Christian, our response should be quite different. Our response should be hope renewed. The Revelation of Jesus Christ terrifies the world. (The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the last book in the Bible.) It should terrify non-believers; but for Christians that is our hope! If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead and isn’t returning to get us, what purpose does our faith hold?
Paul points this out in 1 Corinthians 15:14 -25″And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith is also in vain. Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we witnessed against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raise. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in his life only, we are of all men to be most pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ is the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under his feet.”
Are we going to endure until Jesus reigns and puts all enemies under His feet? Will we resist the lure of wealth and the despair of trails? There are moments when life is confusing and difficult but the end is sure! The ancient Celts had a name for their god Lugh, the Swift Sure Hand. While misplaced, it is an accurate description. My Lord Jesus the Messiah is the Swift Sure Hand that has reached out to rescue me today, tomorrow and forever in His glorious reign.
The parable of the wheat and tares shows that just like the vineyard in Isaiah, that the wicked and righteous shall grow together. Yet, in the end, once the earth is reaped everyone will be separated according to their quality.
Revelation 14:14-16 says “And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of Man, having a golden crown on His head, and a sharp sickle in His hand. And another angel came out of the temple, crying out a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.” And He who sat on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth; and the earth was reaped.”
Culturally, there is an accepted creature called the Grim Reaper. The Grim Reaper is a mockery of Jesus and His angels that will reap the earth. The reason for point this out is that the men and women whom have exchanged the truth for a lie view Jesus as the Grim Reaper. Jesus is not their salvation but their doom. There are many archetypes of anti-Christs; where Jesus’ actions are placed with a villainous person because to them, Jesus is the enemy. That is the greatest of tragedies! That Jesus died for such men and women and still they hate him; it is only by the grace of God that my eyes have been opened to see His death, resurrection and reign as my salvation and hope!
The disciples are also confused about how good and bad men can live together and both appearing to be followers of Christ. In Matthew 13:36-43, Jesus explains the parable of the wheat and the tares. “Then Jesus left the multitudes, and went into the house, His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to use the parable of the tares of the field.” And Jesus answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are the angels. Therefore, just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all the stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
While tragic, believers and non-believers will grow together, and it will be difficult to know the difference. This is the “cultural Christian” vs. the “born-again Christian.” Some of might even accept the Gospel but have no foundation or be drawn away by material stuff. There is the debate about predestination and freewill and whether someone can “fall away” or was “just never saved.” Since that is not the topic of this post, it will not be examined thoroughly. However, it is enough to understand that men choose and God choses; some individuals endure to follow God and some do not. The result is: some follow God and other don’t. The Bible makes that clear and is enough. How one chooses is not as important as who one chooses-yourself as god or Jesus as God.
To end as a reminder of the hope we have, Peter said it well in his letter to the believer scattered throughout the Roman provinces. The end should not scare us. The Revelation of Jesus should not scare us. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ that brings us hope and we should rejoice in the day Jesus will reign as King of kings.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.” – 1 Peter 1:3-11
This life is short; it is a speck of dust in the cosmos of eternity. As C.S. Lewis said in The Last Battle, “All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.” A beautiful reality that this life is but the beginning! Here we are, waiting for the final fulfillment of Isaiah 1-5: the end of the beginning. For every struggle and adventure of this life is merely a tainted shadow of the vast and glorious life King Jesus and the Lord have yet to show us.
