One of the things I would like to talk about today is although we are at the end of the world and the evidence that we are at the end of the world is overwhelming and that we only have a few months left; we know that according to the Bible, salvation is still possible.
It is a time of examining our own heart because God has commanded us in the Bible that we are to examine ourselves. God tells us to do so and it is so very, very, important in our day and you wonder how can this not happen because the evidence of salvation is just so overwhelming.
We know that the Lord is going to return; that is a given in the Bible. It is going to be the last day that is absolute, there is no doubt that judgment day is going to happen and it seems like it is going to be in our lifetime in our day that this is going to happen. Oh how it is so important because there are many people who rather live in ignorance, they hear it just like in Noah’s day, they hear the warning and yet people are people whether they were living ten thousand years ago or today. They hear the Gospel, they heard the warning of the flood coming and look at their reaction in Noah’s day, what did they do? No one listened. They simply went about their daily life and God tells us plainly in the Bible they were “marrying and giving in marriage” until the flood came and they were all destroyed. And so it is in our day that the warning is out, the trumpet is being blown that judgment day is coming and there are those who are making their plans for getting married, they are making their plans for their vacation they have been saving for, for years and years, they are just going about their regular routine, really do not care about the end of the world. And suddenly, like “a thief in the night” this day is going to come upon them and they are going to be destroyed just like in the days of Noah.
So we ought to examine ourselves, where do I stand regarding all this information from the Bible? It is not from the human mind, it is from the Bible that this information is coming. And those of us who claim to be born again, we ought to examine ourselves. We cannot get lackadaisical with the self-internal examination, am I ready to meet God? Notice I am pointing the finger at me, am I ready to meet God? That is what all of us should ask ourselves, am I ready to meet God, because that day is quickly approaching. There may not be any time left for many of these children here will not be adults, they will not grow up to be adults, we are right there at the end of the world.
I want to speak about salvation. Although we are so close to the end of the world salvation is still possible. God is still saving a great multitude of people in our day. Although we are thirty-four months away from the end of the world salvation is still possible.
I want to open our Bible to Isaiah 45, here we will look at a tiny aspect of salvation, a tiny aspect of salvation. God tells us throughout the Bible that He is the Saviour, He is the Saviour although He is our mighty God, eternal being, God tells us that He is the Saviour and He is the One we have to look to for salvation. We cannot look to our parents, we cannot look to whomever, we have to look to God. He is the One we have to go to and plead and beseech Him for salvation. But in Isaiah 45 start reading at verse 12, we are going to break right into the chapter. Here God tells us:
I have made the earth, …
God is going to start out telling us that He is the Creator, He is the Creator of everything.
I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.
That is a beautiful verse. God is the Creator of all things. And He goes on:
I have raised him up …
Who is the “him”? He is speaking about Christ.
I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.
Here this verse, verse 13 is speaking directly about the coming Messiah. Remember the Old Testament is looking forward to the coming of Christ. And here God said He is going to raise up Christ, the Messiah. Let us read on, verses 14-22:
Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God. Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.
Here God has called Himself in verse 15 there, “O God of Israel, the Saviour”:
… O God of Israel, the Saviour. They shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them: they shall go to confusion together that are makers of idols.
It is speaking about the unsaved they are going to be destroyed.
But Israel shall be saved in the LORD …
The Israel of God.
… with an everlasting salvation: …
Once you become saved salvation is everlasting.
… ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
The true believers are not going to be ashamed. And that world that we enter into, the new Heaven and the new earth is “without end.” The Kingdom of God is eternal.
For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; …
See God is emphasizing to us that God is the Saviour and He is the One that we have to go to for salvation:
… God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
So you see God is the One that we have to look to for salvation. We cannot look to anyone else because He is the Saviour. If you will go back up to verse 13 where we just read:
I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: …
Hold your hand here and look at John 5, remember Christ made a statement in John 5, that He of His own self does nothing, He came to do the Father’s will because God tells us there in Isaiah that He will direct His path. In the Gospel of John chapter 5, the Lord Jesus Christ is speaking in verse 30 and almost the whole chapter:
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
God tells us in Isaiah that He is directing the path of the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not come to do His own will:
… but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Go back to Isaiah 45:13:
I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, …
And before we are saved we are held captive by Satan, we are held captive “at his will” and when you go over to 2 Timothy 2:26 God tells us here that we are held captive by Satan:
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
So you see how this goes along with Isaiah 45:13 there in the middle of the verse. Here we are before we are saved we are held captive by Satan and Christ came to set us free. And it says:
… he shall build my city, …
And what city is that, that Christ came to build? The city of God, the body of believers speaking about Christ:
… he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, …
Those are God’s elect who are held captive by Satan.
… not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.
So God is speaking directly here to this wonderful salvation that He has planned “from the foundation of the world” that He is going to save a people for Himself although they are held captive by Satan He is going to set them free. Remember Christ tells us He is the One who makes us free from this dominion of captivity that we are in. We cannot free ourselves, we cannot free ourselves from this captivity that we are in only God Himself can do so. Let us look at some more verses; when you drop down to verse 23, we are going to read verses 23-25 of Isaiah 45, He says:
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
Those who are incensed against God are the unsaved. They are going to be ashamed and that word has come up a lot lately, being ashamed.
In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel…
And “all the seed of Israel” is God’s elect.
… be justified, and shall glory.
But there in verse 23 God tells us:
I have sworn by myself, …
God has sworn by Himself that whatever He has declared, whatever He has promised He is going to bring it to pass, it is going to happen. He is swearing by Himself. Remember that verse there in Hebrews 6, turn over to Hebrews, in Hebrews 6, God is swearing by Himself God is giving us all this assurance that what He has said or declared in the Bible He is going to bring it to pass. Hebrews 6:17-18, He says:
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise …
Who are “the heirs of promise”? All of God’s elect, we are “the heirs of promise.”
… the immutability …
That means God, He cannot change, He cannot change.
… of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
There is none greater who He could swear that what He has written within the Bible He is going to bring it to pass, it is going to happen.
That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
All of God’s elect “have fled for refuge.” Christ is our refuge and our hope and we have fled to Him for safety. God tells us that we flee to Christ from the wrath to come Christ will deliver us from the wrath to come because He is our security and He is our refuge.
But here back over in Isaiah 45:23, He says:
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth …
What “word” is that? You remember if you look at Isaiah 55, hold your hand here in Isaiah 45 and let us see what God is speaking about, He said, “the word is gone out of my mouth.” Isaiah 55:10-13, here God tells us:
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: …
The same exact quotation there as in Isaiah 45:23.
… my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
As God’s Word goes forth He is going to accomplish and do His will for the purpose that He sent it. The Word has gone out of His mouth, He is going to save a people for Himself. Remember God tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” As the true Gospel goes forth it is accomplishing something, it is accomplishing God’s purpose of saving His elect. When you read through Isaiah 55 and it says “the trees of the field,” I think here it is speaking about the true believers. It says in verse 13 of Isaiah 55 the Word of God is accomplishing what it was sent out to do and it says:
… and it shall be to the LORD for a name, …
What is going to be “to the LORD for a name”? When we have become truly saved, a true believers, we take on the very name of Christ. We become Christians. It means Christ-like. It is accomplishing what God has sent it out to do as this great multitude is being saved during the church age and after the church age as the true Gospel goes forth. We are going to look at another verse. Let us go back to Isaiah 45 verse 23. It says:
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, …
Almost the same quote Isaiah 55.
… That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
You see God’s mercy, God’s grace and you see God’s judgment. It goes hand-in-hand. As we know that God speaks about how the wicked are going to be cut off they are going to be destroyed forever and so you see as the Word of God goes forth it is accomplishing what God has sent it out to do and a great multitude in our day is becoming saved.
Let us look at another verse. Look at Ezekiel, let us turn over to Ezekiel 34, Ezekiel 34:11-16, here we read:
For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; …
God’s sheep are scattered, where are they scattered to? Throughout the whole world God has His elect. Hold you hand here in Ezekiel and look at James 1, it is the same idea here. In James 1:1, here under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit the writer writes:
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
Who are they? Here God is speaking to all the true believers that are scattered all over the earth, that nation, this nation. Here He is saying the same idea as in Ezekiel 34, here He says:
As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places …
Remember Christ tells us in the Bible that He is the Deliverer. He delivers us from the wrath to come, the Lord Jesus Christ does that.
… and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, …
Speaks about the new Heaven and the new Earth.
… and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
And God goes on and on to tell us what He does. When someone becomes saved we enter into His Kingdom that is what salvation does when we become born again we have entered into His Kingdom which God is the Head. Verse 16 of Ezekiel 34:
I will seek that which was lost, …
Remember Christ is the Saviour, He does it.
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, …
We were “driven away” in our sin we were under the wrath of God.
… and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
Those are the unsaved God is going to “feed them with judgment.” So you see on one hand God is telling us He is the Saviour He is salvation but also the wicked are going to be destroyed on that day and that day is coming very quickly. Drop down to verses 22-26 of Ezekiel 34, God tells us:
Therefore will I save my flock, …
Remember Christ is the Saviour He is salvation.
… and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over them, …
Remember Christ tells us that He is “the good shepherd.”
… and he shall feed them, even my servant David; …
Is this speaking about King David? No. It is speaking about Christ because David is a type of Christ.
… he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; …
Speaking about Christ.
… I the LORD have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
The time when the Gospel is going to go out in all the world and a great multitude is going to become saved. They see how wonderful this salvation plan is that God has created. These verses are just the tip of the iceberg, just scratching the surface of this salvation that God has designed because this salvation is His design He is the Saviour and He is going to save. And wonderfully today this salvation is still possible that God is still saving people and there are many who are entering into this wonderful Kingdom of God.
Let us look at some more verses, look at Isaiah 11, we will pick up the context we will start reading in verse 16 on into chapter 12, here we read:
And there shall be an highway …
We know the “highway” there is Christ. Christ is “the way, the truth and the life.”
And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, …
That “remnant” there is God’s elect, the one whose sins have been paid for.
… which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
Christ is focusing our attention back to when the children of Israel were in Egypt, were in bondage and it is a picture of us before we are saved we are in bondage to sin. In chapter 12:1:
And in that day …
What day is that?
And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.
We know that according to the Bible that day is Christ, Christ is the day. If you will look at Psalm 118 (remember John went over some of this last week), Psalm 118:24. We know that Christ is the day in one sense.
This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Christ is the day and there are other parts of the Bible we can see where Christ is called the day. Let us look at 2 Peter 1:19. Christ is known as the day. Here God tells us:
We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, …
Christ is the light, He is the day.
… the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
Christ is “the day star” that arise in our hearts when we become a child of God He is the day. Let us look at another verse, the Gospel of Luke 1, a familiar verse, Luke 1:78, let us pick up the context in verse 77, Luke 1:77-78. Here it is speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ:
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people…
Christ came to do “To give knowledge of salvation unto his people.”
… by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
Christ Himself He is “the dayspring from on high hath visited us.” And here is what He comes to do:
To give light to them that sit in darkness …
And where were we before we were saved? We were in the dominion of darkness, we were held captive by Satan “at his will.” And Christ came to give us that light.
… to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way …
Christ is the way and He is the peace:
…the way of peace. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
Christ is “the dayspring from on high.” He came “to give knowledge of salvation unto his people” the remission of our sins. He is “the dayspring from on high” which “hath visited us.” So you see that Christ is the day. But back over in Isaiah 12:1:
And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee:
When we have become a child of God that is when we begin to praise God. That is when we truly begin to praise God. It says:
… though thou wast angry with me, …
Before we are saved we are under the wrath of God. God’s wrath abides on us. Remember in Psalm 7:11, let us start reading in verse 9:
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
Before we are saved God is angry with us we are under His wrath until He saves us then He is no longer angry with us, He is no longer angry with us at all. Then it says in Isaiah 12:1:
And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, …
So after we become saved God’s anger has turned away from us. We are no longer under that anger.
… and thou comfortedst me.
Let us look at Isaiah 52:1-10:
Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
We were “redeemed without money.” “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law.” He is “the Redeemer.”
For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
Remember this is a wonderful picture of salvation and the children of Israel went down into Egypt and they were led out by Moses which is a type of Christ. God’s people are being redeemed. We are led out of captivity by Christ.
Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my name: …
God’s elect we are going to know His name.
… therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
So you see Christ is the One, although He was angry with us His anger was turned away and He says in this verse He comforted us. When we become saved God gives us comfort and we get that comfort from the Bible from God’s Word the Bible because the Lord Jesus tells us in the Bible that He is “the Comforter” and He tells us that He is “the Redeemer,” He is “the Redeemer.”
Let us look at another verse, Psalm 85 God tells us there in Isaiah 12 it says although He turned His anger away from us although He was angry with us before we are saved He is no longer angry with us. Let us look at Psalm 85:1-10:
LORD, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
We read earlier that we are held captive by Satan and Christ “brought back the captivity of Jacob” His people.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: …
See how this goes hand-in-hand with Isaiah? He said although He was angry with us He says here:
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: …
From whom? From His people.
… thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
That has happened when we become saved. God’s anger now is ceased He turned His anger away and we know that His anger was poured out upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He cannot just simply turn His anger away that way. That anger was placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
So you see how God’s anger was turned away like in verse 3 at the end:
… turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
Verse 4:
Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease.
So you see in Isaiah 12:1 God’s anger, although He was angry with us He turned away His anger from us and that anger was placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us look at another phrase there in verse 1:
… and thou comfortedst me.
When we become saved we take comfort in Christ because He is “the Comforter.” Let us look at another verse, Daniel 9:16, I believe this verse has to do with God being angry with us. Here Daniel is praying to God about his sins and the people’s sins.
O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.
This is a picture here of Daniel as God the Holy Spirit was moving him to pray. It shows here how God’s anger toward us is turned away and was placed upon Christ. Those who are not born again during the five-month period they are going to have to suffer the wrath of God on their own. God’s anger has not turned away from them because they never became saved. God had never saved them. God’s elect those who are truly born again, the anger of God has turned away from them and was placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
I really have not got to the point about salvation yet, hopefully next time I will finish it up.