This is the day of the Assyrian siege where Jerusalem would suffer a horrible fate without God’s intervention. However,God did intervene, as Isaiah said He would. The prophet was inspired by God to address Jerusalem as “Ariel.” Ariel literally means “lion of God.” It also became used by the prophets as “altar of God.” This duel meaning characterized God’s desire for Jerusalem, to be His city of heroism and sacrifice. The Divine King of Peace, Jesus Christ, is the very personification of heroism as the Lion of Judah, and sacrifice as the Lamb of God. He is the fulfillment of what Jerusalem was supposed to broadcast to the world.
Guilty of Christianity
In an attempt to lessen tensions in the Jerusalem Church, Paul followed the appeasement plan of James, the half-brother of the Lord. This plan failed. While Paul was on the temple grounds he was recognized and grabbed. The crowd was stirred to wrath against Paul on charges that he spoke against Judaism and the temple. These charges were not entirely true, but what was true was that Paul was guilty of Christianity: preaching that a soul is saved by the finished work of Christ on the Cross and not by any work of man, including circumcision, diet, or Sabbath keeping.
Tedious Teachings?
Isaiah, having given Millennial Kingdom encouragement to the believers, returns to the political conditions in his part of the world — The Assyrian menace. He warns the arrogant alcoholics of the Northern Kingdom, in the palace, and the priests and prophets as well. Then, he warns Judah that the same fate awaits them because of their abandoning Yahweh and seeking Egypt’s help as well as the darkness of the spiritual realm. This all leads to his teachings being mocked by those given to alcohol, to which he responds with biting satire, and lampoons those of Judah as well for their inability to get things right.
Paul vs. James
Paul and James shared the same beliefs about Jesus Christ, but they did not share methods of ministry. The two men had a history of conflict and uneasiness with each other. They also happened to be the only two people who Christ Himself saved after His resurrection. In this section, the two meet again. Paul has with him an entourage of Gentile believers from the various churches, and they are bearing monetary gifts to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. James and the pastors of Jerusalem are quick to get to what is making them uneasy with Paul – his teachings that the rituals of Moses are valueless for salvation. They want Paul to pay for the vows of four Jews at the temple to appease the Jews disturbed by his teachings. Not only was this outside of Paul’s principles and expensive, but it also brings about Paul’s arrest, and the appeasement failed, as they usually do.
Old Testament Maranatha!
The prophet sees ahead into the Messianic Kingdom Age when Jesus returns to earth with His saints, and establishes Divine rule over the earth. His capital city will be Jerusalem and from there the nations of the world will flock to worship Him. Isaiah, who lived almost all his life under the threat of Assyrian invasion, was excited over the thought of Messiah’s rule on earth “in that day.”
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