The Lord calls Israel His adversary.

Isaiah 1:24-26

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“Therefore the Lord says, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, “Ah, I will rid Myself of My adversaries,
and take vengeance on My enemies.” Isaiah 1:24

In the previous post on Isaiah 1:21-23, the Lord refers to Israel as being dross, impure. Now, they are considered the adversaries of God. Today, the Jewish people are the enemies of God for discarding Jesus as the Christ and Son of God, as well as having no respect for the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Lord takes vengeance on His enemies.

The Lord speaks this in Micah 2:8, “Lately My people have risen up as an enemy—”. Our Lord Jesus says that the Jewish people have the Devil as their Father, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” John 8:44. The Jewish people rebelled against God their Father and was taken up by Satan as their father.

“I will turn My hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away all your alloy.” Isaiah 1:25

The hand of the Lord was turned against Israel when the Jewish people were gathered to the State of Israel in 1948. Purging is the process of using heat to melt down metal. As we see, Israel has been going through a tremendous amount of heat since they were established in 1948. They have not had a year of rest for 78 years, constant conflict, wars, diminishing of their territory, and surrounded by those who want their existence to be gone. When will their spiritual dross/corruption be purged? When will the impure alloy be eliminated? We know a remnant finds Salvation in the Lord the day after the Battle of Armageddon, as described in Ezekiel 39. As our Lord Jesus says, “See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you will see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Matthew 23:38-39

The following verse is the vow the Lord made to gather the Jewish people to Israel as the place where He unleashes His judgment on them, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Because you have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst.” Ezekiel 22:19-21

“I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.” Isaiah 1:26

We have to realize that the promises of that verse applies to everyone who says “Yes!” to Jesus as the Christ and Son of God. As our Lord Jesus says, “…the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” Matthew 21:43 The promises of the Kingdom of God is taken from the Jewish people and given to Christianity as the nation bearing fruits of the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

There are no blessings promised for the Jewish people in the New Testament. That’s because all of those promises have been transferred to everyone who lives for God through Jesus Christ.

Today, Israel and the seed of Abraham are everyone who lives for Jesus Christ, as quoted, “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed will be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed…And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Romans 9:6, Galatians 3:29

The restoration of all things happens in the eternal New Jerusalem of the new heaven and earth. There is no heaven on earth and no earthly Garden of Eden. The New Jerusalem is the eternal Garden of Eden. This present heaven and earth will be destroyed. The eternal New Jerusalem is the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. In that glorious city, all judges and counselors will be perfect in their eternal redemption.

---

“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1