Last week we studied Isaiah 48, which vindicated Jehovah as the one true God who could foretell the future and bring it to pass. It dealt with Israel, and specifically Judah. Tonight we'll review chapter 49, which deals with the Gentile Bride and the 144,000 who are all 'named in Zion' under the New Covenant. We'll take Psalm 87:1-7 for our text.
'His foundation is in the holy mountains [where stand the city of Jerusalem and the temple on Zion]. The LORD loves the gates of Zion [through which came pilgrims from ALL nations to observe the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, typing the Bride from all nations who enter the gates of Zion that is Above] more than all the dwellings of Jacob [Israel].
Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah.
[Indeed they are, its in the Millennium that Zion and heavenly Jerusalem will be on earth. Joel 3:17, 'So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in ZION, My holy mountain: then shall JERUSALEM be holy, and there shall no strangers not BORN in the family pass through her any more'. Revelation 22:14-15, 'Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the CITY. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie'].
I will make mention of Egypt and Babylon as among those who know ZION: behold Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia; all boast, "this man was BORN there". And of ZION it shall be said, "This and that man was BORN in her:" and the Highest Himself shall establish her.
[Revelation 20:11-13, 9, 'And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved CITY: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them'.
Isaiah 4:3-4, 'And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in ZION, and he that remaineth in JERUSALEM, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion [that's the Bride], and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem [that's the 144,000] from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning'].
The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah. [A new register of those whose names REMAINED on the Book of Life after the second resurrection and belong to Zion].
And in the festivals the singers and the players on instruments shall sing, "All my heart is in JERUSALEM".'
Now let's turn in our Bibles to Isaiah 49. Verses 1-13 survey the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, called here the Servant of Jehovah. Verses 14-26 describe how Zion arises out of deepest forsakenness, rebuilds itself anew Spiritually by the heathen converts to Christ, and finally soars aloft to the highest elevation and glory.
God opposes Zion and the Servant, indicating the connection between the guilt of Israel and the suffering of the Servant, and the deliverance from the former by faith in the latter.
Isaiah 49-57 focus upon the Great Deliverer, the Messianic Servant of the Lord (of whom we learned last week, Cyrus was a type. bb960214.htm).
There is a parallel between the Servant of Jehovah God and Zion. They each begin small and end great. As Brother Branham said, "the way up is down".
Isaiah 49:1, 'Listen, O isles [Gentiles], unto Me; and hearken, you people from FAR [that's we Gentiles]; The LORD hath called Me from the womb; from the bowels of My mother hath He made mention of My name'.
[In chapter 48, the prophet addressed Israel. Here Isaiah speaks in the first person, as if he were the Lord Jesus Christ. His Message is NOT to Israel but to the Gentiles in far-off lands. He speaks of Christ's call from birth. (Verse 5, 'And now, saith the LORD that formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob again to him.') Like Jeremiah's call in Jeremiah 1:5 and Paul's in Galatians 1:15-16). God had mentioned His Name (see Isaiah 7:14; 9:6), because He had chosen the servant for a special task. A Hebrew name indicates a 'reputation'. Thus the angel told Mary, 'You shall call His name JESUS [which means Jehovah Savior]: because He shall save His people from their sins' (Matthew 1:21)].
Isaiah 49:2, 'And He has made My mouth like a SHARP SWORD; in the shadow of His hand hath He hid Me, and made Me a POLISHED SHAFT; in His quiver hath He hid me;'
Christ's Words have the power of a sharp sword in their invincible authority. They will not return without accomplishing what was spoken because they're the expressed Mind of God (Isaiah 55:11). If we have the mind that was in Christ, His Words will not fail when they pass through our lips. Read Revelation 1:16 and 19:15.
God indicated to Brother Branham that he had the same authority when the Sword materialized in his hand as he prayed in Sabino Canyon, signifying that when the Seven Seals opened, the FULL Word would come into effect and Christ would no longer Mediate for PART Word (I Corinthians 13:10).
A polished shaft is an arrow purged of any imperfections. It's a metaphor for a divider, describing Christ's ability to judge and discern. In Luke 12:51 He said, 'Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:' the faith shall divide mother from father, father from daughter, etc., And Hebrews 4:12 says, 'For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged SWORD, piercing even to the DIVIDING asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a DISCERNER of the thoughts and intents of the heart'.
The sword is hid and protected in the grip of the hand as the shaft of an arrow is hid and protected in the quiver (Psalm 127:4-5). And God hid and protected His servant until His hour came to be delivered for our salvation.
Isaiah 49:3, 'And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified'. [The sword, shaft, or servant, is hid or protected, and under God's control because it's by the instrumentality of Abraham's Royal Seed, the Prince or Contender with God, that Jehovah will bring redemption to mankind and reveal His glory].
Isaiah 49:4, 'Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent My strength for nought, and in vain [because Israel rejected Messiah]: yet surely My judgment is with the LORD, [all things work together for good to those who love God, the called according to His purpose. Israel had to be blinded for our sakes in order that we Gentiles could be called], and My reward or wages with My God'. [Like Boaz, Christ's reward is His Bride and all things. Christ had to redeem Israel before He could marry the Gentile Bride just as Boaz had to redeem Naomi before he could marry his Gentile bride, Ruth].
Isaiah 53:10, 'Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His SEED, [that's us, the Bride] He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand'.
Isaiah 49:5-6, 'And now, saith the LORD that formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob again to Him, "Though Israel be NOT gathered, [because they rejected their Messiah (Luke 13:34)] yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and My God shall be My strength".
And He said, "It is a light thing that Thou shouldest be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give Thee for a Light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation UNTO THE END OF THE EARTH'.
[The 'preserved' are the 144,000 who survive the judgments upon Israel. These were not restored in the days of His flesh and are not restored to this day. But this Scripture will soon be fulfilled. Revelation 7:4-8, 'And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand ... and so-on'.
The Lord Jesus Christ fulfills this through the ministry of two prophets with the anointings that were upon Moses and Elijah - after the Light of Christ has been received by Gentiles 'all over the earth'.
Isaiah 49:7, 'Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, to Him whom man despiseth, to Him whom the nation [Israel] abhorreth, to a Servant of rulers, "Kings shall SEE and ARISE, princes also shall WORSHIP, because of the LORD that is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, and He shall choose Thee [Christ]".'
Jesus was regarded as a servant, not only of kings, but of lesser officials, because He was abhorred by His Own people. But Isaiah 66:23 says, 'And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD'. And Philippians 2:10, 'That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;' WE are those kings who bow. Revelation 1:6, 'And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen'.
Isaiah 49:8, 'Thus saith the LORD, "In an ACCEPTABLE time have I heard Thee, and in a day of SALVATION have I helped Thee: and I will preserve [or watch over] Thee, and give Thee for a COVENANT of the people, to RESTORE the earth, to cause them to INHERIT the desolate heritages';
[God protected the Lord Jesus from premature harm until the 'acceptable time' or Pentecostal Jubilee and the 'day of salvation' or Calvary. II Corinthians 6:1-2, 'We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For He saith, "I have heard thee in a time ACCEPTED, and in the day of SALVATION have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation")' also Isaiah 61:1-2).
Isaiah 42:6-9, 'I the LORD have called Thee in righteousness, and will hold Thine hand, and will keep Thee, and give Thee for a COVENANT of the people, for a Light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the LORD: that is My Name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them'.
Until the acceptable time, Christ could suffer no physical harm. Hence Jesus could say, 'My time is not yet come' (John 7:6-7). And, 'I lay down My Life that I might take it up again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself...' (John 10:17-18).
Christ's atonement is the Seal to God's Covenant that He will restore the earth and Israel's inheritance. He was to be the Covenant of the people by His Own blood. The restoration is the Millennium. That's when Israel is a nation. The restoration of the earth in the Millennium is typed by the restoration of the land to Israel, when Jesus has dominion from sea to shining sea].
Isaiah 49:9, 'That thou mayest say to the prisoners, "Go forth;" to them that are in Spiritual darkness, "Shew yourselves." They shall feed in the ways [wherever they go], and their pastures shall be [not in deserts but] in all grass-covered hills. [This is addressed to the Church: elect Jews imprisoned by Jewish fables but primarily Gentiles - who step into the Light of the Sun of righteousness. Jesus said, 'Other sheep I have that are not Jews' (John 10:3, 15-16). We are the sheep of His pasture, He will lead us along fruitful paths and we shall feed in the greenest hills (Psalm 23)].
Isaiah 49:10, 'They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them'.
[This verse confirms that this is the Gentile Church. This thrilled my heart when I saw the New Testament confirmed in the Old. Revelation 7:16-17, 'They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes'. The same language of promise, of comfort and assurance.
You've probably seen photographs of Bedouin herdsmen with their flock of sheep and goats out in the sand hills. Imagine yourself a sheep in the Palestinian deserts or outback Australia, searching for food and water. I had prospecting authorities north east of Broken Hill up the Tibooburra Road; that's desert country where the huge properties carry maybe one sheep to the square mile. You wonder what they eat. There's no grass or weed, and hardly a tree. The rivers are dry sand until it rains, perhaps once in five years. That produces a flash flood and vegetation springs up immediately. Within two days the land is covered in grass and flowers and Sturt's desert pea. Within a week, the sun will have dried up the vegetation, and the rivers will again be dry sand. That's pretty much a picture of the denominational desertification we came out of, where we sat for weeks at a time before the minister let slip something which would delight our soul. Praise God, we recognized His Voice].
Isaiah 49:11, 'And I will make all My mountains a way, and My highways shall be exalted'. [All of His guidance will be positive and progressive and by a clear DIRECT route we call faith, which knows no denominational detours such as the mountains and valleys - creeds and traditions. Faith takes us directly to the heart of God, making the high places low and the low places high].
Isaiah 49:12, 'Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. [This is the same as Acts 2:39. Jew and Gentile will come to God by this direct 'strait way' of faith which can know no obstacle].
Isaiah 49:13, '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.
[This verse signifies the end of the Gentile dispensation. Revelation 11:15-16, 'And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever". And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God..."
Isaiah 44:23, 'Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, you lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified Himself in Israel'.
Isaiah 54:7-10, 'For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee'.
Isaiah 49:14-16, 'But Zion said, "The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me."
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy ruined walls are continually before me."
[Although this is Daniel's Seventieth Week, Israel has not at this point recognized Christ's parousia. Zion is sorry for herself, thinking she has been deserted by God; forsaken and repudiated by her husband. But God says, 'I have not forgotten you, it is you who have forgotten Me'.
As the names of the tribes were engraved on the stones of the ephod worn over the breast of the high priest, the names of the 144,000 elect Israelites are engraved upon the palms of My hands by the nails of the Cross.
Zechariah 13:6, 7, 'And one shall say unto Him, "What are these wounds in Thine hands?"
Then He shall answer, "Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."
"Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man that is My fellow," saith the LORD of hosts: "Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn Mine hand upon the little ones".'
Zion's broken walls are constantly before the Lord.
Amos 9:8-11, 'Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the SINFUL northern kingdom of Israel's ten tribes, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD. For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations [the Diaspora], like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. All the SINNERS of My people shall die by the sword, which say, "The evil shall not overtake nor prevent us". In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches in Zion; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old':
This is the restoration of the 144,000 after the Gentile dispensation (Acts 15:16). Zion's broken walls shall be rebuilt. Not the stone walls of the Mount. The 144,000 elect Israelites will constitute the walls of the New Jerusalem. Revelation 21:10-21, 'And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her Light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And He that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And He measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. [These were the birth stones of the twelve tribes]. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass'.
Isaiah 49:17, 'Thy children shall make haste; [Forsaken, repudiated and put is ward by Her Husband, Jehovah, since the time of Titus, Zion thus supposing herself debarred from bearing children, is suddenly surrounded by the richest blessing of children]; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee'.
[In the midst of the Seventieth Week, Rome will break the anti-Christ covenant with the Jews. Rome and her allies will send their troops to destroy all God-fearing, Word-abiding Jews. But as they come against the city to destroy it, the sign of the Coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, with His mighty armies to destroy them who have been destroying the earth.
Isaiah 29:6-8, 'You shalt be DELIVERED by the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire. And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Jerusalem, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.'
Revelation 11:13, 19, 'And the same hour [as the two witnesses resurrected and ascended visibly into heaven] was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city was destroyed, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. ... And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His Testament [the sign of God's Presence with Israel]: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail'.
The 144,000 catch the revelation, then Armageddon sets in.
Isaiah 49:18, 'Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth'. [Here are Zion's children. This speaks of Christ's parousia to Israel, when their King and His Queen, the many-membered Bride, are revealed - but NOT by sight].
Revelation 19:11-17, 'And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a Name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dyed in the blood of His enemies: and His Name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron [at the White Throne Judgment]: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a Name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God".'
Zion may regard ALL the saints as her own. And she may put on the glorious crown of children as an ornament, and gird herself with them as with the splendid girdle of a bride. Isaiah 8:18, 'Behold, I and the CHILDREN whom the LORD hath GIVEN me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion'. Isaiah 45:23, 'In the LORD shall ALL the SEED of Israel be JUSTIFIED, and shall GLORY'.
Zion's children are the New Testament Church. Joel 2:23, 'Be glad then, ye CHILDREN OF ZION, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month'.
God gave the Church the former or teaching rain which was the faith once delivered unto the apostolic saints. He has restored this to us in the end-time through the Message of Brother Branham. The latter rain will be the quickening for the manifestation of the Sons of God and the harvest or translation. The Seven Seals were revealed between March 17-24, the first month (Nisan), and the latter rain will arrive in the same season, after the close of the Gentile dispensation about Nisan 14, on Nisan 16 which is the commencement of Pentecost with the finished product of the wheat Bride of two loaves baked with leaven waved in the manifestation of the Sons of God and accepted in the translation on the fiftieth day].
Isaiah 49: 19-20, 'For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, "The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell".'
[So numerous are Zion's children, that the City is too small to house them. These children are not discouraged at the sight of her ruins, but press forward. They are the Gentile Bride. Hebrews 12:22-23, 'But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect'].
Isaiah 49:21, 'Then shalt thou say in thine heart, "Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been"?'
[In other words, "I have not born these; who then has born them for me? for I was childless, being left alone - an exile put away and wandering hither and thither. I was desolate!" And since the children now before her are not as new born, but are grown up, she further inquires, "Who has brought them up for me?"
Isaiah 49:22, 'Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand [and swear an oath of blessing] to the GENTILES, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders'.
[Leviticus 9:22; Deuteronomy 32:40; Daniel 12:7; Luke 24:50; Revelation 10:5-6 illustrate the significance of 'lifting up the hand'). God solves the riddle for Zion. The countless children are those converted to Jehovah from the Gentiles, and thus become members of Spiritual Israel. Therefore these children are an holy nation (I Peter 2:9) and Zion's.
Galatians 4:26, 'For it is written, "Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband".'
Revelation 7:9-17 is equivalent to Isaiah 49:22 as it also portrays the presentation of Zion's children. 'After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, "Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen."
And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, "What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?"
And I said unto him, "Sir, thou knowest." And he said to me, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes".'
Like Zion, John could not identify this huge gathering from all Adam's race. Had these been returning Israelites, the woman, Orthodox Israel or Zion (Revelation 12:6; Isaiah 66:7-8), would have known them again and recognized them from her own body.
Paul foresaw that natural; Zion, 'the Jerusalem that now is', must be destroyed (Galatians 4:30; Genesis 21:10, 12) and that in its place shall come out of the Spirit that once dwelt in Zion - now truly made free and far extended, a countless posterity that shall build up a new, greater and more glorious Zion, even in the natural sense.
Isaiah 54:1-17, 'Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the [Spiritual] children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, [it was considered a reproach and the judgment of God for a woman to be barren] and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.
For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD'].
Isaiah 49:23, 'And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me'.
The children of Zion receive the best of nurture and affection as if the foster fathers and guardians were kings, and their wet nurses queens. Thus Zion will experience that it's God is the true God, the eternally existant One, whose Divinity evidences itself to men in that those who, even in deepest distress, do not lose their trust in Him, will not be brought to shame (Psalm 25:3).
Isaiah 49:24-25, 'Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children'.
The 'prey' would become natural Israel when they became the lawful captives of Nebuchadnezzar because of their idolatry, and God would scatter them into the wilderness for rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ following the destruction of Jerusalem and Zion in AD70 (Revelation 12:6).
But God can arrange release even of the lawful prisoners. (He set US free from the law of sin and death). World Wars I and II, the break up of the USSR, disunity among the Arab nations and a multitude of events I have not recognized are all working together to position His elect 144,000 Israelites for deliverance.
Isaiah 49:26, 'And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob'.
During the siege of Titus, some parents ate their own children according to prophecy (Deuteronomy 28:55; Jeremiah 20:9; Lamentations 4:10). Soon the oppressors of God's people will metaphorically 'eat their own flesh' and all flesh shall know that Jesus Christ is Lord. He that comes against God's elect comes against him who is named in Zion. bb960221.htm