In God’s Day of Judgment no one will be able to say “You have no idea what I had to deal with,” or “You put me through this while you sat aloof on your heavenly throne,” or “I had to sin to survive,” and so forth. Israel’s God paid the ultimate price to save his […]
The Lord Is Judge, Lawgiver, and King Read More »
“Come near, you nations, and hear! Pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth give heed, and all who are upon it, the world, and all who spring from it. Jehovah’s rage is upon all nations, his fury upon all their hosts; he has doomed them, consigned them to the slaughter. . . . When my
God’s End-Time Judgment Read More »
Question: What is so important about understanding the words of Isaiah that the Savior makes it a commandment to search them diligently (3 Nephi 23:1)? Also, why does he call them “great”? Aren’t the words of other prophets great also, including the words of modern prophets? Answer: The fact that only one prophet appears in
Question about the Imperative to Understand Isaiah Read More »
I sat spellbound as a rabbi taught that the clean animals Isaiah mentions allude to God’s people Israel and the unclean to Gentiles. This gave new meaning to the ox and the ass and the millennial idea of harmony between the lamb and the lion. Although I don’t recall much of what the rabbi taught,
Metaphors as Aliases of End-Time Persons Read More »
“Woe to those who enact unjust laws, who draft oppressive legislation—denying justice to the needy, depriving the poor of my people of their right, making plunder of widows, mere spoil of the fatherless! What will you do in the day of reckoning when the holocaust overtakes you from afar? To whom will you flee for
A Tyrant Named “Sea” and “River” Read More »
Question: In a class discussion, the question arose as to when Gentiles become numbered among those of the house of Israel. Many have the belief that when they are baptized and make a covenant with the Lord they are adopted into the house of Israel. And yet the scriptures indicate that collectively we are a
Question about Church Members Being Gentiles or House of Israel Read More »
The roles Israel’s God fulfills when redeeming humanity from evil—of Father and Son, Priest and Sacrifice, Savior and Firstborn—all fall in the category of “salvation,” that being a gift from God which we receive on condition we “repent” of sins and “return” to him. Repentance, in turn, is the essence of living the lesser law
Salvation Leads to Exaltation Read More »
“You have forgotten your God, your salvation, and not remembered the Rock, your fortress.” (Isaiah 17:10) “How comely upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger announcing peace, who brings tidings of good, who heralds salvation.” (Isaiah 52:7) “Hear me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness: I have brought near my righteousness; it
A God Named “Salvation” Read More »
Continuous with Jehovah’s re-creation of persons who attain Isaiah’s seraphs level—who “ascend as on eagles’ wings” (Isaiah 40:31)—appears Jehovah’s end-time servant. The servant’s attaining the seraph level (cf. Isaiah 14:29; 51:9–10; 63:9) thus forms a high point of Jehovah’s narrowing creations as outlined in chapter 40. Personifying righteousness because he keeps Jehovah’s law and word
The Servant as a Seraph Read More »
“Thus says the Lord: Observe justice and perform righteousness, for my salvation will soon come when my righteousness is revealed.” (Isaiah 56:1) “Listen to me, my people; give heed to me, O my nation: The law shall go forth from me; my precepts shall be a light to the peoples. Then, suddenly, I will act:
A Man Named “Righteousness” Read More »
Isaiah characterizes Jehovah as a personification of “salvation”—as the epitome of a Savior of his people. His servant’s “work” of preparing a people to meet their God (Isaiah 40:10–11; 42:3) precedes Jehovah’s coming: “Tell the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your Salvation comes, his reward with him, his work preceding him’” (Isaiah 62:11; emphasis added). As
Personifications in Metaphor Read More »
Question: If we are living in the last days, how should we account for the apparent discrepancy between how Isaiah severely censures God’s people and today’s faithful members of the church? Answer: By the “last days,” do you mean (1) since the time the gospel was restored; (2) the present time; or (3) the time
Question about a Seeming Last Days Discrepancy Read More »
