THE FRIST PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
From the Captivity to the Return
Message Two—Isaiah (I)
Scripture Reading: Isa. 1:2, 4; 4:2; 6:1; 9:1-5; 12:2-3; 16:5; 55:1
I. The subject of the book of Isaiah is the salvation of Jehovah through the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, ascended, and coming Christ; this is full salvation, entire salvation: (Life-study of Isaiah, msg. 1)
A. The book of Isaiah, which has sixty-six chapters, is a representative of the entire Bible, which has sixty-six books—cf. Isa. 1:1; 2:1; 13:1; 15:1: (2003 FTTA, msg. 1)
1. The first section (Isa. 1—39) concerns God’s governmental dealing with His beloved Israel and His punishing judgment on the nations so that Israel may be brought back to God and the all-inclusive Christ may be ushered in with the expected restoration of all things—11:6-9; 35:5-6; cf. Matt. 19:28; 10:1; Rom. 8:19-23. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 1)
2. The last section (Isa. 40—66) is the kind word of Jehovah spoken to the heart of Israel, His beloved people; this word unveils the prophet’s vision concerning the redeeming and saving Christ as the Servant of Jehovah and reveals the all-inclusive salvation brought in by Christ to Israel and the nations, with the full restoration of all things, consummating in the new heaven and new earth—Isa. 40—66. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 1)
B. The book of Isaiah may be considered as the “fifth gospel,” the gospel of God’s eternal economy with Christ as its centrality and universality. (2003 FTTA, msg. 1)
II. The Revelation of the Lord Jehovah, the Eternal God—Isa. 1:2, 4; 25:8: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
A. Jehovah means “I am who I am,” indicating that Jehovah is the self-existing and ever-existing eternal One, the One who was in the past, who is in the present, and who will be in the future forever—Exo. 3:14; Rev. 1:4. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
B. The Lord Jehovah is the eternal God, indicates that the Lord Jehovah is the mysterious Mighty One in eternity—Isa. 40:28. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
C. The Lord Jehovah is the only God—the majestic, exalted One, who inhabits eternity—44:6, 8, 24. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
D. The Lord Jehovah is triune—the threefold yet one unique God—Matt. 28:19. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
E. The Lord Jehovah is a God who hides Himself whom we are serving is still hiding Himself, especially when He is helping us—45:15. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
F. As the I Am, He is the all-inclusive One, the reality of every positive thing and of whatever His people need—John 6:35; 8:12; 10:14; 11:25; 14:6: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
1. The Lord Jehovah is our Husband, God’s chosen people as the wife—Isa. 54:5; 62:5; Hosea 2:16, 19. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
2. The Lord Jehovah is our salvation, Christ is the God of our salvation—Isa. 12:2-3. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
3. The Lord Jehovah has become the divine water for us to drink and enjoy—Isa. 55:1. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 2)
III. In 4:2 there is a pair of aspects of Christ—the Shoot of Jehovah and the Fruit of the earth—Isa. 4:2: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
A. The Shoot of Jehovah refers to Christ’s deity, showing His divine nature—Isa. 4:2; John 1:1; 20:28; Rom. 9:5: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
1. The Shoot of Jehovah typifies not only Christ’s divinity but also the sprouting and development of Christ’s divinity through the incarnation of God—John 1:1, 14; Heb. 1:1-3; 2:14. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
2. In His incarnation Christ came from eternity into time; from ancient times, from the days of eternity, the Triune God was preparing to come forth out of eternity into time, to come with His divinity into humanity—Micah 5:2. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
B. The Fruit of the earth refers to Christ’s humanity with His human nature—Isa. 4:2b; Luke 1:42: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
1. Christ as the Fruit of the earth is for the multiplication and reproduction of the divine life in humanity—John 12:24: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
a. God in Himself, in His divinity, has no way to be multiplied. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
b. For His multiplication and reproduction, He needs humanity; humanity is the soil, the earth, for the Triune God to be multiplied and reproduced—20:17; Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:10. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
2. As the Fruit of the earth, Christ, in His humanity, which expresses His divine beauty and glory, will be the excellence and splendor of God’s chosen people in the day of restoration—Isa. 4:2b: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
a. Even today in the age of grace, we should live a life that expresses Christ’s beauty and glory in a divine way and that expresses Christ’s excellence and splendor in a human way—1 Cor. 10:31; Phil. 1:11, 20. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
b. A proper Christian is both divine and human, having the divine beauty and glory of Jesus and the human excellence and splendor of Jesus—vv. 8-9; 1 Pet. 2:12. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 3)
IV. “I saw the Lord sitting on a high and lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the temple”—Isa. 6:1: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 4)
A. The One who was seen by Isaiah was Christ as the Lord, the King, Jehovah of hosts—v. 5b. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 4)
B. The vision of Christ in glory was seen by Isaiah in his depression—Isa. 6:1, 5; cf. 22:1; 2 Chron. 26:3-5, 16-22: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 4)
1. On this earth everything changes and fluctuates, but Christ remains the same today and forever; hence, we should not look down at the situation on earth but should look up to Christ on the throne—Heb. 12:2; 13:8. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 4)
2. In order to see the vision of the glorious enthroned Christ, we need to take heed to Isaiah’s warning word (Isa. 6:9-10) by exercising our spirit to pray that the Lord would open our inner eyes, soften our heart, and keep our heart turned to Him so that we may receive His inner healing of our blindness and sickness —John 12:38-40; Matt. 13:14-17; Acts 28:25-27; Rev. 3:18; 4:2; 2 Cor. 3:16-18. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 4)
V. Regarding God’s economy, the intrinsic connection between the books of history in the Old Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament is in Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6; these verses indicate that God would put humanity upon Himself, thereby mingling divinity with humanity—John 1:14; Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18, 20: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 5)
A. In Isaiah 7:14 we have the sign of Christ’s incarnation—Isa. 7: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 5)
1. Isaiah prophesied that the very God of Israel would become a human child born of a virgin and that His name would be called Immanuel—v. 14. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 5)
2. The actual fulfillment of this sign was the birth of a son by Isaiah’s wife; the ultimate fulfillment was the incarnation, in which Jesus Christ was born of the virgin Mary as a child of a dual nature, the divine nature and the human nature, issuing in Immanuel, “God with us”—Isa. 8:3; Matt. 1:23; Luke 1:35. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 5)
3. The practical Immanuel, the presence of the Triune God, is the Spirit of reality—John 1:14; 14:16-20; 1 Cor. 15:45b. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 5)
B. In Isaiah 9:6-7 we have the unveiling of Christ as the wonderful One—Isa. 9:6-7: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 5)
1. This wonderful Son was born of the human source and given from the divine source; He is both human and divine—John 3:16; Gal. 4:4. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 5)
2. Christ is the Wonderful Counselor; our Counselor is the Mighty God, who gives us counsel and is the power and strength to carry out this counsel—Isa. 9:6. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 5)
VI. Christ is the great light for shining in darkness and for release from bondage—Isa. 9:1-5: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 6)
A. Christ is the great light with the power to attract people and capture them—Matt. 4:17-22: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 6)
1. Christ saves us by shining on us; His shining upon us as the great light is our salvation—Acts 9:3; 22:6; 26:13: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 6)
a. God has called us out of darkness—the expression and sphere of Satan in death—into His marvelous light—the expression and sphere of God in life—1 Pet. 2:9. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 6)
b. We were once darkness, but we are now light in the Lord, and we should walk as children of light—Eph. 5:8-9. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 6)
c. “Come and let us walk in the light of Jehovah”—Isa. 2:5. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 6)
VII. We need to enjoy Christ as the sprout and the branch to grow in Christ and to propagate Christ in the principle of the restoration of life for a new revival—Isa. 11:1-9; Heb. 6:5: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 7)
A. Christ’s coming in incarnation as the sprout from the stump of Jesse was the revival of David’s deprived and “hewn down” royal family—Ruth 4:17b; cf. Isa. 10:32-34. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 7)
B. A sprout from the stump of Jesse indicates the restoring power of life in freshness—Isa. 11:1a; 7:14; 9:6; Exo. 13:4; Acts 3:19-21; Titus 3:5; Eph. 4:23; 5:26; 2 Cor. 4:16. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 7)
C. A branch from the roots of Jesse indicates the hidden deepening power of life with growing power and fruit-bearing power—Isa. 11:1b; cf. Phil. 4:12-13; Col. 1:9-11; 2:7; Matt. 6:6; Psa. 91:1; Luke 8:11-15; John 15:5; Jer. 17:8. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 7)
D. As the sprout from the stump of Jesse and the branch from the roots of Jesse, Christ carries out the administration of Jehovah—Isa. 11:3-5. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 7)
E. The administration of Jehovah brings in the restoration of life, where all have their nature changed through Christ as the indwelling, sevenfold intensified Spirit of life in His restoring, deepening, growing, and fruit-bearing power. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 7)
VIII. “Therefore you will draw water with rejoicing / From the springs of salvation”—Isa. 12:3: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 8)
A. God’s intention in His economy is to be the fountain, the source, of living waters for His chosen people’s satisfaction and enjoyment. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 8)
B. To receive the Lord as our salvation is to draw water from the springs of salvation; when this water enters into us, it permeates our entire being, it passes through our being, it is assimilated by us, and it even becomes us—Isa. 12:3; John 4:10, 14b. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 8)
C. The more we drink of God as the fountain of living waters, the more He is one with us and the more we are one with Him and constituted with Him in His life and nature—Isa. 6:17. (2003 FTTA, msg. 9)
IX. It is crucial for us to see a vision concerning the all-inclusiveness of Christ, especially as He is revealed in Isaiah—4:2-6; 6:1-8; 7:14; 9:1-7; 12:2-3: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 9)
A. God’s intention in His economy is to work a wonderful person into our being; this person is the all-inclusive Christ, the One who is the reality of every positive thing in the universe—Eph. 3:17a; Gal. 4:19; Col. 2:16-17. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 9)
B. In Isaiah everything is “fired,” discharged by God, and then the discharging God comes in to replace everything with Christ—Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20; Col. 2:16-17; 3:10-11. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 9)
C. In these days we need to pay our full attention to the all-inclusive Christ, who is the centrality and universality of the great wheel of the move of the Divine Trinity for the divine dispensing of Himself into His elect—Col. 2:16-17: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 7)
1. We need to be infused, saturated, and permeated with the all-inclusive Christ until in our experience He is everything to us—Col. 2:16-17; 3:10-11. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 9)
2. The all-inclusive Christ is in us, but we need to see Him, know Him, be filled with Him, and become absolutely one with Him—1:27; 3:4. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 9)
X. Christ is a foundation, a tested stone, and a precious cornerstone for God’s building—Isa. 28:16; 1 Pet. 2:6-7: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 10)
A. On Christ as the unique foundation, God’s building is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, and we are being built into a dwelling place of God in spirit—Matt. 16:16-18; 1 Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:21-22. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 10)
B. Christ is the tested stone; from the time that He became a man, He was tested every day of His earthly life, and He had no failure—John 19:4-5; Heb. 4:15-16; cf. 2 Cor. 6:1; Phil. 4:11-13. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 10)
C. Christ as the cornerstone is the unique salvation to sinners, and it is in His unique name under heaven, a name despised and rejected by the Jewish leaders but honored and exalted by God, that sinners must be saved not only from sin but also to participate in God’s building—Acts 4:10-12; Phil. 2:9-11; Matt. 1:21; 21:42. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 10)
XI. The all-inclusive Christ is the King reigning in the tent of David—the kingdom of David, the Messianic kingdom—in the coming age during the restoration of Israel—Isa. 16:5; 24:23: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 12)
A. In the Old Testament, when the tent of David was set up and David’s kingdom was fully established, that was a great consolation and joy to the Israelites; in the coming age, when Christ reigns in the tent of David, that will be a greater consolation to Israel—1 Chron. 11:1-3; 12:38-40; 2 Sam. 8:15; Acts 15:16-18. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 12)
B. The Lord Jesus will have the house of Jacob—the nation of Israel—as the center of His reign, through which He will rule over the entire world as His kingdom, first in the millennium and then in the new heaven and new earth for eternity—Luke 1:32-33; Acts 1:6; Rev. 11:15; 20:4, 6; 22:3, 5. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 12)
C. As our King, Christ reigns not only in our hearts but also in the tent of David: (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 12)
1. As the King reigning in the tent of David, the Lord Jesus rules over us by feeding us with Himself as the all-inclusive bread—John 6:15, 27, 35; Matt. 15:26-27, 32-37. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 12)
2. The more we eat Christ as the all-inclusive bread, the more the royal ingredients are constituted into us to become the ruling element within us and to cause us to become the kingdom as the increase of Christ in His administration; this will prepare the way for Christ to come again as the real David to reign in the tent of David in the coming age, the age of restoration—Dan. 2:34, 35b, 44-45; Isa. 16:5; Amos 9:11-12. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 12)
XII. God’s loving chastisement on His beloved Israel and His righteous judgment on the nations, in order that His elect might turn to Him so that the created things might be restored and the all-inclusive Christ might be brought in; at this point, everyone and everything have been discharged by God, and Christ, the only One who is qualified, has come—Isa. 1:4; 22:25; 24:16a; John 12:31; 16:11; Heb. 12:10. (Crystallization-Study of Isaiah, msg. 11)