Brett Hawthorn @BrettHawthorn@dingdash.com

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭25:6‬ ‭NIV* “On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.”‬‬

*25:6* Here is a marvelous prophecy of “all peoples” - Gentiles and Jews together - at God’s Messianic feast, celebrating the overthrow of evil and the joy of eternity with God. It shows that God intended his saving message to go out to the whole world, not just to the Jews. During the feast, God will end death forever (25:7,8). The people who participate in this great feast will be those who have been living by faith. That is why they say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us” (25:9). See also chapter 55 for another presentation of this great banquet.

*Ezekiel‬ ‭36:21-23‬ ‭NIV* “I had concern for my holy name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone. “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.”‬‬

*36:21-23* Why did God want to protect his holy name-his reputation-among the nations of the world? God was concerned about the salvation not only of his people, but also of the whole world. To allow his people to remain in sin and be permanently destroyed by their enemies would lead other nations to conclude that their pagan gods were more powerful than Israel’s God (Isaiah 48:11). Thus, to protect his holy name, God will not share his glory with false gods - he alone is the one true God. The people had the responsibility to represent God properly to the rest of the world. Believers today have that same responsibility. How do you represent God to the world?

*Ezekiel‬ ‭36:25-27‬ ‭NIV* “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”‬‬

*36:25-27* God promised to restore Israel not only physically, but spiritually. To accomplish this, God would give them a new heart for following him and put his Spirit within them (see 11:19,20; Psalm 51:7-11) to transform them and empower them to do his will. Again the new covenant was promised (16:61-63; 34:23-25), ultimately to be fulfilled in Christ. No matter how impure your life is right now, God offers you a fresh start. You can have your sins washed away, receive a new heart for God, and have his Spirit within you - if you accept God’s promise. Why try to patch up your old life when you can have a new one?

*‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:18‬ ‭NIV* “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”‬‬

*6:18* How can anyone pray on all occasions? One way is to make quick, brief prayers your habitual response to every situation you meet throughout the day. Another way is to order your life around God’s desires and teachings so that your very life becomes a prayer. You don’t have to isolate yourself from other people and from daily work in order to pray constantly. You can make prayer your life and your life a prayer while living in a world that needs God’s powerful influence. “Praying for all the saints” means praying for all believers in Christ; so pray for the Christians you know and for the church around the world.

*Isaiah 24-27* These four chapters are often called “Isaiah’s Apocalypse.” They discuss God’s judgment on the entire world for its sin. Isaiah’s prophecies were first directed to Judah, then to Israel, then to the surrounding nations, and finally to the world. These chapters describe the last days when God will judge the whole world. At that time he will finally and permanently remove evil.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭24:4-5‬ ‭NIV* “The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth. The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.”‬‬

*24:4,5* Not only the people suffered from their sins; even the land suffered the effects of evil and lawbreaking. Today we see the results of sin in our land - pollution, crime, addiction, poverty. Sin affects every aspect of society so extensively that even those faithful to God suffer. We cannot blame God for these conditions because human sin has brought them about. The more we who are believers renounce sin, speak against immoral practices, and share God’s Word with others, the more we slow our society’s deterioration. We must not give up: sin is rampant, but we can make a difference.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭24:21‬ ‭NIV* “In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below.”‬‬

*24:21* “The powers in the heavens above” refer to spiritual forces opposed to God. Nobody, not even the fallen angels will escape due punishment.

*‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭35:6-8‬ ‭NIV* “therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I will give you over to bloodshed and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and cut off from it all who come and go. I will fill your mountains with the slain; those killed by the sword will fall on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines.”‬

*35:6-8* Ezekiel prophesied not only against the people of Edom, but also against their mountains and land. Their home territory was Mount Seir. Mountains, symbols of strength and power, represented the pride of these people who thought they could get away with evil. Edom’s desire for revenge turned against them. Edom received the punishment they were so hasty to give out. God has a way of turning our treatment of others into a boomerang. So we must be careful in our judgment of others (Matthew 7:1,2).

*Galatians‬ ‭6:9-10‬ ‭NIV* “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

*6:9,10* It is discouraging to continue to do right and receive no word of thanks or see no tangible results. But Paul challenged the Galatians and he challenges us to keep on doing good and to trust God for the results. In due time, we will reap a harvest of blessing.

*‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭23:9‬ ‭NIV* “The Lord Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.”‬‬

*23:9* God would destroy Tyre because he hated its people’s pride. Pride separates people from God, and he will not tolerate it. We must examine our lives and remember that all true accomplishments come from our Creator. We have no reason for pride in our lives.

*‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭34:9-10‬ ‭NIV* “therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.”‬‬

*34:9,10* Those shepherds who failed their flock would be removed from office and held responsible for what happened to the people they were supposed to lead. Christian leaders must heed this warning and care for their flock, or total failure and judgment will be the result (See 1 Corinthians 9:24-27). True leadership focuses on helping others, not just on getting ahead.