Great Isaiah Scroll Directory - documenta-catholica.eu

Isaiah 65are now in the past. I view Isa 65 as a contextual whole with a panorama of eventsbeginning with the warnings to his own generation (vss 1-8) which warnings were notheeded and which resulted in the dispersion of the so called 10 northern tribes called"Jacob" in vss 9 in Isaiah's near future lifetime and the then future but now pastpunishment and exile of Judah also in 9. The fact that a remnant of all 12 tribes wouldsurvive the dispersions and exiles and form a new commonwealth is also in vs 8-10.Then beginning with vs 11 the coming punishments and exiles are reiterated through vs15 where following this the promise already implied in vs 1 is taken up again, thatthere was a successor to HIS rebellious people already in mind, (the remnant who lookto and trust in Zion and who do not look to the earth) who would get the promises ofIsrael under a new name. The pages of Isaiah are replete with the passages that promisethe restoration of all 12 tribes and then following that, in that period God would call theGentiles into the permanent and perfected Zion. That is recalled in vs 1 and in the restof the passage to the end of the chapter.The end of the chapter (verse 25) which describes conditions in the New Jerusalem hasa verse which must be a companion to Isa 11:6 where the wolf and the lamb dwellsafely together. There in Isa 11 the restoration of Israel is connected to the "Nazar" orBranch out of David's father Jesse and is assumed by all to be a messianic passage.Christians believe the Isa 11:1 passage is fulfilled in Mt 2:23 when Joseph moved fromEgypt to Nazareth. The conditions that the Messiah was to bring to the restored Israelin Isa 11 and in 9:5 to 7ff are similar to those spoken in Isa 65:25 which context wouldinclude the vss that you have in question.For Christians the key passage to interpret these O. T. visions of peace and prosperityin the restoration promised is in Amos 9:11 which is quoted by James the brother ofJesus of Nazareth in Acts 15 where he applies the restoration of the tabernacle of Davidand reglorification of all the 12 tribes to his own time when all 12 tribes dwelt togetherin a single commonwealth and the call of the Gentiles into Zion was begun with theday of Pentecost in 30 CE. The Amos passage describes the blessings of those dayswith hyperbole as mountains melting and brooks running brim full with sweet wine.They are physical pictures of blessings that describe in physical terms the spiritualblessings coming since we do not actually expect all the rivers being full of grape juice.The promise not to find hurt or destruction in all HIS holy mountain (Zion) is taken tobe in the messianic age or the New Jerusalem or restored Zion or as Christians view it:the church age and (but not only) in heaven except that Zion is transcendent. It existshere in this system for those "who dwell in heaven" or as Isaiah described the faithfulof his day as already being "those who dwell in Zion" (by prospect or by faith or in thespirit which is real).It is in this sense that Zion is a part of the New Order that Messiah was to (and forsome us did) bring. Thus making new heavens includes the messianic call of theGentiles which began in Jerusalem and although this Zion is "above," it exists for atime in the physical universe waiting for the time of restitution of all things. It willtranscend.http://www.ao.net/~fmoeller/isa65.htm (4 of 5)2006-08-01 11:49:22