Wickedness in the Last Days
But in the last days, or in the days of the Gentiles, all the Gentile nations and the Jews will be full of sin. This includes those who come to this land and those on other lands. All the lands on earth will be full of terrible sins. When that day comes, the Lord of hosts will visit them with thunder and earthquakes. There will be great noise, storms, and fire that destroys everything. All the nations that fight against Zion and hurt her will be like a dream at night. It will be like a hungry man who dreams he is eating. But he wakes up and is still hungry. It will be like a thirsty man who dreams he is drinking. But he wakes up and is still thirsty and weak. That is how it will be for all the nations that fight against Mount Zion.
All you who do wrong, stop and be amazed. You will cry out. You will be like drunk people, but not from wine. You will stumble around, but not from strong drink. The Lord has poured out a spirit of deep sleep on you. You have closed your eyes. You have rejected the prophets. He has covered your leaders and seers because of your sins.
A Sealed Book Comes Forth
Then the Lord God will bring you the words of a book. They will be the words of people who have died. The book will be sealed. In the book will be a message from God. It will go from the beginning of the world to the end of it. Because of the things that are sealed up, those sealed things will not be given in the day when people are wicked. So the book will be kept from them.
But the book will be given to a man. He will share the words of the book. These are the words of those who have died in the dust. He will give these words to another person. But the sealed words he will not share. He will not give away the book. For the book will be sealed by God’s power. The sealed message will be kept in the book until the Lord’s own time. Then they may come out. For they tell about all things from the beginning of the world to the end. The day will come when the sealed words of the book will be read from the rooftops. They will be read by the power of Christ. All things will be shown to people. This includes everything that has ever been and everything that will ever be until the end of the earth.
So on that day when the book is given to the man I spoke about, the book will be hidden from the eyes of the world. No one will see it except three witnesses. They will see it by the power of God, besides the man who gets the book. They will tell the truth about the book and what is in it. No one else will see it except a few, if God wants them to. They will tell people about his word. For the Lord God has said that the words of the faithful should speak as if from the dead. So the Lord God will bring out the words of the book. He will use as many witnesses as he wants to prove his word. And trouble will come to anyone who rejects God’s word.
The Learned Man Cannot Read
But it will happen that the Lord God will say to the man who gets the book: 'Take these words that are not sealed. Give them to another person. He can show them to a learned man and say: ‘Please read this.’' And the learned man will say: 'Bring the book to me, and I will read it.' They will say this because they want to look good in the world and get money. They will not say it to give glory to God. And the man will say: 'I cannot bring the book. It is sealed.' Then the learned man will say: 'I cannot read it.'
So the Lord God will give the book and the words to someone who is not learned. And the man who is not learned will say: 'I am not learned.' Then the Lord God will say to him: 'The learned will not read them. They have rejected them. I can do my own work. So you will read the words I will give you.' 'Do not touch the sealed things. I will bring them out in my own time. For I will show people that I can do my own work.' 'So when you have read the words I told you to read, and got the witnesses I promised you, then seal up the book again. Hide it with me so I may keep the words you have not read. I will show all things to people when I see fit.' 'For I am God. I am a God of miracles. I will show the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. I work among people only if they have faith.'
And again the Lord will say to the one who will read the words given to him:
God’s Amazing Work
'These people say they love me with their mouths. With their lips they honor me. But their hearts are far from me. They fear me only because men have taught them to.' 'So I will do an amazing work among these people. An amazing work and a wonder. For the wisdom of their wise and learned people will die. The understanding of their smart people will be hidden.' 'And trouble will come to those who try hard to hide their plans from the Lord. Their works are done in the dark. They say: ‘Who sees us? Who knows us?’ They also say your turning of things upside down will be thought of as the potter’s clay. But I will show them,' says the Lord of Hosts, 'that I know all their works. Will the thing that is made say about the one who made it: ‘He did not make me’? Or will the thing that is formed say about the one who formed it: ‘He had no understanding’?'
'But,' says the Lord of Hosts, 'I will show people that it is not yet a very little while before Lebanon will be turned into a field full of crops. And the field full of crops will be thought of as a forest.'
The Blind Will See
'In that day, people who are deaf will hear the words of the book. The eyes of people who are blind will see out of darkness.' 'The humble people will also increase. Their joy will be in the Lord. Poor people will be happy in the Holy One of Israel.' 'As the Lord lives, they will see that the terrible one is brought to nothing. The one who makes fun will be gone. All who watch for sin will be cut off.' 'And those who blame a man for a word will be gone. And those who lay a trap for the one who judges at the gate will be gone. And those who turn aside good people for nothing will be gone.'
So the Lord, who saved Abraham, says this about the house of Jacob: 'Jacob will not be ashamed now. His face will not turn pale now.' 'But when he sees his children, the work of my hands with him, they will honor my name. They will honor the Holy One of Jacob. They will fear the God of Israel.' 'Those who made mistakes in spirit will come to understand. Those who complained will learn the teaching.'
Influences
- 27:1 — Acts 14:5 (KJV)And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,
- 27:2 — Isaiah 29:6 (KJV)Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.
- 27:2 — 2 Peter 3:10 (KJV)But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
- 27:4 — Isaiah 29:9 (KJV)Stay yourselves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink.
- 27:5 — Isaiah 29:10 (KJV)For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.
- 27:7 — Matthew 24:21 (KJV)For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
- 27:8 — Revelation 17:5 (KJV)And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.
- 27:10 — Matthew 13:35 (KJV)That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
- 27:11 — Matthew 28:20 (KJV)Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
- 27:12 — 1 Peter 1:5 (KJV)Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
- 27:13 — 1 Peter 4:19 (KJV)Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
- 27:15 — Isaiah 29:11 (KJV)And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
- 27:17 — Isaiah 29:11 (KJV)And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:
- 27:18 — Isaiah 29:12 (KJV)And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned
- 27:19 — Isaiah 29:12 (KJV)And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.
- 27:21 — Matthew 9:28 (KJV)And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
- 27:25 — Isaiah 29:13 (KJV)Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
- 27:26 — Isaiah 29:14 (KJV)Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
- 27:27 — Isaiah 29:15-16 (KJV)Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
- 27:28 — Isaiah 29:17 (KJV)Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?
- 27:29 — Isaiah 29:18 (KJV)And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
- 27:30 — Isaiah 29:19 (KJV)The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
- 27:31 — Isaiah 29:20 (KJV)For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:
- 27:32 — Isaiah 29:21 (KJV)That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.
- 27:33 — Isaiah 29:22 (KJV)Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale.
- 27:34 — Isaiah 29:23 (KJV)But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.