Isaiah
1:21 ¶ How is the faithful city become
an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now
murderers. 22 Thy silver is become
dross, thy wine mixed with water: 23 Thy
princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth
gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth
the cause of the widow come unto them. 24
Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel,
Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: 25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely
purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: 26 And I will restore thy judges as at the
first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called,
The city of righteousness, the faithful city. 27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her
converts with righteousness. 28 And the
destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together,
and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed. 29 For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which
ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have
chosen. 30 For ye shall be as an oak
whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. 31 And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker
of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.
Jerusalem
is what is referred to here. Isaiah isn’t the only prophet who blasts
Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness to her God.
For
examples see Jeremiah in Lamentations 1:8
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that
honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she
sigheth, and turneth backward. 9 Her
filthiness is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she
came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for
the enemy hath magnified himself.
Read
Ezekiel, chapter 16 that starts like this.
Ezekiel
16:1 ¶ Again the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her
abominations,…
Jerusalem and, by extension, Judah have become totally
corrupt and defiant of God. God says in verse 25 that He will purge away their
dross, which is from a similar word to dregs, and can refer to the solids left
over from a precious metal in refining it, and is worthless. Some commentators
remark about the inferior state of tin as compared to silver and that removing
it refers to removing the superficial observance of religion as taking away the
dross refers to removing impurities. Keep in mind the idea of leaven as
polluting bread in the spiritual sense.
Matthew
13:33 Another parable spake he unto
them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in
three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
The woman, think of the whore of Babylon in Revelation, uses
leaven, considered false doctrine in Matthew 16 coming up, in three measures of
meal, representing the three great branches of Christianity, perhaps, the Roman
Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and Protestantism which controlled
governments or were controlled by them, waged wars, bought and sold slaves, and
murdered non-conforming Christians throughout history, spreading false
doctrines and deceit around.
Of course, this is my interpretation from studying history and
comparing it with the Bible but it seems so plausible as a warning of what is
to come.
Matthew
16:6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take
heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying,
It is because we have taken no bread. 8
Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why
reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? 9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember
the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 10 Neither the seven loaves of the four
thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? 11
How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you
concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of
the Sadducees? 12 Then understood they
how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of
the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
He then
prophesies, in verse 26, of a future time, perhaps the millennium of Christ’s
thousand year reign on earth to come.
Jeremiah 33:15 In those days, and at that time, will I cause
the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute
judgment and righteousness in the land. 16
In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely:
and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.
Matthew 19:28
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have
followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of
his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel.
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