Dave Batista Long (3:01)

Praise the Lord. Thank you for sharing that, Nate. Again, the book of Isaiah is fantastic. It offers comfort, it offers hope. It offers so much to the listeners. But in this chapter is we titled it Israel's Comfort. Nate, right now Israel is in need of comfort. The situation that we're, that we're experiencing right now with Iran and the U.S. and I mean, wow, it's just prophecy being fulfilled right before our eyes.

Nathan Jones (3:27)

Absolutely. You know folks, if you're interested, on March 16th at 6:30pm Central Time, our director Tim Moore and myself will be doing a streaming teaching answering questions and answers about where Iran fits in Bible prophecy. And so if you're interested in that, go to our YouTube channel, our Christ in Prophecy YouTube channel at 6:30 on Monday the 16th. And we're going to put that out there and that will hopefully help people just connect with what the Bible says about what's going on today from a prophetic perspective. And even if you miss it, it'll still be on our Christ in Prophecy YouTube channel. You can check it out. But yeah, lots going on over there in the Middle East, Vic. I think we're seeing the end of what I believe is the Psalm 83 war, where Israel subdues the nations around it, the hostile nations. There's a temporary time of peace and then Israel is shocked when Russia leads a coalition of Islamic nations against her and God steps in and supernaturally destroys them. And brother, I, I think all the time includes for the rapture of the church, put it before that event. So I, I think all these things are coming together pretty quickly, Nathan, and quickly.

Dave Batista Long (4:36)

You are not kidding me. I, I, it's just exciting in some ways, scary in other ways, exciting for the church because that means that we believe that the rapture is right around the corner and scary because there's so many millions of people that still don't know the Lord and our prayer is for them to come to know Jesus. So Nathan, that's why chapter 51. Israel, the people, the comfort that the Scriptures bring, it's all lining up. And we pray that we can continue to encourage people in their relationship with the Lord. But as we look at chapter 51, it opens with a call to pay attention to and to listen. Would you be able to start us out, Nate, there as we look at Isaiah, chapter 51, verses 1 through 5, and I'll read verses 6 through 10 in case someone doesn't have a Bible.

Nathan Jones (5:26)

Okay. Yeah. A lot of verses in this chapter. So unfortunately, folks, we're gonna have to go a little quickly if we want to finish it. So let's begin. Verse one. Listen to me. Me's capital. So this is God, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the Lord, who look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. Look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who bore you. For I called him alone and blessed him and increased him. For the Lord will comfort Zion. It will comfort all her waste places. He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in it. Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Listen to me, my people, and keep. Give ear to me, O my nation, for law will proceed from me, and I will make my justice rest as a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near. My salvation has gone forth, and my arms will judge the peoples. The coastlands will wait upon me, and on my arm they will trust.

Dave Batista Long (6:26)

Oh, Nate, actually, could you mind going down to verse 8 and then I'll go down to 16.

Nathan Jones (6:31)

Sure. Verse 6. Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, and the earth will grow old like a garment. But those who dwell in it will die in like manner. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not be abolished. Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is my law, do not fear the reproach of men or be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool. But my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

Dave Batista Long (7:08)

Oh, and verse nine says, awake, awake. Put on strength or arm of the Lord. Awaken, as the ancient days in the generations of old. Are you not in the arm that cut Rahab apart and wounded the serpent? Are you not the one who dried up the sea in the waters of the great deep that made the depth of the Sea road for the redeemed to cross. So the ransom of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy. In their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness, sorrow and science shall flee away. I, even I am he who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of? A man who will die and the son of a man who will be made like grass and. And forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth. You have fear continually, every day because of the fury, fury of the oppressor when he was prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hastens that he may be loosed, that you should not die in the pit, and that his breast should not fail. But I am the Lord your God, who, who divided the sea, whose waves roar the Lord of hosts, his name. And I have put my words in your mouth. I have covered you with shadows of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, you are my people. Nate, I know we covered a lot here, but what an amazing call we see here in this passage.

Nathan Jones (8:44)

Yeah, it's a lot, but it goes with the rest of the theme of Isaiah, which. Where the Lord is calling his wayward people back to him. He's comparing himself, who's the creator of the universe, who laid the foundations of the heavens, you know, the all powerful, to what the people were turning to human armies and idols and their own strength. And he's making comparisons back and forth. He says, if you choose the things of this world, you will die, you will be defeated, you will find yourself in everlasting torment in hell. But if you turn to me, you will find peace and contentment and success over your enemies and salvation and eternal life. And he is making this case like a lawyer before a judge. Again and again and again. You can see Isaiah out there in the streets of Jerusalem, calling to the people, giving these messages over and over again, calling the people back to him. And then you can also see the people ignoring Isaiah and walking past him and just going on their own and continuing to live a life knowing that their sin is going to lead to destruction, which we know eventually it does, that exile is awaiting them when God sends the Babylonians down to destroy them because of their continual wickedness.

Dave Batista Long (9:59)

Nathan. And even today God continues to call from the high places. Listen. Twice we find there verse one, and also in verse seven, the call. Listen to me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose Heart is the law. And even today, Nate, we find that God continues to call people through us, through this program, through believers, people that care. We have bike week going on here in Daytona this week, and we have close to a half a million bikers roaring through.

Nathan Jones (10:31)

Wow.

Dave Batista Long (10:32)

Roaring through our city. Nathan and I get to volunteer with the Daytona Beach Police Department. So I do a few hours down there on Main street with this. Hundreds of thousands of bikers. And the wonderful thing, Nathan, is that we have a few ministries planted there, Evangelists that come in from the US and they stand in the corners with. With a buhorn calling on the people to repentance.

Nathan Jones (10:54)

Oh, wow.

Dave Batista Long (10:56)

And. And they're just there with big signs and Jesus loves you. Repent and turn. And they are not ashamed to be there in the corners calling. And Nathan, we need bold people like that today to call people to repent.

Nathan Jones (11:10)

Amen, brother.

Dave Batista Long (11:11)

Wow.

Nathan Jones (11:11)

Yeah, that's. I've always been amazed at street evangelists, the boldness that they have. I don't find a lot of them be doctrinally sound. It's mostly about wrath and judgment. But you got to remember back in the old days, they didn't have TVs and even bullhorns. I mean, Isaiah would stand on the street corners. Sometimes the Lord would send them before kings to give their. Or they'd write messages. They're the writing prophets. Others would act out God's judgments. You know, they would show. They do little plays or like you read in the last episode in Hosea's case, where he married a prostitute as a symbol showing that Israel had become a prostitute married to God. And these are all the different ways the Lord gave his message to his people. And the Bible repeatedly says Jesus said it is first coming. Many times they had the law and the prophets. You know, what more did they need? And yet they continually rejected it.

Dave Batista Long (12:07)

Oh, Nathan. And that's why the call of God continues. I'm so excited for what you and Tim are going to be doing during your program, calling on the people to call in with their questions about events, about what's going on. And that's the idea, Nate. We call in whichever way the Lord allows us, with technology, with television, with radio, with podcasting. Because people need to hear today and listen that God loves them. God cares for them. We don't want anyone to get off the wrong path and be destroyed. That's not God's plan for people. But yet we have so many that they choose that path. And it's sad that they stop their ears for from the Message of being called. And that's what was happening in the time of Isaiah, right, Nate? He will go out there and proclaim the message and people just didn't want to hear it.

Nathan Jones (12:58)

Yeah, I like in very. The beginning of verse one and to the whole of the pit from which you were dug. In other words, we don't, we really have to appreciate how the Lord has rescued us. When you think about the hole we dug, you know, you kind of equate that to trouble that you get in, you know, the, the pit you find yourself in. He called us out of it. He called us out of our sins that were killing us and sending us to hell. And, and he gave us. Now they're, now they're righteous, he calls them. And then he compares that as you go through the rest of the people where he's going to judge the peoples on the coastlands. And there's a lot of millennial kingdom prophecies here because he's prophesying that, yeah, this time is going to end and there's going to be a time where I'm going to rule the nations myself, says Jesus. So we got Jesus here talking, you know, first person, pre incarnate Jesus, 700 years before he come to this earth as a baby. And he's talking about a kingdom which to us is still future. And he says, yeah, heaven and earth will, will grow old and pass away, but my kingdom will never pass away. He says that the peoples in that kingdom will wait to hear my words. They'll come up to visit me. You know, they'll, they'll trust me. They'll listen to me. They'll have that relationship that Adam and Eve had with God in the garden, that perfect, peaceful relationship with no sin to break it. Brother, I can't wait for that. I'm so anxious for that to happen, Nathan.

Dave Batista Long (14:29)

And, and so am I. And that's, that's why we, our, our prayer is that individuals will pay attention and listen closely to the signs of the times, to not turn a deaf ear. Because that I believe, Nathan, that people will be very shocked at how quickly things will evolve and unravel. And those have trusted in the Lord, those that are paying attention, they will not be caught by surprise. But those that are not it really, as we say, giving heed to the message. They are the ones that will always find themselves in trouble. And Nathan, we're thankful for people that are listening. You shared with me a wonderful testimony about a conference that you went to speak at, and it was a great turnout. But even the young people, even the young kids came and they were listening to the message. They were enduring it. And there's so many today that really, even at church, don't do that anymore.

Nathan Jones (15:27)

Now that we had a Q and A session, and a lot of the little kids had questions, and there's this little girl, maybe eight, and she says, well, if. How did she say it? It was. It was so innocent. It was like, well, if people know to do the right thing, then why don't they just do it? And I was like, I just felt. He's saying, oh, God bless you, poor little kid. So here I'm trying to explain, you know, the depravity of man and how fallen and how we prefer to do our sin. And, you know, she's eight years old. She hasn't yet chosen. To prefer to. To sin for her is a little disobedience to the parents, you know, maybe stealing a candy or so. But, you know, just the innocence of a child. And, you know, as a people, especially when you see what's on TV these days, how. How we've lost our innocence, how people revel in entertainment that like the Game of Thrones type series, they're just nothing but debauchery and murder and. And it's just awful. And yet you have a. You listen to a child wonder, why can't people just do good things? They should know better. And, you know, and during the Millennial Kingdom, the people who will live in that era will be just like that, though. Well, of course that's the right thing to do. Why would we not do it? It's kind of like the Eloy from the time machine, you know, perfectly innocent. They just didn't understand evil like the Morlocks. And. And it was just. It was a beautiful. I love the time machine. It's just such a beautiful story because it's thought of like in the distant future, humanity will be innocent again. And I'm looking forward to that. We're just too worldly as a people. And someday I. I'd love to see the innocence come back to humanity through Christ's salvation in the Millennial Kingdom.

Dave Batista Long (17:09)

Oh, that is so awesome, Nate. And God, I mean, it reminds you also God's call. Solomon the writer wrote the book of Proverbs. And in chapter nine, he. He. He speaks about wisdom. And it says in. In Proverbs 9:1 6, wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars, she has slaughtered her meat, she has mixed her wine. She has also furnished her table, she has sent out the maid servant, she cries out from the high places of the city. Whoever is simple, let him turn here. As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him, come to eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake foolishness and live and go in the way of understanding. And sometimes, Nathan, the. The simple people get it, the little children get it, but sometimes also think that they're so smart, they don't get it.

Nathan Jones (17:59)

Yeah. You know, as we get older and we start questioning more and more things and become more cynical, I. I think that's why the Lord talks about accepting him like a little child, come to me like little children. In other words, in just that gentle, unquestioning faith, that simple faith that the Lord loves so much, I love. Verse 8 here says, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation. He says back in verse six, the same thing. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not be abolished. So we see again and again the Lord saying, hey, you know, when you're with me, it is forever. It is permanent. It won't change. Your. Your salvation's assured. Your eternal life is assured. And yet, you know, brother, we put our hope and our faith in temporary things that satisfy fleetingly and then leave us empty and always looking for more things. It's so sad to watch the world chase after all these things, never satisfied. Oh, so. I mean, you said it, I think, earlier, that we live in a world that's so angry all the time and so miserable and unhappy, and it's because they have rejected their Savior. That's the answer to their problem. And yet when you bring up the fact they don't want it because they want to revel in their sin, it's. It's a truly sad state of affairs.

Dave Batista Long (19:23)

Well, Nathan. And it's. It's blindness. In these last days, the darkness has fallen over the point. We're called to awake. As we look at the next verses In Isaiah, chapter 51, we. We notice this call to wake up. So, Nate, if you're able to take us there, verses 17 through 19. And I'll read 20 through 22. That will be fantastic in Isaiah in case someone doesn't have a Bible.

Nathan Jones (19:50)

Okay, you might as well just read to 23. That'll bring us to the end of the chapter.

Dave Batista Long (19:53)

I mean, 23.

Nathan Jones (19:54)

Yes. Thank you. Okay. All right. 17 to 19. Awake. Awake. Stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury. You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling and drained it out. There is no one to guide her among all the sun she has brought forth. Nor is there any who takes her by the hand among all the sons she has brought up. These two things have come to you, who will be sorry for you. Desolation and destruction, famine and sword. By whom will I comfort you?

Dave Batista Long (20:24)

Verse 20. Your sons have fainted. They lie at the head of the streets like an antelope in. In a net. They are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of your God. Therefore, please hear this, you afflicted, and drink, but not with wine. Thus says the Lord. Excuse me. Drunk, but not with wine. Thus is the Lord the Lord your God, who pleads the cause of his people. See, I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling, the dregs of the cup of my fury. You shall no longer drink it, but I will put into your hand of those who afflicted you. You have said to you lie down that we may walk over you. And you have laid your body like the ground in the streets for those who walk over Nate. We see that affliction. We see those challenges even today as we're talking about this situation with Iran and Israel. And God is going to put an end to it.

Nathan Jones (21:21)

Yeah, yeah, it's, it's. It's a weird break all of a sudden. But if in your Bible you probably see that before verse 17, there's a break there. And we got to remember that the Old Testament, the Bible didn't have chapter and verse breaks. They were added much later by the monks during the Middle Ages. So it would seem that there's a, a whole new message here, Starting in verse 17 again, Isaiah, this could be another day that he's out there proclaiming the Lord's word, but he's calling upon Jerusalem to repent. Because Even though it's 700 BC it will only be another 100 years or so before God will then, in his patience, you know, he gives them 100 years or so, bring the Babylonians in to destroy Jerusalem for their continued rebellion against him. Now you have to go all the way back to Moses in Deuteronomy 18, where he tells the Jewish people this is last message to them. He says, hey, if you obey the Lord and stay with him, you will be blessed and your crops will be bountiful and your enemies will fear you. And you know, everything will be one of your children. You'll have many children and you'll be numerous. But then he says, if you Disobey me, that your enemies will multiply, your crops will fail, you know, your wombs will be barren, and if you continue to disobey, I will exile you out of your land. And that's exactly what Isaiah is saying is about to happen. He says it might be a hundred or so years away, but it's going to happen because they continually refuse to listen to Isaiah's message. And Ezekiel and Jeremiah after him, the minor prophets again and again, other than maybe Zechariah. For a short time, the people refused to listen to the prophets and. And it was very frustrating for even some of the prophets where they would complain, you know, like Elijah, you know, Lord, these people won't listen to me. And the God says, yeah, I know they won't, but I got to send them the message so that they're guilty for disobeying it, but I'll always keep a remnant. And so that's. Brother, that's always encouraging to me. When you look at the church, you know, we think of it as a remnant. A remnant, a small amount of people who've come out of this worldly system and put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Dave Batista Long (23:42)

Oh, man. Nathan, that is fantastic. And there's always a call to awake. And I believe that that's the thing is we can be easily lulled into sleep, especially with sin. And we see so much darkness. And the Bible tells us that we are the children of the light, that we are not to, excuse me, sleep as others do, but we are need to be children of the light. And it reminds me of First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Nate, where it speaks about those asleep in the night and those who get drunk at night. But let us, those who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love as a helmet of hope and salvation. And again, we are called to be different. We are called to again be alert. The Lord can come at any moment. But it seems like we have a sleeping nation, Nate. And same with Israel right now. We know that when it comes to the Messiah, they are in the dark. So we pray for them. We pray for their salvation. We know that their eyes will be opened and millions of them will come to know the Lord in the time of the tribulation. But as of right now, there's so many people that are in darkness.

Nathan Jones (24:53)

That's excellent point, because we have 2700 years to look back on. So we know that the Jewish people will get exiled to Babylon and a remnant will return, but they'll always be under a gentile control. And then in 70 AD, the Romans will exile them again. And for 1900 years, the Jewish people will wander the earth in exile as outcasts. But then the Lord said that he would call them back into their land and like dry bones, come back to life. Ezekiel 36 and 37, that they'd become a nation again. But they still have not a heart for their God. And this is where we get to verse 21, where the Lord's using please. Here he says, please hear this. And he's saying, who pleads? He's pleading the cause of his people, you know, and we have people today in Israel, Messianic Jews and Gentile missionaries who go to the Jewish people and say, please listen, a great holocaust is coming to you. It's. It's in the Bible. The Bible prophesies it. Repent, turn to the Lord while the time is short. And just like in Isaiah's time, brother, they just won't listen. They've hardened their hearts against God. And so what we're seeing in Israel today is no different than what it was 2700 years ago. It's the same peoples or peoples the same story. But you're right, a remnant. The Lord always preserves a remnant will go through this horrible tribulation time period that's prophesied and, and they will give their lives to Jesus Christ.

Dave Batista Long (26:21)

And Nate, that's why we continue to plead and send the message of love that God loves people. Satan has blinded their hearts. And we pray that if you're listening to this program right now, if you are, then God has softened your heart because you've been listening thus far and God has a message for you. And if you don't know the Lord, maybe this will be that opportunity that you will get to come and surrender your heart to him. Because time is drawn very near. So, Nate, maybe there is someone out there who doesn't have a relationship with God, but they have been sensitive to a program, they tuned in, or they're listening and they don't have a relationship, but maybe they desire to start one. How can they do that?

Nathan Jones (27:04)

Well, Jesus says, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. That's actually John said that in John 3:16. In other words, that the Lord loves you individual, not just the world, he loves the whole world, everything he's created. But he loves you so much so that even if you were the only person in the world, he still would have died on the cross for your sins. He sacrificed his own perfect life, taking your sins upon himself so that your punishment in hell could be placed on him. And when we put our faith and trust in Jesus, we accept that gift, then we then gain that forgiveness. We're no longer, as John 3:36 says, under the wrath of God anymore. We've been forgiven. And we cannot be restored to God until we are forgiven. So place your faith in Jesus Christ as your savior. Cry out to him. Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner and I've rebelled against you. Please forgive me. I love you, Lord, and I want you to be the Savior and to be the Lord of my life. And Jesus promises he will forgive you your sins. He's going to wash that guilt away, and you will inherit eternal life with him.

Dave Batista Long (28:22)

And we say hallelujah because maybe you accepted the Lord. Right now, wherever you are, Nathan and I want to congratulate you for making that decision. Decision. And there's a celebration for you in heaven. Feel free to give us a call at 305-992-9537. We would love to hear from you or write to us@webministeralamlion.com and that's why we rejoice every time we're able to share in this program. The book of Isaiah is exciting, but it's more exciting when people turn in repentance to him. Nate, what a timely message for such a time as this that we're living in, right?

Nathan Jones (28:57)

Absolutely. You know, it's funny. We have to read a message written 2700 years ago to realize how much it applies to us today.

Dave Batista Long (29:06)

Oh, man. And it's very applicable. But again, we thank you all for being part of today's program. We ran out of time for this segment of the program. Big Batista Nathan Jones, saying goodbye to the Lord. Bless you and keep you. May his face shine upon you. Have a great week.

Vic Batista (29:24)

The good news is finally here, friends. Listen to me. This is serious business. What the world needs today is Jesus. The Bible says in John 3:16, that for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.