CHAPTER 13 THE COMING ONE

The One you are looking for will come suddenly to his Temple
Bethlehem, the birthplace of my King
For unto us a Child is born
Good News to the suffering and afflicted
The Lord our Righteousness
David, my Servant – the Messiah, their King, their only Shepherd
See my Servant, my Chosen One
God’s program shall succeed and prosper in his hands
The Sun of Righteousness and another Prophet like Elijah
A Book of Remembrance
On Mount Zion, in Jerusalem
The Lord is coming to punish the people for their sins
The Holy Highway
New Heavens and a New Earth
The Scriptures came true today

The One you are looking for will come suddenly to his Temple
MALACHI 3:1-6
“Listen: I will send my messenger before me to prepare the way. And then the one you are looking for will come suddenly to his Temple – the Messenger of God’s promises, to bring you great joy. Yes, he is surely coming,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies. “But who can live when he appears? Who can endure his coming? For he is like a blazing fire refining precious metal and he can bleach the dirtiest garments!”
“Like a refiner of silver he will sit and watch closely as the dross (the scum, the waste part of molten metal of little or no value) is burned away. He will purify the Levites, the ministers of God, refining them like gold or silver, so that they will do their work for God with pure hearts. Then once more the Lord will enjoy the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did before. At that time my punishments will be quick and certain; I will move swiftly against wicked men who trick the innocent, against adulterers, and liars, against all those who cheat their employees, or oppress widows and orphans, or defraud (cheat or swindle) strangers, and do not fear me,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies. “For I am the Lord – I do not change. That is why you are not already utterly destroyed [for my mercy (my compassion) endures for ever].”

Bethlehem, the birthplace of my King
MICAH 5:2-5
O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but a small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past! God will abandon his people to their enemies until the time of Israel’s spiritual rebirth; then at last the exile remnants (remainders) of Israel will rejoin their brethren in their own land.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God, and his people shall remain there undisturbed, for he will be greatly honored all around the world. He will be our Peace.
ISAIAH 7:14
All right then, the Lord himself will choose the sign – a child shall be born to a virgin! And she shall call him Immanuel (meaning, “God is with us”).

For unto us a Child is born
ISAIAH 9:2-7
The people who walk in darkness shall see a great Light – a Light that will shine on all those who live in the land of the shadow of death. For Israel will again be great, filled with joy like that of reapers when the harvest time has come, and like that of men dividing up the plunder they have won. For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the vast host of the Midianites by Gideon’s little band. In that glorious day of peace there will no longer be the issuing of battle gear; no more of blood-stained uniforms of war; all such will be burned.
For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. These will be his royal titles: “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” “The Prince of Peace.” His ever-expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule with perfect fairness and justice from the throne of his father David. He will bring true justice and peace to all the nations of the world. This is going to happen because the Lord of heaven’s armies has dedicated himself to do it!

Good News to the suffering and afflicted
ISAIAH 61:1-11
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted. He has sent me to comfort the broken-hearted, to announce liberty to captives and to open the eyes of the blind. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of God’s favor to them has come, and the day of his wrath (his anger) to their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel he will give:
Beauty for ashes;
Joy instead of mourning;
Praise instead of heaviness.
For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks (forest trees bearing nuts or fruits of acorns) for his own glory.
And they shall rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities long ago destroyed, reviving them though they have lain there many generations. Foreigners shall be your servants; they shall feed your flocks and plough your fields and tend your vineyards. You shall be called priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. You shall be fed with the treasures of the nations and shall glory in their riches. Instead of shame and dishonor, you shall have a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy.
For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrong. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known and honored among the nations; all shall realize that they are a people God has blessed.
Let me tell you how happy God has made me! For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and draped about me the robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. The Lord will show the nations of the world his justice; all will praise him. His righteousness shall be like a budding tree, or like a garden in early spring, full of young plants springing up everywhere.

The Lord our Righteousness
JEREMIAH 23:5-8
For the time is coming, says the Lord, when I will place a Righteous Branch upon King David’s throne. He shall be a King who shall rule with wisdom and justice and cause righteousness to prevail everywhere throughout the earth.
And this is his name: The Lord our Righteousness. At that time Judah will be saved and Israel will live in peace.
In that day people will no longer say when taking an oath, “As the Lord lives who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt,” but they will say, “As the Lord lives who brought the Jews back to their own land of Israel from the countries to which he had exiled them.”
ISAIAH 11:1- 9
The Royal Line of David will be cut off, chopped down like a tree; but from the stump will grow a Shoot –yes, a new Branch from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel and might; the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight will be obedience to the Lord. He will not judge by appearance, false evidence, or hearsay (or rumor), but will defend the poor and the exploited (the cheated). He will rule against the wicked who oppress them. For he will be clothed with fairness and with truth.
In that day the wolf and the lamb will lie down together, and the leopard and goats will be at peace. Calves and fat cattle will be safe among lions, and a little child shall lead them all. The cows will graze among bears; cubs and calves will lie down together, and lions will eat grass like the cows. Babies will crawl safely among poisonous snakes, and a little child who puts his hand in a nest of deadly adders will pull it out unharmed. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so shall the earth be full of the knowledge of the Lord.

David, my Servant – the Messiah, their King, their only Shepherd
EZEKIEL 37:24-28
“And David, my Servant – the Messiah – shall be their King, their only Shepherd; and they shall obey my laws and all my wishes. They shall live in the Land of Israel where their fathers lived, the land I gave my servant Jacob. They and their children after them shall live there, and their grandchildren, for all generations. And my Servant David, their Messiah, shall be their Prince forever.
And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting pact. I will bless them and multiply them and put my Temple among them forever. And I will make my home among them. Yes, I will be their God and they shall be my people. And when my Temple remains among them, then the nations shall know that I, the Lord, have set Israel apart for special blessings.”
JEREMIAH 33:15-18 and 25-26
At that time I will bring to the throne the true Son of David, and he shall rule justly. In that day the people of Judah and Jerusalem shall live in safety and their motto (a saying adopted as a rule of conduct) will be, “The Lord is our Righteousness!” For the Lord declares that from then on, David shall forever have an heir (a person entitled to inherit property or rank, that is a position in relation to others) sitting on the throne of Israel. And there shall always be Levites to offer burnt offerings and meal offerings and sacrifices to the Lord.
But this is the Lord’s reply: I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws of night and day, of earth and sky. I will never abandon the Jews, or David my servant, or change the plan that this Child will some day rule these descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Instead I will restore their prosperity and have mercy on them.

See my Servant, my Chosen One
ISAIAH 42:1-9
See my Servant, whom I uphold; My Chosen One, in whom I delight. I have put my Spirit upon him; he will reveal justice (fair treatment) to the nations of the world. He will be gentle – he will not shout or quarrel in the streets. He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the dimly burning flame. He will encourage the faint hearted, those tempted to despair. He will see full justice given to all who have been wronged. He won’t be satisfied until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth, nor until even distant lands beyond the seas have put their trust in him.
The Lord God who created the heavens and stretched them out and created the earth and everything in it, and gives life and breath and spirit to everyone in all the world, he is the one who says [to his Servant, the Messiah],
“I the Lord have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will guard and support you, for I have given you my people as the personal confirmation of my covenant with them. You shall also be a light to guide the nations unto me. You will open the eyes of the blind, and release those who sit in prison darkness and despair. I am the Lord! That is my name, and I will not give my glory to anyone else; I will not share my praise with carved idols. Everything I prophesied came true, and now I will prophesy again, I will tell you the future before it happens.”
ISAIAH 52:7-15
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those bring the happy news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns. The watchmen shout and sing with joy, for right before their eyes they see the Lord God bring his people home again. Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
Go now, leave your bonds and slavery. Put Babylon and all it represents far behind you – it is unclean to you. You are the holy people of the Lord; purify yourselves (improve with moral goodness) all you who carry home the vessels of the Lord. You shall not leave in haste, running for your lives; for the Lord will go ahead of you, and he, the God of Israel, will protect you from behind.
See, my Servant shall prosper; he shall be highly exalted (raised up). Yet many shall be amazed when they see him – yes, even far-off foreign nations and their kings; they shall stand dumbfounded (amazed and confounded into silence), speechless in his presence. For they shall see and understand what they had not been told before. They shall see my Servant beaten and bloodied, so disfigured one would scarcely know it was a person standing there. So shall he cleanse (purify) many nations.

God’s program shall succeed and prosper in his hands
ISAIAH 53:1-12
But, oh, how few believe it! Who will listen? To whom will God reveal his saving power? In God’s eyes he was like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile (barren) ground. But in our eyes there was no attractiveness at all, nothing to make us want him. We despised (and looked down on) and rejected (and refused to accept) him – a man of sorrows (and distress), acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised and we didn’t care.
Yet it was our grief he bore, our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, for his own sins! (for his own disobedience of God’s Laws!) But he was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was chastised (and punished) that we might have peace; he was lashed – and we were healed! We are the ones who strayed away like sheep! We, who left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet God laid on him the guilt (the wrongdoing) and sins (the breaking of God’s Laws) of every one of us.
He was oppressed (and harassed) and he was afflicted (and endured pain and suffering) yet he never said a word. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he stood silent before the ones condemning him. From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people of that day realized it was their sins (their disobedience of God’s Laws) that he was dying for – that he was suffering their punishment? He was buried like a criminal in a rich man’s grave; but he had done no wrong, and had never spoken an evil word.
Yet it was the Lord’s good plan to bruise him and fill him with grief. But when his soul had been made an offering for sin, then he shall have a multitude of children, many heirs (many people entitled to an inheritance).
He shall live again and God’s program shall prosper in his hands. And when he sees all that is accomplished by the anguish (the great mental and bodily pain) of his soul, he shall be satisfied; and because of what he has experienced, my righteous Servant shall make many to be counted righteous before God, for he shall bear all their sins.
Therefore I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great, because he has poured out his soul unto death. He was counted as a sinner, and he bore the sins of many, and he pleaded with God for sinners (all those who have disobeyed God’s Laws).

The Sun of Righteousness and another Prophet like Elijah
MALACHI 4:1-6
“Watch now,” the Lord of heaven’s armies declares, “the day of judgment is coming, burning like a furnace (with great heat). The proud and wicked will be burned up like straw; like a tree, they will be consumed – roots and all.”
“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out of pasture. Then you will tread upon the wicked as ashes underfoot,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies. “Remember to obey the laws I gave all Israel through Moses my servant on Mount Horeb.”
“See, I will send you another prophet like Elijah before the coming of the great and dreadful (and horrible) judgment day of God. His preaching will bring fathers and children together again, to be of one mind and heart, for they will know that if they do not repent (that is turn around, face God, and obey my Laws instead), I will come and utterly destroy their land.”

A Book of Remembrance
MALACHI 3:16-18
Then those who feared and loved the Lord spoke often of him to each other. And he had a Book of Remembrance drawn up in which he recorded the names of those who feared him (with the deepest respect and wonder) and loved to think about him.
“They shall be mine,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies, “in that day when I make up my jewels (my precious stones). And I will spare them as a man spares an obedient and dutiful (and respectful) son. Then you will see the difference between God’s treatment of good men and bad (men), between those who serve (and assist) him and those who don’t (serve and assist him).”

On Mount Zion, in Jerusalem
ISAIAH 25:1-12
O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God; you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them, just as you said! You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. The strongest forts are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong nations will shake with fear before you; ruthless nations will obey and glorify (and honor) your name.
But to the poor, O Lord, you are a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, a shelter from merciless men (having no compassion) who are like driving rain that melts down an earthen wall.
As a hot, dry land is cooled by clouds, you will cool the pride of ruthless (pitiless) nations. Here on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the Lord of heaven’s armies will spread a wonderful feast for everyone around the world – a delicious feast of good food, with clear, well-aged wine and choice beef. At that time he will remove the clouds of gloom (of sadness and depression), the pall (the dark cloud) of death that hangs over the earth; he will swallow up (consume and completely destroy) death forever.
The Lord God will wipe away all tears and take away forever all insults (abuse) and mockery (and ridicule) against his land and people. The Lord has spoken – he will surely do it!
In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God, in whom we trust, for whom we waited. Now at last he is here.” What a day of rejoicing (of great happiness)! For the Lord’s good hand will rest upon Jerusalem, and Moab (east of the Dead Sea) will be crushed as straw beneath his feet and left to rot. God will push them down just as a swimmer pushes down the water with his hands. He will end their pride and all their evil works. The high walls of Moab will be demolished and brought to dust.

The Lord is coming to punish the people for their sins
(their disobedience of God’s Laws)
ISAIAH 26:1-21
Listen to them singing! In that day the whole land of Judah will sing this song:
“Our city is strong! We are surrounded by the walls of his salvation!” Open the gates to everyone, for all may enter in who love the Lord. He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength. He humbles the proud and brings the haughty (and arrogant) city to the dust; its walls come crashing down. He presents it to the poor and needy for their use.
But for the good men the path is not uphill and rough. God does not give them a rough and treacherous path, but smooths the road before them. O Lord, we love to do your will! Our hearts’ desire is to glorify your name. All night long I search for you; earnestly I seek for God; for only when you come in judgment on the earth to punish it will people turn away from wickedness (all thoughts, speech and actions against God’s Laws) and do what is right.
Your kindness to the wicked doesn’t make them good; they keep on doing wrong and take no notice of your majesty (of your sovereignty). They do not listen when you threaten; they will not look to see your upraised fist. Show them how much you love your people. Perhaps then they will be ashamed! Yes, let them be burned up by the fire reserved for your enemies.
Lord, grant us peace; for all we have and are has come from you. O Lord our God, once we worshipped other gods; but now we worship you alone. Those we served before are dead and gone; never again will they return. You came against them and destroyed them, and they are long forgotten. O praise the Lord! He has made our nation very great. He has widened the boundaries of our land!
Lord, in their distress they sought for you. When your punishment was on them, they poured forth a whispered prayer. How we missed your presence, Lord! We suffered as a woman giving birth, who cries and writhes (and rolls about) in pain. We too have writhed in agony, but all to no avail (to no use or benefit). No deliverance has come from all our efforts. Yet we have this assurance: Those who belong to God shall live again. Their bodies shall rise again! Those who dwell in the dust shall awake and sing for joy! For God’s light of life will fall like dew (moisture from the air) upon them.
Go home, my people, and lock the doors! Hide for a little while until the Lord’s wrath (the Lord’s anger) against your enemies has passed. Look! The Lord is coming from the heavens to punish the people of the earth for their sins (for their disobedience of God’s Laws). The earth will no longer hide the murderers. The guilty will be found.

The Holy Highway
ISAIAH 35:1-10
Even the wilderness and desert will rejoice in those days; the desert will blossom with flowers. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the Lebanon Mountains, as lovely as Mount Carmel’s pastures and Sharon’s meadows; for the Lord will display his glory (and splendor) there, the excellency ( the superiority) of our God.
With this news bring cheer (and encouragement) to all discouraged ones. Encourage those who are afraid. Tell them, “Be strong, fear not, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you. And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf. The lame (the crippled) man will leap up like a deer, and those who could not speak will shout and sing! Springs will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground will become a pool, with springs of water in the thirsty land. Where desert jackals (wild dogs) lived, there will be reeds and rushes!

And a main road will go through that once-deserted land; it will be named “The Holy Highway.” No evil hearted men may walk upon it. God will walk there with you; even the most stupid (the most foolish) cannot miss the way. No lion will lurk (and lie hidden) along its course, nor will there be any other dangers; only the redeemed (those set free from sin by God) will travel there. These, the ransomed (released from captivity) of the Lord, will go home along that road to Zion, singing the songs of everlasting joy. For them all sorrow and sighing will be gone forever; only joy and gladness will be there.

New Heavens and a New Earth
ISAIAH 65:16-25
And yet, the days will come when all who invoke (and pray) a blessing or take an oath shall swear by the God of Truth; for I will put aside my anger and forget the evil that you did. For see, I am creating new heavens and a new earth – so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones any more. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation. Look! I will recreate Jerusalem as a place of happiness, and her people shall be a joy (a delight)! And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and in my people; and the voice of weeping and crying shall not be heard there any more.
No longer will babies die when only a few days old; no longer will men be considered old at 100! Only sinners will die that young! In those days, when a man builds a house, he will keep on living in it – it will not be destroyed by invading armies as in the past. My people will plant vineyards and eat the fruit themselves – their enemies will not confiscate (and seize) it. For my people will live as long as trees and will long enjoy their hard-won gains. Their harvests will not be eaten by their enemies; their children will not be born to be cannon fodder (fighting men and women considered only as something to be used up in war). For they are the children of those the Lord has blessed (and made happy). I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw as the ox does, and poisonous snakes shall strike no more! In those days nothing and no one shall be hurt or destroyed in all my Holy Mountain, says the Lord.

These Scriptures came true today
LUKE 4:16-21
When Jesus came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on Saturday, and stood up to read the Scriptures. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him, and he opened it to the place where it says:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor; he has sent me to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessings to all who come to him.”
He closed the book and handed it back to the attendant and sat down, while everyone in the synagogue gazed at him intently. Then Jesus added, “These Scriptures came true today!”