Introduction:

We are living in the time of the end. The fast-fulfilling signs of the times declare that the coming of Christ is near at hand. The days in which we live are solemn and important. The Spirit of God is gradually but surely being withdrawn from the earth. Plagues and judgments are already falling upon the despisers of the grace of God. The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are portentous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude. {9T 11.1}

The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating. They are strengthening for the last great crisis. Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones. {9T 11.2}

The condition of things in the world shows that troublous times are right upon us. The daily papers are full of indications of a terrible conflict in the near future. Bold robberies are of frequent occurrence. Strikes are common. Thefts and murders are committed on every hand. Men possessed of demons are taking the lives of men, women, and little children. Men have become infatuated with vice, and every species of evil prevails. {9T 11.3}

Our Sabbath School Lesson this week has no other significance than what we will be in our time. As the all scriptures is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" 2Tim 3:16. That "we" may be made "perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works". verse 17.

This lesson has prophetic significance in our days as we face confederation of all nations against God's people but remember EMMANUEL - GOD WITH US and we need not fear because we believe God will deliver His people because they had been established as a ROCK like Christ after the stone will be "cut without hands" Dan. 2:35, 45 which is Christ's Kingdom established in the days of these kings. verse 44.

The following is our outline as we search deeper into the mine of truth.

A. Dangerous Times - Isaiah 7:1-2

B. Believe to be Established - Isaiah 7:3-9

C. Ask for a Sign - Isaiah 7:10-13

D. The Sign: A Virgin and a Child - Isaiah 7:14

E. Immanuel, "God with Us" - Isaiah 7:14

For more information and integration of the truth therewith, please click the links below:

1. The MIGHTY STONE and the GREAT IMAGE of Daniel 2 https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/5-mighty-stone-and-the-great-image-of-daniel-2?authuser=0

2. The Universal DAIRY of Isaiah 7 https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/11-1-the-universal-dairy?authuser=0

3. The Eleventh Hour Call of Matt. 20 https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/1-the-eleventh-hour-call?authuser=0

Memory Verse:

"If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established". Isaiah 7:9

Prayer Thought:

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. Matthew 1:18-25. {CSA 4.3}

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. {CSA 4.4}

A. Dangerous Times - Isaiah 7:1-2

“And it was told to the house of David, saying, ‘Syria’s forces are deployed in Ephraim.’ So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.” (Isaiah 7:2)

Why three titles to the once-divided kingdom? (Judah, Ephraim and Israel)

What is the representation of Ephraim in verse 2?

The term "Ephraim," in the collective sense, also designates the ten tribes or northern kingdom (Isa. 7:1, 2) because the tribe of Ephraim ruled over it. Thus the eponyms "Israel" (when used exclusively of the ten tribes) and "Ephraim" are applicable to the northern division, and the eponym "Judah" to the southern division, of God's ancient people. {2Ans 74}

1. Dangerous is Spiritual Pride

Brethren, remember that "there is no pride so dangerous as spiritual pride. -- Testimonies to Ministers p. 109.

Foreseeing that the message was to find you full of self-complacence over your spiritual attainments, the Lord mercifully forewarned you: "Thou art neither cold nor hot;" that is, thou art lukewarm, satisfied. "I would thou wert cold or hot," -- dissatisfied, -- wanting everything rather than feeling that you have need of nothing. Then you would not by your actions be saying, "I am rich, and increased with goods and have need of nothing," -- neither truth nor prophets, -- but would know that "thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." {2Tr 60}

2. Reminders through this Prophetic Truth

Remember that though the Lord in His great mercy has called you out of darkness to walk in His marvelous light, yet if you walk not therein, your light shall become darkness and your goods a booty. Says the Lord: "I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare." Ezek. 16:7. But "as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Rev. 3:19. Or "therefore will I return, and take away My corn in the time thereof, and My wine in the season thereof, and will recover My wool and My flax given to cover her nakedness." Hos. 2:9.

3. Take Heed for we are in a Dangerous Times

Take heed, Brethren, lest by your willful course you incur God's displeasure and (speaking in the mixed figures of these correlative prophecies) in His awful wrath He strip you naked, and "spue thee out of [His] mouth." Then you will be "hot," but to no avail, for it will be forever too late to change and though like Esau you shall weep bitterly the Lord shall not hear you. No more honest in their deception than are you in yours, yet the Jews at least gave audience to Christ, where as you have not been that fair. Not-withstanding that Inspiration characterizes you as "blind" and in "a terrible deception" (Testimonies Vol. 3, p. 254), you are setting yourselves up as wise spiritual guides, even demanding that Inspiration bow down to your decision as to what shall or what shall not be brought before God's people! Your behavior is as unreasonable as the strictures of the ancient scribes and Pharisees against the teachings of Christ! {2Tr 61}

Note the Historical Significance with Prophetic Truth:

• Those weren’t good times for the kingdom of Judah. Edom and the Philistines were troubling them (2 Chronicles 28:17-18). Besides, the kings of Israel and Syria joined forces to overthrow Ahaz and to crown the son of Tabel as a stooge (Isaiah 7:6).

• They did that to become stronger because Assyria was becoming a serious threat. They were boosting their military power under the reign of Tiglath-Pileser III.

• Impious King Ahaz asked Assyria for help. It looked like a good idea then, but this plan backfired (2 Kings 16:9; 2 Chronicles 28:20).

B. Believe to be Established - Isaiah 7:3-9

“If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.” (Isaiah 7:9)

What happen within the ancient Israel as people of God? Are they in good terms or fighting each other?

Ancient Israel as a nation and a government were obliged to protect their own property, people, and families--even by the sword. But they were not to war against their own brethren. When the ten-tribe kingdom, Israel, confederated with Syria to war against the two-tribe kingdom, Judah, God's curse rested upon both Syria and Israel, and each was consequently broken by the king of Assyria. (See Isaiah 7:1-8; 8:4). {5Ans. 72}

That is, though ancient Judah was not to suffer defeat by the confederacy of Israel and Syria, she was, nevertheless, also to be brought under tribute to ancient Assyria. And, as we shall see, the spirit of this confederacy did not end with that of ancient Israel and Syria. {14Tr 32}

We, as God's people must not fight amongst us but will be obedient to God's guidance through His sent message and warnings.

1. Personal Investigation to Learn What is Truth

"We must study the truth for ourselves. No man should be relied upon to think for us. No matter who he is, or in what position he may be placed, we are not to look upon any man as a criterion for us. We are to counsel together, and to be subject one to another; but at the same time we are to exercise the ability God has given us, in order to learn what is truth. Each one of us must look to God for divine enlightenment. We must individually develop a character that will stand the test in the day of God. We must not become set in our ideas, and think that no one should interfere with our opinions." -- Testimonies To Ministers, pp. 109, 110.

2. Depending on God not Man

"God wants us to depend upon Him, and not upon man. He desires us to have a new heart; He would give us revealings of light from the throne of God." -- Testimonies To Ministers, pg. 111.

"...Whatever may be his position of authority, no one has a right to shut away the light from the people. When a message comes in the name of the Lord to His people, no one may excuse himself from an investigation of its claims." -- Counsels On Sabbath School Work, pg. 28.

• Ahaz took his impiety to the extreme. He was the first king of Judah to sacrifice his own son to the idols (2 Kings 16:3). God let all those difficulties happen so he could reconsider his excessive madness (2 Chronicles 28:5, 19).

• Isaiah visited Ahaz along with his son Shear-Jashub (“A remnant shall return”). He gave the king a message of hope and begged him to trust God’s power (Isaiah 7:3-4).

• Those dangerous kings (Pekah and Rezin) were just smoke for God. If Ahaz trusted God, his kingdom would stand (Isaiah 7:5-7, 9).

C. Ask for a Sign - Isaiah 7:10-13

“‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.’ But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.’” (Isaiah 7:11-12 NIV)

Historical Background and It's Prophetic Truth

ISAIAH, CHAPTER 7, VERSES 1-16. "And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it. And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.... "Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: Thus saith the Lord God, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus [not heaven], and the head of Damascus is Rezin [not the Lord]; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim [the ten-tribe kingdom] be broken, that it be not a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria [not heaven], and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son [not the Lord]. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.

"Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land [Syria and Israel] that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings [Rezin and Pekah]."

D. The Sign: A Virgin and a Child - Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son […]” (Isaiah 7:14)

It is agreed that the child here spoken of prophetically, is Christ. And according to these verses, He was prescribed a special diet, as was John the Baptist (Luke 1:15; Matt. 3:4). Yet there is no record showing that Christ's diet was ever of literal "butter and honey." There is record, though, that He did eat of all the sanctified foods that were commonly used by the Jews in His time. And "John came," said Christ, "neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil." Matt. 11:18. Thus on the word of the Lord Himself, John did not eat everything that the Jews ate. As a matter of fact he lived on "locusts and wild honey." Mark 1:6. Nevertheless, the Jews found fault, and accused him of being fanatical and out of his mind. {6Tr 32}

Since, as has already been pointed out, Christ ("Immanuel") did not live in the time of such a confederacy, it must be that not only Israel, Syria, and Assyria are types, but Christ Himself is also a type. We learned that Immanuel (meaning, "God with us") could represent only His true followers, the born-again Christians. {12SC 1.5}

True Christianity is a growth. It is plant-like. Christ Himself is represented as a Branch (Isa. 11:1), and His kingdom as a mustard seed (Matt. 13:31, 32) which after it is planted becomes a tree, the greatest of its kind. But since the literal tree must necessarily feed on physical food, likewise the spiritual tree must necessarily feed on spiritual food, on such as the Branch Itself was fed:

"Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good." Isa. 7:14, 15.

E. Immanuel, "God with Us" - Isaiah 7:14

“[…] and shall call His name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

1. Immanuel belongs to Christ

According to St. Matthew, chapter 1, verse 23, the name Immanuel belongs to Christ, and by interpretation it means "God with us." Plainly, then, the exclamation "O Immanuel," shows that Inspiration is speaking to Christ. And since He could not be thus addressed before He was born of a woman and received the name Immanuel, it is obvious that this association of peoples is to be found in the Christian era, in the era in which Immanuel lives.

2. Christ at His First Advent

Surely all of us agree that this passage of Scripture is a forecast of the Emmanuel of Matthew 1:23 -- Christ at His first advent. The fact, however, that Christ ate all manner of lawful food, and was even accused of being a "gluttonous man, and a winebibber" (Luke 7:34), eating with "publicans and sinners" (Mark 2:16), makes it transparently clear that this diet of "butter and honey" is not literal. Moreover, the fact that butter and honey possess absolutely no virtue to endue one with wisdom and will to choose the good and to refuse the evil, no, no more than do other articles of food, shows conclusively that this "butter and honey" are figurative of something special, just as the fly and the bee of Isaiah 7:18 are figurative of Egypt and Assyria. And of what else could it be but of spiritual food, the kind that builds up moral character, that makes one "refuse the evil, and choose the good?" And from what source other than the Scriptures could such food come? And what else, moreover, could the honey represent but the sweet Spirit of God that blesses everyone's sincere study of and simple faith in the Word?

3. Christianity as Spiritual Plant which denotes God with US as part of HIM

Manifestly, therefore, this butter-and-honey symbolism infallibly tells us that Immanuel, Christ, was enabled to discern and to overcome sin by His study of the Bible -- by digesting Its contents and allowing them to become a part of Him. This was His sweetest delight, as the symbolical honey reveals. Thus it was that "He said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of" (John 4:32), and, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matt. 4:4.

Accordingly, the truth is evident that Christianity is a spiritual plant, feeding on the Word of God as unfolded by the sweet Spirit of Truth. Consequently if Christ our Examplar thus wise "increased in wisdom..., and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52), then it is even more essential that we, His followers, live on the same Word, on the same butter and honey, if we are to possess true, life-sustaining, life-preserving Christianity. Indeed we are told precisely that in the next verses of Isaiah's prophecy:

4. Prophetic Implication of God with US

"And it shall come to pass in that day, that a man shall nourish a young cow, and two sheep; and it shall come to pass, for the abundance of milk that they shall give he shall eat butter: for butter and honey shall every one eat that is left in the land." Isa. 7:21, 22. {2TG 45.4}

Now the statement "Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us," plainly says what I tried to tell you -- that the nations, including the churches, have left Immanuel, "God with us," out of their plans, that what they are trying to do they are doing on their own initiative and resources for the words "God is with us" coming from one who is not with the assemblies of the people, clearly implies that Immanuel is not with them, and that therefore their work shall come to naught.

5. Current Events are fulfilling as it was Prophesied

Isa. 8:8-10 -- "And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to nought; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us." From these scriptures it is seen that the current events brought about by the two opposing blocks, the east and the west, are not going to work out according to human planning, that the plans made by the confederation of nations and people are to come to naught except they consult God and take Him into partnership. {2TG 41.19}

"Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good." Isa. 7:14, 15.

These verses certainly forecast the first advent of Christ, but the Scriptures also say that Christ ate of whatever lawful food was set before Him: "John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children." Matt. 11:18, 19.

The butter and honey, then, must be symbolic, and what can they symbolize but the Word of God, the source from which Jesus learned to choose the good and to refuse the evil? He has set the example, and Inspiration plainly warns that "butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the land." Isa. 7:22. Obviously, those who do not eat this spiritual butter and honey shall be taken out of the way, shall not be left in the land. "Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left." Isa. 24:6. {2TG 19.4}

From the Pen of Inspiration:

“‘Emmanuel, God with us.’ This means everything to us. What a broad foundation does it lay for our faith! What a hope big with immortality does it place before the believing soul! God with us in Christ Jesus to accompany us every step of the journey to heaven!” {AG 201.5}

The Lord's counsel is: "Precious light is to shine forth from the Word of God, and let no one presume to dictate what shall or what shall not be brought before the people in the messages of enlightenment that He shall send, and so quench the Spirit of God. Whatever may be his position of authority, no one has a right to shut away the light from the people." -- Testimonies on Sabbath School Work p. 65.