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Post by boraddict on Mar 19, 2020 7:50:36 GMT -6
Isaiah used all the linguistic devices available to him to seal his work so that it could travel down through time to his intended audience which is us. So beginning with one of the dominant linguistic devices that he used, the chiasmus, then Chapter 18 is constructed as follows:
v. 18:1
v. 18:2
v. 18:3
v. 18:4, and this is the center that provides the emphasis of the chiasmus that can be used as an aid to interpret the chapter
v. 18:5
v. 18:6
v. 18:7
So let's look at Isa. 18:4 KJV from which I am using as follows: "For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest." Please notice that this verse (the chiasmus center) has two speakers the first of which is Isaiah and the second is the Savior, additionally, there are two parts at the end of the verse. So, we have a chiasmus in Verse 18:4 that appears as follows:
"For so the LORD said unto me,
I will take my rest,
and I will consider in my dwelling place
like a clear heat upon herbs,
and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."
From the above verse chiasmus it is obvious that the emphasis of verse 18:4 is that the Lord "will consider (that which is taking place) in (his) dwelling place." So what is it that is taking place in the Savior's dwelling place. As you may know, the Savior's dwelling place is the saints that are alive upon the earth. So, what is taking place that the Lord is considering as stated in the verse? 1) it is something like "a clear heat upon herbs" (the saints), and, 2) it is like "a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest." So, let's connect the links in the verse chiasmus for further clarification; and coming from the center of the verse is the first part as follows:
1) I (Jesus) will take my rest like a clear heat upon herbs; meaning, that he is not going to stop the heat upon the saints.
2) The Lord said unto me like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest; meaning, that the cooling and refreshing dew that is Christ is upon the saints as they feel the heat of the harvest.
From this chiasmus center (v. 18:4) several things are established for the correct interpretation of Chapter 18 and some of these are:
1) the chapter is set up with pairs of items and this is self evident especially in Isa. 18:5 as well as some of the other verses.
2) there are two speakers in the chapter
3) the chapter pertains to the harvest
4) the chapter pertains to the saints
5) but most of all, the Savior is involved while the heat of harvest is upon the saints
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Post by boraddict on Mar 27, 2020 0:02:31 GMT -6
Proceeding to the 1st chiasmatic parallel in Chapter 18 that are Isa. 18:3, 5 KJV.
Please notice that the "ensign" in Verse 18:3 is such that all nations of the world will see the ensign and then hear the trumpet. The chiasmus of the verse is as follows:
1) "All ye inhabitants of the world,
2) and dwellers on the earth,
1) see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains;
2) and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye"
Please notice that the verse is set up with two pairs and is more appropriately constructed as follows:
1) All ye inhabitants of the world see ye when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains (nations)
2) and dwellers on the earth hear ye when he bloweth a trumpet
Thus, there are two events described in Verse 18:3.
Now on to Verse 18:5 that parallels Verse 18:3.
"For afore the harvest,
when the bud is perfect,
and the sour grape is ripening in the flower,
he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks,
and take away and cut down the branches."
I have often considered that this verse is saying that the harvest has begun; however, according to the chiasmus Isaiah is saying that before the harvest the Savior will do two things.
1) Cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and as you probably know the sprigs are the missionaries. Thus, the missionaries are abruptly cut off from their parent churches and this lines up with today's events wherein the missionaries are left in the countries that the are in.
2) And, take away and cut down the branches and this is the attack upon christain churches that is yet to begin. This should be no surprise due to the language in Dan. 7:25 and Rev. 13:7.
Thus, the structure of the verse is more appropriately stated as follows:
"For afore (before) the harvest,
1) when the bud (missionary work) is perfect he shall cut off the sprigs (missionaries) with pruning hooks, (cut off as in not able to go home)
2) and the sour grape ripening in the flower he shall take away and cut down the branches.
The parallels between Verses 18:3 and 18:5 are:
1) the ensign is the event that strands the missionaries and this is the virus
2) the trumpet is the action against the churches
As a result of this parallel I am convinced that the Christian churches will come under persecution in the near future.
Side note: the "bud" is parallel to "sour grape" and secondly, "perfect" is parallel to "ripening in the flower." Thus, the bud is a sour grape that is perfectly ripening in the bloom of the flower. That is, the gospel message is being shared and accepted. That is, the timining of this event is when missionary work and the expansion of the Christian movement is growing world wide.
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Post by boraddict on Mar 27, 2020 7:03:16 GMT -6
Continuing with my personal analysis of Isaiah 18.
On to the second chiasmatic parallel of Chapter 18 that is Isa. 18:2, 6 and I am using the KJV to wit:
"That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!"
In my opinion this is the funnest verse of the chapter and as you can see the missionaries are sent to the nation that is scattered and peeled. This event took place about the time when the Soviet Union fell and I had thought that Chapter 18 was referencing Russia. However, now I can conclude that the nation referenced in this chapter is China and the chiasmus of the verse is as follows:
e) That sendeth ambassadors by the sea,
c) even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters,
a) saying, Go, ye swift messengers,
to a nation scattered and peeled
b) to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto;
d) a nation meted out and trodden down,
f) whose land the rivers have spoiled!
As you can see, the emphasis of the verse is "a nation scattered and peeled." So following the parallels in the verse:
a) the messengers (missionaries) were sent to b) the people that are terrible from their beginning
c) the ambassadors (missionaries) were sent upon the waters (literal as well as metaphorical) to the nation meted out and trodden down
e) and the missionaries were sent f) to the people and nation whose land the rivers (armies) have spoiled (meaning ravaged). So now I can see that the great China wall symbolically represents a nation that has been ravaged by armies.
This verse (18:2) is pretty clear and concise so now let's look at the parallel that is Verse 18:6.
"They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them."
In this verse Isaiah are referencing the missionaries as well as the churches from which the came and it is an opposite of Verse 18:2 that is consistent with many chiasmi that are opposites in the parallels. The verse chiasmus is as follows:
They shall be left together
unto the fowls of the mountains,
and to the beasts of the earth:
and the fowls shall summer upon them,
and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.
So here we see that the missionaries as well as the churches from which they came are 1) subject to the beasts (wicked) of the earth, and that the fouls of the nations (mountains) will summer upon them and this is a reference to the point that they are fed upon by the locals within the nations. Secondly, they, meaning the missionaries as well as the churches from which they came are wintered upon by the beasts of the earth. Again we see the two things as referenced in the previous parallel (vv. 18:3, 5) that are the action caused by the virus that closes off the missionaries from their homes and the attack upon the Christian churches. However, now we are given a timeline that is they are summered upon by the locals and wintered upon by the beasts (governments, wicked, etc) of the earth. Side Note: this in the Book of Revelation harmonizes with the fall of Babylon that is the fall of capitalism (Rev. 13).
Side note: birds referenced as fouls means locals because they do not stray far from their homes (nest).
Additionally, from the previous parallel (vv. 18:3, 5) the harvest has not yet began here in Chapter 18; so, all of this is pre-tribulation meaning pre-rise of the beast (pre-Rev. 13). Thus, the beasts feeding upon the saints are the localized but not yet globalized governments.
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Post by boraddict on Mar 31, 2020 8:36:02 GMT -6
Continuing with my analysis of Isaiah 18 is the last parallel that is Verses 1 and 7. These two verses appear to have less in common than the two sisters verses Isa. 18:2 and Isa. 18:7 that share the theme of "a people scattered and pealed" (KJV) as well as "meted our and trodden down." My guess is that Isaiah placed the common phraseology in Verses 2 and 7 to draw the reader away from the chiasmatic parallel that exists between Verses 1 and 7. So let's look at the primary emphasis of both of these parallel verses as follows:
Isa. 18:1 KJV "Woe to the land
shadowing with wings,
which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia."
Isa. 18:7 KJV "In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts
of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto;
a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled,
to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.
Please notice that the woe in Verse 1 is the present of verse 7. Also notice that the armies (rivers) of Ethiopia are parallel the nation (mount) Zion. Therefor, the army of Ethiopia of Verse 1 is the army of mount Zion and this is the Christians; because, in Isa. 18:2 we have the missionaries sent out and that is God's army. Therefore, the people referenced in Verse 7 are the target of the missionaries and they are the shadow referenced in Verse 1; the wings being the saints that sent them. Therefore, the woe is to the land of the saints because the armies (rivers) of Verse 7 target their land. Therefore, since the ensign of Isa. 18:3 KJV is the virus then it was intentionally sent from China as an attack upon the U. S. ; the land that is referenced in Verse 18:1.
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