Isaiah 1:23
Your rulers are rogues
And cronies of thieves,
Every one avid for presents
And greedy for gifts.

The majority of ‘people’ ‘take no thought’ and the leaders are rogues; the typical realities at the end of an age. (references from the new translation of the Tanakh)

Isaiah 2:2
In the days to come,
The Mount of the Lord’s House
Shall stand firm above the mountains.
And tower above the hills’
And all the nations
Shall gaze upon it with joy.
And the many peoples shall go and say:
"Come, let us go up to the Mount of the Lord,
To the House of God of Jacob;
That He may instruct us in His ways,
And that we may walk in His paths."
For instruction shall come forth from Zion
The word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Then he will judge among the nations
And arbitrate for the many peoples,
And they shall beat their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not take up
Sword against nation;
They shall never again know war.

     War will cease forever when Melchizedek takes sovereignty. The "mount of the Lord’s house" is the present temple mount of modern Israel on which the 3rd Temple will be built and in which "the presence of the Lord" (Melchizedek’s semi-material form) will dwell once again. The nations will be judged and the world’s corrupt leadership will be deposed and replaced by those of true merit. Melchizedek will personally instruct, judge, arbitrate and do away with war on this world. If not for divine intervention, the world as we know it would have perished.The Lord continues to speak through Isaiah to the leaders:

Isaiah 4:2
In that day,
The radiance of the Lord
Will lend beauty and glory,
And the splendor of the land
Will give dignity and majesty
To the survivors of Israel
And those who remain in Zion. (the remnant)

Isaiah 5:20
Ah,
those who call evil good
And good evil;
Who present darkness as light
And light as darkness;
Ah,
Those who are so wise—
In their own opinion;
So clever—
In their own judgment!

Isaiah 10:20-22
And in that day,
The remnant of Israel
And the escaped of the House of Jacob
Shall lean no more upon him
That beats it,
But shall lean sincerely
On the Lord, the Holy One of Israel
Only a remnant shall return,
Only a remnant of Jacob,
To mighty God.
Even if your people, O Israel,
Should be as the sands of the sea,
Only a remnant shall return.

Note here again, there returns two remnants: "The Israel remnant," the remnant of the Northern Ten Tribes who lost their identity and have never returned; and the remnant of the "House of Jacob" probably referring to the remnant of the Jews/Judah, those who will escape the future destruction of modern Israel. Also note again the phrase "sand of the sea " to refer to the multitudes of the Lost Ten Tribes. Remember, "Israel" (the Northern Tribes) is composed mainly of the "myriads" of Joseph’s chosen son Ephraim and the "multitudes" of his other son Manasseh. We will identify this large group of people soon. Both Ephraim and Manasseh were to be abundantly blessed; past, present and future. God and Melchizedek have temporarily allowed the land of Canaan to be taken from Jacob (Judah and Israel) in consequence to their backsliding; but they never take away their love for them or the promises they gave Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These promises will be made good in the years directly ahead of us. Now we next have:

He (the Lord Melchizedek) will hold up a signal to the nations
And assemble the banished of Israel (northern ten lost tribes)
And gather the dispersed of Judah (the Jewish remnant)
From the four corners of the earth. (my parentheses)

Isaiah 12:5
Hymn the Lord,
For He has done gloriously;
Let this be known
In all the world!
Oh, shout for joy,
You who dwell in Zion!
For great in your midst
Is the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 24:14
These shall lift up their voices,
Exult in the majesty of the Lord.
They shall shout from the sea:
Therefore honor the Lord with lights
In the coastlands of the sea—…
From the end of the earth
We hear singing.
Glory to the righteous!

Isaiah 24:18
For sluices are opened on high,
And earth’s foundations tremble.
The earth is breaking, breaking;
The earth is crumbling, crumbling.
The earth is tottering, tottering;
The earth is swaying like a drunkard;
It is rocking to and fro like a hut.
Its iniquity shall weigh it down …
In that day, the Lord will punish
The host of heaven in heaven
And the kings of the earth on earth.

This stanza indicates large-scale motions and disruptions in the earth at the time when "the Lord" arrives to establish peace. This may represent large scale tectonic activity or possibly even shifting of the poles as discussed in the chapter on Emily Dickinson. In that day confirms that this passage refers to the end of the age. The "hosts of heaven" are the rebellious spirit beings involved in the Lucifer rebellion. Also notice that the "kings of the earth" will be singled out for their mis-leadership. This is because these "leaders of nations" will cause the peoples of the earth to war with one another, as well as many other problems. These leaders, including our own, will be held responsible for the reprehensible conditions the world will be in. I believe these conditions refer to the environmental degradation, war, famine, disease, oppression of the weak, social strife, political chaos, and religious persecution that will exist. God expects that leaders given power will act as wise shepherds over His children. To those who have been given much, much will be expected.

The "multitude of nations" is similar to another phrase; ie: "all the nations" that will bring a final war against Jerusalem and modern Israel. Recently, the United States has abandoned its long-standing support of modern Israel and has now joined the rest of the world’s nations in currying favor with the Arab contingent. NATO, a previously defensive organization, has now become the United Nations’ "world police force." If and when this police force is used against modern Israel, the prophecy of "all the nations" coming against Israel will have been fulfilled. The political activity in the Middle East is a clock for the fulfillment of prophecy; for when the hour of this war strikes, Melchizedek will sometime thereafter make his entry and all the world will know it. Also the Lord through Isaiah says to these leaders:

Isaiah 29:9
Act stupid and be stupefied!
Act blind and be blinded!
(They are drunk, but not from wine,
They stagger, but not from liquor.)
For the Lord has spread over you
A spirit of deep sleep,
And has shut your eyes, the (false) prophets,
And covered your heads, the seers;
So that all prophecy has been to you
Like the words of a sealed document.

Isaiah 29:11
If it is handed to one who can read and he is asked to read it,
he will say, "I can’t, because it is sealed;" and if the document
is handed to one who cannot read and he is asked to read it, he
will say, "I can’t read."
My (Isaiah’s) Lord said:
Because that people has approached [Me] with its mouth
And honored Me with its lips,
But has kept its heart far from Me,
And its worship of Me has been
A commandment of men, learned by rote—
Truly, I shall further baffle that people
With bafflement upon bafflement;
And the wisdom of its wise shall fail,
And the prudence of its prudent shall vanish.

Isaiah 29:17-20
Surely, in a little while,
Lebanon will be transformed into farmland,
And farmland accounted as mere brush.|
In that day, the deaf shall hear even written words,
And the eyes of the blind shall see
Even in darkness and obscurity.
Then the humble shall have
Increasing joy through the Lord.
And the neediest of men will exult
In the Holy One of Israel.
For the tyrant shall be no more.
The scoffer shall cease to be;
And those diligent for evil shall be wiped out.

This truly will be a transformed world when Melchizedek takes sovereignty. Yet what will the majority of people think and say when they hear these prophecies? Isaiah answers:

Many of us will not be willing to let go of our cherished secular worldviews. We would rather not hear the truths of our failings and deceptions. But before very long, in the coming days of justice, every one of us will stand alone in the light of truth on the "Day of the Lord." But we know that God’s justice is always tempered with mercy, therefore:

Isaiah 30:18
Truly, the Lord is waiting to show you grace,
Truly, He will arise to pardon you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;|
Happy are all who wait for Him.

Indeed, O people in Zion, dwellers of Jerusalem, you shall not have cause to
weep. He will grant you His favor at the sound of your cry; He will respond as
soon as He hears it. My Lord will provide for you meager bread and scant water.
Then your Guide will no more be ignored, but your eyes will watch your Guide;
and, whenever you deviate to the right or to the left, your ears will heed the
command from behind you: "This is the road; follow it!"

Here the Lord is addressing the faithful and true remnants, as well as the downtrodden and humble. This passage applies to the future, the end of this age, because "the Lord" has not yet arisen to "pardon" Israel and Judah for their transgressions. However, He has started the process of gathering some of "his peoples" back to Israel. The pardon will follow when Melchizedek returns to heal the long-open wounds of "his people." The amazing statement regarding our "Guide" is exactly the teaching of the Urantia Book, i.e., that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, in the form of the indwelling spirit of God, which "guides" us from within our consciousness and keeps us from "deviating to the right or the left" from God’s Will straight ahead. The true way, the kingdom of heaven within, is an ancient way although it seems new to our modern world. Now, back to the "Day of the Lord" when Melchizedek arises.

Isaiah 30:25
And on every high mountain and on every lofty hill, there
shall appear brooks and watercourses—on a day of heavy
slaughter, when towers topple. And the light of the moon shall
become like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall
become sevenfold, like the light of the seven days, when the
Lord binds up His people’s wounds and heals the injuries it
has suffered.

Isaiah 31:4-5
So the Lord of Hosts will descend to make war
Against the mount and the hill of Zion.
Like the birds that fly, even so will
The Lord of Hosts shield Jerusalem,
Shielding and saving, protecting and rescuing.

Melchizedek enters at a time of great trouble, but peace is destined to reign. Also, we now know that a remnant of Jerusalem and modern Israel (Judah) survive, probably due to the protection provided them by Melchizedek. We are also told here that the "Lord of Hosts" "descends" and "shields" like "the birds that fly." We recall how previously the Lord’s presence was said to reside in a pillar of cloud overhead the exodus community. "The Lord" led the peoples by day and provided light at night from this "pillar of cloud." Now we are told that he will "descend like a bird" and shield Jerusalem upon his arrival. What could this mean? What might we see that could descend in the literal sky. Next, we have some other cloud references describing events during the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

Psalms 78:14
In the daytime also He (the Lord) led them (the Israelites) with a cloud,
and all the night with a light of fire.

Psalms 99:7
He (the Lord) spake unto them in the cloudy pillar;
They kept His testimonies, and the ordinance that He gave them.

Nehemiah 9:19
Yet Thou (the Lord) in Thy manifold mercies forsook them not in the
Wilderness, and the pillar of the cloud departed not from them
Day by day, to lead them in the way. . .

There are dozens of these cloud references, and they are among many diverse books in the Old Testament. If it were only one line in one book, one could easily discredit this description. God wants us to understand His plan. He doesn’t hide it from us. Emily Dickinson writes that:

Isaiah 32:1
Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness,
And ministers shall govern with Justice;

The name Melchizedek literally means King of Righteousness. Presently, the world has little or no justice therefore this line describes a world not yet come, but when it does:

Isaiah 32:3
Then the eyes of those who have sight shall not be sealed,
And the ears of those who have hearing shall listen;
And the minds of the thoughtless shall attend and note . . .

Isaiah 32:5
No more shall a villain be called noble,
At last, the upside down world is set upright on its axis:

Revelations 16:19
And the great city (Jerusalem) was divided unto three parts,
(by tectonic activity)
And the cities of the nations fell.

Psalms 9:6 The enemy has been cut off and has
Vanished in everlasting ruins,
You (Lord) have plucked up and
Overthrown their cities;
The very memory of them
Has perished and vanished
But the Lord shall remain
And continue forever.
And he will judge the world
In righteousness.
Arise, O Lord! Let not man
Prevail; lest the nations be judged before You.

The time period of the above scripture is the Messianic end of the age because ‘The Lord shall remain and continue forever’ in reference to Melchizedek’s sovereign presence. How many cities will ‘perish and vanish?’

Isaiah 35:8
A highway shall appear there,
Which shall be called the Sacred Way . . .

Isaiah 35:9 
The redeemed shall walk it;
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come with shouting to Zion,
Crowned with joy everlasting.

Zion refers to the highest of the mountain eminences on which Jerusalem was built. It is surrounded on all sides by deep valleys except to the north where the temple mount lies. Zion is sometimes used in the Old Testament to denote Jerusalem in general. It literally means ‘sunny’ and ‘height’. It is just south of the temple mount and is also called the City of David. Note the grand celebration below of a joyous reunion between Melchizedek and his estranged children, the remnants of "lost Israel" and "Judah."

Psalms 53:7
O that the deliverance of Israel
Might come from Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of His people,
Jacob will exult; Israel (lost northern tribes) will rejoice.

The Psalms writer discloses this happy ending, an ending that was disclosed to him by their one time instructor and collaborator, Melchizedek. Again, important events are mentioned throughout the Psalms, prophets, as well as other Old Testament scripture. These statements are all consistent with each other despite their diverse locations in the body of scripture.

Isaiah 40:3
A voice rings out:
‘Clear in the desert
A road for the Lord!
Level in the wilderness
A highway for our God…
The Presence of the Lord shall appear
And all flesh shall behold –,
For the Lord Himself has spoken. …
A voice rings out ‘Proclaim!’ …
Ascend a lofty mountain,
O herald of joy to Zion;
Raise your voice to with power, …
Raise it have no fear;
Announce to the cities of Judah:
Behold your God (Melchizedek)

John the Baptist took the first stanza above for his own and used it to announce Jesus. The Final Prophet to come will also use these lines to announce another Lord who comes, Lord Melchizedek. The Final Prophet is specifically identified here as ‘the herald of joy to Zion’ who proclaims to Zion ‘Behold your God!’ ‘Behold your God’ is the same as ‘Your divine being reigns’ cited in 11Q13 of the Dead Sea Scrolls which identifies this messenger as the interpreter of the law (Final Prophet) and the divine being as Melchizedek. ‘The Presence’ recalls the ‘Lord in the bush’ and the ‘Presence of the Lord’ dwelling in Zion and within the cloud during exodus. All of these presences are the semi-material presence of Lord Melchizedek as described in the Urantia Book. The statement ‘that all flesh will behold’ also conjures up the Lord Messiah who is described in scripture to come in a very visible display, in contrast to no display with regard to Jesus. And so we have one scripture passage, which pertains to two different ending ages with two different Lords and prophets. Next, the Lord addresses the coastlands:

Isaiah 41:1
Stand silent before Me, coastlands,
And let the nations renew their strength.
Let them approach to state their case;
Let us come together for argument.

There seems to be a drought in the time and place of this reference. The time in reference is the messianic end of the age because only then are "streams opened on bare hills and fountains amid valleys." To be sure, when men turn their backs on God they move out from under the gentle rain/reign of His mercy. The impersonal universe of law knows only that there is an imbalance present and that it needs to restore that balance by any means possible, including the elimination of the inciting agent, which in this case is mankind. If my timing is correct, I would expect the drought that is now developing in the Middle East and elsewhere to continue to get worse right up until the imbalance is set right by Melchizedek. This is also applicable to the other sundry ecological and environmental imbalances, which continue to worsen. Should it really come as a surprise to us that physical processes are affected by spiritual determinants? After all, the Urantia Book teaches us that at higher levels of reality the seemingly diverse realms of matter, mind and spirit are unified into a seamless whole. The rays of reality converge in the Source and Center of All Things. The physical and spiritual are intertwined on higher levels of reality and therefore interact and affect one another. Next the Lord turns his attention to His servant:

Isaiah 42:1 (Tanakh)
This is My servant, whom I uphold,
My chosen one, in whom I delight.
I have put My spirit upon him,
He shall teach the true way to the nations.
He shall not cry out or shout aloud,
Or make his voice heard in the streets.
He shall not break even a dim wick.
He shall bring forth the true way.
He shall not grow dim or be bruised
Till he has established the true way on earth;
And the coastlands shall await his teaching.

Who is this servant? He teaches the true way (or true religion, mishpat in Hebrew) to the gentile nations. The true way is the Kingdom of Heaven within, Jesus’ true message, and the main subject of the Urantia Book.

UB  1107
True religion consists in the experience that "the Spirit
itself hears witness with our spirit that we are the children of
God. (Also see chapter True Religion 1104 UB
and Jesus’ Discourse on True Religion 1728, UB)

True religion, the true way, is a way that has never yet been taught "to the nations". Elsewhere in scripture we are told that before the end of the age the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven will be proclaimed to all the world. Who in the present world knows about the Kingdom of Heaven? Certainly not the popular scholars. Read their work! Certainly not those who espouse the gospel about Jesus Christ. Then, just who might this be? It would appear that the servant in Isaiah 42 is an individual that will teach about the Kingdom of Heaven within.

Note that God ‘puts his spirit’ on the servant, therefore God ‘anoints’ the servant! Anointment is what happens to make someone a messiah. This is why the Dead Sea Scrolls speak of more than one messiah. The Messiah is Melchizedek a divine being, another messiah is God’s servant, the Final Prophet whom God has ‘put His spirit upon’ (anointed).

Also note that God calls His servant My chosen one. This provides a link to a Dead Sea Scroll fragment, which describes a chosen one who reveals God’s truths and wisdom at the end of the age. The fragment gives us physical characteristics, education, life history and purpose. I believe this Scroll fragment describes the end of the age, final prophet to come:

Isaiah 42:10
You coastlands and their inhabitants! . . .

Isaiah 42:11
Call out from the peaks of the mountains.
Let them do honor to the Lord,
And tell His glory in the coastlands . . .

Isaiah 42:16
I will lead the blind
By a road they did not know,
And I will make them walk
By paths they never knew.
I will turn darkness before them to light,
Rough places into level ground.
These are the promises—
I will keep them without fail.

First, God tells us that he is announcing something new. Since the described events have not yet happened, we can be sure that they will happen in the future. (The near future, in my estimation). The Lord tells us that He will lead those who live in the coastlands by roads and paths they never knew, turning darkness into light, and rough places into level ground. These promises will definitely be kept. Now, if we are falling asleep while reading this, God says:

Isaiah 42:18
Listen, you who are deaf;
You blind ones, look up and see!
Who is so blind as My servant,
So deaf as the messenger I send?
Who is so blind as the chosen one,
So blind as the servant of the Lord?
Seeing many things, you give no heed;
With ears open, he hears nothing.
The Lord desires His servant’s vindication,
That he may magnify and glorify His teaching.

Here we have a comical account of the servant—who is as blind or more so than the rest. He needs God’s vindication as he stumbles along. We are also told here that this servant in the coastlands is a messenger as well as a servant, thus linking the servant of Isaiah to the "messenger" and "interpreter of the law," both of which are terms used to describe the final prophet in the Scrolls. Only God could love such a foolish sounding person. God loves to bring his truth through the lowly and humble. (Out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom.) Some may be disappointed if they have unrealistic expectations regarding this servant. God now reassures those who love Him:

Isaiah 43:1
Fear not, for I will redeem you;
I have singled you out by name,
You are Mine.
When you pass through water,
I will be with you;
Through streams,
They shall not overwhelm you.
When you walk through fire,
You shall not be scorched.
Through flame,
It shall not burn you.

Isaiah 43:4
Because you are precious to Me,
And honored, and I love you,
I give men in exchange for you
And peoples in your stead . . .
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the end of the earth—

The intellectual elite of our world appears daily in newspapers and on our televisions. They are the "experts" who write the books about marriage, although they are divorced three times. They tell us how to bring up our children, and yet their own children rebel against them. They know everything about anything, and there is no doubt about it. Ask if they believe in God and somber tones cover the smirk and smile. And yet, the question of God is the essential question of all philosophy, all ideologies, and all human understanding. If this most essential question were on a test, it would count for ninety-nine percent of the grade and the remaining one percent of the test would directly depend on the answer to the first. If you are wrong about God, then you are wrong about very much else as well. Yet the intellectual and political elite are all confirmed in the opinion that "religion is the opiate of the masses." Those who won’t say this in public believe it in private, as their very actions and behavior betray them.

And so our Father tends his children, most often without recognition and without thanks. Yet, His commitment never wavers, never hesitates, and never sleeps.

Notice how similar that time is to ours. Ends of ages have highly similar circumstances and types of people. Human history is monotonously similar, repeating cycles of sameness. But there is evolutionary progress; the remnant groups have a survival advantage that results from biologic factors that modify the capacity for spiritual receptivity. The Adamic genes should therefore become increasingly prevalent over long periods of time. The comment of 47:10 on science as the cause of our going astray is well taken. True religion and true science are complementary and never contradictory, however man’s error exists in forming a religion about science that denies or ignores God and true religion. This religion of science believes that science has all the answers for man’s every problem, that science is the only true knowledge, that man doesn’t need the axiom of God, that man can completely understand his world through science, and that science offers proof and certainty. All of these beliefs are false, but they go unrecognized and unchallenged. As the Urantia Book states, we overreacted to the superstitions and tyranny of the Middle Ages and threw out the baby with the bath. (The baby being God and the bath being knowledge based on superstition). Balance is what we have lacked, and balance is what we are given in the Fifth Epochal Revelation, the Urantia Book. Further, God reads our thoughts to us and comments:

UB  2081
The father of secularism was the narrow minded and godless
attitude of . . . atheistic science. Secularism had its inception as a rising
protest against the domination . . . by the institutionalized Christian
church. The majority of professed Christians . . . are unwittingly
actual secularists. Secularism . . . sells man into slavish bondage to the
totalitarian state . . . the tyranny of political and economic
slavery. Secularism can never bring peace to mankind. Nothing
can take the place of God in human society . . . Secularism
simply ignores God. More recently, secularism has assumed
a more militant attitude, assuming to take the place of the
religion whose totalitarian bondage it one time resisted. But Beware:
this godless philosophy will lead only to unrest, animosity, unhappiness,
war, and worldwide disaster. Complete secularization . . . can lead only to disaster.

UB  2086
Christianity unwittingly seems to sponsor a society, which
staggers under the guilt of tolerating science without idealism,
politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure
without restraint, knowledge without character, power
without conscience, and industry without morality.
Selfish men and women simply will not pay such a price for
even the greatest spiritual treasure ever offered mortal man.
Only when man has become sufficiently disillusioned by the
sorrowful disappointment attendant upon the foolish and
deceptive pursuits of selfishness . . . will he be disposed to
turn . . . to the religion of Jesus of Nazareth. (Man is not yet
so disillusioned)

UB 1487
War on Urantia will never end so long as nations cling to
the illusive notions of unlimited national sovereignty.

UB p.1489
Another world war (WWII) will teach the so-called sovereign
nations to form some sort of federation, thus creating the
machinery for preventing small wars . . .(but not large ones)
An international police force will prevent many minor wars,
but it will not be effective in preventing major wars.
Worldwide confederations of nations . . . will not prevent
world wars nor control the three, four or five most powerful
governments. (Is this applicable to today?)

UB  2082
Times of great testing and threatened defeat are always times of great revelation.

UB  1087
Institutional religion cannot afford inspiration and provide
leadership in this impending, worldwide social reconstruction
and economic reorganization because it has unfortunately
become more or less of an organic part of the social order and
the economic system, which is destined to undergo reconstruction.
(Doesn’t reconstruction imply deconstruction first?)

UB  2082
A new and fuller revelation of the religion of Jesus is destined
to conquer an empire of materialistic secularism . . .(our world empire of today)

UB  2087
The hour is striking for a rediscovery of the true and original
foundation of present-day distorted and compromised Christianity—
the real life and teachings of Jesus. (The Kingdom of Heaven within)

UB  2087
The spiritual renaissance must await the coming of these new
teachers of Jesus’ religion who will be exclusively devoted to the
spiritual regeneration of men. And then will these spirit-born souls
quickly supply the leadership and inspiration requisite for the social,
moral, economic and political reorganization of the world.

And why does secularism fail?

UB 2075
A lasting social system without morality predicated on
spiritual realities can no more be maintained than can a solar system without gravity.

Secularism fails because it is inherently faulty. Man is dependent on God whether he likes it or not. Man cannot find his way without God. This dependence is built into the very nature of the Father-Son relationship. And this relationship is the rock that we must build on and the star that we must hope upon.

UB 1747
. . . by the insight of the spirit of my Father which dwells
within you, I am led to declare that upon this foundation (the
indwelling spirit) will I build the brotherhood of the Kingdom
of Heaven. Upon this rock of spiritual reality . . .

DSC, Vs. 7
The way of man is not established except by the
spirit of God which created him . . .

The Community Rule, DSC
Mankind has no way, and man is unable to establish his
steps since justification is with God and perfection of way is
from His hand. All things come to pass by His knowledge;

Finally, I would note that secular humanism gives birth to all the present reigning ideologies: communism, socialism, and capitalism too. "Isims" are systems of human thought that have become so highly revered that they become the intellectual equivalent of the ancient physical idols that were worshipped in vain. Capitalists consider profit and capital first, last, and always. Spiritual values, social values, and environmental values are usually not part of the equation. Capitalism and other ideologies should be made to serve people rather than people being made, as now, to serve the ideology. People are the purpose and meaning of life. The Fatherhood of God forever establishes the transcendent value of His sons and daughters. People must come before profit. People will come before profit. God has established it. We live in His Universe. At this point in time however, we collectively, choose and have chosen profit over people, and humanity languishes in the cold, dark night of the inevitable results. Let’s now look at some quotes from Humanist Manifestos I and II, which are the declarations of belief proposed by secular humanists.

Humanist Manifesto I was the first major document (1933) of the modern Humanist
Movement. Consider the following quotes from this document.
"Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created."

Here science is used to exclude the possibility of any "supernaturally" established values. First of all, science can have nothing to say about the domain of intangible value, only religion can answer the question why? Science attends only to the questions how, when and where. Ultimate causes, origins, and destiny are questions of religion. Second of all, humanists have already declared that the universe merely is and is not created. This statement itself, as shown above, lies outside the natural world of causes. It is itself a "supernatural" explanation.

"Man is at last becoming aware that he alone is responsible for the
realization of the world of his dreams, that he has within himself the
power for its achievement. He must set intelligence and will to the task."

Now we go to Humanist Manifesto II written in 1973. (select passages)
"As in 1933, humanists still believe that traditional theism, especially
faith in the prayer-hearing God, assumed to live and care for persons, to
hear and understand their prayers, and to be able to do something about
them, is an unproved and outmoded faith. Salvationism, based on mere
affirmation, still appears as harmful, diverting people with false hopes of
heaven hereafter. Reasonable minds look to other means for survival."

We now learn that faith is unproved, ineffective, and outmoded. How many studies have we ever done to actually find out if there are any differences in the lives of believers vs. non-believers? The answer is zero. I would bet that you would find dramatic differences if such a study were done without bias. In fact, a few recent medical studies have shown strong correlations between faith and positive health outcomes. The humanist dogma is succumbing to truth. Lastly, to say that faith is unproved is the equivalent of saying nothing because there would be no faith necessary if proof were possible. Similarly, one can prove anything in mathematics if one allows dividing by zero as this statement does.

This reveals the grand scope (planetary) that this vision is being applied to. The United Nations charter is a direct outgrowth of these planetary Humanist Manifestos. Will it work?

The aspirations appear noble at times. Give credit where credit is due. Success requires more than good intentions though. It requires wisdom and truth.

"At the present juncture of history, commitment to all humankind is
the highest commitment of which we are capable; it transcends the
narrow allegiances of church, state, party, class, or race in moving toward
a wider vision of human potentiality. What more daring a goal for human-kind
than for each person to become, in ideal as well as practice, a citizen
of a world community. It is a classical vision; we can now give it new
vitality. Humanism thus interpreted is a moral force that has time on its
side. We believe that humankind has the potential, intelligence, goodwill,
and cooperative skill to implement this commitment in the decades ahead."

This is the end of Humanist Manifesto II. It proclaims the establishment of the brotherhood of humankind. Unfortunately, they do not know that "you cannot establish the brotherhood of man without the Fatherhood of God." (UB) Simple, basic, everyday truth, unappreciated by the closed minds of man. Truth is so very valuable because it can be lived successfully. (UB)

UB  1916
Even you, Thomas, fail to comprehend what I have been
saying. Have I not taught you that your connection with the
Kingdom of Heaven is spiritual and individual, wholly a matter
of personal experience in the spirit by the faith-realization that
you are a son of God? What more shall I say? The downfall
of nations, the crash of empires, the destruction of unbelieving
Jews, the end of an age, even the end of the world, what have
these things to do with one who believes this gospel and who
has led his life in the surety of the eternal kingdom?

Daniel 13:10
Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white,
and be refined; but the wicked will do wickedly; and none of
the wicked will understand; but those who are wise shall understand.

Isaiah 48:17
I the Lord am your God
Instructing you for your own benefit,
Guiding you in the way you should go.
If only you would heed My commands!
Then your prosperity would be like a river,
Your triumph like the waves of the sea.

Isaiah 49:1
Listen, O coastlands, to me,
And give heed, O nations afar:
The Lord appointed me before I was born,
He named me while I was in my mother’s womb.
He made my mouth like a sharpened blade,
He hid me in the shadow of His hand,
And He made me like a polished arrow;
He concealed me in His quiver
And He said to me, "You are my servant
Israel, in whom I glory."

The servant’s "mouth is a sharpened blade" to pierce deeply the enemies of God. The servant must be the final prophet because he is charged with ‘bringing back Jacob’ (Lost Israel and faithful Jews) to God, which only happens at the Messianic end of the age. Therefore, the messianic, final prophet is also God’s servant of Isaiah. The Jews are already re-gathering to modern Israel, but Lost Israel needs to be identified and brought back still. "Bring back Jacob," means reconstituting original Israel, the two tribes of the South and the lost ten tribes of the North. This time around they together will make right the wrongs of the past. Love reigns over judgment and wisdom reigns over ignorance. Also note the phrase "you are my servant Israel." The servant is an individual by the context of the passage and it makes no sense for the nation Israel to be the servant here. Perhaps this is an error or an addition to the original text? In Jeremiah the Lord gives further instruction.

Jeremiah 31:7
For thus said the Lord:
Cry out in Joy for Jacob,
Shout at the head of nations!
Sing aloud in praise and say:
Save, O Lord, your people,
The remnant of Israel . . .
Gather them from the ends of the earth— . . .

Here again, the Lord instructs His servant to gather the Israel remnant (Lost Ten Tribes) from: "the ends of the earth," the "head of nations," and the "coastlands afar." The remnant will return in a "throng," weeping and in need of compassion and guidance from the Lord. This "vast throng" recalls to us the great numbers of Abraham’s future offspring who are "as the sand of the sea" and the "stars in the heavens." In fact, the numerous people of "Lost Israel" are the fulfillment of this promise from Melchizedek to Abraham made so long ago. In Jeremiah, the Lord Melchizedek sets the record straight:

Jeremiah 31:10
Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
And tell it in the coastlands afar.
Say:
He who scattered Israel will gather them,
And will guard them like a shepherd his flock.

Jeremiah 50:41 
But you have no fear, My servant Jacob,
Be not dismayed, O Israel!
I will deliver you from far away . . .
And Jacob again shall have calm.

Isaiah 49:4
I thought, "I have labored in Vain,
I have spent my strength for empty breath."
But my case rested with the Lord,
My recompense was in the hands of my God.
And now the Lord has resolved –
He who formed me in the womb to be His servant –
To bring back Jacob to Himself,
That Israel may be restored to Him!
And I have been honored in the sight of the Lord,
My God has been my strength.
For He has said:

Isaiah 49:6
"It is too little that you should be My servant
In that I raise up the tribes of Jacob
And restore the survivors of Israel:
I will also make you a light of nations
That my salvation reach the ends of the earth."

At first the servant feels that his efforts are "in vain" but notice his total reliance on the Lord. He cares nothing about human opinions, only God’s. God is the source of his strength and he is ultimately honored by God with an even greater service to the nations of the world, in addition to his service in ‘bringing back Jacob’. The servant experiences an initial, seeming failure in his mission (I have labored in vain) and this is why "the Lord desires His servant’s vindication" in Isaiah 42:21. Notice carefully that the servant of this verse has a specific job to do and that is to "bring back Jacob to Himself (God), that Israel may be restored to Him!" To do this the servant must "raise up the tribes to Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel." This equates to the re-gathering and re-unification of the original tribes of Israel; the northern Lost Ten Tribes (Israel) plus the southern tribes (Judah, Jews). This event occurs at the end of the age before and during the coming of the Messiah. In fact, it has already started, the Jews are gathering in modern Israel. The Lost Ten Tribes remain to be identified, re-gathered, and re-united with the Jews, eventually reconstituting the original whole House of Israel, as in the beginning. Since the servant is given this task in Isaiah 49:4, the servant of this passage must be an individual living at the end of our age which lies shortly ahead of us. Very likely this servant is one and the same as Malachi’s "Elijah to come" of the messianic period, the final prophet. Now we have:

Zion is the city of David, within Jerusalem, right next to the Temple Mount, where the Lord has and will dwell again. Those who "ravage and ruin" leave the city and Melchizedek gathers Jacob, those who love God, back to Zion. Zion symbolizes the faithful and true peoples of God. Those ‘who are assembled’ are the remnants of Lost Israel and the Jews. Also, in Isaiah 49:14 ‘Zion (Jews) says that the Lord (God) has forgotten them.’ God answers that he ‘could never forget’ and says: ‘see I have engraved you on the palms of My hands’ alluding to the crucifixion marks acquired by His Son Jesus. What a tragic irony, even as the Jews are feeling forsaken 2000 years ago, God’s presence in the form of His Son is amongst them, dying in his attempt to bring them back to God. O, if only we had eyes that could see. And yet God goes right on attempting to make His people recognize His love for them by predicting and then bringing about the return of His people to Canaan after modern Israel is ruined and ravaged in the future yet to come. Note that the allusion to Jesus' crucifixion marks is made over 600 years prior to his coming.

Isaiah 49:20
And all mankind shall know.
That I the Lord am your Savior.
The Mighty One of Jacob, your Redeemer.

Next, the Lord emphasizes that there is no obstacle to the restoration of Israel and Judah. The covenant remains unbroken, merely temporarily interrupted. The promises made to Abraham will all be fulfilled.

Isaiah 50:5
The Lord opened my ears.
And I did not disobey,
I did not run away…

God Himself has prepared His servant and trained him. His servant stands fast against his many opponents. He stands fast against ridicule and personal attacks. He recommends to those who "revere the Lord" trust and reliance on God alone during the period of darkness to come. And this reliance on God’s inner guidance is the very "religion of Jesus" that is to come, the "true religion" which the servant brings forth in Isaiah 42:1-4. Once again, "necessity is the mother of invention." We must trust Him to be led by His spirit during the trial period. Now back to Isaiah:

Isaiah 51:1 
Listen to Me, you who pursue justice,
You who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock you were hewn from
Look back to Abraham your father
And to Sarah who brought you forth.
For he was only one when I called him,
But I blessed him and made him many.
We are reminded of Melchizedek’s blessing of Abraham:

Genesis 26:4 
and in Thy (Abraham’s) seed shall
all the nations be blessed.
and let them (offspring of Abraham)
grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

Genesis 17:4 
You (Abraham) shall be the Father
of a multitude of nations.

Joel 3:2 
I (Lord) will also gather all nations, and will bring them
down into the Valley of Jehoshapat, and will plead with them
there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they
have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

Isaiah 51:4
Hearken to Me, My people,
And give ear to Me, O My nation,
For teaching shall go forth from Me,
My way for the light of peoples.
In a moment I will bring it:
The triumph I grant is near,
The success I give has gone forth.
My arms shall provide for the peoples;
The coastlands shall trust in Me,
They shall look to My arm.

The Lord Melchizedek is addressing "Israel" and the coastlands (neither know him yet) who will learn to trust him and look to him for assistance. Among other things, Melchizedek shall teach the world and the earth shall be:

Isaiah 51:7
Listen to Me, you who care for the right,
O people who lay My instruction to heart!
Fear not the insults of men,
And be not dismayed at their jeers;
For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
The worm shall eat them up like wool.
But My triumph shall endure forever,
My salvation through all the ages.

Those who stand up for "the right" will be persecuted, ridiculed and harassed. There is no doubt that this verse refers to a future world where the Lord triumphs forever:

Isaiah 55:11 
So let the ransomed of the Lord return,
And come shouting to Zion,
Crowned with joy everlasting.
Let them attain joy and gladness,
While sorrow and sighing flee.

Isaiah 52:7
 How welcome on the mountains
Are the footsteps of the herald
Announcing happiness,
Heralding good fortune,
Announcing victory,
Telling Zion, "Your God is King!"

The Dead Sea Scrolls fragment, 11Q13, the Coming of Melchizedek, interprets this verse (Isaiah 52:7) in the following way. The herald is the final prophet who announces and "prepares the way of" Melchizedek, just as John the Baptist announced and "prepared the way of" Jesus. The mountains are interpreted to be a symbol of the Old Testament Prophets. The final prophet thus stands on the shoulders of the olden prophets, meaning that the final prophet bases his message on his interpretation of Old Testament prophecy. This is why the Teacher of Righteousness, the leader of the Qumran community of the Dead Sea Scrolls, refers to this final prophet as the "interpreter of the Law." The "Law" here being the Old Testament including the prophets. We can now also understand why the Urantia Book refers to this coming prophet as "another and greater John the Baptist," because the final prophet, like John, will announce and "prepare the way of the Lord," this time the Lord Melchizedek. The prophet proclaims to Zion (all those faithful to the One God), "your God is King," or rather; "The Lord Melchizedek is King," as interpreted by the Teacher of Righteousness in 11Q13 of the Scrolls. 11Q13 is thus an extremely important document that binds together the Urantia Book and Old Testament prophecy. It will be discussed again later in the Dead Sea Scrolls chapter. Continuing with this subject we also have:

Psalms 102:14 
You will surely arise and take pity on Zion,
For it is time to be gracious to her;
The appointed time has come.
For the Lord has built Zion;|
He has appeared in all His glory.
May this be written down for a coming generation,
That people yet to be created may praise the Lord.

Psalms 48:5
The kings (leaders of nations) joined forces;
they advanced together. (toward Jerusalem)
At the mere sight of it they were stunned,

They were terrified, they panicked;
They were seized there with a trembling. (my parentheses)

"Recent rulings handed down from the Most Highs of Edentia, and later confirmed by the Ancient of Days of Uversa, strongly suggest that this bestowal Melchizedek is destined to take the place of the fallen Planetary Prince, Caligastia. If our conjectures in this respect are correct, it is altogether possible that Melchizedek may again appear in person on Urantia and in some modified manner resuming the role of the dethroned Planetary Prince Caligastia." (UB  1025) "It appears to certain of our associates that at some time in the near future the plan of sending one of the twenty-four counselors to Urantia to act as governors general will be superseded by the formal arrival of Melchizedek with the vicegerent mandate of the sovereignty Chapter 7 Isaiah 76.of Urantia…Still others, including this narrator, look for Melchizedek’s appearance any day or hour." (UB  1251). Continuing:

Isaiah 52:8 
Hark, your watchmen raise their voices,
As one they shout for joy;
For every eye shall behold
The Lord’s return to Zion.
Raise a shout together,
O ruins of Jerusalem!
For the Lord will have His Holy arm
In the sight of all the nations,
And the very ends of earth shall see
The victory of our God.

The watchmen are the prophets looking for Melchizedek’s arrival. Note that this is a very visible display in "sight of all the nations to the ends of the earth." What kind of display could be so visible? The last line again displays the confusion about the Lord Melchizedek and God. More on the servant now:

Isaiah 52:13 
Indeed, My servant shall prosper,…
Just so he will startle many nations.
Kings shall be silenced because of him,
For they shall see what has not been told them,
Shall behold what they never have heard.

The servant will startle many nations and silence Kings by revealing to them what is in store for them. There is hardly a decent leader in the whole world today. Almost all are out for their own gain. As a group they are the most depraved and ruthless people on the entire planet. The world is full of wonderful people, but hardly any of them are in positions of real power. The ruthless crave power and seek it. They are willing to crush anything or anyone that gets in their way. The meek are passive and are not willing to trade their soul for power. But there is a long line of those that will. As in ancient Israel, the "leaders are misleaders," who lead so many so far astray. God expects leaders to be the shepherds of His children. What will happen when judgment comes to the nations and their leaders. The answer is the same as the one given by Jesus, when he concluded the parable of the absent landlord (UB  1893) and asked, "what will the lord of the vineyard do to those ungrateful and wicked tenants (in our example shepherds)?" The present world is based on the principal Might makes Right. In the world of Melchizedek, King of Righteousness, the world will be based on Right makes Might. Next we have a prophecy regarding Jesus:

Isaiah 53:3 
He was despised, shunned by men,
A man of suffering, familiar with disease,
As one who hid his face from us,
He was despised we held him of no account.
Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing
Our suffering that he endured.
We accounted him plagued.
Smitten and afflicted by God:
But he was wounded because of our sins,
Crushed because of our iniquities.
He bore the chastisement that made us whole.
And by his bruises we are healed.
We all went astray like sheep.

Isaiah 53:7 
He was maltreated, yet he was submissive,
He did not open his mouth;
Like a sheep being led to slaughter,…
For he was cut off from the land of the living…
And his grave was set among the wicked,
And with the rich, in his death –
Though he had done no injustice
And had spoken no falsehood…
He exposed himself to death
And was numbered among the sinners,
Whereas he bore the guilt of the many
And made intercession for sinners.

We would all agree, that this is a remarkably accurate prophecy. Notice how it just appears out from within the organic nature of the text. It is right at home in the text and yet it is the vehicle of a profound distant future prophesy. The prophetic vision seems to waver in and out of time; juxtaposing future, past, and present; yet somehow weaving the strands into a real tapestry in the present of the prophet. Just a subtle shift in the focus of that "spiritized imagination" of the poet-prophet and entirely different images go in and out of view. It would be a little easier if all the good parts were underlined in red. Also, we notice that perhaps this prophecy is not completely applicable to Jesus, for instance we know from the Urantia Book that Jesus was more often of good cheer rather than suffering and that he was not "familiar with disease" as far as we know. Perhaps these are attributes of another suffering servant such as the servant that "brings back Jacob" to the Lord (Melchizedek). And so, we need to be a little flexible in our work with prophecy because separate strands can be mixed together. Now to Isaiah:

Isaiah 54:4 
Fear not, you shall not be shamed;
Do not cringe, you shall not be disgraced.
For you shall forget
The reproach of your youth.
And remember no more
The shame of your widowhood.
For He who made you will espouse you—
His name is "Lord of Hosts;"
The Holy one of Israel will redeem you,
Who is called "God of all the Earth."

Restored, future Israel’s youth, is ancient Israel. Its ‘disgrace’ and ‘reproach’ are its going astray and its subsequent destruction and dispersion. I think ‘widowhood’ refers to Israel’s loss of her symbolic spouse, God, and His agent Melchizedek. However, the fall from God’s grace is only temporary (2500 years) and "He who made you (Israel) will espouse you" again. Notice the play on the word spouse in ‘espouse’. Now, the Lord will restore the people to its land and to its proper place among mankind. Note the last phrase ‘who is called God of the Earth.’ This is fairly close to the meaning of a World Messiah or Planetary Prince. And so:

Isaiah 54:11 
Unhappy, storm-tossed one, uncomforted!
I will set your stones in fair colors
And make your foundations of sapphires.
I will make your battlements of rubies,
Your gates of precious stones,
The whole encircling wall of gems.
And all your children shall be disciples of the Lord,
And great shall be the happiness of your children;
You shall be established through righteousness.
You shall be safe from oppression,
And shall have no fear;
From ruin, and it shall not come near you.
Surely no harm can be done
Without My consent:
Whoever would harm you
Shall fall because of you.

Here, God assures His people, ‘storm tossed one (Israel)’ that they will be safe once and for all time. Perhaps God will direct through Melchizedek the making of a new temple on the temple mount; made with gems, rubies and sapphires. Further:

Isaiah 55:1 
Ho, all who are thirsty,
Come for water,
Even if you have no money;
Come, buy food and eat:
Buy food without money,
Wine and milk without cost.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
Your earnings for what does not satisfy?

Here, we get a glimpse of the bounty and blessings that will ensue with restoration. Again, people are thirsty because of drought in the latter days.

Isaiah 55:3 
Incline your ear and come to Me;
Hearken, and you shall be revived.
And I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
So you shall summon a nation you did not know,
And a nation that did not know you
Shall come running to you –
For the sake of the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel who has glorified you.

This is a wide open offer from God – He forever hopes that we will come to Him so that we can become all that He means for us to become. ‘He becomes what we are to make us what He is (UB)’ Why is it so hard for God to give His children the greatest gift they could ever receive – The Kingdom of Heaven within and the Grand Universe throughout. If God were a door-to-door salesman, on this planet He would probably have lost his job long ago for lack of subscribers.

The second half of this stanza introduces a nation that will ‘come running’ to assist Israel ‘for the sake of the Lord our God.’ We will see that this nation and this people will assist in the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem:

Zechariah 6:12 
Thus says the Lord of Hosts: You Joshua behold
the Messiah whose name is the Branch, for He shall
grow up in His place and He shall build the true temple of the Lord.

Zechariah 6:13 
Yes, (Joshua you are building a temple of the Lord,
but) it is He (the Lord, the Messiah) who shall build
the true temple of the Lord, and He shall bear the honor
and glory and shall sit and rule upon His throne. And
He shall be a Priest upon His throne, and the council of
peace shall be between the two.

Zechariah 6:14 
And they that are afar off shall come and build the
temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the Lord of
Amplified Hosts hath sent me unto you. And this will come to pass,
Bible if ye will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.

Zechariah 6:15
And those who are far off shall come and help build the temple.

Joshua was the leader who presided over the building of the second Temple after the seventy-year exile of the Judahites in Babylon. This scripture explicitly identifies the true Temple as being built by the Lord Messiah. This temple will be the third and last, as it will endure throughout time. Another Messiah is also called the Branch, the anointed human being from the branch of David. However, the Urantia Book tells us that David’s legacy is mostly a fabrication of the exiled Jewish priests in Babylon during the Babylonian captivity. Therefore, I feel comfortable downgrading statements referring to David. The Messiah is also identified as a Priest that sits and rules upon his throne as a King. This would fit Melchizedek perfectly as he is both the "Priest of the Most High" in Genesis and the "King of Righteousness," the "King of Righteousness" being the literal translation of Melchizedek in Hebrew.

Genesis 14:18
Melchizedek King of Salem (later
Jerusalem) brought out bread and
wine; he was the priest of God Most High.

It is important to remember that Jesus knew and stated that he was not the Messiah of Jewish expectation (Urantia Book). ‘My Kingdom is not of this world.’ More about this later. We also note that these lines of Zechariah also attest to the presence of ‘those who are far off’ coming to assist in the building of the true Temple. These people are probably from the ‘nation that did not know you’ who ‘shall come running to you’ (Isaiah 55:5) and will be identified later.

Tobit 14:1
And that again (after the Babylonian exile) God will
have mercy on them, and bring them into the land, where
they shall build a temple (the second temple), but not like the
first, until the time of that age be fulfilled (AD 70); and
afterward they shall return from all the places of their
captivity, and build up Jerusalem gloriously (the third true
temple) and the bust of God shall be built in it for ever
with a glorious building, as the prophets have spoke thereof.

The information in the parentheses is my own. The major point here is the consistent description of this event across a multitude of scriptural sources. I have tried to find information that is attested to in a cross section of multiple scriptural sources. By doing this, I hope to avoid errors due to erroneous material. The amazing thing that I have found is the high degree of consistency that is present within such a diverse body of scriptural sources. This consistency is also a feature of the Urantia Book’s "ring of truth." Finally, regarding the-- Temple

Ezekiel 47:1
He led me back to the entrance of the Temple and I found
that water was issuing from below the Temple
Mount…The water was running out at the south of the
altar, under the south wall of the Temple…it was a stream
that could not be crossed except by swimming…everything
will live wherever this stream goes, the fish will be abundant,
all kinds of trees for food will grow on both banks, their
leaves will not wither or their fruit fail; they will yield new
fruit every month, because the water for them flows from
the Temple. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.

"On May 15th , 1999, the Israeli newspaper, Hatsofer, reported that water had started flowing from beneath the Temple Mount…The Arab leaders have done everything possible to stop the flow of water, including special pumps they brought in for the purpose. The Arab leaders have been busy with intensive excavations on the Temple Mount, the purpose of which is to destroy the last remains of the First and Second Temples and in this way deny the Jewish identity of the Temple Mount. According to one account, during these diggings they broke into one of the many water sources under the Temple Mount." (Prophecy Flash magazine, Triumph Prophetic Ministries)

Here, those acting in defiance of God’s plan are the very ones who help bring it about. We can take part in God’s plans willingly and knowingly, or unwillingly and unknowingly, have it as we may. The choice of role is ours, the script is His. Isaiah then says:

This is the bottom line. In the time of trials ahead seek God and learn to choose his will. Our physical well-being is truly trivial in importance compared to matters of the soul. We will come closer to God as we learn to rely on Him and trust Him. It is not God’s desire that anyone be lost from the kingdom, His family. He will not tolerate sin and/or iniquity but His way is always open to anyone who sincerely seeks it.

Isaiah 55:8
For My plans are not your plans,
Nor are My ways your ways
-declares the Lord.
But as the heavens are high above the earth,
So are My ways high above your ways
And My plans above your plans.
For as the rain or snow drops from heaven
And returns not there,
But soaks the earth
And makes it bring forth vegetation,
Yielding seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So is the word that issues from My mouth:
It does not come back to Me unfulfilled,
But performs what I purpose,
Achieves what I sent it to do.
Yea, you shall leave in joy and be led home secure.
Before you, mount and hill shall shout aloud,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the briar, a cypress shall rise;
Instead of the nettle, a myrtle shall rise.
These shall stand as a testimony to the Lord,
As an everlasting sign that shall not perish.

This is one of my favorite passages in Isaiah. God’s ways are often 180 degrees opposite man’s ways. When man learns to seek His perspective on issues he becomes wise and when man learns to choose God’s choices he becomes transformed by the realization of his now living relationship with God. Also, in this passage, God is showing us the majesty and complete mastery that flows from His will. God is the source of all reality and reality is the garden growing from the seeds of God’s words. But in God’s reality, freedom to choose reigns supreme, for without freedom there can be no love and without love there can be no purpose. As a result, God’s omnipotence aside, seeds other than good are sometimes sown and since God’s sun shines on the good and the bad, the harvest is not always good. But everything is given its season, and at the harvest’s end, the weeds are bundled up and thrown into the fire and the wheat is stored away. And so, God self-limits His omnipotence to allow for love, for Chapter 7 Isaiah 84.without love there would be no sons and no daughters, and no reason to have a universe.

Isaiah 56:3
Let not the foreigner say,
Who has attached himself to the Lord,
"The lord will keep me apart from His people;"
And let not the eunuch say,
"I am a withered tree."
I will give them, in My House
And within My walls,
A monument and a name
Better than sons or daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name
Which shall not perish.

Isaiah 56:7
I will bring them (foreigners) to My sacred mount
And let them rejoice in My house of prayer.
For My House shall be called
A house of prayer for all peoples.
Thus declares the Lord God,
Who gathers the dispersed of Israel:
"I will gather still more to those already gathered."

Note again the universality of God’s love. There is also another reference to the dispersed of Israel. Most importantly, God’s kingdom or family is for all peoples, all races, all religions, and for all time. Let’s pause here and consider that mysterious word ‘Israel.’

With the single word "Israel" one can discuss the entire past and future history of the world. We remember that Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, gave rise to the twelve tribes of Israel by virtue of his twelve sons. Moses, their great leader, led these twelve tribes through the desert from Egypt to the Land of Canaan. During their forty year desert journey scripture describes this group of Israelites as a rebellious group in the main. In fact, no sooner had Moses gone up the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments, than the people down below had begun to sacrifice to pagan gods. At the entrance to the Promised Land Moses died before entering, leaving his people in the hands of Joshua. After entrance into the Promised Land, Israel gradually coalesced into a united monarchy for several generations, before dividing up into northern and southern factions; Israel and Judah. Blessed by God’s bounty and fruitfulness the community thrived. But as their hunger was satisfied and their lives became secure, they walked away from the moral strictures of their covenant with God. The prophets tell us that they turned away from truth, became arrogant and full of pride, and ceased to practice justice. They knowingly ignored God’s commandments and worshipped false gods, becoming sexually promiscuous and deceitful. The weak and powerless went without protection, while knowledge and mercy disappeared. The Northern Israelites went astray before the Southern Judahites. The Northern Israelites were composed of the northern ten tribes. Ephraim and Manasseh were the two foremost tribes among the ten northern tribes for reasons discussed previously. Ephraim, the most blessed, led the way to destruction. These northern ten tribes, having separated themselves from God, were also separated from His guidance. They walked away from God and into disaster called the Assyrians, despite being warned and pleaded with by their prophets. At first, many of the Northern Israelites went into captivity in Assyria. Afterward they migrated north losing their identify and origins never to return. However, prophetic scripture continues to speak about a future, re-identified Lost Israel that plays an important role in events still to come at the end of our age. By looking at the various characteristics of this group of people described in scripture, we can glean something of this group’s identity. Let’s start by looking at where they go upon dispersion and where they come from in their future re-gathering to give us some hints as to who they may be. Ephraim is often used in scripture to refer to Israel because they make up the great majority of the population of the Lost Ten Tribes. First consider where the Northern Tribes are dispersed to:

Amos 9:9
I (God) will give the order
And shake the House of Israel –
Through all the nations –
As one shakes a sieve.

Ezekiel 5:10
I will scatter your survivors
in every direction.