Isaiah 23:18

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:18

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18 And her merchandise [cachar] and her hire ['ethnan] shall be holiness [qodesh] to the LORD [Yahovah]: it shall not be treasured ['atsar] nor laid up [chacan]; for her merchandise [cachar] shall be for them that dwell [yashab] before [paniym] the LORD [Yahovah], to eat ['akal] sufficiently [sob`ah], and for durable [`athiyq] clothing [makacceh].   KJV-Interlinear

18 Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the LORD. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the LORD.   ESV

Tyre, represents the ultimate in corruption in economics and secular life that will one day be destroyed within the space of one reign of an evil ruler.  That will all occur within the space of the seven years of the Tribulation.  This all following the pattern of its history way back when it was destroyed by Babylon, restored under Persia, after seventy years, and then taken again by Alexander.

At the end of the seven year rule of the anti-christ, for which it is completed, we know that Christ will return in the Second Advent to completely obliterate the world and the evil that is within it.  But He will also rescue many believers who will have survived and of whom will become the initial population of Gods Kingdom here on the earth, which we call the Millennium.

With the world virtually destroyed, that small population will need something to live on, and those resources will come out of whatever remains from the destroyed world, Eze. 39.  And so they will live for seven years on those resources left behind, scattered on the battlefields, and so forth.

All of the logistical resources and supplies that had been intended for evil, will become the resources for the initial years of the Millennium.

Isaiah 23:17

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:17

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17 And it shall come to pass after the end [qets] of seventy [shib`iym] years [shaneh], that the LORD [Yahovah] will visit [paqad] Tyre [Tsor], and she shall turn [shuwb] to her hire ['ethnan], and shall commit fornication [zanah] with all the kingdoms [mamlakah] of the world ['erets] upon the face [paniym] of the earth ['adamah].  KJV-Interlinear

17 At the end of seventy years, the LORD will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.   ESV

We have already studied the meaning of the seventy year period.  For it is both an actual seventy year period which occurred in the distant past between the Babylonian and Persian empires, as well as a symbolic period of a single but completed reign pointing toward the reign of the anti-christ who will rule in the future during the seven year Tribulation.

The principle being made here, is that despite its old ways which are being compared to that of the prostitute who earns her pay through interactions with anyone, so too, Tyre earned her pay through trading with anyone whether legal or not.  And as a result of her improprieties, so to speak, Tyre was destroyed.

Gods brings destruction, but God also brings recovery.

The Tyre of the past, did not learn from its destruction.  People of the past, or of any generation for that matter, did not and do not learn from their past.

Tyre will return to its former ways and will be destroyed again and again as history repeats itself from generation to generation.

When it is finally destroyed again in the Tribulation, it will be recovered, not as Tyre, but as the economy of the Millennium, as people who remain alive at the second advent will begin a new race of humanity during the Millennium, which will last for 1000 years, but in the end, the people will turn away again from Christ despite his actual presence here on the earth.

Not having learned from history, that last and final economy will be destroyed as the whole old universe is destroyed and will be replaced with whatever God has in mind for the new universe.  This time it will last forever.

Despite what anyone thinks, all of history is courtesy of Jesus Christ.  All economics are courtesy of Jesus Christ.  All life is courtesy of Jesus Christ.

There is no such thing as a self-made person.

Everything that exists today was built upon the events of the past, all of which God designed and coordinated through His divine plan.

Only man takes those blessings and turns them into evil ways, which from time to time, need to be corrected through judgments of one sort or another, lest mans genius would have led to his total destruction long ago.

Isaiah 23:16

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:16

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16 Take [laqach] an harp [kinnowr], go about [cabab] the city [`iyr], thou harlot [zanah] that hast been forgotten [shakach]; make sweet [yatab] melody [nagan], sing many [rabah] songs [shiyr], that thou mayest be remembered [zakar].   KJV-Interlinear

16 “Take a harp; go about the city, O forgotten prostitute! Make sweet melody; sing many songs, that you may be remembered.”   ESV

Isaiah continues the description that was begun in the previous verse, calling to the prostitute, which is otherwise a reference to Tyre, or the old ways and the old habits of life.

This is a chiding of sorts.  Go ahead and sing, and dance and go around calling out to anyone who is able to listen.  Maybe someone will remember your glamor.  Maybe someone will recall your enticements.  Maybe your old ways will return.  Maybe others will remember and resume their interactions, as go the interactions of prostitutes.

But it is not to be. Tyre is gone, never to return.  And in just a couple of verses, we will see that all of her efforts, all of her production, all of her possessions, will go to others.  Others that had nothing to do with her original activity.  Others that rejected her activity. Others who will inherit the fruits of her labor.

And that of course will be those who survive and enter into the Millennium with Christ.

Evil will try to make itself remembered, but that will not happen.

Isaiah 23:15

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:15

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15 And it shall come to pass in that day [yowm], that Tyre [Tsor] shall be forgotten [shakach] seventy [shib`iym] years [shaneh], according to the days [yowm] of one ['echad] king [melek]: after the end [qets] of seventy [shib`iym] years [shaneh] shall Tyre [Tsor] sing [shiyr] as an harlot [zanah].   KJV-Interlinear

15 In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:    ESV

A little bit of confusion with respect to the seventy years term being mentioned, but it is easily cleared up as it pertains to the final days of history, which will last only seven years.

First, Isaiah wrote these words before the Babylonian Empire rose to power.

Second, Babylon has been used as the symbolism of evil in the world, an evil which is ruled and promoted by Satan.

Third, the phrase, ‘forgotten seventy years,’ is modified by the following phrase, ‘according to the days of one king.’

And fourth, the Bible uses many historical examples to describe the various characteristics and events of the final days of history.

All of that said, now Tyre will be forgotten, which refers to the cessation of its existence.  It will cease to be a place of importance.  This means that everything that it has come to stand for, namely the economics and the manipulation of the economics of the world, then that human modified structure, will cease.  It will collapse onto itself and in effect destroy itself.

Seventy years, according to the days of one king, has to be taken together, for they both refer not only to the seventy years, but also to the typical life span of a single king, or of a single dynasty.

This reference does not designate a single man or woman or person, but to a king, and this passage is very specific in that regard.

The word for king, likewise refers to a single kingdom, or dynasty, consisting of a single king or of a single rulership, which may consist of several kings.  But in either case, it is one single rule that is in view here.

Now Babylon is the principle example of evil.  The duration of Babylon was seventy years when Nebuchadnezzar began his conquest in the first year of his reign, and from there to the taking of Babylon, by Cyrus, which was seventy years later.

After the fall of Babylon the nations, that were taken by Babylon, would be restored to their liberty and freedom.  ‘All these nations,’ says Jeremiah, 25:11, ‘shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.’ Some of them were conquered sooner, and some later; but the end of this period was the common time of deliverance for them all.

Also, the word for king is often times used to refer to kingdoms and visa-versa. 

In Daniel the four beasts were referred to as kingdoms but also as four great kings that would rise up out of the earth, again referring to history.  We know that those four refer to the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greek Empire and then the Roman Empire.  These were to become a succession of empires, which has actually occurred in history.

Nebuchadnezzar founded the Babylonian empire, and he was regarded as its founder, and then he was succeeded by his son Merodach, and his grandson Belshazzar, in whose reign the kingdom terminated, Jer. 27:7: ‘And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son.’ The period of seventy years is several times mentioned, as a period during which the nations that were subject to Babylon would be oppressed, and after that they should be restored to their liberty, Jer. 25:11, 12; 29:10;  Jer. 46:26.

This is all historical.

The Tribulation is still future, but it will last only seven years, and from that we know that the number seven is often used to represent the completion of something, and in this case it would be the completion of the Tribulation.  It will all be completed during those seven years.  Also, we know that the number ten is often used to designate perfection.  For example, a beautiful woman is often times referred to as a perfect ten.  The combination of the two, are not magic nor some secret code, but simply denote that it is God whose hand is in the unfolding of history.

Thus the seventy refers to the reign of a single king, also the duration of a single dynasty, and that is what will occur in the Tribulation.  A single king and a single dynasty will run its full and complete course, but not in seventy years, but in only seven years.

And then we have the song of the prostitute.

The prostitute song can refer to a couple of things. 

After a major disaster, the restoration often times occurs to the former levels of prosperity and opulence and adornment with riches and so forth.

And so the prostitute can refer to that restoration to prosperity but she will resume her former habits of suggestive or questionable character.  If you get the meaning here.

And the second idea here is to the unrestrained joy and happiness that is freely and openly displayed without embarrassment for all to see and hear, and there is no restraint or timidness in that public display of singing or dancing and such.

And in a way both of these concepts apply.

After the second advent, the world will be restored to a phenomenal prosperity such has never existed before in history.  The joy and happiness will overflow with everyone, in that new Kingdom of God.  But we also know that near the end of that 1000 year reign of Christ, a huge population will arise in which many will not believe in the Savior, and will rebel instantly when Satan is released from his imprisonment.

Thus the super happiness that will occur in the beginning of the Millennium will give way to a return of the old ways with little or no effort as is the nature of unbelief.

So, history as everyone will have known it, will disappear along with a brief but single evil ruler, but freedom and prosperity beyond what everyone had known, will be restored.  But the answer to life is not in disaster or in prosperity for these things can give way to evil.  But the answer to life is found in faith in Christ.

Isaiah 23:14

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:14

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14 Howl [yalal], ye ships ['oniyah] of Tarshish [Tarshiysh]: for your strength [ma`owz] is laid waste [shadad].   KJV-Interlinear

13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not; Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.  ESV

The word for howl, ‘yalal,’ means to wail, to scream with frustration and loss.  And that is what people do when they hit a place where they are totally helpless and unable to do anything about their situation.

Whereas, prior to this judgment, a person assumes that he can do anything, get out of any predicament, have a plan B at hand, and otherwise continue on as he has always done before.

People place their trust in the resources of this world, in their research, in their insurance, in their marketing skills, in the ways that they have become accustomed to throughout their life.

They assume that problems happen elsewhere and to others, but not to themselves.

The ships of Tarshish, refer to the extensive trading industry of the world.  Tyre was representative of mans manipulation of the economics of the world.

When the economies of the world collapse, then the trading partners collapse.  When the trading partners collapse, then there is no business, no employment, no solution.

For when man manipulates the economics of life, then undoing all of the regulations becomes virtually impossible, because the solutions attempted will be to place even more regulations on top of the already huge burden of regulations that exist.

The result?  Total collapse of virtually everything in life.  Then chaos takes control.

These things are the events of the future.  But do not forget that when the Rapture does occur, many of the burdens of life will already exist. That means that in our dispensation, the foundations of disaster will already be in place, because we are putting them there.

These things do not occur overnight, but over the course of several generations, as each subsequent generation adds just another layer of burdens onto society, until it eventually all collapses under the weight of those burdens.

And now the latest update on the ebola problem, which you are probably following yourself in the news.  Yet another nurse has been diagnosed with the virus, but not before she traveled to Cleveland.  Another man who was a part of the lab work, boarded a cruise ship and had to be brought back to shore.  And now the news tells us that there are only eleven beds available in the whole of the United States that are set up for this type of quarantine!

When studying Revelation and other passages, I often wondered how disease could spread so fast throughout the entire world. And now it would seem that when people travel and when a disease is so toxic, and when those who are responsible for containing things like this, fail or make mistakes, then anything is possible.

Our responsibility in all of this?  Pursue your daily Bible study as though it is your only hope, because it is.  For one day, sooner or later, something like this could get loose and then the tears of sorrow will flow like a flood.

Isaiah 23:13

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:13

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13 Behold the land ['erets] of the Chaldeans [Kasdiy]; this people [`am] was not, till the Assyrian ['Ashshuwr] founded [yacad] it for them that dwell in the wilderness [tsiyiy]: they set up [quwm] the towers [bachiyn] thereof, they raised up [`arar] the palaces ['armown] thereof; and he brought [suwm] it to ruin [mappalah].  KJV-Interlinear

13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This is the people that was not; Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected their siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.  ESV

And now Isaiah gives an example of history, which at this point in Isaiah’s life, has not yet occurred, but will occur.

The Chaldeans refer to the Babylonians.

They were nothing before they existed.  They came up out of the Assyrian Empire, but were nothing while the Assyrians existed.

Then the child, the daughter, which refers to the Babylonians, arose up and destroyed the Assyrians.

Both empires started out in the wilderness.  They both built up towers and palaces and cities and such things.  They each in their turn, became powers.  The second more powerful than the first.

With each succeeding empire, the power and grandness increased.

And yet where are they all today?  Gone.

No more Assyria.  No more Babylon.  And we could easily add to this verse, no more Persia, Greeks, Romans and on and on.

Throughout all of history, every empire in history, has fallen into oblivion and has vanished.

And so the question being posed is this. If all of these, great and powerful empires have risen and then vanished, then what chance does Tyre have of survival?

If God removed all of the empires of the past, then what chance does any empire have against God?

And even though each subsequent empire brought down the former, it was Gods design, not mans, that allowed it to happen.

And so, since Tyre represents the economies of the world, economies that originated by Gods design, and then will be changed by mans regulatory design, then the one world economy concept, which is in itself a form of empire, has no chance of survival.

And its fall, will be due to its false principles that its foundation is built upon.

All empires were built with arrogance and lust.  Whether it is the Assyrians or the liberal politicians, makes no difference.  Arrogance and the drive of lust for power and authority all result in the same thing.  Namely utter disaster.  And when the end of the world finally arrives, that fall of the entire worlds economy, will be the worst disaster of them all, for everyone.  The suffering will be extreme and horrendous, and beyond description.

Isaiah 23:12

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:12

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12 And he said ['amar], Thou shalt no more [yacaph] rejoice [`alaz], O thou oppressed [`ashaq] virgin [bathuwlah], daughter [bath] of Zidon [Tsiydown]: arise [quwm], pass over [`abar] to Chittim [Kittiy]; there also shalt thou have no rest [nuwach].   KJV-Interlinear

12 And he said: “You will no more exult, O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon; arise, cross over to Cyprus,    even there you will have no rest.”   ESV

When the end comes, then the rejoicing, the boasting, the knack for indifference, the procrastination, the resistance toward truth, will all cease.  The old things, the old habits, the tendencies to ignore ones obligations and responsibilities in the spiritual life, as God has defined them, will cease.

God gives everyone plenty of time, and plenty of rope with which to get their life in order.

But persistent disregard of Gods mandates, disregard of the things that are expected to you, continuation in ones own ways, will get you into a huge pit, from which it will be difficult if not impossible to escape.

Virgin daughter of Sidon, is a personification of Tyre, the attitude of which she could do anything without repercussions, without error.  And since Tyre represents the center of economies, of which man designed through his own wisdom, which is not wisdom, then when all things collapse, the mocking and cat calls of arrogance will cease and turn to extreme despair.

Cross over to Cyprus, represents the attempt to go elsewhere, but still continuing in ones ways.

It does not work.

You cannot succeed now in obstinence, and you cannot go somewhere else and expect to succeed in obstinence.

Isaiah 23:11

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:11

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11 He stretched out [natah] his hand [yad] over the sea [yam], he shook [ragaz] the kingdoms [mamlakah]: the LORD [Yahovah] hath given a commandment [tsavah] against the merchant [Kana`an] city, to destroy [shamad] the strong [ma`owz] holds [ma`owz] thereof.   KJV-Interlinear

11 He has stretched out his hand over the sea; he has shaken the kingdoms; the LORD has given command concerning Canaan to destroy its strongholds.   ESV

And so just when you believe that you are safe, the news of this recent ebola outbreak reaches here into the United Sates.  Some man travels here from Nigeria, to Dallas, Texas.  He is sick and goes to the hospital in Dallas and they send him home.  He just has a fever.

Then someone realizes that he has the ebola virus and he is taken back into the hospital and quarantined.  But of course he has already traveled here on a major airline, walked through a major airport, gone home to his family.  They have all been to and from various places in the city, dinner, work, public bathrooms, grocery store, and so forth.

The man has since died, but now we learn that one of the care workers in the hospital got the virus from him.  But that care worker, has been back and forth between home and work. It takes three weeks for the symptoms to show themselves.  And again more public contact from work, to dinner, to family, to social activities and so forth.

Over in Liberia and Nigeria people are dying like flies from this disease.  Any moisture contact, a sneeze, a cough, a touch with sweat on a door knob, can spread this extremely aggressive disease.

And so it goes.  There is no safe place in this world when the powers of this world are unleashed.  And you thought that nothing like that could happen here.  What happens when terrorists realize that they can infect their own fanatics and turn them loose in public places with this kind of thing?

And, once the symptoms are there, your life has but a week at best.  Bleeding out of the nose, ears, mouth, eyes, diarrhea, vomit, it is really a bad ending.  And this is just now appearing in the news headlines.

So, what does that have to do with us and our study?

Well, everything in life revolves around attitude toward Christ.  This is not limited to believing in Him for salvation, but also in learning Him, which is the makeup of the spiritual life. 

Christ is the word, and to receive Christ, and to have Christ in you, means to learn bible doctrine, meaning having Christ or the Word, in you.  The only way this can happen is to pursue a daily study and learn.

And that is something that people seem to be oblivious too.  They just coast along in a fog of clichés and empty headed beliefs.  And in so doing they violate many truths without realizing it.  In marriage wives withhold themselves from their husbands, men abuse women, children are insolent, society in general is indifferent toward truth, standards are lowered, attitudes become careless, and the general direction of the world is away from Christ.

Then along comes a wake-up call.  Sometimes it is simple like a trip and a fall, and sometimes it is much more cruel like a plague.  Could this be what is heading our way?

In our verse, Canaan, is the land that stretches from modern day Syria southward to Egypt.  Both cities, that we have been studying, were located in Canaan.

But Canaan was the promised-land.  It was settled by the grandson by the name of Canaan, of Ham, son of Noah, but was promised to Shem, the line of faith.  Canaan tried to steal away, the promise of God to another.

And so when the end comes, this stolen land will be returned to its rightful owner, to whom the promise was made, namely the line of faith.

To stretch out His hand, means judgment.  And when God judges, there will be no turning back unless there is a huge awakening and repentance back toward Christ.

But in the end days, there will be no repentance, and the strongholds, the strong minds of indifference, will be destroyed.

Most of us have never lived in the extremely hard times of the dark ages, or of the plagues, or even of the world wars of last century.  We have seen many examples of tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and such, but they always seem to happen elsewhere.

But, that elsewhere principle, just may be shattered.  One never knows.

When a society becomes indifferent, it also can become lax in its spiritual responsibilities and obligations, and very few want to examine themselves to see where they are lacking in their failure toward spiritual responsibilities or obligations.  Then the troubles begin.

Sometimes the troubles can go along for a long time.  This is designed to get people back on track, not only with their studies, but more so, with their obedience to their responsibilities in life.

With little or no response, then the troubles increase, and the squeeze is on in order to get the desired repentance from ones ways.

With little or no response, then the fire is turned up more and more, until someone cries uncle or they simply get tossed into the fires of heavy discipline or judgment.

It is far better to see the truth and to examine yourself and get back into Gods good graces, than it is to be exposed to the harder realities of life.

And to not take life seriously, to not take Christ seriously, to not take the responsibilities and obligations of your role in life seriously, to not take doctrine seriously, then you leave yourself wide open to the possibility of the extremely harsh realities that are out there.  Is stubbornness really worth that?

Isaiah 23:10

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:10

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10 Pass [`abar] through thy land ['erets] as a river [ya`or], O daughter [bath] of Tarshish [Tarshiysh]: there is no more strength [maziyach].   KJV-Interlinear

10 Cross over your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; there is no restraint anymore.   ESV

The daughter is the offspring of a parent.  Tarshish is the parent being referred to here.  And since the center of trade is through Tyre, and Tarshish refers to the many islands and distant ports to and from which trade was conducted, then the daughter would refer to the subsequent trade or offshoots of this vast trading activity.

The collapse extends to, and reaches the entire world.

The word for strength, ‘maziyach,’ is a reference to a girdle or a restraint, or a boundary that holds something together, or in place.

After the destruction of Tyre, or as we have been studying, the collapse of the worlds economy, then we now have a reference to the vast and extensive magnitude of the collapse.

No more structure, no more boundaries, nothing of a trading economy will remain or exist.  This means that the farms, the freight, the manufacturing, even the monetary systems will be in a shambles, and not only in a shambles, they will simply not exist anymore, and if anything does exist, like paper money, it will be virtually worthless, assuming that any one has any.

And then we have the river being referred to as it flows unhindered.  The word for river, ‘yaor,’ typically refers to the Nile, but it also refers to a river that flows undisturbed, which means no dams, no barriers, nothing being diverted, no traffic.

And so while the world has collapsed, the various components of the world, such as a river, or the weather and so forth, will continue on as they have in the past and will continue on currently and will continue in the future without interruption.

Mans life, or lack of it, will have no effect on time or the many natural and normal elements of life all around us.

Look out your window and see the clouds as they move, without regard to you.  Or the rivers and creeks and such as they continue on their course without any regard to you, or the winds, or the grass or anything outside of the human element.  These things continue day and night regardless of you or your life.

Whether you are happy or sad, angry or mad, time and life move on in spite of you, just as Gods plan moves on, just as grace continues uninterrupted, without hindrance, without interruption.

You can either wake up and smell the realities of life around you, from Gods perspective, or you can continue on clinging to your stubbornness, and your failing ways, figuring out how to either ignore God or blame God or someone else, for everything, when He and they really had nothing to do with anything bad in this world or in your life.

It is your negative attitude, your unbelieving nature, your unyielding thinking, which by the way, God grants you to pursue, that has set into motion all of the negatives of this world. So why would you blame God for allowing you to make your own decisions, regardless if they are right or wrong?

God does give full disclosure, and warns everyone of the repercussions of their anti-God attitudes.  So there is no one but yourself to blame, and certainly not God.

Just saw the movie, ‘Left Behind.’  A pretty good description of what life may be like when the Rapture does occur. The clothing part is derived from the clothes left behind by Jesus when He was resurrected and the clothes remained in the tomb.  But His body was dead and wrapped in burial wraps, not clothes, so that aspect may or may not be accurate.  We simply do not know what the specifics will be. But the Rapture when it does occur, will take everyone by surprise and it will be instantaneous.  That much we do know for certain.

And of those that remain, there will be an unleashing of crime and sin natures that will no longer be restrained.  Attitudes will be anti-God and certainly anti-truth, and a whole lot of blaming God, along with initial confusion, the magnitude of which we cannot know, plus all of the theories and ideas and explanations of what actually happened.

But then it won’t take long before the confusion of the Rapture will turn into the ever growing confusion of the Tribulation.  Remember that in the first there-and-a-half years following the Rapture, literally half of the worlds population will die from famine, starvation, disease, crime, war and from the many atrocities that will occur.

We have been studying the collapse of the worlds economies.  These things will not occur in one night but throughout the entire period of the Tribulation.   And mans attempts to fix things, with laws, regulations, identity numbering and such, will only make things worse and worse and worse, until it all crashes.

It is all definitely a period of history in which you do not want to be living.  But alas, most folks don’t seem to be interested in the Bible or Gods mandates, or Gods warnings, or their roles that God has assigned them in life.

Sooo…?

Isaiah 23:9

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:9

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9 The LORD [Yahovah] of hosts [tsaba'] hath purposed [ya`ats] it, to stain [chalal] the pride [ga'own] of all glory [tsabiy], and to bring into contempt [qalal] all the honourable [kabad] of the earth ['erets].   KJV-Interlinear

9 The Lord of hosts has purposed it, to defile the pompous pride of all glory, to dishonor all the honored of the earth.   ESV

Tyre is representative of the economies of the world, throughout all of human history.  Make sure that you understand that.  This is a prophecy of the final days of history.  This is not a rendition of the history of an actual city at some past but certain time in history, and certainly not a record of some person or group of people that did great things in business.

This is s record of the phenomenal history of Gods provision, throughout history, despite all of the opposition toward God, from nearly everyone in history, and then mans delusional ideas and subsequent self-destruction due to the rejection of Gods plan.

And God herein states that it is His purpose to demonstrate the difference between His design and provision, as opposed to mans plans.

Gods design works.  Mans delusional ideas do not work.

Look around at literally every country on this planet.  Countries that are ruled by religion and socialism are riddled with problems, some are still living in the stone age, so to speak.

Countries, of which there are very few, who have a history of Christianity and free enterprise, which is a fundamental principle of Christianity, are far advanced, innovative, prosperous and certainly more blessed that all of the others combined.  And yet, even in the so called Christian countries there is a movement to rid themselves of the successful Christian fundamentals and turn to the failed systems of the other countries.  Go figure!

And so the wise of this world, who are not really wise, are going to be shown as the fools of fools.

And you should not want to be counted or included among them.

Whether it is radio waves in the air or raw materials in the ground, man did not invent them, but only discovered them, which God had already invented and made provision for, and then put them to use in the many products that we have today.

Man did not invent economies, but only discovered what God had designed in eternity past.  Unfortunately man tries to improve on the best plan and then it becomes worse.

How smart can one be, to make something perfect into something that is imperfect, to take Gods design and plan and throw it out and replace it with something that is never going to work.

This principle applies on the world scale as well as on the personal level for what you think and do in your life.

And as we have already seen, it will all come to a screeching halt in the final days of history, whenever that is, but it also applies today in your own personal life, of which so many people simply mess up with their own versions of rejecting Gods design.

Isaiah 23:8

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:8

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8 Who hath taken this counsel [ya`ats] against Tyre [Tsor], the crowning [`atar] city, whose merchants [cachar] are princes [sar], whose traffickers [Kana`an] are the honourable [kabad] of the earth ['erets]?  KJV-Interlinear

8 Who has purposed this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?  ESV

The question arises as to who is responsible for the rise of greatness of Tyre?  Who is responsible for its expansion throughout the region? Who is responsible for the greatness and ingenuity and success of the traders who traded worldwide with common folks as well as the royalty of the many lands?

And of course the whole question is raised in order to point to God as the one who is responsible for the phenomenal success of the trading empire that spread throughout many lands and was successful for many, many centuries despite the many empires that rolled through the region from time to time.

Its success continued and even grew despite the many obstacles of history.  Man is not responsible.

In the beginning it is business that is being described, from the origins of Sidon and the many principles of free enterprise that existed throughout the region, and despite the many obstacles or regulations that were imposed by man, in order to make it even better.  It did fine on its own, throughout all of history.

Then Tyre has been described at its end, having disregarded God, Gods principles and turned itself over to the management of man.  There is more anti-business and pro-socialism sentiment throughout the world, than ever before in history.

So, throughout history, for centuries and centuries and centuries, economies thrived under the fundamental principles of the divine establishment.  Principles authored by God.

And then man comes along and tries to make economies better by micro management and government regulation. 

And what happens when the end of history finally arrives?

The economy not only collapses, but it takes everything down with it.  And when an entire world is forced to its knees, then billions are without anything and anywhere to turn.  The suffering for huge populations is horrendous.  Economies cannot restart under human regulation.  And it is all due to the arrogance of people who believe that they can manage something that is far beyond their understanding.

And we have many historical examples of mans failure in communism, in socialism, in the many empires that have tried to control their own destinies, in the many religions that have tried to run their own countries that are, even now, in utter ruin.  And yet people look away, and do not see the failure rate or the ruin that always accompanies this type of government regulation or religious control.

The Bible is a constant reminder that if you disregard the seriousness and objectivity of your daily study, and if your disregard your role in life, a role that God has placed on you, then you and you alone are to blame for the failures of life and history.

And since we have prophecies in writing, then we know that people will never change and that an unbelievable and disastrous end is coming one day.  The only question for you, is ‘Are you going to be a part of that doom?’

Isaiah 23:7

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:7

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7 Is this your joyous [`alliyz] city, whose antiquity [qadmah] is of ancient [qedem] days [yowm]? her own feet [regel] shall carry [yabal] her afar off [rachowq] to sojourn [guwr].  KJV-Interlinear

7 Is this your exultant city whose origin is from days of old, whose feet carried her to settle far away?   ESV

Tyre is mocked and ridiculed for its own boasting.  It boasted of its prosperity and wealth and joy, even of its long history.  The actual beginning of Tyre is not known, but it is said to have dated back to nearly the time of Abraham.  The Temple of Hercules, in Tyre, is said to be one of the oldest in the ancient world.

But all of its history, all of its wealth, all of its influence that it has had on the entire world, will not be enough to prevent its own destruction, which by the way will be self-destruction.

No one and nothing in this world can sustain itself, unless God wills it.  You, no matter who you are, are nothing without Gods grace.  And if God decides you are finished, then there is nothing that will prevent your destruction.

The feet carried away, is a phrase that has a dual meaning.  First it deals with the prosperity and influence that Tyre has had on regions far and wide.  Its trade and economic influence extended throughout the entire world.

And second, the feet that once carried it through prosperity, will now carry it through adversity.  It is one thing to be forced to leave and then settle elsewhere when you have the resources to do so, but it is quite another thing to be forced to leave, without resources, having to live in a foreign place, in total poverty, which makes life extremely miserable and hard.

History is filled with refugees that have been forced out of their homes into camps or worse.  Getting back on ones feet is difficult if not impossible. 

But life is nothing more than the endless examples of hardship, that will come to the spiritual life, a life that lasts forever.

Throughout history people have been indifferent toward truth making them reject truth and refusing to support truth.  Instead people support the false, they pursue the false, they boast of the false, they invest in the false, and that is the nature of humanity.  Most religions, which are false systems, are wealthy.  Most Christian organizations which follow the truth of doctrine, are poor.  That is a historical fact.  Why?

Because the nature of humanity is anti-truth.  Promote the lies and feel good about it.  Laugh at the truth and feel good about that too.

But here we have the last laugh, which belongs to God.  All of the attributes of Tyre, all of the attributes of human plans, will inevitably fail.

Do they fail instantly?  No.  God is gracious and allows even the worst of plans to continue, which by the way they continue only because God wills it, not because of their own inherent power, but they continue because, God can look down the tunnel of time and see all of the future generations of people who will believe in Christ, who will advance in their spiritual lives, until the very last person in history who will believe, and then it will all come to a halt.

If you are one of those indifferent types, well then you probably are not reading this, but if you were, then know this.  Your life continues only because God allows it, despite your indifference and refusal to comply with His mandates and will and so forth.

There is a greater purpose, and your attitude or plans or procrastination or indifference or excuses are not that purpose.

Isaiah 23:6

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:6

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6 Pass ye over [`abar] to Tarshish [Tarshiysh]; howl [yalal], ye inhabitants [yashab] of the isle ['iy].  KJV-Interlinear

6 Cross over to Tarshish;  wail, O inhabitants of the coast!  ESV

And so what is the current harbor?  Who is told to make a change?  Why? 

This advice is given to the inhabitants of Tyre, to get out, to go and find new and different harbors, because their current harbor is going to be destroyed.

Jesus Christ controls history.

In contrast, Satan and then man, try to control their own destinies, apart from God.  Neither angel nor man has the sovereignty, authority, power, or knowledge with which to control tomorrow let alone the entire universe.

And this and the next several verses will pose questions as to who has the power, who has the authority, who has the wherewithal to comand the elements of nature as well as the entirety of the future of everything and everyone.

Tarshish, as we saw from the other day, is a reference to the many islands of the Mediterranean Sea.  The islands and coastal regions, back then, were the center of commerce and activity.  Tyre was a focal point and crossroads of much of the activity that came out of Africa, from across Arabia, from Persia, and from across the entire region of the Mediterranean and beyond.

But Tyre also represents the entirety of the controlled trade of humanity.  As power evolves in man, then the controls and abuse of those controls likewise grow.  When one single place controls all, then when it collapses, then all suffer.

One of the fundamental principles of Christianity and of the Laws of Establishment, is the decentralization of power and control and authority, so that freedoms are not abused.  That is why many nations provide more security than one single nation.  Many languages, many cultures, many colors, many races and so forth, provide for greater freedoms and individuality, than only a single of any of them.

When the Tribulation does finally occur, then the effort for a single government, a single money source, a single language, a single justice system, and so forth, will become abusive to the maximum and the entirety of all world systems will collapse with mind-boggling surprise.

And now we have our verse.

Get out, change your ways, find new and better trade resources and sources, is the warning.

The bad source will be the anti-christ and the one world systems that will be installed.  Many of which will probably already exist prior to the Rapture.  Just look around the world now.

The new and better and changes needed, are the old systems of free enterprise, of many governments, of many cultures and so forth.  But the single greatest warning and advice is to change away from all things false, to all things true, from evil to good, from all things bad to Christ.

But who will listen?

Isaiah 23:3

Copyright Ó 2014 J. Neely

Isaiah 23:3ues

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3 And by great [rab] waters [mayim] the seed [zera`] of Sihor [Shiychowr], the harvest [qatsiyr] of the river [ya`or], is her revenue [tabuw'ah]; and she is a mart [cachar] of nations [gowy].  KJV-Interlinear

3 And on many waters your revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; you were the merchant of the nations.  ESV

We can take two things from this verse. Tyre was vastly wealthy and successful and was the gateway of commerce to the entire world, as it was known back then.  And the second thing is, that despite its vast wealth, its doom was not preventable.

Neither wealth, sincerity, talent, color of skin, intelligence, insurance, military or economic might, or anything else under creation, can prevent your destruction, when you turn away from God.

Tyre received much of her trade from the Nile region.

Back in ancient times, the Nile was a rich and prosperous river.  The black waters, so called because of the color of the rich silt that was carried by the river from deep inside of Africa, is also the meaning of the name of Sihor, namely black.

The location of Sihor is unknown, but is thought to be somewhere along the delta region of the Nile just as it entered the Mediterranean Sea.  Not necessarily a city, but the location or source of the trade that came out of the Nile.

Both the uncertainty of its location, combined with the flow or prosperous trade, points to not man as the architect of the trade, but to God, who is the architect of human history, human and world resources as well as the flow and control of history overall.

To presume some sort of superiority over life because of ones wealth or status in the world, is a false conclusion.  For it is God who is the source of all things, never man, and certainly never you.

The harvest of the river, further points to the Nile, as it is usually the river being referred to, when commerce or prosperity is the topic.  The Euphrates is usually referred to as a boundary and not commerce.  As well as the location of Tyre which is our current topic, also points to the Nile being in view here.

Revenue, grain, harvest and merchant of nations all point to the world as a whole.  And that is the real topic here, as this prophecy is targeted for the final days of history, and demonstrates that in those days, there will be a huge and prosperous economy that was built up from prior generations, then modified through micro-management, and then it will systematically collapse.