Journal: Journal of Dispensational Theology
Volume: JODT 20:59 (Spring 2016)
Article: Editorial
Author: Anonymous

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JODT 20:59 (Spring 2016) p. 7

Editorial

Economic concerns dominate our contemporary times. Politicians are frequently cautioned and reminded as follows: “people will vote their pocketbooks.” The church also can be lulled into religious traditions that result in a false sense of security. For instance, western nations tend to regard themselves as impervious to threats of attack and thus isolated from war. Political alliances are prioritized to keep nations exempt from the devastation of war. God’s Word cautions one against developing foolhardy and haughty attitudes, as evident in claiming exemption from the Lord’s day of judgment. Nothing can impede the day of the Lord when it arrives, regardless of a nation’s economic resources, geographical location, military supremacy, political alliances, or religious traditions. Consequently, the people of God are to trust the Lord’s Word, being dependent upon the Lord’s power, and thus are able to receive divine blessings.

Isaiah 13—23 contain a series of messages, which are primarily oracles or judgments against various Gentile nations. The emphasis within the prophecies is judgment, and thus the oracles should be given careful attention by all nations. One can be fairly certain that the foreign nations were not intended to read the judgments that God had decreed for them; rather, the intent of the messages was primarily to grant prophetic hope for the people of God. The expectation would be immediate for the original recipients of the divinely inspired messages in the days of the prophet Isaiah, and would also inspire future generations as they observed the fulfillment of the prophecies.

The prophecies convey two general principles. First, the oracles convey the truth that God’s justice is both absolute and holy. Every nation is accountable to God, as are all people responsible for their actions. All human beings know the existence of God as “evident” because the individual conscience and created order make Him known to all humanity (Rom 1:19–20); therefore, regardless of the availability of the Lord’s special revelation, which is the very Word of God (the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament), it is necessary that all nations conform to God’s standards (cf. Matt 28:18–20).

Second, the prophetic fulfillment is confirmation that the Holy Bible is inspired by God. The truth that the nations of antiquity experienced their individual destinies precisely as prophesied in Scripture is corroborative evidence that the Bible is truly the very Word of God. For instance, those Israelites living in the time of the return to the land– who were led by

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