Our chapter begins, its very first verse: “The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.” Isaiah 57:1
Several little “nuggets” of truth are buried therein, I’m sure. (In fact, Jesus believed and stated to His Father: “THY WORD IS TRUTH.” John 17:17)
Notice that the Land (of Judah) is losing her “godly people.” The “righteous” and the “merciful,” to use the words of our Text. But nobody cares!
Sodom lost too many “good” people, not having even fifty remaining! Or ten for that matter! And one day the Fire fell, the Judging Hand of God decimated the place!
I am thinking of America. We no doubt lose pure, holy people every single day. They are dying, going to Heaven! Are they being replaced by an equal number of younger Christians? I have my doubts!
Oh, how we should treasure those older, wise, born-again folks! (What “light” and “salt” they have been to our Country!)
Psalm 15:4 speaks of our solemn duty to “honor those who fear the Lord.”
Tell some senior saint this week how much they mean to you. What a blessing they have been! We should indeed mourn their homegoing. Maybe even for our own sake!
Then … let me point out one more principle our verse elucidates. One reason WHY God takes the righteous to Heaven. “That the righteous are taken away from the evil to come.” Isaiah 57:1b
God is sparing those good people from “evil” that’s on the way! Ever thought of it that way?
Death, for the Believer … as a blessing!
Death … as a deliverance!
I personally believe the Lord is coming to take away (to rapture) the entire (true) Church one of these days … “to deliver us from the evil to come!”
To spare us the Tribulation!
Revelation 3:10, written to the Church … “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep (‘tereo’ in Greek, meaning ‘to preserve, protect’) thee from the hour of temptation (tribulation), which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”
Wow!
One verse … two encouraging thoughts!
We thank Thee, Lord, for Thy Word.
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
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