Chapter 23

Jesus will come again to the earth.  This time he will be coming in glory.  When he comes, the wicked people on the earth will be destroyed.  Their spirits will go to the spirit world to be taught and nurtured by a loving but just God.  They will suffer the consequences of their sins but will not remain in hell forever.  God is a loving person who will eventually rescue their souls.  Meanwhile, the righteous sons and daughters of God who remain on the earth will enjoy the fruits of their righteousness.  We will carry on the work of salvation.  We will live our lives free of Satan’s temptations and power.  We will not experience death.  Our wives will not suffer in child bearing.  It will be a thousand years of peace and joy.  We can have this happiness now.  We can choose the right way. The right way is to follow Jesus, keep his commandments, and walk in holiness day to day.   

Chapter 22

Feeling grateful and giving thanks to our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ is important to spirituality and well being.  Gratitude swells within us. We let go of fear and feel the presence of a Loving Father.    

Chapter 21

D&C 113 gives some answers about who the “rod,” “stem,” and “root,” of Jesse are.  Suffice it to say Jesus is the Stem and Joseph Smith is the Root.  The identity of the rod is not stated.  The glorious peace of the Millennium is described by Isaiah.  Little children will grow up without fear!  Faith will flourish.  We must try to eliminate fear from our lives now.    

Chapter 20

Regarding our ability to function without God, he asks, “Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it?”  

Chapter 19

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”  Can you hear it?  Handel’s pen has engraved it upon our hearts.  Do you believe it?  Jesus is the Christ; he will take care of us forever.

Chapter 18

Isaiah’s two sons were named by the Lord.  “Things are going to get very bad” and “Things are going to get a lot better,” were the two names…really.  My interpretations are pretty close.  One name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, is named for the destruction and captivity of Israel by Assyria.  The other name, Shearjashub, is named for when Israel is freed from bondage and gathered in.  We have named our children after our parents, close friends, or because we just liked the name.  We love each of our children and grandchildren and we honor their sacred names. 

Chapter 17

This chapter reminds me of Handel’s Messiah because of vs. 14: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign—Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  According to Stefan Zweig, author of Decisive Moments in History, the 21^st of August, 1741, Handel received the lyrics for the Messiah from his lyricist, Jennens, the poet who had written the words for two previous oratorios by Handel. The music descended from the heavens into Handel’s pen as a rushing of many waters. After three short weeks wherein Handel hardly ate, drank, or slept, the work was completed.  Handel put down his pen on September 14^th (Zweig, pp. 63-83). I especially love this book because my friend, Lowell Bangerter, translated it from German into English.

Chapter 16

The cleansing power of Christ is available immediately when we repent.  Isaiah testifies that is precisely what happened to him.  In a sacred setting, couched in temple symbols he paints a picture of a personal visit with the Savior in which he (Isaiah) expresses his feelings of unworthiness.  In response Jehovah sends an angel to touch his lips, symbolizing a purging of sin from Isaiah’s life.  We have access to this same cleansing power.  If we humble ourselves and ask the Lord for forgiveness he will do it.  How is it done?  By the power and righteousness of the Great Jehovah who is full of grace and truth.  He speaks to us through his Spirit the comforting words of peace: “Thou art clean.”

Chapter 15

We live in a wonderful time in the earth’s history. Yet, there are many who “call evil good, and good evil.”  Isaiah describes a day of great innovation and invention.  His description of planes and railroads in vs. 28-29 is classic: “Whose arrows shall be sharp and all their bows bent, and their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind, their roaring like a lion.  They shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry away safe, and none shall deliver.”  Can you see the metal wheels of the railroad engines sparking down the tracks?  Can you see the great passenger airplanes that eat up the passengers and then deliver them safely to their destinations?  All of these latter-day inventions came forth after the restoration of the gospel and establishment of Christ’s church again upon the earth.  Before 1830 transportation by horse or boat had been the same for thousands of years.  With the “ensign to the nations,” that is the Book of Mormon and the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Lord has blessed the earth with the means to get the message to all of the world. 

Chapter 14

The Atonement of Christ is a great covering.  He is our refuge from the storms of life.  Instead of blaming him when things are hard, we must come to him and place our burdens upon him in faith.  His Atonement purges our sins and burns them up.  The enabling power flowing from His Atonement is the way we will overcome every affliction including addiction, bad habits, smallness of character, selfishness, fears, and laziness.  When something bad happens, we must turn to him and not away.  “Come unto me all ye who are heavy laden, and I shall give thee rest.”  Wayward sons and daughters will return through and with Christ who is ready and able to save. 

Chapter 13

Isaiah paints a picture of pride, disobedience to God, and the consequence of sin.  Both men and women are equally chastised by the Lord: the men for failing to be providers and righteous priesthood bearers (refusing to give priesthood blessings); the women for their worldliness and vanity.  This is a humbling chapter.  All of must self-evaluate and say, “Lord, is it I?”

 

Chapter 12

Isaiah sees the temples built in the mountains in the latter-days and almost in the same breath he talks about Christ’s second coming and the peace of the millennium!  These are the temples of our God, built in Salt Lake City, Logan, Ogden, and Provo.  This is the Conference Center.  This is the church in the Latter-days.  Isaiah saw our day.  We are living in the glorious last days that all the prophets saw with great joy.  We must think about Jesus Christ’s coming and prepare ourselves to meet him.

 

Chapter 11

It was Nephi’s challenge to convince his people that the Savior would be coming into the world to redeem the world.  It is our challenge today to believe he will come again to the earth that he redeemed.  But more challenging and more crucial is the decision to believe Him and His message.  Yesterday, I went to a lecture by Tom Tyler, my friend from Las Vegas days.  He said Jesus wants to put his arms around us.  In fact, if he were to visit us in person right now, the first thing he would do is give us an affectionate hug.  When Nephi and Jacob saw Jesus, as recorded in this chapter, he would have hugged them.  Jesus is a loving, affectionate being.  The Spirit fills us with this love.  Love casts out our fears.  Hugs are amazing!

Chapter 10

Oh, despicable me!  We say it to ourselves almost every day when we fall short.  Yet Christ is there. Our Father in Heaven is there.  They say to us, “Therefore, cheer up your hearts and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves.”  The barrier of unbelief comes because Satan is a real being and daily tells us of our worthlessness.  For some reason, many of us, having heard this message so constantly throughout our lives, have unfortunately come to believe it.  Don’t believe it! It is a lie!  “Wherefore…reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in the through the grace of God that ye are saved.  Wherefore, may God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine.”