It is said that there are about 300 prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus. I know about 8. However something came to mind this morning.

The prophet Isaiah was given a vision of Heaven in the 6th Chapter of his book.  In this vision, a few versus down, God said something extremely interesting and, to the layman, unlike the God we know or the God He is portrayed as.  

And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Isaiah 6:9-10

It is to my understanding that God is instructing Isaiah to tell these people (the Israelites) that they hear but do not understand and they see but do not see clearly.  Furthermore, God then instructs Isaiah to purposely make their hearts fat, make their ears heavy and shut their eyes.  

What!? God purposefully instructs Isaiah to close the eyes of His people? This one was very difficult to understand until something dawned on me.

This may well be a prophecy towards Jesus.  You see, 1 chapter later, there is a clearer one.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 7:14

You may say that Jesus wasn’t named Immanuel. 

To which I reply, Immanuel is Hebrew and is defined as “God with us”.  Further proof for this prophecy is here.

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Mat 1:23

Now, God said something interesting at the end of that command, “lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be [HEALED]”.

Jesus’ life was absolutely full of healing people. Everywhere He went, He healed people. Sometimes, in quantities we simply couldn’t fathom one man healing. However, there were two groups of religious leaders called the Pharisees and Sadducees that would not accept Jesus.  

Their hearts were “fat”.  Let me explain.

The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

Pro 27:7

The Pharisees and the Sadducees were fat with religion.  They thought they were pure and they didn’t need a savior.  But the people they oppressed and who were in chains to sin, and the results thereof, knew they needed a savior to heal them from the pain, sickness and suffering they caused themselves or that were caused by circumstances.

Because they were “holier than thou” they rejected the reproofs of Jesus.  They ignored His teachings and, as a result, they did not convert to the New Testament teachings.  They, which needed the healing the most, were not cured of their ultimate sickness (pride).

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look…

Proverbs 6:16-17

Now we might think, how terrible of God to commit a judgment like that so long before Jesus actually was born to Mary. Then something else came to mind.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:

Exodus 10:1, KJV

This was after multiple attempts of God showing the Pharaoh that He is all-powerful and Pharaoh would not listen. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people go plenty of times and Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Exodus 8:15

God hardened Pharaoh’s heart by continuing to press him with miracles. See Exo 7:3. Have you ever made someone more stubborn by continuing to argue with them? Well, think of it like that. God continued to press Pharaoh by “multiplying His miracles” and showing stubborn Pharaoh who’s boss. God then frees His people by force from the oppression of slavery under Pharaoh and, eventually, sets them up as a successful kingdom being guided by Him.

Sure enough, the oppressed find a way to become the oppressors (in the case of the religious leaders) and then God must do the same thing after they would not listen. Free His people. This time by a stronger force, Love and healing. 

Now why on Earth am I pointing this out?

Could it be that history, which has happened twice, is being repeated?

The Pharisees thought they were secure.  They thought they had no need of Salvation because they were already “saved”.  They were prideful and, ultimately, way off course.

The Egyptians thought there were secure too.  They had it made.  Yet now we only talk about how great the ancient Egyptians were.

Most, if not all, of the prophets prophesied about Jesus.  Although they were such difficult prophecies to understand before-hand, those who humbled themselves, studied it and taught it to their kids were the ones who knew to accept Jesus when He came.

Could it be, that as time draws closer to the end, we are seeing this whole theme again?

  1. A people “fat” in their beliefs about Christianity yet are drawing away from what God intended His followers to do.
  2. A people so prideful that thy will close off their hearts to the truth, “lest they be converted and healed”.
  3. Jesus returning and the “religious” will not be accepted by Him because they never truly accepted Him.

Only time can tell, but in the meanwhile, meditate on these verses.

  1. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”  (2 Thessalonians 2:3, KJV)
  2. “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:”  (2 Thessalonians 2:11, KJV)
  3. “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  (Mat 7:22-23, KJV)

Addition

Let me warn you not to externalize these men.  These men were priests and rulers, which may differ from us, but they did influence the people under their charge to believe their beliefs and understand their “wisdom”.  It was not just the Pharisees and the Sadducees that crucified Jesus but the people that listened to them were in the crowd yelling “crucify Him, crucify Him”.  

We may be in a time where more and more “famed” religious leaders are giving their allegiance to system of beliefs rather than God.  You may be reading those books, listening to their talks or subscribing to their doctrines.  This by no means implies all great men are not of God but we should be diligent as the Bereans.

 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Acts 17:10-11

Finally, we are nothing without God.  I invite you to pray daily and depend on His guidance.  One of the funniest things happened.  One day I decided to ask God for the truth.  From that point on I was overwhelmed with how much knowledge and understanding He sent my way and inspired me to study.  

“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Jeremiah 33:3