Crystallization-Study Outlines
Isaiah (1)

Message One

The Vision, the Word, and the Burden
That Isaiah Saw concerning Christ
as the Centrality and Universality
of God’s Eternal Economy

Scripture Reading: Isa. 1:1; 2:1; 13:1;
9:6-7; 40:28-31; 42:1-4; 53:5; 55:6-13; 57:15; 66:1-2

1. Isaiah (meaning “the salvation of Jah”) is the leading book among all the books of the prophets, and its subject is the salvation of Jehovah through the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, ascended, and coming Christ; this book is the vision that Isaiah saw (1:1), the word that Isaiah saw (2:1), and the burden that Isaiah saw (13:1; 15:1) concerning Christ as the centrality and universality of God’s eternal economy (9:6-7; 53:1-12; 40:10):
   1. Isaiah reveals the history of the universe—from God’s original creation through Satan’s rebellion and Christ’s processes to accomplish God’s judicial redemption and His organic salvation for the producing and building up of the Body of Christ, to usher in the kingdom of God unto the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth—v. 22a; 45:18; 14:12-14; 53:5; 12:2-3; 65:17.
   2. Isaiah’s prophecy has a spiritual essence—the Christ who was processed for the divine purposes is the centrality and universality of the great wheel of the move of the Divine Trinity for the accomplishing of His economy in the divine dispensing of Himself into His elect—cf. Ezek. 1:15.
2. In the book of Isaiah, God’s love toward Israel is exercised in a threefold way: as a Father (1:2-3; 63:16; 64:8), as a nursing Mother (66:12-13), and as a Husband (54:5):
   1. God deals with people according to what He is; as the Holy One (1:4), He chastises His people that they may be holy (Heb. 12:10), and as the righteous One (Isa. 24:16a), He judges the nations because they are not just and righteous (26:13).
   2. God’s dealing in love with His beloved Israel and His righteous judgment upon the nations bring in Christ, the Savior—43:3-4; 49:26.
   3. There is a divine, spiritual, and heavenly philosophy that dominates the book of Isaiah:
      1. God’s chastising of Israel and His judgment on the nations who exercise excessive action upon Israel issue in three things:
         1. Israel is brought back to God.
         2. The created things are restored.
         3. The all-inclusive Christ is ushered in.
      2. When Israel turns to God, there will be the restoration of all things, and then the all-inclusive Christ will be ushered in; this is the divine, spiritual, and heavenly philosophy that dominates the book of Isaiah, especially in the first thirty-nine chapters.
3. The book of Isaiah, which has sixty-six chapters, is a representative of the entire Bible, which has sixty-six books:
   1. The first section (chs. 1—39) concerns God’s governmental dealing with His beloved Israel and His punishing judgment on the nations so that Israel may be brought back to God and the all-inclusive Christ may be ushered in with the expected restoration of all things (11:6-9; 35:5-6; cf. Matt. 19:28).
   2. The last section (Isa. 40—66) is the kind word of Jehovah spoken to the heart of Israel, His beloved people; this word unveils the prophet’s vision concerning the redeeming and saving Christ as the Servant of Jehovah and reveals the all-inclusive salvation brought in by Christ to Israel and the nations, with the full restoration of all things, consummating in the new heaven and new earth.
4. The book of Isaiah reveals the Triune God coming out of eternity into time and with His divinity into humanity to pass through the processes of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension for the accomplishment of God’s economy to produce and build up the church as the Body of Christ and to usher in the kingdom age, consummating in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth:
   1. Isaiah reveals the forerunner of Christ, preparing the way for Christ—40:1-5.
   2. Isaiah reveals the conception and birth of Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God—7:14; 9:6-7.
   3. Isaiah reveals the human living of Christ—7:14-15; 40:9b; 53:2-3; 61:1-2a; 9:2; 49:5a; 42:1-4; 11:1-2.
   4. Isaiah reveals the crucifixion of Christ—53:4-10a, 12b.
   5. Isaiah reveals the resurrection of Christ—vv. 10b-11.
   6. Isaiah reveals the ascension of Christ—52:13; 53:12a.
   7. Isaiah reveals the second coming of Christ—40:10; 64:1.
   8. Isaiah reveals the coming kingdom of Christ—2:2-5; 11:6-9; 35:1-10; 30:26.
   9. Isaiah reveals the eternal new creation of Christ—65:17.
5. Isaiah reveals the wonderful person of Christ:
   1. Christ is the incarnated Savior, the crucified Redeemer, the resurrected Life-giver, the ascended Victor, and the coming King—9:6; 53:5, 10b-12; 40:10.
   2. Christ is the light of Jehovah—2:5; 9:1-2; 49:6b.
   3. Christ is the Shoot of Jehovah and the Fruit of the earth—4:2.
   4. Christ is the King, Jehovah of hosts—6:1-8.
   5. Christ is God with us—7:14; 8:8, 10; 40:9b.
   6. Christ is Wonderful—9:6.
   7. Christ is our Counselor—v. 6.
   8. Christ is the Mighty God and the Eternal Father—v. 6.
   9. Christ is the Prince of Peace—v. 6.
   10. Christ is our sanctuary, our dwelling place—8:14a.
   11. Christ is the branch from the roots of Jesse, the father of David—11:1-9.
   12. Christ is a banner to the peoples and a standard to the nations—vv. 10-16.
   13. Christ is the springs of salvation, the salvation of Jehovah—12:2-6.
   14. Christ as our King is our eternal rock, our Savior, Defender, and Teacher—16:5; 24:23; 26:3-4; 17:10; 30:29; 19:20; 30:20-21.
   15. Christ is the Steward in the house of God, the One who has the key of the house of David—22:15, 20-24; Rev. 3:7.
   16. Christ is a peg, a nail, driven into a sure place—Isa. 22:23.
   17. Christ is our crown of glory and our diadem of beauty—28:5.
   18. Christ is the foundation and cornerstone of God’s building—v. 16.
   19. Christ is a refuge from the wind, a covering from the tempest, streams of water in a dry place, and the shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land—32:2.
   20. Christ is the arm of Jehovah—53:1.
   21. Christ is our Husband—54:5-7.
   22. Christ is a man of sorrows in His humanity to be our Redeemer—53:3.
   23. Christ is the sure mercies shown to David—55:3.
   24. Christ is a Witness, a Leader, and a Commander to the peoples—v. 4.
   25. Christ is our refuge, our land, and our holy mountain—57:13b.
   26. Christ is the Angel of Jehovah, the Angel of His presence—63:9.
6. Isaiah speaks of God’s building as the goal of God; the church with its ultimate manifestation, the New Jerusalem, is the house of Jehovah’s beauty—1 Cor. 3:9, 12a; Rev. 21:3, 18-22; Psa. 27:4:
   1. The house of Jehovah as His dwelling place is the mingling and the mutual abode of God and man—Isa. 57:15; 66:1-2; John 14:2, 20, 23; 15:4; 1 John 4:13.
   2. “I will beautify the house of My beauty”—God beautifies us by dispensing Himself into us—Isa. 60:7b.
   3. “Jehovah your God / ...The Holy One of Israel...He has beautified you”—v. 9c.
   4. “To beautify the place of My sanctuary; / And I will make the place for My feet glorious”—v. 13b.
   5. “Jehovah will be an eternal light to you, / And your God your beauty”—v. 19b:
      1. As the New Jerusalem we will enjoy Jehovah in Christ, the Servant of Jehovah, as the eternal light—vv. 19-20; Rev. 21:23; 22:5.
      2. In the restoration God in Christ will be our glory and beauty, and we will be Christ’s glory and beauty; thus, God and His chosen people will be glorified and beautified in mutuality—Isa. 60:21; 61:3b; Eph. 3:21; cf. Exo. 28:2.
      3. This will be accomplished by the divine dispensing through Christ as the Redeemer and the Savior putting Himself, as the life-giving Spirit and the word, into God’s people—Isa. 59:21; Eph. 5:26-27; S. S. 1:10-11.
7. Isaiah speaks of the enjoyment of Christ for God’s building:
   1. We need to see a revelation of our fallen condition and the revelation of Christ in glory—Isa. 1:18; 57:20-21; 64:6-8; 6:1-8.
   2. We need to keep our hearts turned to the Lord to be saved from hypocrisy—29:13; 45:22.
   3. We need to be infused with the Lord as our life power and multiplied strength—40:28-31; 12:2-4.
   4. We need to seek Jehovah and return to Him and His word as the rain and snow for the renewing of our mind with His thoughts and ways—55:6-13.
   5. We need to have a contrite and lowly spirit—57:15; 66:2.
   6. We need to trust in the name of Jehovah and rely on our God—50:10-11.
   7. We need to enjoy the Lord as the depths of God by loving Him with Him as our love—49:15-16; 64:3-4; 1 Cor. 2:9.
8. Isaiah speaks of our service in Christ for God’s building:
   1. We need to be watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem, making the church a house of prayer—Isa. 62:6-7; 56:7.
   2. We need to be one with Christ as His disciples to speak and hear as instructed ones—50:4-5.
   3. We need to be one with Christ to proclaim the jubilee of grace—61:1-2; 49:6.
   4. We need to be one with Christ as nursing mothers to shepherd God’s people—vv. 14-16; 66:12-13; 42:3; 1 Thes. 2:7-8.