Isaiah, Chapter 1:
Religion and Politics
(The first chapters of the prophet Isaiah contain some hints suggesting that they are visions of our time mixed with the history of ancient Jews. Isaiah is one of many Jewish prophets who have criticized their society, and his criticism also applies to modern Christians and Muslims. He explains what has been wrong with our civilization for the last 3000 years.)
Isaiah son of Amoz saw this vision about Judah and Jerusalem in the days when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. (The next chapter says that the vision is about the "last days". Israel, Judah and Jerusalem symbolize our worldwide civilization, because it is based on Christian culture, which continues Jewish tradition.)
(2) Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the LORD has spoken, "I cared for children and brought them up, but they have disregarded me. (3) The ox knows his owner, the donkey knows where his master feeds him, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand." (4) You are doomed, immoral nation, you people loaded with guilt, offspring of criminals, children of corruption! You have rejected the LORD, disregarded the Holy One of Israel and turned your backs on him. (Jewish-Christian religion is not mainly about praying and worshipping rituals. It is more important as a philosophical system of morals and principles how people should live. Today the most outrageous violations of these principles happen in politics and economics.)
(5) Why should you be hit any more? Why do you keep on rebelling? Your whole head is wounded, your heart and mind are ailing. (6) From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is nothing healthy. Your wounds, bruises and open sores are not cleaned or bandaged. No ointment is on them. (These injuries are symbols for all the disasters and unsolved problems in our world, the result of greed breaching divine morals.)
(7) Your country is devastated, your cities troubled with violence; you can watch foreigners take over your land and ruin everything. (8) The Daughter of Zion (the Jewish-Anglo-American World-Empire known as "Western Civilization" and "International Community")
is left like a sunshade in a vineyard, like a shed in a field of melons, like a city under attack. (9) Unless the LORD Almighty had left some people genuine, we all would have become like Sodom; we would be like Gomorra. (In Jewish-Christian history, there have always been people who resisted against the general insanity that was ruling their time. It is the purpose of Biblical prophecies to make you one of them.)
(10) Politicians of Sodom, hear the word of the LORD! People of Gomorra listen to the law of our God! (Sodom and Gomorra are symbols for an evil way of life and for all the modern political and business capitals of the world. These ancient cities were destroyed and God would have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorra, if he left our world unpunished. The following verses explain how God hates all religious rituals, which are mere hypocrisy because of evil actions in everyday life.)
(11) "All your sacrifices - what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I am fed up with burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fleshy animals; I don't want the blood of bulls, sheep and goats. (12) When you come to worship me, who has asked this from you who trample about in my courts? (Trample about in a holy place symbolizes false religion and people who ignore divine law if it does not suit them, see Revelation 11.)
(13) It is no good bringing more offerings! I find your incense disgusting. New Moons, Sabbaths and masses - I cannot stand your evil meetings. (14) My soul hates your New Moon festivals and your holy days. (Here we can add: Sunday church services, Eucharistic rites, pilgrimages to Mecca, etc., see Revelation 21:22.)
They have become a burden to me. I cannot bear them. (15) When you lift your hands in prayer, I will look away from you; no matter how much you pray, I will not listen, because your hands are full of blood; (16) wash yourself and be clean. Take your evil ideology out of my sight! (The British ideology of greed known as "Liberalism" has conquered the whole world and is the ultimate cause of every social, political and environmental disaster.)
Stop doing wrong, (17) learn to do right! Follow the way of justice, help the oppressed, criticize the oppressor. Support the cause of the fatherless and consider the situation of the widows. (Widows and fatherless children were the down and out of ancient times. Social justice is crucial for true Jewish-Christian culture. Our current Lion Capitalism is its opposite.)
(18) "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as blood, they will be like wool. (19) If you are willing to obey, you will eat the best from the earth; (20) but if you defy me and make me angry, you will die of violence."(People who pile up millions and billions of money while others die of poverty are murderers in the eyes of God and will be treated as such, when their corrupt system collapses.)
(22) Your money will become useless, your wine diluted with water. (In ancient times, wine was the symbol of luxury and pleasure. People who live for their bank balances seem to forget that money cannot be eaten. When food production decreases because of environment disasters, money will become useless. The connection between murder and money is another hint to link these predictions to our time. States and empires have always murdered for money. Today bankers and other finance traders also kill with money.)
(23) Your leaders are rebels, partners of thieves; they all love bribes and go after favours. (These attitudes are certainly nothing new in our times. Only the predictions about modern traffic: Isaiah 2:7 and nuclear bombs: Isaiah 2:10 can define the time this prediction refers to.)
They do not support the cause of the fatherless (The problem of single parent families has increased a lot in recent years, particularly in Britain and the U S. Lately some destructive politicians who call themselves "Conservative" have been libelling these mothers who have to live on Social Security benefits as spongers. Some fascist tabloid newspapers have supported these attitudes. The clarity of God's verdict speaks for itself.)
or consider the situation of the widows. (24) This is why the Lord, the LORD Almighty, the Mighty One of Israel, declares, "Ha, I will get satisfaction from my opponents and retaliate against my enemies. (25) I will turn my hand against you; I will completely eliminate your trash and remove all your impurities. (26) I will replace your judges as in the old days, (The modern "Justice System" has been perverted from a public service to a money making racket for the people who run it. These criminals make their laws to suit themselves and, as the O. J. Simpson case and various scandals in Britain showed, their class justice treats defendants not according to what they have done but according to who they are. In Britain, the abbreviation "Q. C." nowadays means "Queen's Corrupts" or "Queen's Criminals" and should be amended to "Q. C. C." meaning "Queen's Corrupt Criminals". According to Isaiah these criminal lawyers and judges are doomed, see Isaiah 42:22, Habakkuk 1:9.)
your advisers as in ancient times. Afterwards you will be called Society of Justice, City of Truth. (See Isaiah 3:14.)
(27) God's judgment will save Zion and those who repent with justice. (28) But rebels and sinners will be crushed, and those who neglect the LORD will die. (False prophets of modern established theology preach forgiveness at any event. Disasters in our world today tell a different story.)
(29) "You will be sorry because of the sacred oaks you liked so much; you will be ashamed because of the gardens you have chosen. (30) You will be like an oak with leaves disappearing, like a garden without water. (31) Your power will be the fuel and what you have achieved will be the spark; both will burn together, with nobody to extinguish the fire.