Isaiah  3 John

Isaiah chapter 65:1-16 covers the Gaius Receiving the Brothers passage in the epistle of 3 John.

FE ¹I am sought by those who did not ask for me; I am found by those who did not seek; I said, Here I am, here I am, to a people that has never called my name. Q Romans 10:20 ²I have spread out my hands all day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, after their own thoughts, ³a people who provoke me to anger continually, Q Romans 10:21 who sacrifice in the gardens and burn incense on altars of bricks; ⁴who sit in tombs and lodge in caves, who eat swine's flesh and defile their vessels with carcasses; to break the law and to make unclean the holy contract, that they may provoke the Master, ⁵who say, Keep away, do not come near me; for I am holy. These men are a smoke in my anger, a fire that burns all the day. Isaiah 65:1-5⁶It is written before me, I will not keep silent until I repay them a double portion into their embrace. ⁷Their sins and the sins of their fathers are well known, says the Master, for they have burned incense on the mountains and disgraced me on the hills; therefore I will measure their former works into their embrace. Isaiah 65:6-7⁸Thus says the Master: As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says to another, Do not destroy it, for a blessing is in it; so I will do for my servant's sake, and I will not destroy them all. ⁹I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains. My chosen will inherit it and my servants will live there. ¹⁰Sharon will be a fold for flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down for my people who have sought me. Isaiah 65:8-10¹¹But as for you who have forsaken the Master and have forgotten his holy mountain, who prepare tables for fortune tellers and have poured out wine into bowls for them, ¹²I will deliver you up to the sword, and all of you will bow down to the slaughter, because when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen; and you did evil in my presence, and chose the thing in which I do not delight. S Isaiah 66:4 S Jeremiah 7:13-14 Isaiah 65:11-12¹³Therefore, thus says the Master God: My servants will eat, but you will be hungry; my servants will drink, but you will be thirsty; my servants will rejoice, but you will weep; ¹⁴my servants will sing for joy of heart, but you will complain for sorrow of heart and for vexation of spirit. ¹⁵You will leave your name for a curse to my chosen ones, for the Master God will slay you and call his servants by another name; ¹⁶so that he who blesses himself in the land will bless himself in the god of truth; and he who swears in the land will swear by the god of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from my presence. Isaiah 65:13-16 (Isaiah 65:1-16 BRB)

Isaiah says who say, Keep away, do not come near me; for I am sanctified. This aligns with Diotrephes putting people out of the church (3 John 1:9-10).

Isaiah says Look, it is written before me, I will not keep silent until I repay them a double portion into their embrace. This likely aligns with the author stating that when he comes he will deal with Diotrephes (3 John 1:10) (3 John 1:13-14).

Isaiah says I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; my elect will inherit it and my servants will live there. And Sharon will be a fold for flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down for my people who have sought me. This aligns with Gaius and the others who were put out of the church for receiving the brothers, i.e., giving them sheep a place to rest (3 John 1:5-8) (3 John 1:9-10).

Ryan Eaton 2009-01-19 2013-07-09