Isa. 66:17

17 They that sanctify [qadash] themselves, and purify [taher] themselves in the gardens [gannah] behind ['achar] one ['echad] tree in the midst [tavek], eating ['akal] swine's [chaziyr] flesh [basar], and the abomination [sheqets], and the mouse [`akbar], shall be consumed [cuwph] together [yachad], saith [na'um] the LORD [Yahovah]. KJV-Interlinear

17 Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, Following one in the center, Who eat swine's flesh, detestable things, and mice, Shall come to an end altogether, declares the LORD. NASB

Remember our convenient religion study from a week or so ago? Here it is again. People did not go to the Temple, the Temple of Isaiah s day, and did not offer the required sacrifices and offerings as prescribed in the Levitical code, but instead did what was convenient for themselves.

They went into their own home gardens, or to a nearby grove, or somewhere other than the Temple, and offered sacrifices other than those, which the scriptures authorized. They did their own thing, in other words.

They did not seek the sanctification offered by God, but sanctified themselves. They did not follow the rules of worship as defined by God, but instead they made up their own rules for spirituality and for life.

They did not follow the daily lifestyle as prescribed by God, but instead they made up their own norms and standards for life. Their chosen path through life is called detestable things mentioned by Isaiah. The detestable things are symbolized in our passage by the eating of pigs and mice.

They did not mentally eat the things that are good for you, spiritual things such as truth, resulting in wisdom, but instead ate the things that were detestable, things like human viewpoint, human philosophy, religious beliefs, sinful lusts and so forth.

Who are these people? They include you perhaps. They certainly include anyone who is anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Bible, anti-anything, which is prescribed by God or the legitimate spiritual life.

Any religious person is against God. Remember that Christianity is not a religion.

Any self-righteous person is against God. Any sinner is against God. Anyone who lives consistently outside of the fellowship sphere is against God. These include all unbelievers. These include all believers in Christ, who have not and do not, pursue their spiritual life. These include all believers in Christ, who make up their own rules for the spiritual life or life in general.

What is their destiny? They will reap the terrifying fiery whirlwind of Gods wrath.

In our present day, these people will be allowed to live their normal lives for perhaps fifty, or seventy, or even ninety years. They will be allowed to pursue their own ideas of what is good and right. They will be allowed to conduct themselves in the manner they see fit for their own life. They will be allowed to gossip and malign and deceive and distort the truth, to their hearts content.

They will be allowed to do all of these things during their life, until they come to the end of their life. And then, when they depart from this world, truth will hit them full force in their face.

They will whine just as the rich man whined when he saw Lazarus in Paradise. They will want to come back to tell everyone that they were really wrong, and that everyone should change their ways, to Gods ways. They will want someone, anyone, to come back from the dead, to warn the people who are still alive.

And what will their answer be? No one coming back from the dead, them or anyone else, will be able to change the minds of folks still living. A dead man coming back to life will amount to nothing more than a circus show, or a cult starter. People alive have the scriptures and the scriptures warn of the evils that await those who choose unauthorized lifestyles.

The scriptures are powerful. The scriptures are the most powerful force on the planet. If people will ignore the scriptures, then they will ignore everything that is less powerful. Anyone coming back from the dead is far less powerful than truth. They can only speak truth anyway.

It is not the speaker, but the content of what is said, that people are ultimately convinced by. If they won t listen to truth, then the speaker is of no consequence.

In the Tribulation, this whirlwind end will come onto the world in one giant swift stroke. All of the celebration, all of the atrocities, all of the opinions, all of the arrogance of negative humanity will cease in a moment of time, as Christ sweeps through mans opinions and puts them permanently into a pile of dead bodies.

Now is the time to post a prayer.