Text, Isaiah 17:4-7: "In that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean. And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim. Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the Lord God of Israel."
This scripture gives a picture of an experience to come to the people of God in the last days:
1. "Glory . . . made thin, . . . fatness . . . wax lean,"—a time when the church is not meeting with favor in the world; apparent progress slow.
2. "As when the harvestman gathereth the corn." It will be the time of the harvest; that which remains will be gathered into the garner.
3. "As the shaking of an olive tree." When a tree is shaken by a mighty wind, only the sound fruit clings to the branches; the defective fruit falls to the ground. Defective fruit cannot endure the shaking. The trials and tests of the last days bring the shaking process; it is then that the church passes through the time of Jacob's trouble.
4. "Two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches." There is to be a remnant that will stand the shaking, and cling firmly to the tree, which is the body of Christ, the church.
Analysis
1. There was a "shaking" at the time of Christ's first coming.
2. There will be a "shaking" at the time of Christ's second coming.
3. Fortified for the final shaking.
1. Shaking at the Time of Christ's First Coming
General.—Came at the climax of His ministry.
1. John 6:2, 14, 15: There had been large additions to the groups of followers of Christ; people were impressed by the truth which He preached; they were attracted by His power.
2. John 6:60, 66: A great exodus occurred when the truths which Christ taught began to cut across temporal hopes and desires; disillusionment came when He refused to be their temporal king.
Personal.—Each disciple to meet the test.
a. John 6:67: The pointed question, "Will ye also go away?" brought the test to each heart.
b. Matt. 26:58, 69-75: Peter's test. Luke 22:31-34: Christ forewarned Peter of the shaking test.
c. Matt. 26:47, 56: All the disciples failed to endure the shaking—they "forsook Him, and fled."
d. Mark 15:34; Ps. 22:1, 2: Christ passed through the time of test, when His Father's face was hidden from Him, but remained unshaken because of His faith and confidence in the promises of God. Luke 23:46.
e. Although the disciples failed in the time of severe trial, they were enabled to renew their faith and confidence, and in later tests to endure to the end.
2. Shaking at the Time of Christ's Second Coming.
General.—Great trouble in all the world. Dan. 12:1.
a. Matt. 24:7: Increase and become universal.
b. Matt. 24:24, 28: Confusion of religious thought will tend to deceive "the very elect." Falling away to be very great.
c. 2 Peter 3:17: God's people warned of this shaking time.
d. Revelation 16: Culmination in the seven last plagues.
Personal.—Every man in anguish; all faces turned into paleness. Jer. 30:6.
a. It is the time of Jacob's trouble. (Compare Jer. 30:7 with Gen. 32:24, 26, 30.) Each person to learn how to prevail with God. When all is forbidding, and it looks as if everything would be shaken to pieces, each soul must stand alone on his personal experience in knowing Christ.
b. In a small measure, each person is being tested now, in these times of trial, deception, and temptation. This is the time to learn how to prevail in prayer, and thus be strengthened for the final trial which awaits the church of God.
c. In the final shaking, man must stand without a Mediator; the work in the heavenly sanctuary will be closed, the wrath of God will be witnessed (Rev. 8:3-5; 15:5-8), and it will seem that the Father's face is hidden from His children. The tests and trials of the present time are designed to prepare the soul to be strong in faith and confidence in such a time.
3. Fortified for the Final Shaking.
a. Dan. 12:1: Those whose names are in the book of life will be delivered. This assurance will give calmness and peace, even in a time when the face of God is hidden. We may have this assurance through faith in the efficacy of Christ's atonement as it has been worked out in our life.
b. Rev. 3:10, 11: "Kept the word of My patience." A diligent study of God's word now will build up within us the very bulwark that will withstand the flood of ruin which overwhelms the world. The promises of God stored within the heart will be the preserving influence in the lives of God's people.
c. Phil. 4:6, 7: For the times in which we live, and for the future hour of trial, we need to learn the secret of prevailing prayer, and obtain the strength derived from a close study of the word of God.
Shanghai, China.
