Isa. 65:8

8 Thus saith ['amar] the LORD [Yahovah], As the new wine [tiyrowsh] is found [matsa'] in the cluster ['eshkowl], and one saith ['amar], Destroy [shachath] it not; for a blessing [Barakah] is in it: so will I do [`asah] for my servants [`ebed]' sakes, that I may not destroy [shachath] them all. KJV-Interlinear

8 Thus says the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one says, 'Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,' So I will act on behalf of My servants In order not to destroy all of them. NASB

People establish their own destiny by means of their attitude toward God, Christ, and doctrine. Those who ignore or are opposed to God, are destined for slaughter. Those who recognize and fear God more than they fear anything in this world, are destined for great blessing.

The Bible educates us as to our place in life. It promises us great things if we adhere to truth in our life. It warns of great misery and destruction if we embrace lies.

Here Isaiah uses clusters of grapes to illustrate Gods grace toward those who are obedient to Him.

In every cluster of grapes, can be found good grape and bad grapes. The good grapes produce excellent wine. The bad grapes produce vinegar or bad wine.

Do you destroy the entire cluster if the good grapes are few within it? Do you destroy the entire crop, if the bad grapes outnumber the good?

God sifts through the entire history of humanity and seeks out the good grapes. Those people who have believed in Him. If in any given generation, God sees descendants perhaps several generations down the line, then even the bad folks will be spared, in order to allow reproduction to continue to those future descendants, who will believe later in history.

Likewise, when ones line has come to its end, then God will wipe it out, and no further generations will continue from that person.

But, our context here, in these last few chapters of Isaiah, is the remnant of believers who will survive the Tribulation. The world will be in great turmoil. The bulk of the world will be anti-God, and those who have believed in Christ, who have advanced in their spiritual life to the point of spiritual maturity, and who have not been murdered by the rest of humanity, will be the remnant, the good grapes, the very few good grapes out of an entire vineyard of humanity. It is that remnant that will be spared as the rest of the world is destroyed.

Likewise, though we are all surrounded by evil elements in this world, some evils being far worse than others, if we have been faithful to God, and to doctrine, then we will be spared and not thrown out with the rest of the world.

Evils come in many forms. Now we hear on the news of the foiled plots of some nuts out there who want to take liquid explosives on board airplanes. The Islamists have never been interested in doing good in society. They just want us all dead.

But now, we can t even take on bottled water when we fly. One would think that people would get fed up with the inconveniences that the terrorists have burdened society with, and want them gotten rid of. But of course we have lots of liberals who seem to be on the terrorists side, not wanting to fight them or deal with them in any way.

Those are but two types of evil terrorists, and people who don t want to get involved. There are lots of other evils out there, even simple evils which make life difficult for us all by making life difficult to live from one day to the next.

History is filled with three parallel courses. The first is the jungle. The jungle is ruthless and terrorists and liberals all live within its boundaries.

The second is the divine establishment environment, which gives society stability within the jungle environment. The divine establishment was designed by God to give unbelieving society, stability in the face of the pressures of the jungle. Divine establishment includes volition, marriage, family, legal due process, nationalism, free enterprise, economics, patriotism, authority and so forth. These are legitimate functions, which serve to stabilize society, in an otherwise unstable jungle world.

The third, is the spiritual environment where believers in fellowship, enjoy the benefits of Gods direct control over their own personal history.

The jungle serves to destroy all within its borders. The laws of establishment is a good thing, but it is not salvation nor the spiritual life. The spiritual environment is the greatest and most powerful of all. Inside its boundaries, God controls the life of the believer, guiding him or her through life, and life s many adversities that will be encountered in ones lifetime.

Psa. 57:1

1 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in Thee; And in the shadow of Thy wings I will take refuge, Until destruction passes by. NASB

Everyone who does not live within Gods protection, is slated for destruction. God chooses the time and the place. Everyone who lives within Gods protection, is slated for blessing. Life is just that simple.

If God is for you, then there is nothing in the universe that can touch you. If God is against you, then you don t even have an ice cubes chance .

Now is the time to post a prayer.