Isaiah saw the hand of God stretched out in anger against a disobedient people, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel."¹ This judgement was to be brought forth by a sign. "And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly: None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind: Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow; and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof."² Jesus spoke, "the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven."³

   This ensign that God is lifting up will perform judgement in the hand of God; to cleanse the earth and bring forth the knowledge of the Lord. Isaiah was to continue this theme with "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners (‘wings’ in the Hebrew) of the earth."⁴ "And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."⁵ Without holiness, no man can see God. As repentance touches the earth, their blind eyes are opened to the coming of the Lord. God ordained an ensign as a heavenly sign to waken the slumbering church. This ensign will, in the presence of the Lord, be the voice of the latter sign to those with an ear to hear. The dispersed church will come out of the bondage of Egypt (sin) to the highway of holiness provided by the Lord.

    "All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. For so the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider (Hebrew for ‘regard my dwelling place’) in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs (Hebrew for ‘after rain’), and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."⁶ "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."⁷ The ensign with the trumpet, the voice of fire, like a cloud, will come revealing the dwelling place of the Lord and the glory of His rest. "For in that day every man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin. Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not of a mighty man; and the sword, not of a mean man, shall devour him: but he shall flee from the sword, and his young men shall be discomfited (Hebrew for ‘melted’). And he shall pass over to his stronghold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem."⁸ The sword (word of God) is the rod of iron in the hand of the overcomer, anointed with the fire of God. They are not mean, they are the army of the meek, quietly walking in the presence of the Lord.

    "The Lord of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land."⁹ The ensign will receive the crown of authority of this cup of the Lord. This double portion will fill both bowls of the altar and present the judgement that redeems the church. They are the white horse presenting Jesus to the opposing army in this day of the latter rain. "Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the Lord of hosts hath visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in the battle."¹⁰

    "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."¹¹ The army of the meek have the authority of Kings and Lords, as they inherit the earth as the ensign of Jesus.

He who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

1 Isaiah 5:20-24

2 Isaiah 5:26-30

3 Matthew 24:29-30

4 Isaiah 11:9-12

5 Matthew 24:30

6 Isaiah 18:3-4

7 Matthew 24:31

8 Isaiah 31:7-9

9 Zechariah 9:15-16

10 Zechariah 10:3

11 Revelation 19:11-16