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Isaiah 5:1-5 1Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: 2And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 3And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 4What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 5And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: 6And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry. The conditions where there was fertile ground; where the "beloved" which would appear to be Christ establishing it (Matthew 21 as well as in Luke and Mark) and He was rejected. We note in verse 5 the time came for judgment; thus God's protection was taken along with no rain; again we are reminded of the powers the two witnesses will have (Elijah did the same in the past in one of the books of Kings). We see the reason for all this being oppression; no doubt reminding us of the attitudes today towards others. Verses 8-12 8 Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth! 9 In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. 10 Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah. 11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! 12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands. Verse 8 certainly reminds us of what is going on establishing "settlements" today; and the plunder of others. We see here a continuing theme of lessening food production; again what will be happening in the 4th seal of Revelation; and we also see drunken people and much of the merriment that Babylon the great brings out in Revelation 17 in verse 12. A quick AI search states that over 15 percent of the Israeli population is in danger of "alcohol dependence" and many other have a marijuana issue. It has risen but other countries surpass them. Verses 13-15 13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. 14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. 15 And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled: The resulting captivity in verse 13 certainly follows patterns before the last captivity. The concept of hell enlarging itself in verse 14 is tied into the condition of His people in verse 13; thus clearly demonstrating that natural born sons of Abraham have no guaranteed entrance into the Kingdom of God. God will end wickedness upon His return; and I will do a part 2 for the rest of this chapter on this subject. Agape; RIch P