Isaiah 52 They Have Marred Jesus Visage and Form

Look around at church as we know it.
God knew and foretold us that the distorted picture of Christianity around us would come to pass, and that He would deliver a remnant of people out from it.

Here is one of those prophecies and our understanding of it.

Isaiah 52
1 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments
      (our strength is in the authority of the Word, and the works of our Covenant.
     “behold I give you power…”    And to walk in mercy, forgiveness,  meekness, kindness.)
   O Jerusalem, the holy city ( NT new Jerusalem, -Rev. 21:10)
   : for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised         (the uncircumcised in heart Rom. 2:28-29)
      and the unclean.
         (those that are defiled,and “dead bodies” of dead churches.
         see Mat. 15:18-20,  Revelation 3:1  And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:…
         I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead.)

2 Shake thyself from the dust   (our fleshly thinking and works) ;

    arise, sit on thy throne (the throne is where Christ reigns as we are seated with Him) ,
    O (NT new) Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck,         (we became slaves to men in following traditional church)
    O captive daughter of Zion. 
the Bride of Christ taken captive by the leaders of Christianity
        just as God’s people of Israel  were in captivity to their leaders at the time of Christ.
       Luke 4:18,  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives)

3  For the LORD says, You were sold for nothing;
      (made merchandise of by the false shepherds. The “nought” of spiritually empty
       programs,  classes, and passive watching others perform)
     and ye shall be redeemed without money.  (by the FREELY given Gospel...)

4  For thus says the Lord,

    My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there:
     (the church went into bondage, just as Israel did. )
     and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
     (As we did, we were oppressed by "strange" pastors who knew not the real gospel)

5 Now therefore, what do I here, says the LORD, 

   seeing that my people is taken away for nought?
    they that rule over them do howl,    (authoritative voices proclaiming Christ as they maintain dominion and power over them. )
  says the LORD, and my name continually all the day is blasphemed.
  "NAME" means His authority and His Ways, and the hired shepherds set aside the Word,  as they maintain their position and income from those they rule over.  Thus, they will speak against Christ’s Will, as Peter did in Mat 16 right after he confessed Jesus as the Christ.  -And Judas did when sold his place in the kingdom for money from Israel’s leaders.

6 Therefore my people shall know my name:
     (His name is not about the correct Hebrew syllables. It is about the TRUE character and authority of Christ we are called to come into as we believe His Word. This truth is repeated in the Revelation of the "hidden Manna, NEW NAME, and the White Stone" in Rev. 2.  It is for them that "overcome" the false shepherds and traditions of Christianity)

 therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak; behold, it is I.
 (My sheep HEAR MY VOICE.. Jesus said. John 10, as He calls them OUT of the sheepfolds of men.

7 How beautiful upon the mountains (the high places of God's kingdom when we ascend 

   spiritually up and are seated with Christ in the heavenlies)
    are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace, that bringeth
    good tidings of good, that publishes salvation (Greek: "soteria" and "sozo"),
   “soteria-salvation is:  deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation
     deliverance from the molestation of enemies)
     that says to Zion (God’s people) , Thy God reigns! (He reigns as we are conformed to Him, not the traditions and commands of men)

8 The voice of thy watchmen!

   they lift up the voice, together do they sing;
   for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord returns to Zion.
   (WHEN the Lord returns (as the "latter rain" Hosea 2 ,  THEN will us watchmen "sing"
   i.e.,(preach, in ONE ACCORD and see "eye to eye" i.e .agree )

9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem;
   (the wasted places of  "spoiled" Chrisitianity
   for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed NEW Jerusalem.

10 The Lord has made bare (revealed) his holy arm 

      in the eyes of all the nations  (those who “see and hear what the Spirit says to the churches);
      and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
     (the gospel preached in power as a witness to all nations.. Mat 24)

11 Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing;

     go out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, you that bear the vessels of the Lord.
    ( A DOUBLE "departing.  ONCE for the call of natural Jews to leave apostate (the harlot)
    Judaism, at Jerusalem, the second time for "SPIRITUAL" Israel to come out of Babylonish
   Christianity  as it says again in Rev. 18:4 "come out of her MY people..").

12 For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight: for the Lord will go before you;  and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
     (Praise the Lord for calling us OUT of her.  We did not leave in fear by persecution, we followed the Lamb out as He led us and watched our "back" as we came out to "overcome"  traditions and shepherds who do not abide in the Word.)
 

13 Behold, my servant (Jesus) shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up,
     and shall be very high.
14  Like as many were astonished at his appearance (appearance-comeliness-beauty-holiness)
      was so marred more than any man,  and his form (figure or appearance)
      more than the sons of men),
 (the real Jesus is unrecognizable to the majority as they are impressed by the outward flesh.
Handsome, well-dressed, well spoken orators have distorted and marred the image of the true Jesus of scripture. 
The true Jesus has been distorted and made unrecognizable by apostate-Babylonish Christianity, as the church bears no resemblance to the church as Christ showed us in the book of Acts.)

15 so shall he sprinkle many nations (gentiles) ; kings  (rulers of God's people)
     shall shut their mouths at him:
      (no man can withstand the manifestation of JESUS Christ
      as He comes forth in His true witnesses).
     for that which had not been told them shall they see;  (the truth of the Word)
     and that which they had not heard shall they understand.  ...for themselves, as the Lord opens to them the truth of the Word) (people who come out of apostate Christianity that never heard or saw the real Jesus as the scripture marred by the shepherds, that overcome the lies and distortions of the leavened  church, SHALL understand as the "see" the truth in the Word..)