isaiah 66:1

Isaiah 66:1 says, Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?  God said He was the Creator of everything and asked what the people thought a temple was to Him.  This was a reference to the coming Messiah doing away with the physical temple where people thought God resided and changing it to the Holy Spirit indwelling the heart of each believer.  God will never be confined to any place, but He will freely indwell all who put their faith in Jesus Christ spiritually by the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us to a right relationship with God. 

Verse two adds, For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.  God said everything already belonged to Him, except for people who had the choice to either be His by faith or be forever separated from Him by a lack of faith.  God said He would look to the poor and contrite and those who trembled at His word.  The only way we can come to God is with a humble and contrite heart and with trembling at His word, because we know that without His providing a way to salvation, we would be forever doomed. 

Verse three continues, He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. Isaiah then said that God was not delighted in their sacrifices of oxen and lambs, because they weren't being offered for the right reasons.   We can go through the rituals of worshipping God today, but if we don’t do so out of being obedient to Him and seeking His way, it will do us no good.  Some people who profess to be Christians are still burning incense to or worshipping the things of this world and expecting to be blessed by it. 

Verse four states, I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.  God said that He would bring the fears of the unbeliever upon them.  He said this was because when He called, they did not answer.  I believe that this would imply that they heard His call but simply chose not to answer Him.  Their fate would be a result of their own delusion in putting their faith in something other than God. 

Verse five adds, Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.  God said that those who had hated the Christians and said that God couldn’t deliver them would go away in shame at the appearance of Jesus Christ.  No matter how we may be treated in this lifetime, when Jesus Christ returns, we who have accepted Him as our Savior and Lord will celebrate in joy while those who haven’t will learn just how wrong they have been. 

Verse six continues, A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies.  God said the voice of the Lord would come from the city and pronounce doom to those who were His enemies.  God doesn't need an army to bring about His will, but He can accomplish it with just His words.