nikolai_42
Well-known member
"Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool."
Isaiah 1:18 (KJV)
The Amplified Bible makes this comment :
There was a legend among the rabbis that on the Day of Atonement a scarlet woolen thread was tied to the door of the temple, and when the scapegoat reached the wilderness (Lev 16:10), if the sins of Israel were forgiven the thread would miraculously turn white.
Not scripture, certainly, but it gives some historical insight that one needs to be able to interpret this verse clearly, objectively and publicly. If you read the full chapter, you find God saying that "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment..." and there is a clear picture that judgment is coming and there will be a faithful remnant present after the judgment. In other words, the big picture is that though they are overflowing with sin and unrighteousness, there will be righteousness in their midst. The unrighteous will not be there much longer, but in the end righteousness will prevail.
So the verse itself looks to be able to say either that the sin will come to the place where it will be judged or that while there is sin in the midst, in the end it will be taken away.
Notice that God says that He hates the offerings and assemblies because the heart is not right with Him. In other words, there needs to be righteousness and without God's intervention, it won't happen.