So many ministries and movements start out full of glorious beauty, however, at some point begin to fade…
Isaiah 28:1-8
1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.
3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:
4 and the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower,
and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth,
while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,
6 and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.
7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way;
the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine,
they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
The spiritual leaders and elders, instead of wearing a crown of glory are wearing a crown of pride.
Proverbs 16:31 The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness.
The crown of pride is worn by those who should be spiritually mature (wearing a crown of glory), but instead of submitting to and maturing in God’s truth, they are drunk on their own authority (ie: bible correctors) and produce immature fruit.
Notice how a “crown of pride” leads to drunkenness.
They are drunk on the strong drink of old (fermented/corrupted) wine from the vine of sodom.
Drunkenness leads to error in vision, stumbling in judgement, and being “out of the way”.
The judge at the gate is put to sleep.
What was once glorious beauty is now become a fading flower to the point that there was no longer any place not corrupted (no place clean).