Isaiah 4:1 uses three metaphors.
And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,
We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel:
only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
The first is the seven women. These seven women are metaphorically the same as the "woman" that the Lord (who is the Bridegroom has taken and for the moment, forsaken) for His bride; and, in fact, this is simply an extension of that metaphor. It means His Church, or His children.
The number seven in Jewish symbolism means completeness or fullness, so this would mean many brides, or in other words, many churches.
The second metaphor is the "bread," which they reject, preferring to eat their own. This is the same metaphor Jesus used when he said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35,41,48,51,58). It represents the truth of the Gospel that leads to salvation. This line means, then, that they reject the truth (bread) that he brings, preferring to rely on their own knowledge, false as it might be.
The third metaphor is their own "apparel," which, like their "bread," they prefer theirs to his. His apparel represents his authority. To wear their own apparel means, then, that they reject His authority, preferring their own, which is of men.
It means they reject the whole truth of "Him" that they know is the "One," but they still want to be called by "His Name," "to take away our reproach." This tells us that in our day there will be many churches that will call themselves Christians, but they will deny a great deal of the truths about Christ. In other words, they reject most of the truth, accepting only the parts they find convenient.
