Isaiah 25

Isaiah in this chapter, is not finished with the Eschaton. He ended with Satan and the host of heaven and rulers of the earth “gathered together” who are “prisoners in the dungeon” and will be “confined in that prison” of circumstance for a millennium “and after many days they will be punished” which will be the Executive Judgment of God or the Hell (24:22a-d). Then the Lord “will reign on Mount Zion” (24:25b). Isaiah is so excited that he opens chapter 25 with a thanksgiving praise. He tells God how impressed he is with Him. His plans are from long ago (v. 1d). Cities of the world was made into heaps (v. 2a); fortified cities in ruins (v. 2b); palaces are no more (v. 2c); and Isaiah saw that they “will never be rebuilt” (v. 2d). The absolute expression goes beyond the natural world. A strong people will glorify the Lord in the Latter Rain and ruthless nations will worship the Lord (v. 3a-b). The reason is that during the Little Time of Trouble preceding the Big Time of Jacob’s Trouble of Daniel 12:1, God will be a “defense for the needy in distress” (v. 4a). He will be a “refuge from the storm” and a “shade from the heat” (v. 4c). The breath of the ruthless and violent “is like storm, a wall”. The Lord however subdues these ruthless ones at one point, seemingly the Second Coming, and although they are heat, God will be a cooling shadow and the song of the ruthless will be silenced (v. 5a-b). The banquet of the Lord will be in Zion for the saved (v. 6a). For “all the peoples” (the saved) God will prepare this banquet. Isaiah saw there are very good wine at this banquet and very good things (v. 25:6). Many occasional drinkers think that it gives them permission to drink alcohol occasionally but that is not the case. In May of 2013, Walther Stolper of the Oriental Institute of Chicago gave a lecture on the economy of Persepolis and looked at the food in the Persepolis Fortification Texts from the days of Darius the Great. Wine was a ration provided for horses and he turned the issue around by asking what kind of wine is it that horses can also drink it? Wine had meanings like jam, grapejuice, grape sauce, dried cooked grapes, raison drinks and so forth. When this banquet is ready to be enjoyed, the Lord will do something that will destroy the covering that covered people of the earth, a veil over nations which is in reality, death (v. 7 and 8a). It is the Resurrection of Daniel 12:1-2. The arrival of the Resurrected ones on the heavenly Mountain of Zion at the New Jerusalem means that death is destroyed “He will swallow up death for all time” (v. 8a). With the saved now in heaven, they are looking around where their loved ones are. During the millennium they will find out about them “and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces”. The book of Revelation 3:21 says that those who are saved “I will grant to sit down with Me on My throne”. No earthly king allows his people to sit with him/her on the throne. Because the people were discredited during the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, before this banquet and before His coming, He will come and “will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth” (v. 8). At that Second Coming when Christ comes timely, the saved will say: “Behold this is our God for Whom we have waited that He might saved us” (v. 9a-b). The saved waited for the Lord. “This is the Lord for whom we have waited” (v. 9c). They are rejoiced in His salvation (v. 9d). The Hand of the Lord will rest on this Mountain, also called Mount Zion in many other prophets. Isaiah looked around and Moab was strong in his days and he said that even though Moab is strong, in about 716 BCE, what his audience is seeing will not last long (v. 10b). People are familiar with straw that is trodden down in a manure pile and so Moab will disappear. Isaiah then moved to the swim sports and said that just as a swimmer spreads out to swim (v. 11b), so Moab will lie down flat and spray out his hand “and He will spread out his [the evil] hands in the middle of it” (v. 11a). He [the Lord] will lay low his pride together with the trickery of his hands” (v. 11c). The high fortifications of the walls of Moab in 716 BCE, says Isaiah to his audience, in the Eschaton He will bring anything similar down. “Lay low, cast to the ground, even to the dust” (v. 12b) which is at the Second Coming. Evil in all its forms will in that day “lay low”. Isaiah has Lucifer and his proxies in mind and even though he sometimes talks about a city like Tyre or Moab, these references penetrates to the heart of evil, Satan himself.

Dear God

Isaiah makes us long for Your rescue and Your transfer to share in the beautiful buffet of Mount Zion. Grant that we can be part of that great event. Amen.

Koot van Wyk, (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Kyungpook National University, Department of Liberal Education, Sangju, South Korea; conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia