| |
Isaiah 26:11 - 27:6
THE PROMISE OF PHYSICAL DELIVERANCE
This is written in the context of deliverance from Assyria in 711 BCE.
But as the message continues, the prophet makes application to a distant
future deliverance at the day of the Lord.
Vs. 11-14
V. 11, judgment on the enemies of Israel. "fire will devour Your enemies."
V. 12-13, the promise of deliverance for the nation. "You will establish
peace for us."
This promise is for deliverance from the Assyrian invasion in 711 BCE, but
Isaiah will make application to judgment and deliverance in a day of the
Lord context.
V. 14, the physical judgment upon the enemies of Israel.
THEY will be destroyed. The (their) dead will not rise, the departed spirits
will not rise.
They will be destroyed and NOT come back to life AT THAT TIME, for "the
angel of Yahweh went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians,
and when they arose early in the morning, behold all of these were dead
bodies." Is. 36:36.
So will the enemies of Jesus be thus scattered on the battlefield as the DOL
judgments conclude.
Rev. 19:21, "and the rest were killed with the sword with the sword of Him
who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh."
Ezek. 39:17-20.
(Of course, there will be a resurrection of the unrighteous at the great
white throne judgment, at which time they will all be cast into the lake of
fire. Rev. 20:11-15).
HISTORY OF THE NATION THAT PROGRESSES TO DELIVERANCE AT THE DAY OF THE LORD.
V. 15, "You have increased the nation O Yahweh."
The general history of the nation since its inception has produced great
progress and growth.
The nation of Israel has been increased - built up. National progress
throughout history up until the Messiah generation.
V. 16, Isaiah describes a time of distress - of national discipline. "Your
chastening was upon them."
Again, the context is the Assyrian invasion in the time frame of 736 to 711
BCE, but we need to see the wider context of the DOL arrival of Jesus at His
second coming - during a time of national discipline.
THE PRESENT TIME OF DISCIPLINE
The Assyrian invasion came for two reasons.
1. The nation was under discipline as is described by Hezekiah at
2 Chron. 29:6-9.
"For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of
Yahweh our God, and they have abandoned Him and turned their faces away from
the dwelling place of Yahweh , and have turned their backs. 7 They have also
shut the doors of the porch and extinguished the lamps, and have not burned
incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel.
8 Therefore the wrath of Yahweh was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has
made them an object of terror, of horror, and of hissing, as you see with
your own eyes. 9 For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our
sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity because of this."
2. When Hezekiah took the throne in 724 BCE, "he rebelled against the king
of Assyria and did not serve him." 2 Kings 18:7.
3. Through the Hezekiah revival, the nation "sought You in distress" and God
delivered them through the destruction of the Assyrian army.
THE FUTURE TIME OF DISCIPLINE
A yet more intense time of discipline will come upon Israel because of the
rejection of the Messiah.
A period of time that extends FROM AD 70 until the end of the tribulation.
The time of discipline involves 4 factors.
1. The nation's priestly function will be taken away. Mat. 21:43.
2. Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed. Mat. 23:38; Lk. 19:43-44;
21:22-24.
3. The people will be scattered throughout the world. Lk. 21:24
4. A specific future "time of Jacob's distress." Jer. 30:4-11.
And, just as during the Assyrian crisis, during this future time of distress
and national discipline, they sought (will seek) the Lord.
This (sought) is a past tense of prophetic revelation. During this time they
WILL SEEK the Lord. But this "seeking" will not occur until that last phase
of discipline; the time of Jacob's distress.
This is seen at Hosea 5:14-15. Hosea 5:14 - 6:3
1. For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house
of Judah. (judgment on the nation of Judah)
2. I, yes I, will tear to pieces and go away,
(the resurrection and ascension of Jesus)
3. I will carry away, and there will be no one to rescue.
(the destruction and dispersion of the nation in 70 AD)
4. I will go away and return to My place
(repeat - ascension of Jesus)
5. Until: there will be a time when Jesus will come back.
6. they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face: Mat. 23:38-39
Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 70 AD
For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say,
‘praised is the One who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
7. In their distress they will search for Me: During the time of
tribulation, Israel will cry out to the Lord for deliverance.
Verses 17-18, The prophet "backs up" to describe the condition of the nation
in the Messiah generation that led to discipline from God.
V. 17, the nation was "pregnant" to fulfill God's purpose for them. Ex.
9:16, "in order to proclaim My name through all the earth."
They tried so hard - but it was all human works and religious hypocrisy.
Mat. 23:13-36
V. 18, the nation's failure to fulfill its spiritual purpose.
1. writhed in labor: to accomplish something - but this expresses the
intensity (religious zeal; Rom. 10:2-3) of their human works.
2. we gave birth only to wind: The uselessness of their human works. The
nation failed.
3. we could not accomplish deliverance for the earth: the nation could not
provide the message of spiritual life to the human race. The basic purpose
for the nation of Israel as per Exodus 19:5-6 and 9:16.
4. nor were the inhabitants of the earth born (fallen - as in come out of
the womb): refers to spiritual life (the new birth). The message of
spiritual life could not be fulfilled by the nation because they were
disobedient. Mat. 23:13, "But
woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom
of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves,
nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."
5. The nation did nothing to fulfill the "job" God gave them, So Jesus
fulfilled the nation's purpose.
Isaiah 63:5, I looked, but there was no one to help, And I was astonished
and there was no one to uphold;
So My own Arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me.
THE PROMISE OF RESURRECTION
And then the prophet leaps to the promise of resurrection for the RIGHTEOUS.
The focus is on the people of Israel.
The
promise of resurrection at the coming of the Messiah at the day of the Lord.
Stage one of this will be fulfilled when He arrives in the clouds of the sky
in power and great glory and will gather the elect of all previous
generations. Mat. 24:31.
The focus is still on Israel, but of course, the gathering of the elect will
include church age believers.
The second stage will be the resurrection of all post-rapture believers who
died (martyred) during the time between the rapture and Armageddon.
Rev. 20:4b, "AND I saw the souls of those who had
been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and the testimony of the
word of God, . . . and they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1000
years."
V. 19, there WILL be a resurrection of the righteous.
1. Your dead will live: brought back to life.
2. My (literally from the Hebrew) corpses will rise: "My" because they are
God's people - those who are believers.
3. you who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy: only applies to the
righteous.
4. the earth: resurrection out from the grave - Sheol.
5. will give birth to the departed spirits: the rephaim is a technical word
for the spirits of people who have died and gone into Sheol - from where
they will be resurrected.
Here there is a natural break in the Hebrew text which skips over the church
age and the 2000 years of national discipline to the time when the
discipline is about to be removed.
It reaches to the period when that national discipline will be intensified -
the time of Jacob's distress.
But he will be delivered from it. Jer. 30:7.
The time of distress that will begin at the midpoint of Daniel's 70th week
as per Dan. 12:1 and Mat. 24:15-21.
V. 20 is the exhortation to ISRAEL to "hide" during the time of distress
until it passes.
Jesus gave a general warning to "those who are in Judea" to flee to the
mountains. Mat. 24:16.
According to Rev. 12, the people of the nation will flee into the wilderness
for protection during the tribulation.
And they will hide - UNTIL indignation runs its course. That is, until the
discipline on the nation is fulfilled.
The day of the Lord judgments will conclude through the physical descent of
Jesus into Palestine. He will go first to Edom and rescue the Jews who have
been hiding there (Isaiah 63:1-6). Those Jews in the wilderness will
then return to Jerusalem and are seen as "the clans of Judah" at Zechariah
12:5 and "the tents of Judah" at 12:7.
THE TIME OF INDIGNATION
At Isaiah 26:20, the Jews of
the land are told to
“enter into your rooms,
And close the door behind you;
Hide for a little while,
Until indignation runs its course.”
This INDIGNATION refers to the national
discipline on Israel that has been effect since 70 AD. But the focus is
primarily on the 4th phase of that discipline - the time of Jacob's distress
which will BEGIN with the great tribulation. That period of discipline has 4
phases to it.
1. The nation's priestly function will be taken away. Mat.
21:43.
2. Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed. Mat. 23:38; Lk. 19:43-44;
21:22-24.
3. The people will be scattered throughout the world. Lk. 21:24
4. A specific future "time of Jacob's distress." Jer. 30:4-11.
This will begin with the great tribulation and be finished
after the battle of Armageddon.
That final
phase of national discipline will come to an end THROUGH the events
initiated by the arrival of the Lord at the DAY OF THE
LORD.
That is, the events that are initiated at His return will culminate with the
end of Israel's discipline and the nation's restoration to blessing in the
Messiah's earthly kingdom.
Isaiah 26:21, “For behold, Yahweh is about to come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed,
And will no longer cover her slain.”
“My
people” are to hide and therefore BE PROTECTED until the danger is gone.
The indignation will "run its course" by means of the PRESENCE (parousia) of
Jesus the Messiah, and after the events of the day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord judgments will pave the way for ALL Israel to be saved
(Rom. 11:26). After Armageddon, during the 45 days before the kingdom (Dan.
12:12), all the unbelieving Jews (fat sheep) will be removed from the earth,
and the believing Jews (lean sheep) will go alive into the earthly kingdom (Ezk.
34:17-22).
Only
Israel
is shown to us as HIDING and being protected for 1260 days in the wilderness –
during the time that –
1. The tribulation is going on: From the midpoint of the week until it is cut
short approximately between 6 to 18 months before the end of the week.
2. And during the Day-of-the-LORD judgments: From the arrival of the Lord
until the battle of Armageddon – 30 days after the end of the week. (Daniel
12:11
and Revelation 11, 15-16).
The
people of Israel
who will be hiding in the wilderness area of Edom are not delivered until the
Lord descends ONTO the earth during the Armageddon campaign. This is shown to us
at Revelation 12:6, 13-16 compared with Matthew 24:16-18 and Daniel 11:41.
When Jesus descends ONTO the earth, He goes first to Edom (Isaiah 63:1; Hab.
3:3; Isaiah 34:5-6). This seems to be because the inhabitants of this
“Edomite” area will be oppressing the Jews who are hiding in the mountains.
(Obadiah 1:10-14; Ezekiel 35:1-9).
In Isaiah, the word, indignation (zaam) is used of national discipline and for
the Day of the Lord judgments. It is not used in Isaiah to designate the
tribulation. However, the tribulation of Daniel 12:1 is an extension of
NATIONAL discipline on Israel. So that discipline extends beyond the time of
tribulation until the end of Day of the Lord judgments. In fact, Israel, as a
people and nation – still under discipline – are warned by God that the
arrival of the Messiah at the Day of the Lord will be for them a day of
darkness and not light (cursing rather than blessing). Amos 5:18-20.
It
seems best then, to view this “indignation” at Isaiah 26:20 as the time of
discipline on the nation of
Israel, which will not be concluded until AFTER the battle of Armageddon.
Isaiah 26:21 "for" - because (kiy) - explains what will happen after the time of
distress.
For behold, Yahweh is about to come out from His place To punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; And the earth will reveal her
bloodshed, And will no longer cover her slain."
This is the Day of the Lord return of Jesus AFTER the indignation runs its
course.
Ie, AFTER the great tribulation of those days (Mat. 24:29).
Same thing at Hosea 5:15 - in their affliction they will seek me - and then
He comes back.
First, Jesus will first arrive in the clouds of the sky with power and great
glory as at Mat. 24:29-30, Rev. 6:12-14, and 19:11-16. This will start the
period of time known as the day of the Lord. It is at that time that He will begin to pour out "the wrath
of the Lamb" through the trumpet and bowl judgments. Rev. 6:15-17; 8-9
and 16.
Then at the 7th bowl judgment He will physically descend to the
earth, going first to Edom, then to Jerusalem and then
to the valley of Megiddo (Armageddon).
After the Armageddon conflict ends Jesus will judge Satan and demons.
Is. 27:1, "In that day Yahweh will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted
serpent; And He will kill the dragon who {lives} in the sea." Rev.
20:1-3; Zech 13:2.
Is. 27:2-6, then, the kingdom will be established. Rev. 20:4-6.
Is. 27:2 In that day, A vineyard of wine, sing of it!
Is. 27:3 I, Yahweh, am its keeper; I water it every moment. Lest anyone
damage it, I guard it night and day. |
|
