An God Will Swallow Up Death Forever

An God Will Swallow Up Death Forever

O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Isa. 25:1

I will exalt thee... Two things Isaiah vowed to do:

1. I will exalt You.

2. I will praise Your name.

for thou hast...

Twenty Reasons for Isaiah’s Vow to Worship

1. You have done wonderful things (Isa. 25:1).

2. Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

3. You have made of a city a heap (Isa. 25:2).

4. A defended city to be a ruin

5. A palace of strangers to be no city

6. You have been a strength to the poor (Isa. 25:4).

7. A strength to the needy in distress

8. A refuge from the storm

9. A shadow from the heat

10. You shall bring down the noise of strangers (Isa. 25:5).

11. You shall make a feast in Mount Zion for all people of all good things (Isa. 25:6).

12. You will destroy in Mount Zion the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil of darkness spread over all nations (Isa. 25:7).

13. You shall swallow up death in victory (Isa. 25:8).

14. You shall wipe away tears from all faces.

15. You shall wipe away the reproach of Your people.

16. You shall save us (Isa. 25:9).

17. You shall rest Your hand in Mount Zion (Isa. 25:10).

18. You shall tread down Moab.

19. You shall spread forth Your hands and bring down their pride (Isa. 25:11).

20. You shall lay the fortresses of enemies down low.

For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. Isa. 25:2

For thou hast... Fourfold Destruction of Babylon

1. You have made of a city a heap.

2.You have made a defended city a ruin.

3. You have made a palace of strangers to be no city.

4. It shall never be built.

it shall never... These statements, especially the last one, identify the ruined city as the future Babylon which will be destroyed under the seventh vial at the end of this age. Babylon is the only city that is specifically pictured in detail as to destruction in that day, and it is stated several times that it will never be built again after this final and complete destruction in the day of the Lord (Isa. 25:2; 13:1-16, 13:19-22; 14:1-27; Jer. 50-51; Rev. 14:8; 16:17-21; 18:1-24). Therefore, because of the destruction of such a great and mighty city, strong nations and cities of terrible nations will fear God (Isa. 25:3).

Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. Isa. 25:3

God’s judgment on the city, representative of the world (cf. Isa. 24:12-13), will cause peoples from ruthless nations to honor and revere God.

For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. Isa. 25:4

Thou hast been... Four Things God Has Been to Men.

1. Strength to the poor in poverty

2. Strength to the needy in distress

3. A refuge from the storm

4. A shadow from the heat

when the blast... God is all these 4 things to men who trust in Him whenever the terrible ones storm into the land like the blast. This kind of statement always refers to the quick invasion of a country (Isa. 25:4; 37:7; 2Ki. 19:7).

Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. Isa. 25:5

bring down the noise... This refers to the tumult of invading armies entering battle. This is a continuation of the last part of Isa. 25:4 which speaks of the terrible ones invading Israel under Antichrist. Here the prediction is that the branch (Hebrew: zamiyr, a song) of the terrible ones shall be brought low; that is, their song of victory of revelry will cease. Their wrath will be diminished like the heat of the sun when blocked by a cloud.

And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. Isa. 25:6

Feasts of Good Things

in this mountain... Mount Zion (Isa. 24:23)—Jehovah shall make a feast of good things for all people. Feasts were times of celebration over great victories and periods of national rejoicing and success. Here we see joy and the abundance of good things combined with the presence of the Messiah when He comes to reign, after gaining the victory over the Antichrist and the terrible ones under him, including the kings of the earth and their mighty armies, and after defeating Satan with his angels and demons (Isa. 25:5-7; 23:1-18, 21-22; Rev. 12:7-12; 19:19-21; 20:1-3). This is not to be understood as salvation, but a literal feast of good foods for all people who will be left after the battle of Armageddon and the judgment of the nations (Mat. 25:31-46; Zec. 14:16-21). This will be the time when the Trinity will be among men to fellowship with them in eating and drinking. See Gen. 18:1-33; Exo. 24:11; Luke 22:18, 22:30; Rev. 19:1-21; 21:1-7.

Salvation of Gentiles

unto all people... Isaiah seemed to glory in the fact that the Messiah and His program were to be for all nations, not just the Jews (Isa. 25:6; 2:2-4; 11:10; 42:1, 42:6; 49:6, 49:22; 54:8; 60:3-5, 60:11, 60:16; 61:6, 61:9; 62:2; 66:12, 66:19). In this sense we might call Isaiah the prophet to the Gentiles, as Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. No other prophet mentioned the salvation and blessing of the Gentiles as often as Isaiah. In fact, only two other prophets mentioned them as being blessed, and they referred to it only one time each (Jer. 16:19; Mal. 1:11). Isaiah emphasized this truth fifteen times, using the word Gentiles as many times in his writings as it is used in all the rest of the O.T. His prophecies are the only ones quoted in the Gospels of the salvation of the Gentiles (Mat. 4:15; 12:18, 12:21; Luke 2:32). The Hebrew: gowy, translated Gentiles, is also translated nations many times—ten times in Isaiah where they are referred to as being blessed by God under the Messiah (Isa. 2:2-4; 9:1; 11:12; 13:4; 25:7; 52:15; 66:18-20). Micah (Mic. 4:2-11) and Zechariah (Zec. 2:11; 8:22-23; 14:16) were the only other prophets using the word nations in connection with their being blessed. There are a few such references in Psm. 57:9; 67:2-4; 72:11, 72:17; 117:1 and a few in Gen. 17:4; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4, but apart from these, other writers of the O.T. did not mention the blessing of nations or Gentiles.

feast of... This refers to wines which are kept a long time, having the dregs mixed with them, making them old and strong. They were refined by being strained through a cloth, separating the wine from the lees or dregs.

of fat things... This is an expression denoting sumptuous entertainment and abundant provisions (Psm. 36:8; 63:5).

And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. Isa. 25:7

And He will... Abolish; remove; take away.

in this... Mount Zion

the face of... Covering the face indicated grief, sorrow, and misery. The idea here is the removal of all satanic darkness and power now covering the whole of the nations. The prince of the power of the air that works in all sons of sin will be removed from all hearts and minds; then men will, for the first time since Adam’s innocence, be free from all satanic influences. Satan is the ruler of the darkness of this world, and he and all his agents will be confined to the abyss during the 1,000 years of Rev. 20:1-15 (Isa. 24:21-22; Eph. 6:12; Rev. 12:7-12; 20:3).

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. Isa. 25:8

Death Swallowed Up

He will... Swallow up death means to engulf; remove; abolish; cancel; and cause the ravages and triumph of death to cease (Isa. 25:8). In the first resurrection, before the Millennium, all the righteous dead of all ages, including the godly from Abel to the end of the future tribulation, will be resurrected; and death will be done away as far as they are concerned, at that time (1Co. 15:23, 15:51-57; Phlp. 3:20-21; 1Th. 4:13-17; Rev. 20:4-6). Death will not be destroyed for sinners though, for they will continue to die during the Millennium. When the second resurrection takes place and all wicked men are given immortality of the body to be tormented day and night eternally, then death will be destroyed (1Co. 15:24-28, 15:35-45; Rev. 20:4-6, 20:11-15). Christ has already conquered death and He now holds the keys of death and hades (Heb. 2:14-15; Rev. 1:18); but death as an enemy will continue throughout the Millennium and exercise its power over sinners (Isa. 65:20; 1Co. 15:24-28). After that period there will be no more death (Rev. 21:3-7; 22:3).

Lord God will... Wiping away the tears from the faces of the saints who have part in the first resurrection will take place before the Millennium (1Th. 4:13-18; Rev. 7:9-17); but regarding the natural people who live through the Millennium as subjects of Christ and the resurrected saints, this will not take place until the end of the Millennium (Rev. 21:1-7).

and the rebuke... The reproach, contempt, shame, and defeat will be taken away from His people when Messiah comes to reign (Isa. 25:8-9; 2:2-4; 35:1-8; 65:20-25).

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Isa. 25:9

shall be said... In that day—the Millennium—it shall be said, This is our God whom we have waited for and He is here (Isa. 52:7; Eze. 43:7). This day when the believing remnant will be delivered, they (the saved ones) will affirm their trust in the Lord, who saved them. In response they will say let us rejoice and be glad in the salvation He provided. Meanwhile, in Isaiah’s day, believers in Judah were to rejoice in the Lord’s salvation. (Isa. 24:21)

For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill. Isa. 25:10

For in this... In this mountain—Mount Zion (Isa. 25:6, 25:7, 25:10; 24:23).

hand of the LORD... This denotes His power, deliverance, and protection over His people (Ezr. 7:6, 7:28; 8:18, 8:22, 8:31; Neh. 2:8; Act. 4:30; 11:21).

Moab shall be... Isaiah referred to Moab as representing those who oppose God and will be judged by Him. Moab was east of Israel across the Dead Sea. Moab shall be completely defeated and serve Israel in the Millennium (Isa. 11:14; Isa. 16:1-5).

And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. Isa. 25:11

And He shall... God will stretch forth His hands, prostrate His enemies, Israel and Judah had many altercations with Moab.

as he that... Subjecting them all as easily as a swimmer makes his way through the water by stretching out his hands (Isa. 25:11-12).

and He shall... bring down their pride, Moab was known for her pride (Isa. 25:11; cf. Isa. 16:6).

together with... She felt that the works of her hands and her cleverness would protect her, but it would not.

And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust. Isa. 25:12

And the fortress... Moab — and all God’s enemies — will be totally destroyed, trampled, and brought down… low (cf. Isa. 26:5) to the very dust.

Only God’s people, in Israel and in other nations, will enjoy God’s time of prosperity and blessing.