The Light at the end of the tunnel is Jesus!
This chapter in the Book of Isaiah shines a bright light on one of the reasons Bible prophecy is so important. A light is approaching that no darkness can extinguish.
John 8:12 I am the Light
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
There is a dark and foreboding tone in many of the prophetic passages. It can be very depressing to hear or read about the dark times that are predicted in humanity’s future. We might be inclined to have thoughts such as the following.
There’s too much darkness and not enough light in the ‘judgment passages.’
Who wants to read about that stuff anyway?
Can’t we just think happy thoughts and find our happy place or the ‘safe place’ we hear so much about today?
Well, it would be nice to not think about it, but in this article, we will take a look at the surprising optimism that Isaiah has about the coming darkness. There is a very good reason to be optimistic.
The end is unavoidable. We can’t escape the approaching light.
We can’t escape the end of God’s story. On a personal level, we all will die and face the consequences of the fruit of our life choices. That’s good or bad; hopefully good. Others, in the near future, will see the end of humanity’s struggle against God. The appointed time, as the Lord has warned, will arrive and many billions of people will experience first-hand the judgment the prophets have warned about.
Ever since mankind fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, things have gotten darker. When Adam and Eve sinned, the light left them and was replaced with shame.
Naked as jaybirds?
It is my opinion, and that of many Bible scholars, that the first humans were not running around naked as jaybirds as many suppose. They did have a covering in those early days, they just lost it. That covering was a garment of light. When the light was gone they tried to cover it with fig leaves. It was a typical and predictable effort by them to cover their error and then make an excuse for it. But still, it was easy for them to see something had changed almost immediately. Those garments of light which are similar to the brightness of Christ left them both in a state of darkness and shame.
These two articles below are just some of many that give biblical support for the idea I’m suggesting about this covering of light the first couple had before the fall.
Dead Sea Scrolls and Adam’s garments of light
John 1:9 The true light
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
In this commentary, after each verse in the chapter, I’ve provided some of my own thoughts and then one key cross-referenced verse. One of the best ways we can better understand scripture passages is to find similar verses and see how the Lord expounds upon topics and themes. So, as you read along in the chapter that follows, take time to read the cross-references. For additional study, click the links to the passages to gain further insight into the context of those mirror passages.
Isaiah 25:1 The Lord God will do wonderful things
“O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”
This chapter continues with the last day’s judgment that was graphically expressed in the last chapter. There were a lot of calamities and very little reason for hope, but Isaiah focuses on one very good reason to take comfort. Isaiah writes the words many will express in the middle of those dark days. “You are my God!” The people will know, when the final judgments are underway, not long after that, great joy will come to the broken and crushed of those times.
Exodus 15:2
“The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him.”
Isaiah 25:2 A city left in ruins
“For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners’ palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.”
The judgment of God will sweep across nations, cities will be left in ruined conditions. Great palaces, which once shined brightly, will have their lights put out. Those cities and palaces will never rise again from their ash heaps. The reference to foreigners is to those from surrounding countries that came into the land of Israel to conquer and destroy.
Isaiah 17:1
The oracle concerning Damascus. “Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city And will become a fallen ruin.
Isaiah 25:3 The Lord is reverenced–finally
“Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.”
Many remarkable things will begin to take place as the dust settles after the apocalyptic events. The view of God among the remaining people will undergo a 180-degree change. God has been mocked and his followers ridiculed through the centuries. Once the Lord passes judgment and inflicts wrath upon an unbelieving world, everyone will respect and reverence the Almighty.
Stunned and fearful silence will be a common emotion among those left standing. Not everyone will be Christian then, but all will believe in God. Even those who cursed his Name will know his glory and power. No one will dispute his existence then.
Isaiah 13:11
Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
Isaiah 25:4 A refuge from the storm
“For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,”
The poor and weak really need to hope for a bright future. In every society and culture, there has always been the poor who get the least of everything that others often have in abundance. God has seen their afflictions and will reward them for the suffering they have endured. The poor and afflicted who died hoping in God will live again and live like the kings and queens who abused them in their past lives. The promise of the coming light of Jesus has been a hope in a dark place for many millions over the centuries.
Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most-High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Isaiah 25:5 The song of the ruthless will end.
“Like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down.”
As Isaiah mentioned in previous chapters, the time of wine and joy will end for those who rejoiced in their riches and high positions in society. The ‘heat’ of oppression the rich rulers place upon the poor will end. Like clouds that blanket the sky, bringing shade and cooler temperatures, the Lord will cover the afflicted.
Jeremiah 51:54
The sound of an outcry from Babylon, And of great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans!
Isaiah 25:6 A feast upon the mountain
“On this mountain, the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.”
The Lord will feed the faithful with a feast to remember for a thousand years. The rejoicing and songs will fill the air on the mountain of the Lord. That’s Jerusalem, the place where God has chosen to live. He doesn’t live there now, the Jews still live in rebellion and denial. Once the devastation is over, a giant feast will take place. People from around the world will come out of hiding to get to the feast and to see the Light that has come. Jesus will reign as ruler on the throne of David.
Psalm 36:8
They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house, And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights.
Isaiah 25:7 The veil removed; the light revealed
“And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.”
On that mountain, Mount Zion, God will begin to cleanse the world. He will start with those who come to the feast. An unveiling will happen also. The unveiling will be the scales of blindness dropping away from the eyes of the Jewish people, and also many around the world who rejected God’s truth. The thousand-year reign of Christ, The Light of the world, will begin.
Previously fallen Christians, will rise to new life with glorified bodies. There will also be non-believers who didn’t take the mark of the beast who will enter this brave new world of peace. I won’t take time in this article to explain many of these things but it will be the dawn of an unbelievable new experience for humanity. With eyes wide open, and unveiled, people will see Jesus, the Light who has come to expose the darkness.
2 Corinthians 3:15 No light but a veil covers their hearts
And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:16
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Isaiah 25:8 Death is gone–swallowed up forever
“He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.”
This verse is one of the most spectacular truths in the whole of scripture. Death will pass away with the darkness that it came with. God who has authority over life and death can grant the right to eternal life. The tears that fell in great numbers will dry. Immense joy will overwhelm those who have come through the dark and scary tunnel that threatened to take their lives.
1 Corinthians 15:54
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
Isaiah 25:9 THIS IS OUR GOD!
“It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
That’s my God! My Savior has finally arrived! When the Lord finally returns, I imagine a roar of rejoicing coming from millions around the world. After heartbreaking anguish and watching friends and family members die during the intense persecution, the relief will feel amazing.
We have waited for him! He’s finally here! No one will mock or try to quiet those faithful followers then.
These shouts will be like no other victory shout before it. People will come out of hiding to shout as loud as they can. They will scream their allegiance to their God. The armies of the Antichrist who fought against the saints of God will have been killed.
Isaiah 33:22
For the LORD is our judge, The LORD is our lawgiver, The LORD is our king; He will save us–
Isaiah 25:10 God’s favorite mountain
“For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.”
Jerusalem is the city that God chose as His. Mount Zion is the mountain upon which the old temples stood. The Lord claimed this territory as His. The Jewish people who lived most of their history in open rebellion will finally live as they have been destined to. Jerusalem, God’s city, will be cleansed and its people healed. The temple will be cleansed and restored as a house of worship. The nations of the world will flow into Israel to witness God’s people finally acting like God’s people.
Isaiah 2:2
Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains And will be raised above the hills, And all the nations will stream to it.
Isaiah 25:11 The swimmer’s punishment
“And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands.”
This is a funny expression. The image of a swimmer is used but who the swimmer refers to is debatable. As you look at the various translations of the verse various scholars take both sides on the swimmer. The swimmer could be the Lord as he reaches out with his hands into the middle of his enemies to judge them. Or, as other scholars suggest, it could be God’s enemies frantically swimming against the tide in a vain effort to escape God’s judgment.
I think the language favors the first version. But, I’m no scholar, just a lowly carpenter. 🙂 Either choice has the Lord chasing down those who try to escape the judgment they earned with their fruitless and selfish lives. God gives eternal life to those who simply ask. For those who refuse he also grants them their desires as well. That’s a bad choice though.
Isaiah 5:25
On this account, the anger of the LORD has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down. And the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. For all this, His anger is not spent, But His hand is still stretched out.
Isaiah 25:12 Bring the walls down
“And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.”
Every wall the enemies of God build in defense against the Lord will crumble to the ground. There isn’t and never will be a good enough defense against the Lord. When he comes in judgment the best and the only defense is to claim your allegiance to the Light of the world. Only friendship with Jesus will keep any of us from judgment.
The great thing now and on that final day, Jesus will welcome all sinners who humbly admit what everyone knows. We’re all a bunch of goofs who mess up all the time. Some are much worse than others…a lot worse often. Only repentance and acceptance of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross will get us eternal life.
Isaiah 15:1
The oracle concerning Moab. Surely in a night Ar of Moab is devastated and ruined; Surely in a night Kir of Moab is devastated and ruined.
1 John 1:7 Walk in the Light
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Let me know what you think.