God warned the nations, that the day of vengeance is coming.
In this chapter, Isaiah describes what he calls “the day of vengeance.” That is the day of judgment that the world has been warned about for thousands of years. That day will be a day of graphic content, bloody swords, rotting corpses, and rivers of blood. The Bible even describes what appears to be a nuclear exchange. Of course, the writers could not have understood such massive devastation.
God’s patience will end and the time of wrath will begin.
This is not a fun topic to write about, but it is a clear truth that is described often in the scriptures. We ignore this at our own eternal peril. For some, it sounds like the guy who wore the sandwich board sign over his shoulders. He cried that the end is near. The end never did come, so the poor soul is pitied by a few, mocked by many, but ignored by most.
It’s important to keep the big picture in focus. The Bible is God’s story concerning his interactions with mankind. Within that story, there is a rebellion of angelic powers. Among the myriads of angels, (that’s a poor word to represent the immense power some possess.), some of them rebelled against the rule of God.
A rebellion that failed.
Those rebellious angels set their focus on destroying what God was doing with humans. The rebellion continues to this day unabated. The chess pieces are moved on the board. The players plan their strategies. The match continues until there is a checkmate. The day of vengeance is checkmate. I may need a sandwich board sign that says checkmate is coming 🙂
The final outcome that God’s Word points to is the end of that rebellion. The disobedient, fallen powers have tried to influence mankind. They want us to stand against God. That plan has succeeded on a large scale. But it failed miserably when the devil put Christ on the cross.
The cross was the plan
The cross and then the resurrection put eternity in play for humanity. Those of us who are too weak to stand up against the attacks by these powerful spiritual beings have some help. Actually, every one of us needs help with that. None of us are able to fully resist their efforts to lead, prod, or push us into sin.
So, the end is near. How near we don’t know.
The day of vengeance is a good thing. It’s the day the curse is thrown off, the demons get their chains put on, and Jesus sits upon his throne.
The end is nearer than before 🙂
But whenever the end is you should know this — the end is coming. I don’t know how near it is, but I do have a hunch. But the timing isn’t really important because for everyone their day comes eventually whether you believe the guy wearing the sandwich board sign or not.
Isaiah describes the day of vengeance
The next two chapters in the Book of Isaiah, 34 and 35, have a distinct character that sets them apart from those before and after. They provide a broad summary of Isaiah’s message up to this point. But more than just a summary, this chapter slams the reader with a “you better listen” emphasis. In chapter thirty-five Isaiah gives the reader graphic descriptions providing details of the Lord’s judgment upon the nations that have rejected him and persecuted his people.
These chapters also gave inspiration and guidance to other prophets when they wrote their prophecies. The best examples of similar wording can be found in the Book of Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 25, Jeremiah 46:3-12, Jeremiah 50, 51)
We also see similar language in the well-known end of days passage commonly referred to as the “Gog and Magog war.” Ezekiel 39:11-16.
The small book of Joel has prophecies that talk about the devastation in the last days.
In the Book of Habakkuk, we find a great example of how the people of God should respond during hard times.
Right here.
Isaiah 34: 1 Listen to God’s warning to all nations
“Draw near O nations to hear and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it.”
The prophet makes it clear that his message is for everyone in every nation who is willing to listen. Now, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that only a small percentage of people over the years have listened to God’s warning. For the most part, it has been ignored. We don’t take spiritual matters seriously enough until it’s too late.
Isaiah 34:2 The day of vengeance will come
“For the Lord is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host. He has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.”
In the opening paragraphs, I mentioned the supernatural creatures that influence the affairs of mankind. We are used to imagining chubby little angels who serve as guardians while our children sleep. I’m referring to something entirely different than chubby cherubs. This verse refers to “the nations.” As you read through the Bible you might notice that angelic creatures sometimes appear to associate with a particular geographic region or nation. Those supernatural angelic beings differ in rank and power and do set up shop over countries. Over the centuries they have influenced the affairs of men and decisions to go to war. They are active in ways we can’t imagine.
Enraged against the nations
The verse says the Lord is enraged against the nations. The first offenders and initial cause of God’s rage probably are those supernatural beings. We are guilty of listening to the stupid devils. That’s the part we play in the rebellion. The day of vengeance is when the Lord kicks the fallen angels out of heaven and begins taking their power away. Their punishment will follow shortly after.
Isaiah 34:3 A day of stinking corpses and rivers of blood
“Their slain shall be cast out and the stench of their corpses shall rise. The mountains shall flow with their blood.”
Now we get into specific and graphic scenes we can expect to see during the final days of human rule on earth.
On the day of vengeance:
Dead bodies will be tossed aside. Wars will rage across the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, and leak out across the globe. There won’t be time to bury the dead. They will lie out in the open. After a few hours in the heat of the day, the stench will be thick and unbearable. The disease will follow soon after as the decay begins and then quickly spreads. The zombie apocalypse scenario will play out in real life. There is one mountain, in particular, that might flow with blood as this verse implies. Jerusalem is on a mount. It is the key point on the planet where the focus will be on. This end of days scenario will play out in and around that city.
Many tens of thousands or more will die on that mountain and in the city.
Isaiah 34:4 A war in heaven on the day of vengeance
“And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll. And all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falls off from the vine and as a falling fig from the fig tree.”
To better understand the meaning of challenging Bible prophecy we just need to read. We need to read a lot of the scriptures. Plus we should read carefully and don’t get caught up in listening to too many different and opposing voices. That’s easier said than done I know. This verse gets me to think about a key passage in the Book of Revelation. I’m thinking of chapter twelve. That chapter has stirred an immense amount of controversy in recent years and is still boiling-hot contentious. I won’t address that here but I have written about it in previous articles. What that passage does say is important and connects to these verses here in Isaiah. In chapter twelve in the Book of Revelation, we read about a war in heaven.
The host of heaven might not be stars
Isaiah is speaking about that war right here. The day of vengeance begins in heaven, not on earth. The host of heaven can refer to stars but more importantly, it refers to the host of heaven. The difference is huge. The hosts of heaven are the armies of heaven or the angelic realm. The demonic angels have been at war with the ‘good guys’ for 6,000 years or so. Isaiah says the day of vengeance begins with the cleaning out of the bad angels who still have access to the heavenly realm.
That includes Satan. He and his hoard will lose that access in the middle of the final seven years. When this happens it will become insanely difficult on earth.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 4. – All the host of heaven shall be dissolved. A dissolution of the material frame of the heavens, in which the moon and stars are regarded as set, seems to be intended (comp. Matthew 24:29; 2 Peter 3:10). The slaughter of God’s enemies is here connected with the cud of the world, as in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 19:11-21).
The heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll;
literally, as a book. Ancient books were written on long strips of paper or parchment, which, when unrolled, extended to many yards in length, but which might be rolled together “by means of one or two smooth round sticks into a very small compass.” Such a rolling together of the widely extended heavens is here intended, not a shriveling by means of heat (comp. Revelation 6:14). All their host shall fall (comp. Matthew 24:29, “The stars shall fall from heaven”).
In the above commentary, we see there are many biblical connections to this idea of the stars falling or being dissolved. I believe this is about demons being kicked out of heaven and thrown down to earth where the war will finish in a blaze of agony and rivers of blood.
Oh, so much fun.
Isaiah 34:5 The final war begins in heaven
“For my sword shall be bathed in heaven. Behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.”
Pay attention to what this verse says. The sword of God gets bloody in heaven. Then he brings it down to earth where the judgment continues. As I said, Jesus will clean house in the heavenly realm first. He sends those demonic forces down to earth and finishes the job down there. We see all this described in the Book of Revelation.
The bearer of the sword, Jesus, then brings it down on the day of vengeance and we know where He will start. He goes to Edom. The Edomites were the descendants of Esau. Esau was the brother of Jacob and resented his brother’s success. That hatred of his brother was passed down through the families and continues to this day. Saudi Arabia is the modern nation where these Edomites resided. The country of Jordan might also be included, but that’s the general region we can expect to see the sword of the Lord hit first.
Isaiah 34:6 On the day of vengeance, Edom will see a great slaughter.
“The Lord has a sword, it is drenched with blood. It is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.”
This is not a pretty picture. I did say this passage was graphic. We have the imagery of animal sacrifice. The blade was drenched in blood, dripping with fat and mixed again with the blood of lambs and kidney fat. Now pull back a ways from that scene and realize the epic degree of this bloodbath. There’s more involved than a few cities or countries. It’s the whole world.
Uncaged demons
We’re familiar with the image of a caged animal and how hard it will fight to survive.
Think about this: Those supernatural demons have immense power. God will unleash them upon the earth. They will know that this is their last stand against God and mankind. Mankind is the weak link. We, the ones with soft flesh, will take the biggest hit so to speak. God will not lose. And those who stand with God will not lose either, though they might die in the trying. (That’s the cool thing about God’s people. We will live again!)
Isaiah 34:7 The land shall drink its fill of blood.
“Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood and their soil shall be gorged with fat.”
When we read through the books of prophecy we come across many passages that refer to the need to cleanse the land. Here’s one reason for that. Untold numbers of soldiers and citizens will die. The blood of the dead will soak the soil of every nation. The Middle East and specifically Israel will be the focal point of the bloodbath. In the book of Revelation, we read about people who will have the responsibility to go around tracking the locations of dead bodies and seeing about their disposal. It will be an immense job and will take years to finish.
The stench of the dead bodies will seep into the soil.
Isaiah 34:8 The day of vengeance resolves the controversy of Zion.
“For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion.”
This is a very important verse. Many readers just pass over it, while others misinterpret the verse. It’s a bigger problem if we misunderstand the verse.
The day of the Lord’s vengeance is the time when God fixes all things that are broken and corrupt. That’s a simple and generalized statement. God intends to restore the glory and peace of the earth that Adam and Eve had in the garden of Eden. In this verse, we see one very important part of God’s overall plan to restore things.
Zion is Jerusalem. It is the city where the Lord chose to place his temple and the place where Jesus will reign after he takes vengeance upon the rebellious. It’s also the place where Jesus was crucified.
The controversy of Zion?
What is the controversy of Zion? To answer that question, let’s go back in history just a few decades. There was a debate in Europe about what to do with the Jews. We know how the story went. Hitler tried to erase them from the planet. Many people probably don’t realize this but Hitler got his idea to destroy the Jewish people from the Christian church doctrine that said the Jews were a cursed people. Hitler’s plan didn’t work because God has a better plan and intends to complete it. The role of the church during World War Two and the Holocaust is appalling though a few did stand up and defend the Jewish people.
The Jews messed up by crucifying Jesus but remember — that was God’s plan!! Now he intends to finish that plan, and restoring Israel is part of it. Those who warred with Israel over the years will pay a price for their attempt to wipe out the Jews.
Watch this movie to understand the controversy better.
I disagree with the commentary below.
I’ve inserted it here to show what I mean by interpreting this passage incorrectly. This commentator believes the controversy refers to the Church.
It does not, it refers to the long-standing debate about Israel or more specifically Jacob. That was the brother of Esau. Esau is the great ancestor of all the Edomites. The Lord’s sword starts in heaven and then goes directly to Edom to start fixing the controversy concerning Zion.
Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance,… The time which he has appointed to take vengeance on antichrist, his 1260 days, or years; being up, in which he is to reign; these being expired, the time has come for the Lord to avenge the blood of his saints; see Revelation 18:20,
and the year of recompenses
for the controversy of Zion; the church of God, which has been for many ages abused and injured by the antichristian powers, for which the Lord will have a controversy with them; he will appear in favour of his people, and plead the cause of Zion, and recompense their enemies for all the injuries they have done them; then they that have led into captivity shall go into captivity, and they that have killed with the sword shall be killed with it, Revelation 13:10 this will be a time of double recompense; and therefore perhaps the word is used in the plural number; it will be the time of rewarding antichrist as he has rewarded others; and it will be the time of the dead, that they shall be judged, and rewards given to God’s servants the prophets, Revelation 18:6. The Targum is,
“the year of recompense, to take vengeance of judgment for the injury of Zion.”
Isaiah 34:9 The land of Edom will burn.
“And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch and her soil into sulfur. Her land shall become burning pitch.”
The Lord is going to light Edom up. To be blunt, He’s going to burn the place down. Jesus will arrive with his sword of justice and leave it in flames as he leaves.
Isaiah 34:10 The burning will continue forever.
“Night and day it shall not be quenched. Its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation, it shall lie desolate. No one will ever pass through it again.”
It will smoke and burn for possibly one thousand years. That’s the length of the Millennium. God will create a new heaven and a new earth after that. So this reference to burning forever is hyperbole. But it will burn for a long time.
What did the earliest church fathers believe about the end times?
Read the original writings and judge for yourself.
Let me know what you think.