Isaiah 34:1-10
In Ezekiel 33, the command to the watchman must be taken much more literally than parabolically. With that in mind; this post is somewhat of a primer on the judgment of God. The hope is that you will begin to see the purposes of God’s working on earth to bring about righteousness and worship of Him. People are obsessed with the modes of God’s determinations, but those don’t matter much; your riches (prepping) cannot save you. The pure of heart by Christ Jesus; faithful to keep His commands, are spared (Proverbs 11:4).
Before we get to chapter 34 of Isaiah, points should be made that are seemingly unrelated but, as we’ll see, are not. To understand what seems to be coming upon America, Isaiah 1-35 is very good study of God’s judgments. Not with an eye to escape the coming judgment, you won’t, but to teach your children and grandchildren to abstain from idols, perversions, witchcrafts, sorceries (including medicine, drugs, or spells – Revelation 18:23, 22:15), and most importantly reject abortion and the harm of children in all forms participating in no way whatsoever. God is the author of life, the desire to end innocent life is an immediate indicator of evil in a man’s heart. Those are antichrist. The vilest outward indicator of wickedness is the longing to harm the innocent, including animals. The destruction of Jerusalem is another good study to understand what becomes of those that reject God.
“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” – 1 Peter 4:17
1 Peter 4:17 is written to the immediate recipients of the letter, not about us today. But, by way of edifying the body of Christ, we should make careful note to be on guard; judgment starts in the house of God and gets worse for those who disobey the truth (those not saved). The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation, not only personally but familially, congregationally, and nationally. We are well within reason, and probably well to make application from this verse today.
“9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. 11 Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, 12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.” – Isaiah 6:9-12
In Chapter 6, verses 1-5, Isaiah sees the Lord seated upon His throne. Ezekiel 1:28, Daniel 8:17, and John (Revelation 1:17) fell upon their faces at the sight of His power and majesty.
Isaiah is given the prophecy to shut the hearts of God’s people. For disobeying God, He blinds them to the truth of the judgment pronounced against them until the land is left “desolate.” Nonetheless, Jehovah will have a tenth part, a remnant, for the Almighty will always have a people.
Remarkable is our Lord’s statement in Matthew 13:13, 15.
“13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand… 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
Note: Jesus, in Matthew 13:14, indicates the fulfillment of this blinding in first-century Israel, quoting Isaiah 6:9.
Next, in a parable, Jesus uses the example of a divided kingdom as coming to desolation in Matthew 12:22-30. Indeed America is a divided kingdom. Note: He doesn’t mention the desolations pronounced upon first-century Israel just yet. See Luke 21:20.
When the Almighty receives no sweet-smelling savor, when no sacrifice well and pleasing is offered, when He cannot find ten just men or a completed Sabbath of jubilee, He draws the sword upon the earth. He makes for himself a sacrifice fitting to both bear witness to His extraordinary power and also to satisfy His wrath.
An atoning sacrifice is offered that God would forbear (two examples: Leviticus 16:29-34, Hebrews 10:1), showing His mercies upon the people and not judging them.
Is the final sacrifice of Christ, once for all, the atonement of all the world’s sins forever? It’s the atonement for those who believe, bringing forgiveness of sin. But still, we keep His commandments. John 3:16 doesn’t mean that no judgments will exist before His bodily return. In fact, in 70AD, Israel was judged, as was just pointed out above (Luke 21:20).
Keeping the commands of Christ is both a sign and a test of our love for Him (John 14:15, 21). In love, we should desire to please Him. Many believers today take thanks for salvation but lack the desire to bring Him glory through keeping His word; this is a failure of faith to trust our King. Worship without sacrifice is not worthy of Christ.
Therefore, those that don’t keep His commandments hate Him. Perhaps they don’t feel hatred toward God, heaven forbid, but just as Christ told us unless a believer hates his own family, he cannot be a disciple (Luke 14:26). Surely, this isn’t active hatred; perhaps it’s comparative. This is what “take up thy cross” is about. The apostles made other arrangements for their families. They gave their life, being jailed, beheaded, stoned, crucified, boiled in oil to keep the commandments of Jesus Christ, going whithersoever the Spirit listeth. Christ himself gave His mother to John for safekeeping (John 19:27). (What became of Joseph, Mary’s husband?) Jesus did not contravene the 5th Commandment. (Honor thy father and thy mother – Exodus 20:12, reconfirmed in the New Covenant – Ephesians 6:2) But if called of Christ, you are to follow Him above all.
The sacrifice today is you. America has had it so good for so long that wrapping one’s mind around suffering, upheaval, and war is almost impossible. Very difficult to accept but accurate nonetheless; converted to Christ, we are killed all the day long (Psalm 44:22, Romans 8:36). All sin can be forgiven in Christ, but until the blessed day when all evil shall be abolished, God loves those that keep His commandments.
Interestingly Romans 8:36 points to Psalm 44:22.
“20 If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; 21 Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. 22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.” – Psalm 44:20-22
That verse 22 of the Psalm points forward to the birth of the church we must accept. The slaughter of Christians has been ongoing for two thousand years. Read verses 9-17 of Psalm 44 to see the hand of God. The body of Christ has, at times, been not only accepted but made the head of governments, priests, and kings. But at other junctures, severe persecution has come upon us throughout the so-called church age. We don’t think that every instance of slaughter in church history has been due to disobedience; God will get His glory in all things. Knowing the difference requires a depth of knowledge about the Bible, honesty with oneself, and much prayer with the Almighty so that eyes are not blinded to the truth.
Here’s the point thus far: the sword of the vengeance of God upon those that know His statutes yet reject them is a historical fact, and until Christ returns, sin remains; Jehovah is still Jehovah, the unchanging God (Malachi 3:6). He shall judge His people yet have a remnant. And He then judges those He used as the sword of chastisement against His people. This is also a historical fact. We’re not losing hope in the splendid reign of Christ when all enemies shall be put under Him; just being realistic about the current state of Western Civilization.
That’s some background to the failure of God’s people and judgment that He has brought upon them.
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Now to bring this discussion to a broader application; judgment against national America. Before you object, the fact that America is not a nation but a country – soon to be a sector in the global corporate conglomerate is most likely part of that judgment.
These things take generations to come to fruition; that’s why they are so hard to realize for selfish and shortsighted people, which is all of us. When studying the judgments of God, remember that those were brewing for sometimes several generations before God got tired of having His holy name abused by people who “draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” – Matthew 15:8
It’s a hard thing and refused to be accepted, let alone understood, living in denial the American Church will not turn back to the commands of Christ. Get over yourself. Get over your brainwashing and propaganda. We’re not exceptional nor above the reproach of God; the America of today is an enemy of Christ. Your inability to accept that doesn’t change the facts. Not only for 70 million dead babies but facilitating, more recently, the collapse of governments across the Middle East and earlier, in Central America, causing the Christians in those places to be killed by more than a million in number. And today, meddling in Africa brings rise to those that would destroy His church as fast as new groups of believers are made by the Spirit of God proclaiming Christ crucified. The American Church has done nothing to demand the endless war be halted but cheers every new bombing and invasion as though the “news” were the holy truth telling them that those peasants pose an existential threat.
Throughout each instance and church history, God has kept a faithful contingent reserved from wrath for His holy name. Most everyone has bowed the knee to idols, especially an antichrist State.
And now we arrive at America as a whole.
This isn’t only about the church; the enemies of Christ’s people are so much more consumed by their lusts and sins that the source of the wrath upon those that are antichrist often goes unknown to them. Still, we suspect from the totality of Scripture that deep in their mind, God will tell them who it is that they have transgressed. They’ll know on the last day in particular.
All of that is a background to what is in Isaiah 34:1-10. The Church has turned away from Christ, and now our civilization may well be called into question. America faces the consequences of actively participating in the slaughter of Christians. Take note that no greater wrath exists in the Bible than on those who make war on Christ by killing His people.
Having gone on for decades overseas, this slaughter of Christians will come home, and those who perpetrate it will claim to be doing (a) god a service.
This section of Scripture shows the vengeance of God against those that have perpetrated the controversy of (had a controversy with) Zion (Isaiah 34:8). Dispensationalists still apply this to the modern state of Israel. Those in the body of Christ are God’s people. Though none who believes in Jesus shall be cast off, a proper application would recognize that any who destroy the body of Christ are the enemies of God.
None of the verses cited in this writing speak of America or the modern era. They are provided to any that would listen today as a warning of the vengeance of God. His sword is against all who make Him their enemy and against their land. Why would America be any different? In Scripture, God uses those who don’t know Christ to do good to the people of God and also uses them for the day evil. There is no reason to think He doesn’t employ them for the same purposes today.
We’ll cite Isaiah 34:1-10 and refer to verses showing the same apocalyptic language. Take note, modern Revelation buffs; that apocalypse is not unique in language, symbolism, or hyperbole to the rest of Scripture.
As background, it’s generally accepted that Isaiah 34-35 is a pronouncement against all of the enemies of God’s people. We doubt historical Rome here, although some make application to specific kingdoms such as Babylon or Rome. God completed this prophecy before Christ came. Our application to today is apt; judgment against those that make war on the body of Christ.
Also, Isaiah 34 and 35 may be a summation of the book of Isaiah up to this point. That makes sense; Isaiah has thus far pronounced many judgments against the surrounding nations that are enemies of God’s people and now broadens out the scope.
God makes sweeping statements of an apocalyptic substance and often hyperbolic language in our verses. In the end, a people kept by Jehovah shall be delivered from all their foes.
In verse 1, all the nations of the earth are called to witness what becomes of those that hate God. See other similar instances in Isaiah 1:2, Isaiah 18:3, Psalm 49:1, Micah 1:2, and Revelation 1:7 (all kindreds of the earth).
In verse 2, God declares His indignation against all nations, and specifically their armies, as the instrument of assault against God’s people.
From there, we enter into a beautifully elucidated apocalyptic prophesy against them. The language is striking; the sword of Jehovah’s wrath is drawn; ruin and perpetual waste of desolations are coming. Take note that God has been longsuffering with America, but His mercy upon His enemies is not infinite.
The language is shocking in verse 3. Compare with Ezekiel 32:6 (read 7 and 8 while you’re there), Amos 9:13, and Revelation 14:20.
Though we take some of these compared verses here as more literal, see verse 4 of our text with Ezekiel 32:7-8, Joel 3:15, Matthew 24:29, 2 Peter 3:10, and Revelation 6:13-14.
Perhaps in verse 5, the sword of God’s wrath (bathed in heaven) is baptized by blood in purity and righteousness. It reminds us of a picture of the believer’s baptism, buried with Christ, and risen to walk in the kingdom of heaven. And His men now possess the truth of God, which is His word, to wield the twoedged truth of judgment (curses) and salvation (blessings).
These are a fearful thing. If your heart is not sinking at least a little at the wrath portrayed and the prospects for our future, you’ve been hardened, which is not a good indicator of your heart’s condition. None of this is to say that we have special knowledge of what’s coming; we’re making application from the Holy Bible, as God has instructed.
In Verse 6 and 7, the Lord makes for Himself a great sacrifice of the nations represented by the animals. Holiness requires righteousness; the best (fat) is not withheld being slain upon the alter of God’s vengeance for His people. Vengeance is the Lord’s, Psalm 94:1, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30, and others. Compare Jeremiah 46:10 and note that the people and the place of God’s vengeance are specific. Though, of course, we have no dates or locations, we must assume that the events coming upon America now are not random. Compare Ezekiel 39:17-19, Zephaniah 1:7, Revelation 19:17-18, and others.
Verse 8 is the controversy of Zion mentioned earlier.
Verse 9 and the beginning of 10 show a fourfold judgment: the streams to pitch, dust to brimstone, land to burning pitch, never quenched smoke going up day and night. In apocalyptic sections of Scripture, God’s judgment most often comes in a pattern of four. The second part of verse 10 summarizes this section thus far: judicial review is brought from generation to generation, the land shall lay waste, none shall pass through it forever: compare with Revelation 14:10-11, Revelation 19:3.
Remember these things take time: “generation to generation.”
The American Church doesn’t take this stuff seriously, but God does, and so should you. If the leadership of the American Churches were honest, they would warn the American people about what must be coming.
Note: Many referenced verses for Isaiah 34:1-10 are supplied by Milton Terry, John Gill, or Albert Barnes.
