Understanding Isaiah (Lesson 7: The New Creation: Christ’s Ultimate Work of Restoration – Part 1)

Introduction:

We concluded our last lesson in chapter twelve, lifting up a song of praise for the coming Kingdom of Christ, a Kingdom that will bring all true inhabitants of Zion the everlasting joy and life that Christ is going to draw from the wells of salvation. This is the end and goal of the exile of Judah: the people will be cast off, and the throne of David will be overturned; but all of this judgment is only setting the stage for a glorious restoration of the throne and kingdom of David. When Messiah comes, he will restore what was lost – but not just restore, he will recreate the Kingdom and the City of David, transforming it into an eternal kingdom of righteousness and peace. His wrathful judgment of Judah will result in a greater mercy and more certain hope for those whom he chooses to deliver, restore, and make righteous (i.e. the remnant of grace). Thus of Judah, but what of the rest of the world? Does God have plans for them as well? As we move into chapter thirteen, we begin to see that God’s sovereign rule does not stop with Judah. He also has certain plans for every nation of the world: and, as with Judah, his plans are first to pour out strong and wrathful judgment. But in the case of the Gentiles, as well, God’s plans do not stop with judgment. Wrath will give place to a restoration of grace – a restoration that is indeed a recreation of the entire order of things. God’s plan for Judah of judgment followed by recreative grace, is, on a broader scale, roughly equivalent to his plan for the world at large: God will pour out judgment that destroys every wicked person, but in the midst of his wrath he will call out an elect remnant to be made righteous. For this remnant of the nations, as with the remnant of Judah, there will be an eternal kingdom of righteousness and joy under the reign of Christ. But as the judgment of the nations gives way to mercy, the descriptions of the Kingdom take on a more universal characteristic: yes, Christ will reign in a restored Zion; but as is eventually made clear, this new Zion will be the heart of an entire new creation, in which will live forever a remnant preserved from every nation of the world. Today, we will examine Isaiah’s promise of a new heavens and earth, beginning with chapter twenty-five; but first, we will trace the flow of thought in chapters thirteen through twenty-four – chapters that bring the entire world under judgment, and thus set the stage for the glorious, worldwide restoration of chapter twenty-five.

A Series of Oracles [Chapters 13-24]:

The portion of Isaiah comprising chapters thirteen through twenty-four is basically a series of oracles, or prophecies announcing coming doom and judgment. Chapter thirteen is an oracle of judgment against Babylon. Chapter fourteen begins with a promise of restoration for Israel, but soon moves into a further taunt against Babylon: many scholars see verse twelve and following as epitomizing Satan in the description of Babylon’s wicked ruler. Chapter fourteen, verse 24 begins an oracle against Assyria; and chapter fourteen, verse 28 begins an oracle against Philistia. In chapter fifteen, we see an oracle against Moab; this same oracle is continued in chapter sixteen, with a brief refrain of hope in the coming King of the tabernacle of David, in verses three through five. Chapter seventeen is an oracle against Damascus, chapter eighteen an oracle against Cush, chapter nineteen an oracle against Egypt. Verses 16-24 of chapter nineteen promises a restoration that will include not merely Israel, but also Assyria and Egypt. Chapter twenty gives a sign of judgment against Egypt, chapter twenty-one is an oracle against Medo-Persia and Babylon, followed by oracles against Dumah and Arabia. Chapter twenty-two gives an oracle against Jerusalem, chapter twenty-three an oracle against Tyre and Sidon, and chapter twenty-four sums up the whole series with an oracle of judgment against the entire world, concluding with a brief glimpse of Jehovah still reigning on Mount Zion. In this way, the entire world is brought under judgment, and yet God’s reign from Mount Zion continues steadfast: judgment has been fully wrought, and everything is in place for a restoration to go forth from Jerusalem and encompass the world.

Death Swallowed Up Forever For the Inhabitants of New Jerusalem [Chapters 25-27]

After concluding the whole world under judgment, Isaiah gives a glimpse of the future restoration of the entire world as God reigns forever from Mount Zion: death will give way to victory, the wicked will be destroyed, and the poor and needy will be saved and comforted with everlasting life and joy. The structure of this passage unfolds as follows:

  • [Isaiah 25:1-5] A song of praise: God has utterly destroyed the wicked, but has provided everything necessary for the joy and life of the needy.

  • [Isaiah 25:6–8] A glimpse of the worldwide consummation of Christ’s work of redemption: God will swallow up the veil that covers the Gentiles, the reproach of his people, and even death itself, forevermore; he will provide a bountiful feast of fellowship with him from Mount Zion, a feast that will be attended by persons from every nation.

  • [Isaiah 25:9-12] A joyful affirmation: God’s people, who have long waited for his salvation, will be gladdened with eternal joy when his salvation finally appears; the enemies of the people of God will be utterly destroyed.

  • [Isaiah 26:1-4] Another, more detailed, song of praise which will be sung by the redeemed: God’s new city is Salvation itself, and his nation is the company of the justified, who will enter in by faith.

  • [Isaiah 26:5-15] The inhabitants of every other city will be trampled by the poor and needy who trust completely in God. Although the rulers of the earth seem to have the authority to destroy God’s people, in the end, God will destroy them and increase his nation who hopes in him.

  • [Isaiah 26:16-21] Thus, the whole history of the kingdom of God on this earth is likened to a woman giving birth. Throughout the entire process, there is great pain and travail; but at the end, sorrow gives way to new life. In the same way, those who suffer as the nation of God will soon find their pain swallowed up in a new resurrection life. The wicked, however, will be punished with eternal death. Hence, the kingdom of Christ (as indeed Christ himself) will pass through death and sorrow into the light of restoration and resurrection to eternal life. The wicked will pass from seeming power to eternal death and shame.

  • [Isaiah 27] In this chapter, God will destroy Leviathan (a personification of Satan), but restore Israel to his holy mountain at Jerusalem. This restoration will include persons from Assyria and Egypt (and, by extension, every nation).

Conclusion:

The portion of Isaiah that we have been studying universalizes God’s great plan of redemption. Salvation is of the Jews, as Christ told the Samaritan woman (John 4:22); and it is indeed necessary for judgment to begin at the House of God (Jeremiah 25:29; Ezekiel 9:6; 1 Peter 4:17). However, it is equally certain that neither judgment nor salvation will end with the Jews. When God first covenanted with Abraham to come down and dwell among a people that should come forth from him, as their God, he stated from the beginning that this blessing would go forth from Abraham to embrace all the nations of the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). This in fact happened when Christ came to accomplish the promised redemption: there is no longer Jew nor Greek, but all who trust in Christ “are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:27-29). God’s plan was for a Savior to come forth from Israel that would save the whole world, not just Israel alone. This truth – God’s judgment and salvation extended to the whole world – hits at the very heart of the central message of the Bible. Christ is too great a King to be confined to Palestine alone; on the contrary, his Kingdom of Redemption must spread until it embraces every kindred, tongue, people, and nation (Revelation 7:9-17). Just as we have seen in Isaiah, when we are given our last glimpse of the New (Restored) Jerusalem in Revelation, it is the City where God himself dwells, reigning in righteousness and joy over all the nations of the world (Revelation 21:1-4). This is the “end of the story,” the goal of all redemptive history. This is what the promised Christ came to accomplish, the consummation of the great work for which all of history was planned – the work of the redemption and restoration wrought by Christ. These chapters in Isaiah, far from being old, musty prophecies concerning nations long since gone, have everything to do with us today. They tell us, once again, who we are, why we exist, and what is the great goal and end toward which we are laboring – a goal that Paul summed up as “Christ in [us], the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Leave a Reply