Hello, and welcome to week four of these Easter prophecies about Jesus. So far we have covered the promise in Genesis 3, that the seed of Eve would crush Satan's head. The second week we identified that Jesus is the Passover Lamb, who takes away the sins of this world. Last week we saw that he was not just any lamb, but the one and only Son of God, whom he loves. We saw that God foreshadowed this sacrifice through Abraham and Isaac, through the mountain they were sent too, and through Isaac’s submission to his fathers will.
We are getting much closer to Easter, which is only in three weeks. Funny story, until this morning I thought Palm Sunday was next week. Larissa straightened me out. So I don’t know what we are talking about next week yet, but luckily there are way more prophecies in the Old Testament about Jesus than we could ever cover in a series! Somewhere around 350 of them. So I’m not sure yet which we will talk about next week, but on Palm Sunday, we are going to focus on the prophecy about the Messiah riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and then onto Isaiah 53 for Easter Sunday. But today, we are going to talk about death. “He shall swallow up death”, Isaiah 25 verse 8. Death is a reality for everyone. Ever since the original sin in the garden of eden, death has been a sure fate for humanity. Paul says in Romans that the wages of sin is death, the payment for our sin is dying. And while we have been forgiven of our sin, and given the gift of eternal life, physical death still awaits us. Before we can inherit eternal life, there is a physical death. Whether we die young, in the middle of our lives, or in our old age, we must die some day, because Creation has not yet been restored. The war is won, but the battle rages on. We know God has won, but we still live in a broken world filled with sin, and death is a part of that brokenness. So we know that while God has already won, there is still redemption yet to come.
And that is what we are going to talk about today. We are going to look at a prophecy that not only looks forward to Jesus and what his sacrifice would accomplish, it is also a prophecy that has not yet seen it’s full completion, it is only partially fulfilled, with the promise of more to come. This prophecy has eschatological implications, it is referenced throughout Revelation. So there is a unique factor to this week. So far, all of the prophecies we have looked at have been fulfilled. But this week, we get to experience some of that excitement of blessing and freedom that is still yet to come. And while we don’t yet have the entire completion and fulfilment of this prophecy, the action that has made it possible has already been taken through Jesus’ resurrection. Today we will see that every Christian can find hope and peace for the coming age, because death has been defeated by Jesus.
If you have your Bible with you today, our prophecy this week is found in Isaiah 25, and I am going to read verses 1-8: “LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt. Therefore strong peoples will honor you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you. You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled. On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.”
So let's begin by looking at some context. This passage is actually a part of a prophetic song written by the prophet Isaiah, between 740-680 BC. Isaiah was called by God to prophecy to the Israelites who lived in the kingdom of Judah, because at this point in time Israel was split into two kingdoms, the Kingdom of Israel in the north, and the Kingdom of Judah in the south. Isaiah's prophecies were specifically focused around the imminent judgement coming due to their sin, but also were focused on the eventual restoration of the people of Judah and Jerusalem. And we know from history that this is the people who God saved, and brought back from exile. Something that is not well known is that God did not bring ALL of the Israelites back, in fact, most did not return. The northern kingdom was so corrupt and sinful that they essentially were assimilated by the Assyrians after they were taken into captivity. If you have ever
wondered why we use the name Jew instead of Israelite in modern history, it is because all of the remaining known descendants of Israel are exiles who were originally from the southern Kingdom of Judah, the name Jew actually comes from Judah. All Jews are Israelites, but not all Israelites are Jews. Why is this fact important for this prophecy we are looking at? It isn’t, at all! But it’s interesting! So there you go.
So in the book of Isaiah, we have this long string of prophecies detailing God’s pending punishment of the Israelites, but also his redemptive plan for Judah and Jerusalem. But there are also eschatological, or end-times, prophecies tied in here. So in the chapter right before this one, we see a detailed account of the destruction of the world. And then in chapter 25, we see this description of a feast at the end of time, and we see this praise of God for what he has done and what he WILL do. And that is where we find ourselves this morning, is this song of praise.
During Isaiah’s ministry, the Assyrian nation was on a conquering spree. At one point they demand King Hezekiah of Judah to surrender, but Isaiah tells him that Judah will not be defeated - yet. The Assyrians did however succeed in conquering the Northern Nation of Israel. The Babylonians then came and conquered the Assyrians, and eventually the nation of Judah as well, but this didn’t happen until a bit later. Still, you need to know that to Isaiah’s audience, his proclamation of judgement was not some far off thing, it wasn’t like times were good during Isaiah’s ministry. War was looming.
So when we first read this, a few things stand out very clear in our passage, and we are going to be focusing on verses 7 and 8 today. First, we see this mountain as the setting for these events to come. There is talk about this covering, or veil, which is to be removed from all the people. We see this prophecy, that God will “Swallow up death”. We see that God will remove the reproach from his people, and wipe away every tear. And then we see that all this will happen, because God has spoken it. And the idea here is one of deliverance. The Israelites were being warned of an impending doom, Isaiah was the crazy guy with the piece of cardboard that says “The end is near” on it. But Isaiah also is saying, but God will bring you home, he will restore you, he will deliver you from total destruction. And so chapter 25 served as hope. It was a song of hope in the face of death and judgement.
So let’s look at the actual passage, starting in verse 7, and we are really only going to focus in on two verses here: “And on this mountain he will swallow up the covering which is over all people, even the veil which is stretched over all nations'' First of all, where is this mountain? In Isaiah 2, we see this identified as the mountain we spoke of last week, the mountain that the temple was on, in Jerusalem: “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.” So on THIS mountain he will swallow up this covering or veil, which is over all the people and all the nations. The veil or covering is an image used throughout scripture. Usually it was used to conceal something. Sometimes to conceal the face of someone in mourning. Usually to hide something shameful, or something sacred. It also is used to refer to ignorance and hardened hearts, and this is kind of the sense of the word in this passage. The veil or covering here refers to ignorance of a current AND a future state, and the way to eternal life. It says here that on the mountain of the house of the LORD that this veil will be removed. This is meant to be an expression of the ignorance, superstition, crime, and wretchedness that covered the earth, and the ignorance towards our own sinful state.
We see reference to this veil in the new testament by Paul. 2 Corinthians 3:12-16 says “Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” So we get this picture of hardened hearts, and a veil covering their understanding. But when a person turns to God, this veil of ignorance is lifted, and they understand and know the error of their ways.
And then we come to verse 8: “He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken”
The imagery around swallowing up something is rooted throughout scripture as well, and was usually meant to me destroyed entirely, removed, and taken away. It is used in other ancient cultures as well, and you get the sense that Isaiah is contrasting some of the ancient cultures as well, there is a sense of irony in saying that God will swallow up death, because death is often pictured or depicted as the swallower of life in ancient literature. The picture here is of God abolishing and destroying death. And this passage is quoted by Paul in his argument regarding the resurrection of the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:54, when he says that “Death is swallowed up in victory”. This abolition was proved as possible through Jesus’ ministry and the raising of the dead, declared and won through his OWN resurrection. This is the center of this prophecy, that everything else is contingent on, this destruction of death. It is a picture that is shown throughout the New Testament as having been completed in Jesus. We see that through Jesus, death has been defeated. 2 Timothy 2:10, “but now it has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” Then in 1 Corinthians 15:55, we see Paul quoting the prophet Hosea, saying “O death, where is your victory, O death where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” And then we see the eschatological implications all throughout Revelation. This prophecy in Isaiah will only be FULLY completed and FULLY realized when death is thrown into the lake of fire at the final judgement. And that is straight from Revelation 20:14, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”, and then we also see this in 1 Corinthians 15:26, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death”.
Back to Isaiah 25, in the second half of verse 8, we see the results of this swallowing of death on the mountain of the LORD: that he will wipe away every tear from every face, and remove the reproach or the disgrace of his people. And we see this in Revelation as well, usually connected to the death part: Revelation 7:17, “for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Then in Revelation 21:3-5, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” So we see that this prophecy has been fulfilled, but at the same time, it has not yet been completed. We know that it will come to pass, and we wait in eager anticipation.
Ok, so now that we have looked at this passage, let’s move to application. What should you take away from this prophecy?
The first thing I want you to take away, is that the sting death has been destroyed immediately through the gift of eternal life. Death is the result of sin. By defeating the power of sin, Jesus defeats death itself. The reason Isaiah wrote this was to look ahead to God’s redemptive plan for humankind, and to praise him for it. But our sin, and the resultant curse in Genesis, is what made this plan necessary. Because we now suffer and die, and because we weep and mourn and, God has made this plan. Back when we studied the Great Commission, we spent a whole week talking about the Authority of Jesus. During his life and ministry, he demonstrated he has absolute authority over death by raising people from the dead. God then demonstrated his power over death by raising Jesus from the dead. Peter says of Jesus in Acts 2, “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” It was IMPOSSIBLE for death to keep its hold on Jesus. Not hard, impossible. And through this, the power of death was defeated.
Now, we know that physical death is still a reality that we must all experience. Why? Because we still live in a sinful, broken world! The redemption of the world is not complete yet! This will only be completed at the end of time. But the immediate gift is that we have eternal life. While physical death is still an absolute, spiritual death is not. In Romans 6, “Therefore we have been buried with Him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. . . . So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. . . . No longer present yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness”. God has bought us, he has paid for our death with the death of his son. And while Physical Death is still a reality, just like sin is still a reality, the war has been won and the death blow has been dealt. Jesus has defeated death. Revelation 1:18, “I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades”. Because of this, those who are in Jesus are already saved from Spiritual death.
The second thing I want you to take away, is that physical death will one day be destroyed as well. We see the fulfillment of Isaiah 25 in Revelation. In Chapter 19, there is this feast of celebration, a wedding feast for Jesus and his church, like what we see in Isaiah 25. And then we see this fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 25, Revelation 20:14, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire” Then finally in chapter 21, We see the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven, and God once again lives with us on the new earth. This fits, since Isaiah 24 details the destruction of the old world, the old things passing away. While we have only seen part of this prophecy fulfilled, we have the benefit of knowing that the war is one, death is defeated, and that the plan is set in stone. When all is said and done, the last enemy that will be destroyed is death itself.
To conclude, it can be hard sometimes to remember that sin and death are defeated, when we live in a broken world filled with sin and with death. But what this prophecy does for us, as we move towards the Easter season, is serve as a reminder. It is a reminder that while the war is won, the battle rages on. It reminds us that while we live in a world changed and delivered by Jesus, that world is still broken and hurting. We get to experience so many blessings and gifts as a result of the sacrifice Jesus made! And these are what we focus on, the things we have NOW. We have eternal life, and deliverance from the power of sin. But sometimes we also need that reminder that, just like the sacrificial system was a temporary means to an end for the Israelites, this world we live in will also not last. We have seen the fulfillment of the promise, but we have not yet seen the ENTIRE prize. We are running a race towards that prize, the FULL restoration of creation and humanity’s relationship with God. When Jesus walked on the earth, he healed the sick and raised the dead, giving people a small window into what was to come. Make no mistake, the miracles of Jesus were not just miracles, they were also prophecy. We are forgiven and we have freedom from spiritual death, but God is still working on us to make us complete. Sin and death are defeated, but we still have to live in a world that has sin and death. But one day, God’s work in us will be complete, and one day there will be no more Satan, no more temptation, no more tears. And even though we still are all facing a physical death one day, we have this promise from Isaiah 25: Regardless of the sinful world we still must live in, Death has been destroyed through Jesus. And so as we move towards Easter, yes, let's focus on and praise God for what we have NOW because of his sacrifice, but let's also praise him for and anticipate what is still to come. PRAY
