“The Lord Swallows Up Death”
[Isaiah 25:1-12]
March 3, 2019, Second Reformed Church
Last week we looked at God’s Eternal Wrath against those who never believe, and we saw that we, believers, do not rejoice in any particular person suffering, but we rejoice in God being just and all that that entails.
This morning we continue with Isaiah’s message and see that the blessings of God come out of His Wrath and Justice.
First, the Lord eternally triumphs over sin and evil.
Isaiah now praises God for being his God and exalts Him and praises Him, because what He has done in His Justice and throughout all time has been wonderful – everything that God does is wonderful – everything that God does is to work all things together for the good of those who believe and for His Glory. Isaiah praises and glorifies and exalts God for being faithful to His “plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”
Scientists like to talk about things that accidentally happen, but that’s not true, there are no accidents. People like to recognize coincidences, but that’s not true, there are no coincidences. People like to say that there is no meaning, no purpose, no plan – just enjoying each day on the journey, but that’s not true, God is the God of meaning and purpose, and He planned for us to be here this morning, for there to be snow on the ground, for us to be in this building, for you to be wearing the clothes you are wearing, and for the way I have put the sermon together that we might hear God’s Word.
There is sin. There are things we don’t understand. There are things that cause us sorrow. But God knows everything and all things are happening according to His plan – and it is the best plan – the plan that gives us joy and peace and salvation – and shows God to be the most wonderful Being in all of existence.
One of the reasons that Isaiah praises God for being wonderful is that God destroys all the cities of the Gentiles – and God makes them a heap – a ruin – they are no more and will never be rebuilt.
And if you are thinking, “Didn’t we say today and last week that we would not rejoice in specific suffering like that?” The answer is in why God did this – in verse three:
The destruction of these cities will cause many of the Gentiles to believe – to come to saving faith – and they will glorify God for Who He is and believe in His Savior. They will be in awe of the God of Israel and worship Him. Because they will understand that God has “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;” God loves His people and cares for them – shepherding them when evil men come at them like a storm, like the heat of a furnace against them. God stops the mouths of the wicked, as a cloud coming for shade on a hot day, the song of the wicked will be put down.
And the wonderful thing that occurs is that some people – through this tragedy – through the destruction of their cities – will come to believe in God and His Savior. We should not pray for the suffering of any given person, but sometimes it takes great suffering for God to open the eyes of people to receive His salvation. Sometimes suffering is the way to our salvation.
God eternally triumphs over sin and evil, and as His Wrath and Justice fall in this lifetime, sometimes, it is the way that people come to salvation.
Second, the Lord will swallow up death.
Isaiah describes a banquet on Mount Zion – the mountain of the Lord – Jerusalem – that will be for all the peoples – Jews and Gentiles. It will be a feast of the most delicious and fattening foods – rich foods, well-aged wine – refined pure, and marrow.
This is symbolic of all of the blessings God gives the Church, but we may also see it as a real feast at the end of the age since we will have our physical bodies. John writes:
“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“’Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’—
“for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God’” (Revelation 19:6-9, ESV).
In addition to this feast of most exquisite foods – all of our blessings – God will swallow up the veil that covers all peoples and all nations.
What is the veil? It is everything that causes suffering in this world: sickness, disease, loss, hunger, thirst – anything that causes us to be less that joyful at all times in our God and what He has done for us.
As John writes:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away’” (Revelation 21:1-4, ESV).
The biggest suffering of evil is death – and Jesus has done away with death, as John says in the passage we just heard.
The author of Hebrews writes that Jesus delivers us from death – which is the power of the devil:
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14-15, ESV).
Isaiah writes in verse eight, “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.”
People talk about death as though it is a peaceful thing – even something to be celebrated. It is not. There is a sense in which we come to grips with the fact that we all die until the day that Jesus returns, but death is evil It is part of the curse that is on humanity for the sin of our first parents.
People say that death can be painful, but, in the end, you return to the elements, or go to nothing, but what God tells us is that you are either physically resurrected and reunited with your soul, changed, and brought into the most joyful joy that we can’t possibly conceive. Or, we are thrown into the lake of fire with the devil and his angels. Is it a real fire? I don’t know. What I do know is that we are physically resurrected and reunited with our souls and changed so our bodies are like Christ’s, as well as our souls – immortal. So those who never believe, also never die. Instead, they suffer hell in their hearts and hell in their souls and hell in their minds and hell in their physical bodies forever. For those who believe, death is conquered, the veil is removed, they are swallowed up by the Lord, and they cannot ever touch us again.
In theology, we talk about things being “already, but not yet” – it’s like looking at that mountain range we have talked about, where we can see the first and last mountain, and they look like they are right on top of one another, but they are not. Here, Christ’s work is done, but the full application of it will not occur until Jesus returns with the Kingdom. Time is compacted here – saying that the veil has been swallowed and death has been swallowed – which they have been – but the full application of what that means – the astonishingly joyful Kingdom or immortal suffering worse than can possibly be conceived. It is coming, to the glory of our God and as our blessing through Christ our Lord and Bridegroom.
I have sarcoidosis and I am merely a human, so I will suffer, and if the Lord tarries, I will die. But suffering and death have been conquered for me in Christ, and whether I experience that blessing now or at the resurrection – it is mine through Christ.
That does not mean that I don’t care if I suffer and die – I would prefer not to, but I have a different attitude about suffering and dying than an unbeliever, because I know what has been done for me and suffering and death have been swallowed and conquered in Christ, and I have much greater things to look forward to.
As Paul writes, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18, ESV).
That doesn’t mean we pretend we don’t suffer. It doesn’t meant we don’t care about the suffering of others. What it means is that we know that Jesus has won, and our best life is not now – it is to come in the Kingdom with Jesus.
Finally, the Lord gives joy in salvation.
If we didn’t get the picture yet, hear what will be said on that day in the Kingdom:
“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.”
Our Sovereign God elected and chose to save us from before the foundation of the world, and He saved us as His Son lived and died and physically rose and ascended to glory in history, and He will save us on the last day and bring us into His Kingdom for all of eternity.
And so, we recognize and praise this God for Who His is and all He has done to save a people for Himself!
Then, in verse ten, we are told that the Lord is on Mount Zion and on Mount Moab. We may remember that Moab was one of the two sons conceived by Lot’s daughters after they got him drunk and had sex with him. Moab was sent away from Israel and became a nation to the southeast of Israel – a nation that was usually at odds with Israel.
Here, the imagery of the two mountains is being used to represent God and all believers on Mount Zion, and then, all unbelievers on Mount Moab. If we were to look at a map, we would see that between Mount Zion and Mount Moab, there is a vast gulf, a vast divide, a vast decline into a valley – and we may remember when Jesus talks about Lazarus and the rich man after they die – Lazarus is in the bosom of Abraham, and the rich man is in Hades, and there is a gulf between them which no one can cross. And, as Jesus says, you are either for Him or you are against Him – there is no other possible stance to take relative to Jesus and His salvation.
So, the imagery is stark – there is only black and white – no gray – you either believe that Jesus is Savior or you do not. There is no other possibility. You end up either on Mount Zion, or Mount Moab, and there is no way to get from one to the other. Once Jesus returns, there is no more time – all is done.
As we saw, those on Mount Moab, those who never believe, will suffer unendingly in their immortal bodies. God says He will trample them down like straw is trampled down in the dunghill. After the grain is harvested from the wheat, the straw is used for many things, but some of it is placed in the dunghill – mixed with the refuse of the animals, it putrefies – it stinks – it rots – it becomes foul.
But Moab will not go peacefully. We will not be divided into two and those headed for the lake of fire go peacefully to their just desserts. No, God tells us that they will fight their damnation – like a swimmer trying to swim away – but God will lay him low.
This then, is still part of the low view of God that exists in much of society – that God exists to make us happy and give us stuff. No, God is the Almighty and Holy, Holy, Holy, Who does as He wills and cannot be stopped or put down. So, God will crush His and our enemies, no matter how hard they run and fight, and we will be left in awe of the Justice of our God and of the blessings He gives us.
When Jesus to returns to judge the world, He will conquer all sin and evil finally – as He has already actually done through His life and death – and we will see the end of sin and evil, and we will be brought into the full joy of our salvation in the Kingdom of the Lamb, our God and Savior, where we will enjoy Him purely forever.
Let us exalt our God. Let us praise His Name. For He has done wonderful things—He has carried out His plans from of old, with faithfulness and surety. How great is our God!
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we can get caught up in the very real struggles and trials of this life and not think about all the wonderful things that You have done for us. Help us to be like Paul, so we count these things as light afflictions – not denying them – but seeing them in the light of Your Son, our Savior, Who swallowed up death that we would have eternal life and joy in the Kingdom. May Your praise be first on our lips at all times. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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