Isaiah 34 THE DESTRUCTION OF GENTILE POWER Warnings regarding nations are given by the prophet Isaiah from chapter thirteen through chapter thirty-three. This chapter and the next one form a conclusion as to the day of vengeance and the day of blessings that will come upon the children of Israel. This prophecy describes the ultimate end of all who oppose the Lord and His people. To people of our day, it seems inconceivable that a just God would do to them what they do to each other and to their unborn children.
The Lord’s fearful judgment will come on all the nations of the world that are against the Lord, of which Edom (Idumea) is the representative. We see today this attitude sweeping across nations that once had respect for God and His word. Now our eyes “have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. He hath loosed the fateful lightening of His terrible swift sword. His truth is marching on.” Now truths that once were sung in anthems, are mocked by people who have become tolerant and acceptant of open and blatant sin. Such people say that everyone has the right to believe and do what they want as long as it doesn’t interfere with what other people do and want – except for Bible-believing Christians. They are considered intolerant bigots who want everyone to believe what they believe.
All the nations that will ally themselves against the Jews in a coming day, will be doomed and destroyed when the Lord goes forth to fight against them. He will return and come to the Mt. of Olives from which He left centuries ago. From there He will go forward with the plans He began with the nation of Israel before the church age. The judicial wrath of God will be poured out on all the nations that forget God and on whom the power of Satan has influenced the leadership to do what the people want, even to deny the existence of God.
The ruling powers of government and religion will fall until there is a desolation over the land that makes it impossible for them to avoid the righteous judgment of God. Nations really have no control over “the day of vengeance” which is a general term, I believe, in this passage. Nations turn their land into deserts by overgrazing. Over-fertilizing and over-spraying without giving the land a rest, and planting the same thing year after year will someday bring a lack of fruitfulness until the Lord restores it during the millennium. Even in that day nobles and leaders will not have to power to change the course of nature and events. That will be in the power of the Great Creator.
By the deception of sinful human nature, human beings are inclined to excuse themselves and blame others for all that befalls them because of their own wickedness. They blame God for not doing what they want, or for doing what they don’t want as if they had the power and authority to get Him to do what they cannot. Such self-exaltation is a form of heathenism and idolatry, and it will be brought to a terrible final end. There were foreshadowing of the coming judgment when the land was laid waste by the Assyrians. It became useless property that returned to its natural state of thorns, thistles and weeds by a divine visitation of righteous judgment.
The “book of the Lord” is there for us to read and to understand by considering past prophecies that have been fulfilled. That gives to doubters the assurance that future prophecies will also be fulfilled. Divine prophecy is reliable. After the dark times pass, God’s people will be restored to the Lord and to their land of promise. The prophecies of Isaiah and other true prophets that have been fulfilled makes it plain that prophecy and history are consistent with each other. We are profited greatly when after reading of prophecies like Isaiah made, our faith claims the promises of God that are like prophecies from which we learn. Even though we fail our Lord, He never fails us.