ISAIAH LESSON 38


     We will begin this lesson in Isaiah 34:1 "Come near, ye nations,
to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is
therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it."

     This message is for all the people of the world. Isaiah is
speaking this as a warning to the inhabitants of the earth. The time
for this prophecy could be any time from the time it was spoken, until
now.

     Isaiah 34:2 "For the indignation of the LORD [is] upon all
nations, and [his] fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly
destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter."

     This, to me, is speaking of judgement and punishment from God on
a people who have no intention of following Him. They try to settle
their grievances with war. They place their trust in their armies,
instead of in God.

     Isaiah 34:3 "Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink
shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted
with their blood."

     This speaks of a great destruction of these enemies of God and
His people. In Ezekie,l we read of just such a battle where 5/6 of Gog
in the land of Magog will be destroyed. There will be so many dead it
will take 7 months to bury them. The blood will run to the horses
bridle in this great destruction. This type of destruction really
comes from God. The stink will be so bad from this battle, the people
will have to put stoppers on their noses. The battle in Ezekiel is
speaking of the battle of Armageddon.

     Isaiah 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and
the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host
shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a
falling [fig] from the fig tree.

     Look, with me, at a similar Scripture in Revelation. Revelation
6:12 "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there
was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair,
and the moon became as blood;"  Revelation 6:13 "And the stars of
heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely
figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind." Revelation 6:14 "And the
heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every
mountain and island were moved out of their places."  Isaiah, in the
verse above, is prophesying of something at the end of the age. This
was not a prophecy of the near future. The fig tree symbolizes Israel.
This is a time when even the powers of heaven are shaken. Matthew
24:29  "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken:" This will be a time when mankind will not be able to trust in
the material world he sees. Men's hearts will fail them for the things
they see. Luke 21:26 "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken."

     Isaiah 34:5 "For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it
shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to
judgment."

     It is very important to see that this judgement comes from God.
Idumea is the land of Edom. You remember from earlier studies in
Genesis, that Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup. This, in
verse 5, is judgement against his descendents. "The people of God's
curse" is speaking of those who disobey God. It is for those who
totally reject Jesus as their Saviour. Notice, also, the sword of
judgement is clean. It is righteous judgement.

     Isaiah 34:6 "The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is
made fat with fatness, [and] with the blood of lambs and goats, with
the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in
Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea."

     Bozrah is a specific place in Edom. This is speaking of the
judgement of God as a sacrifice to Him. This great judgement is like a
sacrifice to God. These people, in their rejection of God, had denied
Him His sacrifice. The blood, fatness, kidneys are all God's portion
of the sacrifice.

     Isaiah 34:7 "And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the
bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood,
and their dust made fat with fatness."

     Unicorns are wild bulls in this particular instance. So much
blood is shed here, that it will appear the blood soaks the land.

     Isaiah 34:8 "For [it is] the day of the LORD'S vengeance, [and]
the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion."

     "The day of vengeance of the LORD" is the same time as the wrath
of the Lord, which is poured out on the wicked and unbelieving of the
world. Notice the word "year" in the verse above. This shows us the
wrath will not be for a very long time. The controversy of Zion is
speaking of the rejection of God's people by these evil people. Edom
is spoken of specifically, because they refused passage across their
land to the children of Israel. God fights the battle for His people.

     Isaiah 34:9 "And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch,
and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become
burning pitch."

     Fire and brimstone from God rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah.
The water turning to pitch, in the verse above, certainly indicates
such a judgement on Edom. No one was left alive in Sodom and Gomorrah.
It appears the same is the case here.
     Isaiah 34:10 "It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke
thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall
lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever."

     In areas of such total destruction, there would be no reason to
go there. In World War 2, the areas bombed by a nuclear bomb were said
to be like this. For 100's of years, or even 1000's of years they
would be uninhabitable. This is speaking of this area becoming a waste
land.

     Isaiah 34:11  "But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess
it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch
out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness."

     Edom, in all of this, is really speaking to the ungodly world as
well. Man, given enough time, will destroy himself and the planet.
Just as Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt {world}, the
Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour is leading us out of this chaotic world.
The 11th verse, above, is just describing a place where humans cannot
survive. Only the scavengers of the world can make it here. They are
loners, living of the destruction of others.

     Isaiah 34:12 "They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom,
but none [shall be] there, and all her princes shall be nothing."

     The princes shall be nothing, because they died in the wrath
poured out. The place the kingdom was, is still there, but it is
uninhabitable.

     Isaiah 34:13 "And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles
and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation
of dragons, [and] a court for owls."  Isaiah 34:14 "The wild beasts of
the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the
satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there,
and find for herself a place of rest."  Isaiah 34:15 "There shall the
great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her
shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her
mate."

     This is just a further description of how totally destroyed the
area is. Owls, in this verse, means daughters of screaming. One of the
meanings given means occult. The owl is an unclean bird. Dragons are
serpents. This means this place was unfit for anyone except the devil.
We do see from the words "island" and "desert" that this is not a
localized destruction.

     Isaiah 34:16  "Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no
one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it
hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them."

     These vultures have come to clean up the dead carcases. They live
of dead carcases. The fact that her mate is there shows there will be
plenty to clean up the dead bodies. God Himself commanded the vultures
to be there to clean up. This means that every prophecy that Isaiah
gave shall come about, because Isaiah was speaking for God.

     Isaiah 34:17 "And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand
hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever,
from generation to generation shall they dwell therein."

     God is the One who decides what land belongs to whom. God gave
this desolate land to the vultures.














































                          Isaiah 38 Questions


1.  Who is verse 1 speaking to?
2.  Who is the indignation of the Lord upon?
3.  In verse 3, the author relates the stink of the carcassess to
    what?
4.  The heavens shall be rolled up like what?
5.  When did the author relate this time to?
6.  The fig tree symbolizes whom?
7.  Quote Matthew chapter 24 verse 29.
8.  Quote Luke chapter 21 verse 26.
9.  What is very important to see in verse 5?
10. Where is Idumea?
11. Who are "the people of the curse"?
12. Where is Bozrah?
13. The great judgement on these people is like a __________ to God.
14. What are unicorns in verse 7?
15. Why does it appear the land is soaked with blood?
16. "The day of the LORD's vengeance" is the same as what time?
17. How do we know the wrath will not last long?
18. Why is Edom spoken of specifically in these judgements?
19. How does this destruction parallel with the destruction at Sodom
    and Gomorrah?
20. How long shall the smoke go up from the destruction?
21. How long shall the destroyed land lie waste?
22. What will inhabit this desolation?
23. What is Edom speaking of?
24. Why will there be no nobles?
25. What are some of the translations that could have been for owl?
26. The owl was an _________ bird.
27. Why will none of these prophecies fail?
28. What do these vultures feed upon?
29. Who allots land to someone or something?