The Prophecy of Isaiah - Lesson 28: "Future Judgment & Salvation" (Isaiah 34–35)

The Prophecy of Isaiah: A Bible Study
Lesson 28: "Future Judgment & Salvation" (Isaiah 34–35)

1. The Lord's Anger and Destruction of the Nations (34:1–4)

• Pay Attention, Nations! (34:1)

“Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world, and all that comes out of it!” (Isaiah 34:1, NIV)

• Defeat of Armies (34:2–3)

“The Lord is angry with all nations; his wrath is on all their armies. He will totally destroy them, he will give them over to slaughter. Their slain will be thrown out, their dead bodies will stink; the mountains will be soaked with their blood.” (Isaiah 34:2–3, NIV)

• Cosmic Unraveling (34:4)

“All the stars in the sky will be dissolved and the heavens rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.” (Isaiah 34:4, NIV)

2. The Lord's Anger and Judgment of Edom (34:5–17)

• The Sword of the Lord (34:5–7)

“My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; see, it descends in judgment on Edom, the people I have totally destroyed. The sword of the Lord is bathed in blood, it is covered with fat— the blood of lambs and goats, fat from the kidneys of rams. For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. And the wild oxen will fall with them, the bull calves and the great bulls. Their land will be drenched with blood, and the dust will be soaked with fat.” (Isaiah 34:5–7, NIV)

• A Day of Vengeance (34:8)

“For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause.” (Isaiah 34:8, NIV)

• The Desolation of Edom (34:9–15)

⁹Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch, her dust into burning sulfur; her land will become blazing pitch! ¹⁰It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will rise forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again. ¹¹The desert owl and screech owl will possess it; the great owl and the raven will nest there. God will stretch out over Edom the measuring line of chaos and the plumb line of desolation. ¹²Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom, all her princes will vanish away. ¹³Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls. ¹⁴Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also lie down and find for themselves places of rest. ¹⁵The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather, each with its mate. (Isaiah 34:9-15, NIV)

• The Certainty of the Lord's Sovereignty (34:16–17)

“Look in the scroll of the Lord and read: None of these will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together. He allots their portions; his hand distributes them by measure. They will possess it forever and dwell there from generation to generation.” (Isaiah 34:16–17, NIV)

3. The Lord's Salvation and Blessing of Zion (35:1–10)

• From Dust to Glory (35:1–2)

“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.” (Isaiah 35:1–2, NIV)

• The Salvation of the Lord (35:3–4)

“Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”” (Isaiah 35:3–4, NIV)

• The Healing of the Broken (35:5–6a)

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy...” (Isaiah 35:5–6a, NIV)

• The Renewal of Creation (35:6b–7)

“...Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.” (Isaiah 35:6b–7, NIV)

• The Way of Holiness (35:8–10a)

“And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return...” (Isaiah 35:8–10a, NIV)

• The Joy of the Redeemed (35:10b)

“...They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” (Isaiah 35:10, NIV)