A Song of Praise

Open your Bibles, please, to the book of Isaiah, chapter 25, as we remind you that in our study of the book of Isaiah, we are considering together the fourth section of the first half of the book. This fourth section is known as the Little Apocalypse. It begins with chapter 24 and continues through chapter 27. We considered chapter 24 in our last lesson, and in this lesson we are going to consider together chapter 25.

You will recall that we said the term the Little Apocalypse was an appropriate term for this section, because the word apocalypse means ``unveiling" or ``revelation." In this section we find in condensed form all of the wonderful truths which are related to the end of the age and the establishment of the millennial reign of Christ as they are described in the book of the Revelation.

You will remember that after the first five chapters of the book of Revelation, which deal with this present age in which we live and the catching-up of the Church to be with Christ, the end of the age is described for us, beginning with chapter 6 and going through chapter 19. That particular phase of the end of the age is known as the Tribulation . It is the time when the entire world is marked by the judgment of God, as God deals with the earth because of the violation of the Everlasting Covenant.

In our last study we looked at chapter 24, noticing how God was going to judge the world in just that fashion. We closed our discussion by looking at verse 23 of Isaiah 24, which reads:

ISAIAH 24

That verse, of course, took us into the millennial reign of Christ, when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth to rule and to reign for 1,000 years. So great and glorious will be His reign that Isaiah speaks figuratively of the sun and the moon hiding their faces in the light of that glory.

We learned in our last lesson that John, in the book of the Revelation, even mentions that there will be no need of these stellar lights, because God himself will be the Light of that eternal day.

As we look at chapter 25 of the book of Isaiah, we are going to notice a song in which Isaiah leads the nation of Israel, because judgment is past and the Millennium has come and God in His grace has remembered His people. Follow as we read, beginning with verse 1:

ISAIAH 25

We look back over this chapter and notice the various things for which praise is offered to God. May I suggest that we look at the very first verse and notice that Isaiah leads us in a note of praise that the eternal purposes of God have been fulfilled in faithfulness and in truth. For when Isaiah says in verse 1, ``Thou hast done wonderful things, Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth," he is not suggesting that the counsels of old are faithfulness and are truth, but that they have been accomplished. They have been fulfilled in faithfulness and truth.

We might ask ourselves, ``What are these wonderful counsels that God has been faithful to fulfill?" We are reminded that the Hebrew word for the word counsel is the word etsah, which we have seen before in our study of the book of Isaiah in relation to the purpose of God in connection with the end of this age.

Turn back to chapter 14 of the book of Isaiah, which deals with the destruction of the city of Babylon and the conquering of the Antichrist who will someday rule the world. Notice in verse 24:

ISAIAH 14

Notice the word purpose. What is purposed? Notice verses 25 and 26:

ISAIAH 14

Notice again in verse 26 the word purpose and the word purposed. These are the same words which are the translation of the Hebrew word etsah, which is translated counsel in Isaiah, chapter 25. So, when Isaiah leads his people in a note of praise, because God has accomplished His eternal purposes in faithfulness and truth, what is he talking about? He is talking about the deliverance of this world from all evil, finally, with particular emphasis upon the deliverance of this world from the hand of the Antichrist.

Isaiah rejoices that this purpose, along with all the other purposes of God, have been accomplished in faithfulness and in truth. The word faithfulness needs very little comment, but this word truth is an interesting word, for it doesn't mean truth in the common ordinary sense of the word. As a matter of fact, this is the only place in the entire Old Testament that this Hebrew word is translated truth . The word from which this word truth comes actually is transliterated more times than it it translated. When we speak of a tranliteration, we speak of a Hebrew word spelled with English letters instead of a translation being given. When I give you the word, you will recognize it immediately. It is the Hebrew word omen, and it is translated Amen. You will find it so translated again and again. That is exactly what Isaiah is saying here: ``The eternal purposes of God are faithfulness and Amen."

I wonder how many of you are thinking about a New Testament commentary on this very verse, since I have suggested to you that the word truth really is Amen. Turn in your Bibles to Paul's second letter to the Corinthians and notice verse 20 of chapter 1, as I remind you that Paul is a good student of the book of Isaiah. He loved to quote from it. You will notice in II Corinthians, chapter 1, reading from verse 18:

II CORINTHIANS 1

He is saying that it wasn't yes and no, no and yes, so they didn't know where he stood. It was yea. They were firm in their convictions. He says that they should be. Notice verse 20:

II CORINTHIANS 1

Paul had in mind Isaiah, chapter 25, verse 1, when he wrote these verses. Isaiah said, ``The eternal purposes of God were done in faithfulness and truth. They were faithful and Amen." Paul said, ``The promises of God are made real in the Lord Jesus Christ to us, and they are yea and Amen for the glory of God."

As we go back to Isaiah, chapter 25, we find the day will come when Isaiah says, ``The people of God will praise the Lord, that His eternal purposes are accomplished in faithfulness and truth."

Glance at the paragraph which begins with verse 2 and concludes with verse 5. You will recognize that Isaiah is offering specific praise for the destruction of a city. As you read the text, you may wonder at first exactly what city it is, but as you look at the verses more closely, you will find that Isaiah is leading the people in a song of praise for the destruction of a certain city and its king. We know because of the context in which the passage of Scripture is found what city this is. It is further emphasized when we look down at verse 2 and notice what he says of the city, for he says, in verse 2:

ISAIAH 25

Literally, what he said is, ``It was a gathering place of people from all over the world." You will remember when we were studying Isaiah, chapters 13 and 14, and we compared it with Jeremiah, chapters 50 and 51 and Revelation, chapter 18, we found that the city of Babylon is to be rebuilt and is to be the mecca of all the strangers of the world. It is to be the capital of the world-rule at the end time, so that people from all over the world will gather there; and as it falls into ruins and the warning comes that is going to, they will be making their pilgrimages back home. We learned, as we studied those passages, that the city of Babylon is indeed going to be made ruin. It is indeed going to be a heap, and it certainly never will be rebuilt after it is destroyed in the end times.

In verse 3, Isaiah says that the destruction of this city is so tremendous and so effective worldwide that strong people will glorify God for the cities [the word city there is plural] of the terrible nations shall fear God when they see the terrible destruction of the city.

I would remind you to read Isaiah, chapters 13 and 14, again and Revelation, chapter 18, and Jeremiah, chapters 50 and 51. Read those verses about how people, kings, leaders of the whole world, wail and lament and howl at the destruction of this city. Terror strikes their hearts as they realize that God has intervened for His people. That is what Isaiah says in verse 4, when he said:

ISAIAH 25

All of these are figures of speech that indicate the divine protection which God makes possible for His people in the end times. Isaiah describes the manner in which He will bring the enemies of God's people to their final end. He says, in verse 5:

ISAIAH 25

There is a lot of noise. God stops it just like that. There is strong heat, and there is no shade. God causes a cloud to come between the sun and the people, and shade is provided, and trouble is over. The last statement of verse 5 reminds us of the destruction of the last world dictator this earth will know, for we read there:

ISAIAH 25

You will remember that earlier in the book of Isaiah, we found that another name for the Lord Jesus Christ was the Righteous Branch, the Branch of David, and in contrast to the Righteous Branch is the branch of the terrible one, the Antichrist, the king of Babylon. The king of the whole world will be brought low.

The third thing for which Isaiah leads the people in praise is brought to our attention in verses 6-8, where the prosperity and the joy and the happiness of the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth is brought to our attention in figurative language, yet in figurative language which speaks of definite facts. In verse 6, we read:

ISAIAH 25

Isaiah, of course, was speaking in the terms of the people of his day of things that they would understand. I would not stand here and insist that when the Millennium comes, men are going to eat beef and drink wine, but I am going to say to you that their needs are going to be met.

Turn back to the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, chapter 7, and notice a very brief picture that the Holy Spirit gave to John about what is going to happen to these people who have come out of great tribulation. Oh, how hungry they had been and how much they had suffered. Now, tribulation is over and glory is come, and God has made His provision. Look at Revelation, chapter 7, verse 10, where the angel came:

REVELATION 7

You see, whether or not this is literal beef and wine is beside the point. The point is, God is going to feed His people during this age of blessedness.

We cannot leave this thought in Isaiah, chapter 25, without making another suggestion, because it constantly recurs to us. Turn with me to Matthew, chapter 26, and notice something that the Lord Jesus Christ said which Isaiah might have had in mind when he wrote these words, or if we want to look at it from the other side of the picture, which the Lord Jesus Christ might have had in mind when He made the statement He made here in verse 26:

MATTHEW 26

The kingdom to which he referred was the millennial kingdom. He said, ``I'll not sit down around the Lord's table, the time of communion, ever again until all together we sit down in the millennial kingdom."

I would not be dogmatic about it, but perhaps this is what He had in mind when He said that He would prepare a feast for those who would be with Him in that day.

We look back now to Isaiah, chapter 25, and notice in verse 7 another thing related to the joy of the Millennium of which Isaiah is led to offer praise. We read:

ISAIAH 25

When the Lord Jesus Christ comes back to this earth to reign, one of the things which He is going to do is to destroy the covering that is cast over all people---the veil that is over all of their faces. What in the world is He talking about? What is the covering that is over all people now, and what is the veil that is over all faces?

Let's let the Apostle Paul tell us because, remember, I told you he was a good student of the book of Isaiah. In his letter to the Corinthians, he explained to us exactly what veil it is that is covering the faces of all people and which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will take away at this particular time. In II Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 12, the Apostle said:

II CORINTHIANS 3

The hope to which he refers was the work which the Lord Jesus Christ did on Calvary's cross which purchased eternal life for us. He said, ``Seeing that we have such a hope, we use great plainness of speech." Then in verse 13:

II CORINTHIANS 3

Notice specifically the statement that the nation of Israel has a veil over its face so that when it reads the Old Testament and reads about the Lord Jesus Christ, it cannot connect the Lord Jesus Christ with the Messiah of the Old Testament. The only way that it can be done is with supernatural help. That is the reason you are wasting your time if you try to win a Jew to Christ without the supernatural intervention of God. A veil is over his face, and he cannot see one thing. Look at verse 16:

II CORINTHIANS 3

Dispensationally the nation of Israel will not turn to the Lord until the end of the Tribulation when the terrific struggle with the Antichrist is more than they can stand and their eyes will be opened, the veil will be taken away, and they will pray the prayer that is found in chapter 53 of the book of Isaiah, acknowledging their guilt in crucifying the Lord Jesus Christ and God will send His Son from His right hand for their deliverance.

Of course, the Apostle Paul would not have you think, nor would I have you think, that you cannot be saved before that time, because in the succeeding verses of this chapter 3, he reminds us that when any individual Jew turns to the Lord, the Holy Spirit takes control and the Holy Spirit opens his eyes so that he is able to behold the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul continues this discussion in chapter 4. The Jews are not the only people on the earth, and they are not the only people blinded, for he says in verse 3:

II CORINTHIANS 4

The Gospel is hidden to them, whether they be Jew or Greek. That is the reason that you don't need to be surprised if you witness to someone about Jesus Christ and he manifests no interest. The Gospel is hidden to him. He doesn't see it. He doesn't understand it. There is no reason you should expect him to respond immediately. That is the reason people can sit under the Gospel in public services and you marvel at the message and say, ``I don't know how a sinner could sit under a message like that and not give his heart to Christ." You don't need to marvel. Paul said, ``The Gospel is hid to them that are lost," and he tells us how it is hidden. In verse 4:

II CORINTHIANS 4

The Devil has put a veil over the face of the unsaved, just like the nation of Israel has, where he can't see the truth related to the Gospel. He goes on in this paragraph to remind us that God, in His mercy and His grace, takes away the veil from time to time, and in verse 6:

II CORINTHIANS 4

But, Beloved, you cannot win somebody to Jesus Christ just by going up to him and saying, ``God loves you. Jesus died for you. Won't you accept Him?" You can't win him that way. It could be that somebody has done a lot of praying. It could be that God has been doing a lot of dealing with him, and just before you make your statement, the veil was taken away so he could see what you are talking about, and you won him to the Lord. Of course, you go around with your tail feathers all stuck up, thinking how good you are. You have won somebody to Christ. Well, shame on you. You just happened to be there when God let the light shine through. That's all. Of course, you shouldn't stop witnessing. You should keep right on, because each time you witness it makes another dent in the veil, and by and by God will let the light shine through.

Going back to Isaiah, chapter 25. He is going to take the veil away. That is the reason the Bible says that when the Lord Jesus Christ is on the earth, righteousness shall cover the earth as waters cover the sea. That is the reason that people will say to one another, ``Let's go up to the city of Jerusalem and hear what Jesus Christ the King has to say to us," because the veil will be taken away, and the problems that are faced with the unsaved today will be no more.

Glance at verse 8, and notice another reason Isaiah leads the people in a note of praise. We read:

ISAIAH 25

Three things He says He is going to do on the mountain when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again, three things that ought to bring a great deal of joy to all of our hearts. The first thing that He is going to do is swallow up death in victory. Here again, the Apostle Paul emphasizes his knowledge of the book of Isaiah, because you will remember in chapter 15 of I Corinthians, that wonderful chapter concerning the resurrection from the dead, the Apostle Paul is speaking about the victory of Christ over death. He is speaking about the Rapture of the Church, and then he said that it fulfilled the saying, ``Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death where is thy sting? Oh, grave where is thy victory?" The saying to which Paul referred is this one here. Yes, death is swallowed up in victory at the Rapture of the Church, for the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together to meet them and the Lord in the air. But during the Millennium it will not only be a selected few who will be delivered from death; there will be no death during the 1,000 year reign of Christ. He will swallow up death in victory. There, of course, is a very real reason for it. There will be no sickness of any kind to cause death.

Notice the second thing that he mentions in verse 8. ``He will wipe away tears from off all the faces." Do you realize that this is the last thing that God says that He is going to do with the tears of His beloved? We don't have time to follow through with this in this lesson, but I will just pass it on to you. When you have time, read II Kings, chapter 20, and find out what God says about your tears. The first thing that is mentioned in the Bible about your tears is that He sees them. He sees your tears when you shed them. That certainly indicates that He is interested in you. He said to Hezekiah, ``I know how broken your heart is. I have heard your prayers."

Then, when you have time, read Psalm 56 and find out the second thing that He does with your tears. Do you know what He does? He catches them in a bottle. Of course, this is a figure of speech from the practice of the day. As a matter of fact, in the museum at Bob Jones University, which has a number of items from the Holy Land, there is a tear bottle such as was prominent in all the families of that era. Folk had a great sorrow. They had their tear bottle and they caught their tears. That indicated their grief. God is so interested in you that He catches your tears in a bottle. In Psalm 56, He even said that He writes down in a book every time you shed tears.

Somebody may say, ``Let's don't be too literal. Let's don't go overboard." Well, you can do what you want to, but I am glad that God is interested enough in me to know when I am sad, and I am glad that God is interested enough in me to know when I shed tears and sends an angel to catch them in a bottle and write them down in a book. He knows, He cares, He understands. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without God knowing it and caring about it, surely He cares when His own cries.

One of these days He is going to wipe away all tears. One of these days the last tear will be shed and when it is, the Lord Himself will take His own hand and will wipe the tear away.

Turn to Revelation, chapter 21, and refresh your memory about how the Holy Spirit lead John to say practically the same thing that He lead Isaiah to say in practically the same manner. We read in verse 3:

REVELATION 21

The very same words that you found in the book of Isaiah, chapter 25, verse 1. Yes, the day is coming when the Lord Jesus Christ, on the earth, will wipe away all tears.

Notice with me that the tears are not wiped away until after the millennial reign of Christ begins. That suggests some things to me. I have said in time past that I believe that the people in Heaven know in a limited fashion what is going on on the earth. Somebody said, ``How could they know what is going on on the earth and be happy?" I'm not so sure that they don't shed some tears over what's going on down here on the earth. The tears aren't wiped away until after the Millennium begins.

At the Judgment Seat of Christ, when your works are examined and you see how miserably you have lived and how you have disappointed the Lord, how few things you have done that you could have done, I can't imagine that you will smile about it. I don't think I will. I think tears will begin to flow down my cheeks when I realize all I could have done that I didn't do, and the tears won't be wiped away until after the Millennium begins. Thank God, when He wipes away the tears, He is going to wipe away the memory, too. Former things will not be brought to mind, and we can spend eternity in eternal bliss.

Go back to Isaiah, chapter 25, and notice the last thing in verse 8 that He suggests He is going to take away. Isaiah uses it as a token of praise. In the last statement of verse 8, he said:

ISAIAH 25

Primarily, this is referring to the nation of Israel. He is going to take away their rebuke. He is going to take away their offensiveness.

You know, when you preach the prophetic Word, and you talk about the Jews, people think one of two things about you. They think that you love them to death or you hate them---one or the other. You are either anti-Semitic or you are pro-Jewish, and sometimes they get offended. They don't balance the Word of God. I am not anti-Semitic when I say that God has made the Jew in his natural state, offensive. He is offensive, and that is part of the curse God placed on him, and he has been a rebuke all down through centuries, and he will be a rebuke all down through the years that are yet to be until, in the millennial reign of Christ, God takes away the rebuke of the Jewish nation.

The Pope can issue all the proclamations that He wants and the Archbishop of Canterbury can hold hands with the Pope while they do it, and people are still going to persecute the Jews. It is part of the curse, and there is no way to get around it. But God is going to lift the rebuke someday.

I want to remind you that not only are the Jews on the earth, Christians are on the earth, too, and if you are living the kind of Christian testimony that you ought to, you have something offensive about you, too, for the Lord Jesus Christ said, ``The world hated Me, and they will hate you. They will hate you for no more reason than that I have chosen you out of the world, and if you are not an offense to the world, there is something wrong with your testimony."

I don't mean you need to go around shaking your fist in everybody's face and saying, ``I'm a Christian, and you had better be." I don't mean that you need go around acting like an old pious prude, but I do mean that if you are letting your testimony be what it ought to be, the Devil hates you, and his children are going to hate you, and the reproach is going to be there, and it won't be removed until the Lord removes it during the Millennium.

The song closes with verse 9:

ISAIAH 25

The words save and salvation are not limited to spiritual relationships of the soul to God. It includes also physical and material deliverance, and it might even be wise to change the word save to deliver, and the word salvation to deliverance . Then we could read, ``It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God..."

Is He your God? Do you have any claim on Him? Somebody says, ``We are all children of God." No, we're not. Some are children of the Devil, and some are children of God. Are you a child of God today? If you say that you are, you have the authority to say it only if you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior."

``Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will deliver us..." Oh, we haven't had such a hard time as Christians. We haven't suffered a great deal. We haven't paid too great a price, but there had been multitudes of Christians down through the centuries that have paid a tremendous price. They have waited for the Lord, and how long they have waited, but the day of deliverance is come and they can declare, ``This is the Lord. We have waited for Him. We will be glad , and we will rejoice in His deliverance."

We have a great hope. Christ is coming, and He is coming to this earth, and He is coming to change things. Thank God!