So sorry to have been away for the last few days. I actually had elective surgery on both knees and I have been recovering. The problem, though, is that as I catching up I realize there are so many things I would love to share from the last few days. I love how Job kind of stands alone between friends who don’t believe he is righteous (even when he is) and a God who is the very definition of righteousness by which we all (including Job) are judged. Then there is John the Baptist in Matthew who is declared (by Jesus no less) to be the greatest man who ever lived because of just 6 months of ministry wholly and completely devoted to Christ. There is so much that could be said there. However, I think I will focus on Isaiah and that phrase he repeats, “On that day.”
Go back and read Isaiah 23-28 and you will notice that Isaiah says “On that day” or “On this mountain” at least 10 times. Yet those “days” are so widely scattered and refer to a future but unspecified time. In those few chapters, Isaiah jumps from judgment on surrounding nations in his day to a time where voices all around the world (even us) proclaim the majesty of the LORD, to the days of Jesus when some things were fulfilled, to a time still yet to come when the Devil will be judged, to a time when we are all in Heaven with Him. In these telescopic prophesies it sometimes hard to make sense of the timings. It helps me to think of all of these future events for Isaiah (some of which have now been fulfilled) as a range of distant mountains. Isaiah can see far into the future and see the events like mountains out there somewhere, but there is no way for him to know from his vantage point, how close (or how far apart) those mountains are to each other. In a moment of time, he sees his near future, his distant future, and our future still to come; all encapsulated by “on that day.”
What I do know is that these chapters are some of the most encouraging to me in the entire bible. We can see that God wins, and judgment comes to the earth. We can see that we have hope and promised peace and that God’s glory will reign across the earth. Look at 25:6, “On this mountain, the LORD of Armies will prepare for all the peoples a feast of choice meat, a feast with aged wine, prime cuts of choice meat, fine vintage wine.” Good news for all… Nobody will be a vegan in heaven, and God will be the grill-master! 😊 In addition, wine will be enjoyed without any connection to shame or sin. In chapter 28, Isaiah presents a very different picture of beer and wine with drunkards covered in vomit and all the shame and pain that excessive alcohol can bring. But In heaven, God’s people will enjoy all of His good gifts, even the fruit of the vine, without any stain or taint of sin. No matter what the future holds, and no matter what part we play in God’s timeline of “HIStory,” we can join with Isaiah in saying, “You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you. Trust in the LORD forever, because in the LORD, the LORD himself, is an everlasting rock!” 26:3-4
