God Will Swallow Up Death Forever

Isaiah 25

On this mountain he will destroy the burial shroud, the shroud over all the peoples, the sheet covering all the nations; he will destroy death forever. (Isa 25:7-8)

Main Idea: We find four themes of praise in God’s magnificent actions: executing his wise plan in history (v. 1), converting violent nations to worship him (vv. 2-5), swallowing death forever in the resurrection of Jesus Christ (vv. 6-9), and condemning arrogant nations by his justice and power (vv. 10-12).

1. Praise God for Carrying Out His Wise Eternal Plan (25:1).
   1. God’s eternal plan
   2. The praise of his glorious grace
   3. God’s perfect faithfulness
2. Praise God for Converting Violent Nations (25:2-5).
   1. The “City of Man” destroyed
   2. God revered by violent nations
   3. A sweet history of the violent being converted
3. Praise God for Swallowing Up Death Forever (25:6-9).
   1. “Original sin”: the shroud of death covering all nations
   2. One of the clearest prophecies of the resurrection
   3. A rich banquet spread: death swallowed up forever
4. Praise God for Condemning Arrogant Nations (25:10-12).
   1. The reprobate nations drowned in God’s judgment
   2. Eternity free from the wicked

Praise God for Carrying Out His Wise Eternal Plan

Isaiah 25:1

Before the foundation of the earth, God had crafted a perfect plan for the universe. God’s eternality, perfect wisdom, omnipotence, and zeal for his own glory combined to fashion this perfect plan. One of the staggering things about the omniscience of God is that it means he never learns anything. If God can learn something, it means God didn’t know it before he learned it, and that would mean God wasn’t omniscient. So all of human history was completed in God’s mind before he spoke anything into existence. God’s zeal for his own glory means that God’s plan was crafted to maximize his glory, to put his attributes radiantly on display. But without an audience, what would be the point? God created beings who could know and delight in his glory and give him praise for it. God’s love would pour out to his creatures—human beings—who could enjoy him in a love relationship. It was out of love that God wanted to give to people the greatest gift he could give—himself! God wanted us to be as happy as he is by enabling us to delight in the grand display of his perfections in creation and in history.

But sin entered the universe in a mysterious way, twisting the minds of people so they “worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator” (Rom 1:25). With the entrance of sin came the just penalty for sin: death (5:12-14; 6:23). The death penalty was a universal disgrace to the human race, a shroud that covered all nations. In Isaiah 25 the removal of this disgraceful shroud is proclaimed and celebrated! Amazingly, the entrance of sin into God’s perfectly good universe actually increased the display of God’s glory, for it enabled him to unfold a plan of redemption though his Son, Jesus Christ. For eternity, the redeemed will study the history of God’s grace to sinners like us and be swept up in self-forgetful worship!

God’s perfect plan for history involves a meticulous sequencing of events—first this, then that, then the next four things, etc.—resulting in a marvelous tapestry of glory. Therefore, Isaiah 25 celebrates four great elements of God’s actions in history: (1) executing his wise plan in history (v. 1), (2) converting violent nations to worship him (vv. 2-5), (3) swallowing death forever in the resurrection of Jesus Christ (vv. 6-9), and (4) condemning arrogant nations by his justice and power (vv. 10-12). Because God does all this “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Eph 1:6), it is best to cast each heading in the language of exuberant praise.

Praise God for Converting Violent Nations

Isaiah 25:2-5

The first element of that wise plan is somewhat surprising. In Isaiah 24 we saw God crush the “City of Man,” the self-glorying empire building that has characterized history. Isaiah 25:2 picks up that same theme again, saying that part of God’s ancient plan is turning the fortress of “barbarians” into piles of rubble, never to be rebuilt. But suddenly in verse 3 God reveals that his purpose in destroying these cities is so that “a strong people will honor [him]. The cities of violent nations will fear [him].” This speaks of the power of God to convert formerly terrifying enemies into genuine worshipers: Nebuchadnezzar, the murderous tyrant (Dan 4:34-35); the Roman centurion who crucified Jesus (Mark 15:39); Saul of Tarsus, who began the day breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples and ended the day a Christian (Acts 9:1-8). This power to transform world conquerors into genuine worshipers has been played out again and again in history. Courageous missionaries have faced death and persecution to spread the gospel to one terrifying, war-loving people after another: world-conquering Romans, scimitar-wielding Muslims, fierce Viking warriors, head-hunting cannibals, Amazonian tribes, communist party officials behind the Iron Curtain, etc. Heaven will be full of formerly vicious warriors who became disillusioned and sat on piles of rubble in their home cities after returning home from lost wars, who later found Christ after their worldly dreams of conquest were shattered.

Until the violent are converted, God must protect his beloved people from the storm of their vicious attacks, so verses 4-5 depict the refuge God is from their onslaught. The delight of his people comes when God at last stills the song of the violent by either converting them or crushing them, as he does at the end of the chapter.

Praise God for Swallowing Up Death Forever

Isaiah 25:6-9

Isaiah 25:6-9 is one of the clearest predictions in the Old Testament of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Romans 5:12 teaches that sin and death spread to all human beings in Adam. The entire human race is covered with shame because of this death penalty. Isaiah 25:6-9 depicts a lavish feast spread by the Lord of Armies, a banquet with the best of wines and choice meats. This feast is spread “for all the peoples,” for the entire human race, laid out “on this mountain.” It is a metaphorical feast, for it consists of God destroying the burial shroud that covers all nations—death itself. The verse plainly says that God will “destroy death forever.” The Hebrew word translated accurately by most versions (“swallow up”) gives the picture of an overwhelming defeat of death, like the earth swallowing up the enemies of God. God uncovers the face of the corpse and speaks the word of resurrection, removing the disgrace of his people from the whole earth. They rise in power, never to die again. The disgrace of sin and death has been swallowed up in victory (1 Cor 15:54).

Clearly this has been fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the death Conqueror, and by his death and resurrection alone are these words fulfilled. “On this mountain,” Mount Zion (Jerusalem), Jesus wins his victory over death once for all. And he speaks the clear promise to the human race: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live” (John 11:25). This is the most lavish feast in history—eternal life through faith in Christ!

Praise God for Condemning Arrogant Nations

Isaiah 25:10-12

The chapter ends in a strange way, with Isaiah speaking words of condemnation against Moab, who probably represents the reprobate among the nations, those who will never believe. God will bring down Moab’s pride as if he were a swimmer drowning in a dung pile. Part of the joy of heaven will be that God will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all those who do evil (Matt 13:41). We will feast in peace, free from the assaults of the arrogant.

Applications

As noted, this chapter gives four magnificent themes for us to use in praise to God. In light of these, we should live confidently in this world, knowing that God, in his wisdom, has crafted a marvelous plan. We should pray that he will carry out faithfully every detail of his plan. We should live utterly fearless lives in the face of death, for wicked oppressors still stalk the earth, many of whom will be converted by the grace of God. And we should long for the day when the wicked will either be converted or be destroyed by the power of God.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What four actions does this chapter focus on as grounds for heartfelt praise for God?
2. What do Ephesians 1:6,12,14 teach us about God’s motives for his redemptive plan?
3. How does Isaiah 25:1 point to God’s perfect eternal plan? How does God show perfect faithfulness in carrying out his eternal plan?
4. Why do some people struggle with the concept of God having fashioned a plan for all things from before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:11)?
5. What surprising act of God is celebrated in Isaiah 25:3? How is it an encouragement to missionaries who are facing daunting challenges in bringing the gospel to a violent and resistant people?
6. What is the banquet that God spreads in verses 6-8? How is the swallowing up of death forever like a rich banquet?
7. How is death a disgrace for all people? How does faith in Christ remove that disgrace?
8. How is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the fulfillment of these verses?
9. How does verse 9 help us to praise God?
10. What do verses 10-12 speak about? How does God’s treatment of Moab show his power?