Season 6, Podcast 82, Isaiah 29:1-10, “Out of the Dust Pt. I.”

Season 6, Podcast 82, Isaiah 29:1-10, “Out of the Dust Pt. I.”

It has been well established that Isaiah, like John the Revelator, is the prophet of the future. Primarily the three periods Isaiah is speaking of are (1) the events that occur in his own day and in the near future of his own day. (2) the events that occur during the time of Christ including the Diaspora. (3) the events that occur in the latter days during the Second Coming of Christ, including the Millennium. A primary theme is the scattering and gathering of Israel. Isaiah is not just speaking of Israel, for Isaiah knows that following the death of Christ, the gospel will be preached to all the world. 

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

That changes everything. The scope of Isaiah is enormous. He is a visionary whose mission is to prepare people for the coming of Christ, both to the Jews of his day, to the Jews of the nativity of Christ, and to all who shall come to Christ in the latter days, just prior to his Second Coming. He warns Israel of the calamities that follow if they turn their back on the Messiah.

Isaiah 29:1-3

Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel. And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.

Isaiah is speaking of two major events. Ariel, referring to Jerusalem, means “Lion of God.” The Assyrians and the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem. Even the temple is destroyed in 586 BC, and the Jews are carried into captivity for 70 years and are held in bondage to the Babylonians. They return and rebuild the temple; however, the same thing happens shortly after the crucifixion of Christ. About 650 years later, in 70 AD, the Romans destroy the temple, and the Jews are scattered throughout the world. The prophecy above refers to both events. We do not have the history of the Ten Lost Tribes, but we do have a history of the Jews from the time they were scattered. As long as they remained tribal, they kept their identity. Ephraim and Judah are still scattered throughout the world; however, today the Jews control most of Jerusalem though serious conflict is ongoing. Records will be kept by those who are scattered. They shall be buried in the ground, but shall emerge at some point in the future.

Isaiah 29:4

And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

That is a very peculiar prophecy. We know, of course that the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, came from Israel. The above speaks of records that have been hidden in the ground, other than the Holy Bible. For example, after King Solomon the tribes split. Ten of the tribes, called Ephraim migrated to the north countries. Two of the tribes, Judah and Benjamin remained in the south around Jerusalem until they were scattered by the Romans. We know that the above speaks of records kept by Ephraim because of the following prophecies found in Ezekiel.