Isaías 63

Isaías 63:1-6

Garland comments: God allows evil to have its full fruit for several reasons. First, He provides ample opportunity for the godless to repent and seek forgiveness and restoration. Secondly, He allows the depth of sin to have its full development in those who have forever turned their back on redemption. “But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete” (Gen. 15:16). Although His patience and mercy are abundant, He must eventually judge in order to vindicate His character: “The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, so that men will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely He is God who judges in the earth’ ” (Ps. 58:10-11). (Revelation 14 Commentary) And the wine press was trodden outside the city (Jerusalem), and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles. (Rev 14:20) Henry Morris (Revelation Record): As John looks forward in his vision toward the end of the tribulation period and sees all the nations being drawn like a magnet to the land of the chosen people, he must sense the enormity of the calamity that is soon to overwhelm them....Nothing less than the sudden spilling of the blood of all the unnumbered multitudes massed together in a great phalanx extending through the whole land of Israel is the terrible sight entrusted to him. The bloodshed is so massive and so quick that the only apt comparison is the spurting of the juice from tremendous clusters of ripe fruit beneath the feet of the grape-tramplers in a winepress. The hordes of soldiers and civilians, many riding horses, no doubt many on foot, perhaps others on vehicles of one sort and another, thronging together as in a great trough, unable to flee, their gaze transfixed on an amazing scene in the heavens, suddenly explode like bursting grapes, and the blood pours from a billion fountains. The bodies quickly are awash in their own blood, and will soon become carrion for the waiting flocks of vultures that darken the sky (Revelation 19:17, 18). Thus shall be the unspeakable end of those who worship the beast and receive his mark. This vat of blood will extend for sixteen hundred furlongs (Greek stadion, with each stadion the equivalent of about 607 feet), or a distance of approximately 180 miles....And when the blood suddenly bursts forth from the bodies of these multitudes, in addition to the blood of the horses on which they are mounted, the sea of humanity will become a sea of blood. The blood will drain toward the valley center, where it will literally reach to the horses’ bridles. All of this will take place “without the city,” so that the Holy City itself will not be polluted with this bath of blood. The armies will have besieged Jerusalem, and to some extent have plundered it (Zechariah 12:2, 3+; Zech 14:1–3+), but will be unable to occupy it and will withdraw toward their line down in the wilderness of Judaea and along the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, extending down into ancient Idumea, or Edom. The great phalanx will project deep into Edom, in fact, at least as far as the ancient Edomite stronghold of Bozrah, which is about twenty miles southeast of the southern tip of the Dead Sea. On the north it will extend to and beyond the great plains of Esdraelon, or the valley of Jezreel, near the town of Megiddo, a region known since ancient times by the foreboding name of Armageddon, “the mount of Megiddo.” The center of the phalanx will be concentrated in the Judaean wilderness opposite Jerusalem, in a region where King Jehoshaphat once won a great victory over the enemies of God’s people (2 Chronicles 20:20–24) and thus later called in Scripture “the valley of Jehoshaphat.”...It is this great valley in which the blood will, at its center, reach the bridles of the horses. “The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, … for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea” (Isaiah 34:6+, cp Isa 63:1-4)....The winepress thus extends from Bozrah in Edom on the south. In the north it reaches to Armageddon (Revelation 16:14–16). “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: … and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:13–15). Its center converges on the valley of Jehoshaphat. “Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great” (Joel 3:12, 13+). (The Revelation Record- A Scientific and Devotional Commentary on the Prophetic Book of the End of Times) Then John amplifies Isaiah's description in chapter 63 with a more complete picture of Messiah's Triumphant Return in Revelation 19, in which He crushes all of His adversaries (cf the figure of Christ as the Stone that crushes in Da 2:34-35-note, Da 2:44-45-note)... And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He Who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges (cp "Day of Vengeance" in Isa 63:4) and wages war (see below for the famous words from The Battle Hymn of the Republic). 12 And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 And He is clothed with a robe dipped (bapto used in Lxx of Lev 4:6 also in context of blood) in blood; and His name is called The Word of God (cf Jn 1:1-2, 14). 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses (Dear believer this is YOU! Yes, angels will undoubtedly come, but primarily this refers to the redeemed of all ages. Cp parallel description of the "called, chosen and faithful" in Rev 17:14-note which clearly cannot apply to angels!). 15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. (cf Isa 63:3) 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (Rev 19:11-16-Read Tony Garland's detailed verse by verse discussion of this Messiah's Triumphant Return) In Lamentations we read of God "trampling" His Chosen People because of their persistent disobedience... The Lord has rejected all my strong men In my midst; He has called an appointed time against me to crush my young men; The Lord has trodden as in a wine press the virgin daughter of Judah. (Lam 1:15) Comment: In context, Jeremiah is describing the vengeance that was meted out on Judah by the Babylonians, who sacked Jerusalem and burned the Temple in 586BC. Joel prophesies of that awful future day of crushing of all of God's adversaries... Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe (speaking metaphorically of wicked people as like ripe grapes). Come, tread, for the wine press is full (metaphorically speaking -- full of wicked men, the enemies of God and of Israel); The vats (winepresses) overflow, for (term of explanation - explains why the vats are filled to the brim with men waiting to be trampled by the Lord God Almighty) their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the Day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." (Joel 3:13-14+) Tony Garland comments: The reason that these vines will be trodden is that they are wild grapes. Like His chosen nation Israel, those on the earth had not born the fruit God intended (see Dt 32:32-33, Isaiah 5:1-5, especially Isaiah 5:5+) HIS TRUTH IS MARCHING ON The Battle Hymn of the Republic (Play Hymn) by American writer Julia Ward Howe depicts some of the events described by Isaiah and John at the Second Coming of Christ... Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on. He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat: Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on. He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave, He is Wisdom to the mighty, He is Succour to the brave, So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of Time His slave, Our God is marching on. Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on. Isaiah 63:3 "I have trodden the wine trough Alone, and from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger and trampled them in My wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, and I stained all My raiment. MESSIAH'S SECOND ANSWER I have trodden the wine trough alone - In Lam 1:15 Jeremiah records that "the Lord has trodden as in a wine press the virgin daughter of Judah" alluding to His chastening of Judah by sending His "servant" Nebuchadnezzar (cp Jer 25:9, 27:6, 43:10). Even though armies (see comment below) will follow Messiah on white horses (Rev 19:14-note), it is the Messiah ALONE Who will wage war, trample down and crush His enemies (Rev 19:11ff-note). Even as one crushes grapes when they are ripe, Messiah will crush rebellious men when their iniquity is "ripe!" David Levy expounds on who composes the armies following Christ: The armies will include the holy angels (Matthew 25:31), church saints (Rev 19:8, cp Rev 17:14-note), Old Testament believers (Jude 14–15; Daniel 12:1–2), and Tribulation saints martyred for their faith (Rev 7:13–14; Rev 20:4). They will return with Christ in their glorified bodies. The “fine linen, clean and white” symbolizes Christ’s righteousness produced in the inner life and character of believers (Rev 19:8). From the peoples there was no man with Me - Repeats that it is the Messiah Alone. My anger...my wrath - While we love to ponder the attribute of God's love, we shy away from mention of His righteous anger and wrath. We forget that the Righteous One, the Son of God's love, took the full brunt of His Father's righteous anger and wrath which was the supreme act of love! God's great love balances and in the final analysis "trumps" His great wrath, but this is only realized for those who place their faith in the Messiah Who Alone was able to bear sin's burden and blow on the Cross! Trod...trampled (all are past tense occurring before Isaiah sees the Messiah - In the Lxx or Greek trampled is in the aorist tense and represents the aorist proleptic which is used to emphasize the certainty of a future event as if already past) - These verbs give us a picture of Messiah completely crushing all His enemies, all who refuse to take hold of the "life preserver" of His Gospel which alone has the power to deliver from His anger and His wrath (Ro 1:16-18). We all deserve Hell, but the One Mighty to Save opens the way to Heaven... Can I ask you dear reader -- Have you believed in the Gospel, the Messiah's death (in your place), His burial and His resurrection (giving us a living hope of eternal life with Him)? If not, today could be the day of your salvation, for today is the acceptable time! None of us can know for certain when we will breathe our last breath! Choose Life in Christ and live forever in Paradise. Messiah explains that His garments are stained red from the blood of those who have suffered His righteous judgment, a judgment meted out on "the peoples" who hated Him and rejected Him and were enemies of Israel. Their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments - Lifeblood (netsach) is "juice" (as of grapes); grape juice (only in Isa 63:3,6). "Grape juice, as elsewhere in the Old Testament (cf. Dt. 32:14) and the New Testament, is a symbol of blood." (Baker) Louw-Nida adds that netsach refers to "the deep-red fluid of the body which is the essence of life, as the figurative extension of grape juice." There is somewhat a mixed metaphor of a blood stained warrior returning from battle and one who tramples grapes coming out from the wine press. The NET translation picks up on this picture I have stomped grapes in the winepress all by myself; no one from the nations joined me. I stomped on them in my anger; I trampled them down in my rage. Their juice splashed on my garments, and stained all my clothes. Devotional thoughts on Isaiah 63:3 - God’s anger isn’t like our anger. - Rich Cathers I think one of the difficult things to understand about God’s anger, or wrath, is the confusion we can make with our own anger. When God gets angry, it’s ALWAYS for the right reasons. (Ro 1:18-19, Ro 2:5) It is possible to have anger and not sin. (Eph 4:26) But the problem we have is that often our “wrath” is mixed in with other things that are not right, and so we are told to put anger away from us. (Eph 4:31) Notice all the other things that get mixed into our “wrath”. Our anger can go beyond what is proper. Simeon and Levi received a curse from their father Jacob because their anger went too far. When their sister Dinah was raped (Gen. 34), they killed all the men of an entire city in revenge. (Ge 49:5-7) James tells us that man’s kind of anger does not produce things that are pleasing to God. (James 1:19-20) Sometimes our anger just makes us look foolish. Illustration - During the final days at Denver’s old Stapleton airport, a crowded United flight was cancelled. A single agent was rebooking a long line of inconvenienced travelers. Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, “I HAVE to be on this flight and it has to be first class.” The agent replied, “I’m sorry, sir. I’ll be happy to try to help you, but I’ve got to help these folks first, and I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out.” The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear, “Do you have any idea who I am?” Without hesitating, the gate agent smiled and grabbed her public address microphone. “May I have your attention please?” she began, her voice bellowing throughout the terminal. “We have a passenger here at the gate WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to the gate.” With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the United agent, gritted his teeth and retreated as the people in the terminal applauded loudly. Although the flight was cancelled and people were late, they were no longer angry at United Airlines. (Pr 14:29NLT) Isaiah 63:4 "For the day of vengeance was in My heart, and My year of redemption has come. Isa 34:8, 35:4, 61:2 Jer 51:6 Zec 3:8 Lk 21:22 Rev 6:9-17, 11:13 Rev 18:20 THE DAY OF VENGEANCE IS THE YEAR OF REDEMPTION For - term of explanation - Messiah is explaining why He had trodden "the wine trough" and "the peoples." It is not because He is some "heavenly tyrant gone berserk!" (Oswalt). And so for some His Second Coming will accomplish divine vengeance. For others it will accomplish divine deliverance (redemption), with primary application to the beleaguered nation of Israel in the last days as the Antichrist unleashes his satanic inspired fury on God's chosen people (cf Rev 12:13-17 where the "woman" is not a literal woman but in context is clearly the nation of Israel - see explanation of "woman" in Revelation 12). Day of vengeance - This phrase is found 5 times in the OT - Pr 6:34, Isa 34:8, 61:2, 63:4 and Jer 46:10. This day reflects to a large degree the consummation of the Day of the Lord, described in so many OT passages, such as Zephaniah... “Therefore, wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “For the day when I rise up to the prey. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations (=goyim = Gentiles), to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation ( intense anger), all My burning anger (nose, nostril, and anger); For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal. (Zeph 3:8-note) The day of vengeance was promised earlier in Isaiah's prophecy describing Isaiah 34 describing judgment described the "LORD'S indignation...against all the nations...a day of vengeance" (Isa 34:2, 8 - see discussion of Isa 34:1-10 under Isa 63:6) following in Isaiah 35 by a description of God's salvation... "Say to those with anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God (He is speaking to Judah/Israel) will come with vengeance. The recompense of God will come, but (this is an important contrast) He will save you (cf "mighty to save" Isa 63:1. The "you" refers to the believing remnant in Isaiah's day but more fully to those Jews in the last days [Great Tribulation = the ultimate day of vengeance] who place their faith in Messiah = believing remnant of Israel). 5 Then (When? When the Redeemer returns and saves) the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped (cp Jesus' first "sermon" in Lk 4:17-21 based on the text of Isa 61:1-2a). 6 Then (When is then? When Messiah returns as described here in Isaiah 63:1-6) the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy (cf the concept of the Year of Jubilee discussed below). For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah (The topography will change when Messiah returns to defeat His enemies and establish His Millennial Kingdom-see description). 7 And the scorched land will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness (leading the redeemed to the Holy City and Messiah's Holy Temple, cp Mal 3:1-4-note). The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. (Isa 35:4-8) Comment: Remember the context. Isaiah is speaking to Judah and Jerusalem. Those who walk on the Highway of Holiness will be "the redeemed" (Isa 35:9), "the ransomed of the LORD" (Isa 35:10), in short, the believing Jewish remnant. J