11/1/15 All Saints Day - Isaiah 25-26

Isaiah 25 & Isaiah 26

Intro:

     Halloween received its name because it was on the eve of “All Saints Day”. This day has been celebrated in many different ways. At its heart, it is a day set aside to remember all the saints (living & dead) who have paved the Christian road before us. It is a very fitting thing to be mindful that we are not alone and that all of God's saints will one day be reunited as one family of God.

     Isaiah was a prophet with the task of proclaiming utter destruction of the land of the children of God (see Isaiah 6:8-13). Among all the woes & prophecies against the nations, there remains prophecies of hope of a time of future restoration. We will be looking at some of these today. Notice that there is a blurring of the line between what should be interpreted physically and spiritually. There really isn't much a true line when we are looking at things from God's perspective.

The Mountain of the Lord: Isaiah 25:6-12

Many important events of the Old Testament take place around a mountain. Noah's ark landed on the mountains of Ararat (Gen. 8), Abraham was tested to see if he would sacrifice Isaac on a mountain (Gen. 22), Moses first spoke with God on Mount Horeb (Ex. 3), Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19 & following), etc...

- God's people:

     1.) feast – marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-10)

     2.) shroud/sheet v.7

- life/death: hope of life after death v.8

- punishment: the wicked (Moab) v.9-12

     though they try to swim → they will ultimately drown

     ex: Peter's attempt to walk on water (Matt. 14) → we must put our trust in Christ!

The “Other Lords”: Isaiah 26:1, 12-15

- God's people: God always worked in their favor v.12 & only His name is honoured v.13

- life/death: now dead & live no more v.14a

- punishment: brought to ruin v.14b

the other lords – sometimes they are not even named (Exodus Pharaoh)

The True Lord: Isaiah 26:19-21

- God's people & life/death: dead now but will live later! v.19

- punishment: the Lord's people told to enter rooms until His wrath passes v.20-21

Conclusion: God has always had a plan to take care of His own people. We should take time to remember those that have gone on before us (both Jews of the Old Testament & Christians of more modern history). God has made it clear that there is hope for anyone to have life after death. At the same time, there always remains a warning to the wicked.