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Home , Isaiah 29, Isaiah 33, Isaiah 35, Isaiah 56

35: EXPOSITION and BIBLICAL THEOLOGY

by Dr. Robert Asher1

Introduction

Students often ignore , but it is important for understanding pre-millennial theology. The chapter bridges between the Tribulation Period and the Millennial Kingdom. It speaks vividly of the conditions that will exist at the beginning of the Millennium. The text reveals that God reverses the curse upon mankind and nature, renewing both nature and men. All nature will see the visible glory of the Lord in the Arabah2 as He walks upon the earth after removing the curse from nature.

Israel will experience divine encouragement when she flees into the wilderness to escape the Tribulation and the outpoured vengeance of God upon the earth. Isaiah 35 presents the promise of the salvation of . The redeemed of the Lord, all Israel, will have everlasting joy, unlike the rebels purged in Ezekiel 20:33–38. The people will journey to from the wilderness (Ezekiel 20:35) along the Highway of Holiness. Christ will lead His now holy worshipers as they ascend to with everlasting joy and joyful shouting.

Exegesis will develop biblical theology, emphasizing reversal of the curse. The theology will include the sovereignty of God over all nature and all mankind. The national salvation of Israel will reverse the spiritual judgment placed upon her (:9–10). The reversal of blindness and deafness in 6:5 speaks of

1Bob Asher went to be at home with the Lord while the article was being edited. This article stands as a tribute to the exegetical insights with which God blessed him. We count it a privilege to publish it and again wish to express our heart-felt condolences to Linn Asher, Bob’s wife. 2 The Arabah is the Great Rift Valley. Israel’s portion of this extends through the Jordan Valley and to the Red Sea. The Arabah Proper is the region south of the Dead Sea. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 3 overturning the spiritual judgment. It also involves physical healing, because the curse has been partially reversed. This is evident from verses in which Christ not only dealt with physical healing but also spiritual healing. Those who called out to Christ showed their faith in the Messiah. He then healed them physically. This signaled what would take place if Israel had accepted the Kingdom offer during the ministry of Christ.

The renewal of the water in the desert is important. Not only will this renewal cause the desert to blossom, but it will also supply the millennial world with sufficient water.

The Highway of Holiness is the way by which saved and now holy Israel will come into Zion. The desert sees the glory and majesty of God as Christ leads His people to Zion through the desert along the Highway of Holiness. Although He had been judging His people, He will personally lead the holy remnant into Jerusalem. Thus, this chapter is important in understanding premillennial theology.

Renewal of Nature

The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus It will blossom profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, The majesty of our God (Isaiah 35:1–2).3

Verses one and two speak of a future transformation of the wilderness and the desert (i.e., the Arabah of Southern Israel) from a barren area to one full of blossoming plants. It will change from a place with little or no life-giving vegetation to one of fruitfulness. At present, it manifests the effects of the Genesis 3:17–19 curse in all its nastiness. But in the future, it will become a land that is as fruitful and enjoyable as the Garden of Eden was

3 Scripture taken from the New American Standard , 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 4 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002) to and Eve. Emphatic language indicates the Arabah overabundantly coming to life from a state of near death. Poetic language personifies nature’s restoration from a divine curse to the full blessing of God. This chapter contrasts with prophesies of grave judgment upon in .

The first verse depicts the happiness of nature due to its renewal. The wilderness and the desert will be glad, and the Arabah will rejoice and blossom (Isaiah 35:1).

Isaiah uses the word wilderness to describe three different types of land, including pastureland, uninhabited land, and other land where oases and towns are sparingly found.4 It may describe pastureland between two villages as well as a particular desert.5 The word desert is more restrictive than wilderness as it denotes “dryness, drought;”6 or “a dry landscape, dry region.”7 All desert is wilderness, but not all wilderness is desert. The Arabah consists of three distinct areas: the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea region, and the region extending to the Gulf of Aqabah.8 It contains both wilderness and desert.

The two nouns in the first line of verse one describe the Arabah (line two) through synonymous parallelism. Gladness and rejoicing personify the response of nature to the miraculous changes overcoming it. The Arabah will change from a region of

4 Cf. Earl S. Kalland, “m]dB~r,” in Theological Wordbook of the [TWOT], 2 vols., ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke (Chicago: Moody, 1980), 1:181; and Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs “m]dB~r,” Hebrew and English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon, 1907), 184–85. 5 Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, “m]dB~r,” The Hebrew & Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament [KB], 5 vols., trans. M. E. J. Richardson (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 1994), 2:546–47. 6 BDB, “x'yon,” 851. 7 Cf. “x'yon,” in KB, 3:1021–22. 8 R. K. Harrison, “Arabah,” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [ISBE], rev. ed., 4 vols., ed. Geofferey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), 1:218–20. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 5 wilderness and desert, where little life thrives, to a region that sustains limitless life and bears fruit abundantly.

Isaiah 35:1b–2a uses emphatic language to express the happiness of nature because of the new state in which she finds herself: Like the crocus, It will blossom profusely and rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy.

These lines emphasize both the tremendous blossoming the Arabah will experience and the figurative joy that the transformed nature will experience. Blossom means “to sprout, bud, break out, blossom.”9 The Hebrew construction is intensive: the Arabah will blossom overabundantly. It will rejoice with a vigorous, enthusiastic expression of delight10 at the working of God’s creative hand.11 A shout of joy (r`nn@n) further intensifies this overabundant joy over God’s saving acts.12 Delivering her from the curse is clearly one of God’s saving acts upon nature.

In addition to her new fruitfulness, the Arabah will exhibit unspeakable beauty, rather than barrenness, death, and repulsion: The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,13 the majesty of Carmel and Sharon (Isaiah 35:1b, 2a).

In :9 an enemy devastates Lebanon, Sharon, and Carmel. In contrast, the passage ascribes to the Arabah the beauty, glory, and majesty of these three beautiful areas. Lebanon’s splendor is her beautiful timber and vegetation; Sharon is known for her fertile plain and beauty; and Carmel is known as the garden with fruit trees.14 These areas exemplify the miraculous future

9 Cf. “Prh,” in KB, 3:965–66; Victor P. Hamilton, “Prh,” in TWOT, 2:734. 10 Jack P. Lewis, “G'l,” in TWOT, 1:159. 11 Michael A. Grisanti, “G'l,” in New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis [NIDOTTE], 5 vols., ed. Willem A. VanGemeren (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 1:854–57. 12 Cf. William White, “rnn,” in TWOT, 2:851; Tremper Longman, III, “rnn,” in NIDOTTE, 3:1128–32. 13 The preposition l`h having the personal pronoun with a feminine singular suffix refers to the antecedent, Arabah. 14 W. Ewing, “Carmel,” in ISBE, 1:618. 6 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002) transformation of the Arabah from near starkness to exquisite beauty.

The desert will not only experience a renewal unprecedented in history but also the direct presence of God: They will see the glory of the LORD, The majesty of our God (Isaiah 35:2c). The plural personal pronoun they is problematic in this verse. Experts differ widely concerning its relation to Israel. The views are:

1. The wilderness, desert, and Arabah that see the glory and majesty of the Lord in their transformation, i.e., they see God’s reflective glory in themselves 2. The people in the area 3. An unidentified human element 4. Israel 5. A direct reference to the wilderness, desert, and Arabah.

Does the grammar allow the first choice above? The verb, see (r`A>),15 uses the qal verb stem. In addition to literally seeing, the qal can mean “to regard, perceive, feel, understand.”16 However, the niphal, not the qal, would be necessary for communicating a reflexive notion, “to present oneself, let oneself see, reveal oneself.”16 The grammar does not support nature seeing God’s glory and majesty reflexively in itself.

The next view is that they refers to certain people. However, no antecedent people to which this pronoun might refer exists in the immediate context. These people must be tremendously joyful, so it cannot be Edom, whom the Lord judges in 34:6–15. Isaiah 33:17, referring to Israel, would be viable, except for its distance from Isaiah 35:2. The masculine pronoun refers back to the three nouns: wilderness, desert, and Arabah.17

15 E. Jenni and Claus Westermann, Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament [TLOT], 3 vols., trans. Mark E. Biddle (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1997), 3:1176–83. 16 William White, “r`A>,” in TWOT, 2:823. 17 Bruce K. Waltke and M. O’Connor, An Introduction to Syntax (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1990), 108–9, discuss this under “Priority of Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 7

Nature will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God, just as when the pre-incarnate Christ walked in the Garden of Eden in His glory and majesty (Genesis 3:8) Nature at that time saw Him in His fullness and will again see Him walking in her midst. The occasion of Genesis 3:8 was just before God cursed creation, the time when death came upon mankind. Isaiah 35 will occur just after the partial removal of the curse from creation. Genesis 3 brought the curse of judgment, removal from God’s direct presence, and death. Isaiah 35 brings blessings of a renewed nature, life, salvation, and deliverance.

The Genesis Curse (Genesis 3:14–19) affected the ground: cursed is the ground. Curse (from the verb A*r^r) is cognate with the Akkadian ar_ru meaning “to curse, to treat with disrespect, to insult, to disown, disavow.”18 The meaning is “to cover with misfortune.”19 It is an antonym of B*r^K, “to bless.”19 A result of the curse is that the abundance of undesirable plants, thorns, and thistles drives out the fruitful plants and causes a loss of fruitfulness. This loss of the land’s beauty reminds man of death and the tragedy of the fall. The joy of cultivating and keeping God’s garden turned into hard labor. The theme of the frustration of work in may well depend upon Genesis 3:17–19.20 The curse on nature requires working hard for sustenance.

Paul declares, the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now (Romans 8:22). The Greek word sustenazei21 (“groans”) means “lament or groan together

the Masculine [Grammatical Form].” In other words, Hebrew uses masculine pronouns to refer to mixed groups of containing both masculine and feminine forms. 18 Cf. Robert Gordon, “Arr,” in NIDOTTE, 1:525; ed. A. Leo Oppenheim, “ar_ru,” in The Assyrian Dictionary [CAD], 21 vols., ed. Ignace J. Gelb, et al. (Chicago: Oriental Institute, 1956–), 1.2:234. 19 C. A. Keller, “Arr,” in TLOT, 1:179–82. 20 William Anderson, “The Curse of Work in Qoheleth: An Exposé of Genesis 3:17–19 in Ecclesiastes,” EvQ 70 (April 1998): 99–113. 21 Present indicative third person singular of sustenazw. 8 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002)

(with).”22 Creation longs to be free from her subjection to oppression (Romans 8:21). The curse precludes nature from producing overabundantly as in the Garden of Eden.

Yet, the time is coming when all things are reconciled to God (Colossians 1:20). Then even the wilderness, desert, i.e., the Arabah, will produce lavishly just as before the fall. Transformed nature will experience awesome joy, gladness, and shouts of joy, rather than the groaning and sighing under the frustration of the curse. Nature will once again produce as before the curse. Now, creation awaits freedom with anticipation. The Second Coming will free nature from this bondage to flourish again as in the Garden of Eden. New life and new hope will fill the earth. The land will once again be a wonderful garden in beauty and in productivity.

When the Genesis curse is partially removed,23 then the Lord restores Nature to pre-fall conditions (see Appendix B). Nature then sees the glory and majesty of the Lord just as in the Garden. Christ will walk in full majesty and glory through the Arabah, where nature can figuratively see Him. In particular, He will walk upon the Highway of Holiness, leading His people Israel from a place of judgment in the wilderness unto His holy mountain (Ezekiel 20:33–44). This full renewal of nature and Christ’s walking through the Arabah will take place at the Second Coming after the wilderness judgment of the Jews.

Promise of Deliverance to Men

22 W. Bauer, “sustenazei,” in A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3d ed. [BDAG], ed. William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 978–79. This verb comes from stenazw. BDAG, 942, “stenazw,” defines it as “sigh, groan (because of an undesirable circumstance).” 23 Cf. John Walvoord, “The Person and Work of Christ: Part XIII: Reconciliation,” BSac 120 (January–March 1963): 11; H. Wayne House, “The Doctrine of Salvation in Colossians,” BSac 151 (July–September 1994): 334; John Walvoord, “Doctrine of the Millennium: Part III: Social and Economic Aspects of the Millennium,” BSac 115 (July–September 1958): 194–95. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 9

Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you” (Isaiah 35:3–4).

These verses give three commands to a certain people24 to encourage, strengthen, and admonish a second group: Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble (Isaiah 35:3). Encourage and strengthen use a verb stem that means to “make strong, strengthen, encourage, support, and assist.”25 Isaiah combines it with weak hands and feeble knees. Thus, the second group is physically exhausted, depressed, and lacks fortitude. The Old Testament uses strengthen often in the context of battle or combat.32 Actual or pending combat probably threatens the lives of this group.

After the marvelous news about the coming transformation of nature, those who are greatly distressed still need renewal of courage. What is the situation of these people and who are they? This verse encourages those whose faith is waning. It refers to both to Sennacherib’s Assyrian threat to and to end-times threats by the Antichrist and his forces.

Isaiah commands the method for encouraging others who are hurting and in terror of impending events. God wants them comforted for His purposes: Say to those with anxious heart, Take courage, fear not (Isaiah 35:4a).

The phrase anxious heart can be translated “hasty of heart.” The verb from which anxious derives means one who acts “rashly, hastily.” When used with the word heart, it implies “in panic, or impetuously.”26 This second group fearfully seeks answers elsewhere, rather than seeking God in their time of terror. Perhaps their time of fear caused them to question God’s ability to save

24 Perhaps these people are the 144,000 of Revelation 7. 25 Robin Wakely, “j`z^q,” in NIDOTTE, 2:63–87. Cf. “j`z^q,” in BDB, 304–5; Carl P. Weber, “j`z^q,” TWOT, 1:276–77. 26 Cf. “mhr,” in KB, 2:553–54. 10 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002) them from peril. The first group admonishes the second group to give them reason for hope.

Isaiah specifies the method for encouraging the others. This encouragement has definitive hope behind it. God wants them to know that He is coming, and indeed, He is here: Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, But He will save you (Isaiah 35:4b).

This half of the verse is problematic syntactically. The interpretation must consider the events in verse two, the syntax, and the Hebrew accents.27 The demonstrative particle Behold (h!nn@h) focuses attention upon an unexpected event (seeing God). The second group should derive comfort from seeing their God: Behold your God! Nature (in verse two) and now men will see His glory and majesty. “He is unexpectedly here! Behold Him! See Him!” This is a literal seeing in the sense that He is physically present. Isaiah then links vengeance is coming with the recompense of God. It seems best, due to accentuation and the fact that the phrase Behold your God assumes He is already here, to take the word vengeance as nominative. Thus, the clause is best taken as Vengeance is coming, the recompense of God, with the phrase the recompense of God explaining vengeance.

The word vengeance is from (n*q^m) “to avenge, take vengeance.” West Semitic attests legal connotations for this word. Thus, it deals with the punitive retribution of God by which He maintains His justice. He is a holy God and will pour out His wrath against those nations and peoples who oppress His people Israel. The word recompense (G*m^l) means “to deal fully or adequately with, deal out to.”28 The one who recompenses someone may render good or evil to him. Isaiah uses the noun form (:11; 59:18 [2_]; and 66:6) to refer to the evil that will befall God’s

27 Bruce K. Waltke, “The New International Version and Its Textual Principles in the Book of ,” JETS 32 (March 1989): 17–26. He stresses the importance of accents in preserving an interpretative tradition. 28 Cf. “Gml,” BDB, 168. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 11 enemies. The recompense of God will give those who do evil exactly what they deserve.

God will recompense His enemies for the evil they have done or will do to His people. Yet, He will also effect salvation to His people Israel. The word save is a hiphil jussive, so it is God’s will to save His people even though they do not deserve deliverance. Historically, He saved His people from the power of ; in the future, He will save them from the power of Satan. God is both loving and just. As Sovereign, He has chosen Israel and will not abandon her. His promises to her, including dealing with her enemies, will come to pass for He is the omnipotent God.

Renewal of Israel

Verses one and two describe the renewal of nature. Verses three and four speak of delivering Israel from enemies that terrify part of the nation. As He restores nature, so He will renew Israel.

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah (Isaiah 35:5–6).

Nature’s renewal is physical. The curse on nature is a curse on her physical welfare; thus, she needs physical, not spiritual renewal. However, the renewal of man is both spiritual and physical. The curse affected man spiritually by initiating spiritual death, but it also affected man physically by bringing on physical death. Thus, man needs first and foremost spiritual renewal. Verse five considers the spiritual renewal of Israel whereas verse six considers her physical renewal: Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped (Isaiah 35:5). Isaiah uses the adverb then (A*z) with the imperfect verb stem of P*q^j, “to open eyes.” This adverb with the imperfect expresses actions and events which can continue for a period of 12 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002) time.29 It points to an event immediately following the imperfect.30 Here (as well as in :5 and Micah 3:4), it speaks of a future time with emphasis on the following event. The action is “thought of as having taken place before the completion of the preceding action.”31 In other words, eyes being opened happens before being saved.

Physical or Spiritual Healing?

Two possible interpretations of verse five exist. The opening of eyes, i.e., the healing of the blind, may refer literally to those lacking physical sight. Or it may describe removing the spiritual impairment of not rightly responding to Him (due to not perceiving God’s revelation) or of being unwilling to respond rightly to him. Both possibilities require discussion because disagreement exists. This verse speaks of removing spiritual blindness, and only secondarily does it refer to physical blindness. The context of the verse, the context of the , and theological aspects demonstrate this.

The Context of the Verse

Verse one and two speak of the physical renewal of nature by removal of the Genesis curse. Nature is fully restored by physical renewal; she can fully relate to God again. Nature figuratively overflows with joy and gladness as she becomes whole again for the first time since the curse was placed upon her. Her joy is so complete that she figuratively breaks out in a shout of joy. Verse three and four speak of the stronger portion of the remnant of Israel encouraging the weaker part of the remnant concerning the Lord appearing. This is the time when He will

29 Cf. “A`z,” ibid., 824. 30 Wilhelm Gesenius and Emil Kautzsch, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, 2d ed., trans. A. E. Cowley (Oxford: Clarendon, 1910), 314–15. 31 Samuel Rolles Driver, A Treatise on the Use of the Tenses in Hebrew and Some Other Syntactical Questions, 3d ed. (London: Oxford University Press, 1892; reprint, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 32. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 13 deliver them from their enemies who are about to overwhelm them.

Verse five speaks of the opening of the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. Verse six speaks (in part) of physical healing followed by a shout of joy (same word, different verbal form as in verse two). Unlike nature, a right relationship between God and Israel requires spiritual as well as physical renewal. She was meant to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation: and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6). Millennial fulfillment of this requires both spiritual renewal to respond rightly to God and physical renewal, so she can meet the priestly qualifications. Complete renewal will be part of the process of He will save you. Full renewal will occur (in the sense of reversal of the Genesis curse and the restoration of right relationship between God and nature in verses 1–2). Verses 5–6 contextually reveal that the removal of the Genesis curse upon Israel and spiritual and physical renewal of Israel establishes her as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Thus, contextually verse five speaks of spiritual renewal and verse six of physical renewal. This renewal will culminate in a shout of joy as in verse two.

In addition to the context of chapter 35, the context of the book of Isaiah points to spiritual renewal in verse five. Isaiah speaks of the divine hardening of Israel in terms of spiritual blindness. He uses this figure of spiritually not responding to God (either because of being unable or unwilling to do so).

Isaiah 6:9–10 speaks of a hardening that has come upon Israel, a hardening that continues in part today and will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25). This hardening is spiritual blindness due to judicial blindness that does not allow her to respond rightly to God. This is genuine divine hardening, but there is militant irony in verses 9–10.32 The many verses in this book speaking of blindness treat it as spiritual

32 Robert B. Chisholm, Jr., “Divine Hardening in the Old Testament,” BSac 153 (October–December 1996): 430. 14 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002) blindness. :9 speaks of willfully refusing to see, and as a consequence, becoming blind and unable to see. Isaiah 29:9–24 also discusses willful sin, , and future reversal.33 In Isaiah 29:18, the people who are now blind and deaf become ones with open ears and seeing eyes. :3–4 speak of a future messianic day when the future spiritual reversal has been accomplished.

Isaiah 42:7 also speaks of spiritual blindness, not physical blindness. :10 and 59:10 also use spiritual blindness and deafness as a metaphor of a negative spiritual condition. The people bring this spiritual condition on themselves. It is a judgment from God, which God Himself ultimately reverses in that day of salvation. Israel’s spiritual blindness is then replaced with clear vision during the Millennial Reign of Christ.34 Thus, the context of blinding/healing in Isaiah is that of spiritual blindness, and therefore, the reference in 35:5 is to healing from spiritual blindness.

The objection to Isaiah 35:5 discussing healing spiritual blindness is that miraculously healed the physically blind. Several reasons explain why the New Testament refers to such healings. First, some instances were due to the compassion Jesus had toward them (:14). Second, some were because of the faith of others who brought the blind men to Jesus for healing (:22; :22–23). Third, the account of the healing of the blind man in was in order to display the works of God (John 9:3). Fourth, some accounts point to the self-revelation of Christ as the Messiah of Israel. Fifth, many of the healings were the result of faith by the blind men as seen by their calling Him by the Messianic title, Son of (:27; 20:30; :46–51; Luke 18:35). These demonstrations of faith show that these blind men were only

33 G. D. Robinson, “The Motif of Deafness and Blindness in Isaiah 6:9–10: A Contextual, Literary, and Theological Analysis,” Bulletin for Biblical Research 8 (1998): 178. 34 Robert L. Thomas, “The Mission of Israel and of the Messiah in the Plan of God,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 8 (Fall 1997) 193. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 15 physically blind, not spiritually blind. Their spiritual vision in the Messiah led to receiving physical vision. They demonstrated that their spiritual vision exceeded that of the Pharisees, who were indeed spiritually blind (:14; 23:16–26). These men prefigured Israel in recognizing and accepting the Messiah of Israel and were healed physically. They were blind, but their open spiritual eyes led to healing of their physical eyes. Had Israel recognized her Messiah at this time and had they accepted Him and His offer of the Kingdom, spiritual and physical renewal would have happened then. Since that did not occur, it will happen in the future.

Isaiah 35:5 speaks of the spiritual renewal; 35:6 speaks of physical renewal. Without spiritual renewal, there is no renewal, just a reshaping of the old pile of dung into a different package. The blindness of Israel will be lifted as the Sovereign Lord has declared (Romans 11:25–27).

Physical Renewal

Verse six speaks clearly about physical renewal: Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy . . . (Isaiah 35:6a). The curse is then removed; therefore, so are the effects of sin, i.e., sickness and disease. Not only will Israel be renewed spiritually but also physically. No more reminders of the effects of the fall will remain. There will be no more suffering, no more defects, no more sickness. Just as the lame man at the Beautiful Gate at the Temple was healed and then leaped up, walking and leaping and praising God (:2–8), so it will be in all Israel in the coming day when the effects of the curse are removed.

There may be an additional aspect of the removal of the physical deformities and defects of Israel. In the Kingdom age, Israel is a high-priestly nation in order to bless all the nations of the earth. As a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, she will minister before the Lord. Yet, no priest with any physical deformity could minister before the Lord (Leviticus 21:17–21). 16 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002)

The spiritual or physical disqualifications for ministry of the Mosaic Law will no longer apply.

Results of Nature’s Renewal

Verse 6b speaks about waters flowing over the wilderness and Arabah. This will sustain the fruitfulness of the earth during the Millennium. One of the most severe problems facing our planet today is the lack of fresh water. There will be no lack in the day to come: For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah (Isaiah 35:6b).

The Hebrew particle translated for (K') has several uses. The NASB translates this particle as for whereas the NIV leaves it untranslated. Actually, it is emphatic here, being strongly prefixed to the predicate will break forth. This probable “asseverative- emphatic force”35 yields: Indeed or Yes, i.e., Indeed, waters will break forth.36 The verb will break forth means to “cleave, break open or through split, hatch out.”37 The Old Testament uses this verb fifteen times with water, including Genesis 7:11. There, God broke open the fountains of the great deep commencing the Genesis flood. Similarly, God acts here to split open all the springs to allow water to come up from the deep into the Arabah. The sense is that the Sovereign Lord has decreed an abundance of water.

Verse 7 indicates that the Arabah will become a reservoir of water, luscious in vegetation that grows in such an area.

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 (Isaiah 35:7).

35 T. Muraoka, Emphatic Words and Structures in Biblical Hebrew (Jerusalem: Magnes, 1985), 161. 36 Joseph Blenkinsopp, –39: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, AB, vol. 19, ed. William Foxwell Albright and David Noel Freedman (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 2000), 455. 37 Cf. “B`q^U,” BDB, 131; Victor P. Hamilton, “B`q^U,” NIDOTTE, 1:702. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 17

The word pool (A&g^m) is an Akkadian loanword from agammu meaning “swamp, pool.”38 It may also be translated “troubled pool” or “reed pool.”39 The desert will become a place of bountiful water. :18 gives God’s direct promise for the Millennium: I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land fountains of water (Isaiah 41:18). Today Israel draws water from two main freshwater aquifers—one under the central north-south mountain range, the other along the coastal plain—as well as from several smaller ones. In the future, Israel will also get abundant water from the Arabah, the last place one might consider as a water source. Water is vitally important not only to Israel past, present, and future but also to the whole world. In our day, it is becoming increasingly scarce to the world. The Sovereign Lord will ensure plentiful water for all mankind in the Millennium. The figure shown in Appendix A of this article (depicting the percentage of the world without access to safe drinking water today) shows the importance of the water problem.

A recent Scientific American article shows the acute problem with the water supply in the near future. It says:

Today irrigation accounts for two thirds of water use worldwide and as much as 90 percent in many developing countries. Meeting the crop demands projected for 2025, when the planet’s population is expected to reach eight billion, could require an additional 192 cubic miles of water—a volume nearly equivalent to the annual flow of the 10 times over. No one yet knows how to supply that much additional water in a way that protects supplies for future use.

Severe water scarcity presents the single biggest threat to future food production. Even now many freshwater sources—underground aquifers and rivers—are stressed beyond

38 Paul V. Mankowski, Akkadian Loanwords in Biblical Hebrew, HSS, vol. 47 (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2000), 20. 39 Cf. “&g`m,” in BDB, 8, and “&g`m,” in KB, 1:10–11. 18 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002)

their limits. As much as 8 percent of food crops grows on farms that use groundwater faster than the aquifers are replenished, and many large rivers are so heavily diverted that they don’t reach the sea for much of the year. As the number of urban dwellers climbs to five billion by 2025, farmers will have to compete even more aggressively with cities and industry for shrinking resources.40

The expanding population in the Millennium shows that God’s grace and sovereignty preplanned that water supply thousands of years before the Second Coming and the Millennial Reign of Christ. The increase in population during the Millennium results from the partial elimination of the curse. Any deaths will result from direct violation of God’s holiness (Zechariah 5:1–4). To see how massive the increase in population is, let P0 be the population that enters into the Millennium (believers—both Jews and Gentiles—who are alive at the Second Coming). There are children born to these people during the Millennium. Assume that the rate of population growth is a constant x percent per year. Let th Py be the population at the end of the y year, then the equation for th the population at the y year, Py is

(y) Py = [1 + x/100] P0 .

As an example of the depth of the potential problem, assume ten million believers enter the Millennium and that the growth rate of the world’s population is the same as today (1.3% per year according to the U.S. Census Bureau). Then at the end of the Millennium the population would grow to over four trillion! Clearly, the food supply and needs are tremendous, and the water supply needed for crops would be staggering. But the Lord has revealed His plan for the future, so there will be no problem. The renewal of nature will ensure sufficient food and sufficient water for all needs. Results of Israel’s Renewal

40 Sandra Postel, “Growing More Food with Less Water,” Scientific American 284 (February 2001): 46–51. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 19

During the Tribulation Period, Israel will flee into the wilderness (Revelation 12:6) where she will undergo the judgment by the Messiah (Ezekiel 20:33–38) and spiritual/physical renewal (Isaiah 35:5, 6). We do not know with certainty where she will flee, but it is a “picture of desolation.”41 Fruchtenbaum develops the probable location to be in Mt. Seir (Matthew 24:16; Revelation 12:6, 14; Isaiah 33:13–16; Micah 2:12).42 His preference is Petra as it is strongly defendable.

Three nations will escape the domination of the Antichrist: Edom, , and Ammon. He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon (Daniel 11:41). This is the likely area to which the Jews will flee. The Messiah will bring Israel out of the nations into the wilderness of the peoples (Ezekiel 20:33–38) for judgment. The location is probably the desert to the west of Edom, Moab, and Ammon. There are four distinct groups of Jews in the Ezekiel judgment: apostate Jews who enter into the covenant with the Antichrist, the 144,000 Jews who will be saved and sealed after the Rapture, Jews who accept Christ during the Tribulation period, and the faithful remnant—those who trust in God but not necessarily in Christ.43

A highway is then built in the wilderness, in the Arabah.

A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find

41 Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8–22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 127. 42 Cf. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1982), 201–4; Also “Israelology: Part 4 of 6, Israel Future,” CTS Journal 6 (January–March 2000). 43 Idem, Footsteps, 198–99. 20 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002)

gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away (Isaiah 35:8–10).

The word highway comes from the verb s*l^l meaning “cast up, lift up, exalt.”44 The word highway (m^slWl), “street or road,”45 is possibly from the Akkadian word sul_ “street, track.” The Akkadian word designates “the processional street of Marduk in .”46 The idea is a road that is higher than the surrounding terrain, similar perhaps to the freeways of today. This is important, as the land will be a lake of water, so a highway must be above ground level. This highway will be called the way of holiness, which is in the emphatic position in the verse.

The verb call has its normal usage here of naming something, which means to assert sovereignty over what is named. Accordingly, the Lord reserves the highway for the redeemed to walk on in their approach to Zion. God has sovereignly declared its name and its purpose. The judgment of the Jews in Ezekiel 20:33–38 is then completed because this highway is for the redeemed of the Lord. They, and only they, have access to this highway on their from the wilderness, where they have been judged. Christ will lead His now holy worshipers on their ascent to Jerusalem. David foreshadows this ascent by Christ along the Highway of Holiness. In 1 Chronicles 15–16, David, a type of Christ, at the lead of all Israel brought the Ark of the Covenant from the house of Obed-Edom into Jerusalem. David, king of Israel, wore priestly garments during this ascent. Sounds of music and joy were heard along the way to Jerusalem. At the end of this journey, all of Israel sang Psalm 96, which speaks of the Millennial reign of Christ. The Ark was a reminder of God’s personal Presence with Israel. The Millennial Temple will not have the Ark. “The reason that the Ark of the Covenant is missing from the future Temple is because the throne of the Lord is present. The

44 Cf. “s*l^l,” BDB, 699. 45 Cf. “m^slWl,” BDB, 700; Eugene H. Merrill, “msllh,” in NIDOTTE, 2:1004. 46 Erica Reiner, “sul_,” in CAD, 15:371. It also appears in the Moabite Mesha stele, which commemorates the successful attempt of Mesha to free his country from the Israelite yoke. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 21

Lord Jesus, the Righteous One, shall sit upon His throne as King Messiah in Ezekiel’s Temple.”47 In the Ascent to come, the personal Presence of God, i.e., Christ, will physically travel with Israel along the Highway of Holiness through the now luscious land.

The apostates of Israel, who are unclean, will not walk on it, since the Ezekiel 20 judgment already purged them. The fool48 will not walk on it. Only those redeemed by the Lord will walk on this highway (35:9–10). Neither apostates nor vicious beasts (which were a serious problem in Israel in biblical times) will appear on it. No threat from man (such as robbers) or from beasts will remain. No unregenerate man will be left, so Israel as a whole is spiritually transformed and rebels are purged. Christ will have transformed the faithful remnant and purged the unfaithful. Nature also has been radically transformed, even releasing animals to be gentle and under the dominion of man as in the Garden of Eden.

The word redeemed means “act as kinsman, ransom, deliver.” This word (G+AWl?m, from the verb G*A^l) comes from the ancient idea of the kinsman redeemer. It is the Lord who is the Redeemer par excellence. This word “appearing here for the first of twenty- four times in Isaiah, stresses the person of the redeemer, his relationship to the redeemed and his intervention on their behalf.”49 It is He, and only He, who can redeem His people Israel, identifying with them as their next of kin.

The ransomed of the Lord signifies the faithful remnant that are regenerated by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 12:10). The word ransomed is from a verb P*d> meaning

47 John W. Schmitt and J. Carl Laney, Messiah’s Coming Temple: Ezekiel’s Prophetic Vision of the Future Temple (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1997), 150. 48 The NIV footnote at Proverbs 1:7, “The Hebrew word rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the OT denote one who is morally deficient. Such a person is lacking in sense and is generally corrupt.” 49 J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1993), 275. 22 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002)

“ransom, rescue, deliver.”50 It appears in all Semitic languages except Aramaic. It has the basic meaning of transferring the ownership to another through payment of a price or an equivalent substitute. This word is parallel to G+AWl?m in verse 9. Those who are redeemed/ransomed will return to Zion. The term return (vWb) often refers to returning to the land. They will return to the land with joyful shouting. The joy is again due to God’s saving acts as in verses 2 and 6. They will find everlasting joy, a joy with their whole disposition, as this word is associated with the heart (Exodus 4:14; Psalms 19:8; 104:15; 105:3), the soul (Psalms 86:40), and the brightening up of the eyes (Proverbs 15:30). There will be no more sorrow, no more anguish, and no more afflictions. The earth will be as it was in the Garden of Eden with her rightful King upon the promised throne.

Conclusion

Chapter 35 of Isaiah contains some of Scripture’s most direct prophetic revelations concerning the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ. Although there was a partial fulfillment with God’s removal of the threat of Assyria, the prophecy cannot speak strictly of that time. Nor can it speak strictly of the First Advent. It contains prophecy of the removal of the curse on both nature and men. It speaks of the salvation of Israel. It speaks of the spiritual and physical renewal of Israel. It contains the effect of the renewal of nature in that she will support the expanding world population in the later part of the Millennial reign. God’s sovereignty is seen, as He is in control of all. It tells of how the faithful remnant will return to Zion from the wilderness, where they will have been judged. Their return will see Christ leading them along the Highway of Holiness into Zion as prefigured by David’s ascent to Jerusalem with the symbol of the Presence of the Lord, the Ark of the Covenant. This chapter speaks vividly of the Second Coming and, in particular, of the beginning events of the Millennium. Thus, it is of major importance to pre-millennial theology. Appendix A

50 Hamilton, “P*d>,” 2:716. Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 23

Figure 1: Safe Drinking Water 199851

Appendix B (See next page) Its categories derive from Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1982).

51 Peter H. Gleick, The World’s Water, 1990–1999: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources (Washington, DC: Island, 1998), 41. 24 CTS Journal 8 (April–June 2002)

Effect and Removal of the Curse

Effects of the Curse Removal of the Effect @ 2nd Coming On Race Sense of guilt (Genesis 3:7) Removed for believers; Loss of fellowship with God Gladness and joy, not sorrow; Isaiah 35:10 (Genesis 3:8) • Everlasting joy (:11) • New Covenant provisions (Jeremiah 31:31–34) • Earth full of the knowledge of God (:9) Not removed for unbelievers On Serpent Condemned to crawl Not removed, will still crawl in the (Genesis 3:14) Millennium (:25) On Satan Enmity between Satan’s Not removed – lost will exist in millennium seed (the lost) and the (Zechariah 5:1–4; 13:2–6; Revelation woman’s seed (the family of 20:7–10) God) (Genesis 3:15)

Death to Satan; bruise to Not removed – Satan lost permanently due Christ to Christ’s work on cross in which He was bruised On Eve and Pain in childbirth Removed – tremendous increase in birth Women (Genesis 3:16) rate (:19–20; Ezekiel 47:22) Birth with no pain (:7)

Women’s desire is for her Removed, joy and peace for believers husband (to rule him) May not be removed for unbelievers He will dominate her On Adam Curse on ground so must Removed – plentiful growth of food and Man work hard for food • No more weeds (:13) (Genesis 3:17–24) • Land will increase its yield (:23) • Deserts will bloom (Isaiah 35:1,2) • Plentiful water (Isaiah 30:25; 35:6b–7) • Desert becomes like Garden of Eden (Isaiah 51:3)

Death (Genesis 3:10) Removed, except for certain sins of unbelievers (Zechariah 5:1–4; 13:2–3; Isaiah 11:6,7; 65:20,25); No sickness (Isaiah 33:24; 29:18; 35:5,6)

Expulsion (Genesis 3:23–24) Not removed but desert will be like Garden of Eden (Isaiah 51:3; Ezekiel 36:35) and man will walk in fellowship with God upon the earth once again

Dominion over creation Removed – even a little boy will lead the distorted animals (Isaiah 11:6)

—End— Isaiah 35: Exposition and Biblical Theology 25

Bob Asher received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK. He then studied at Dallas Theological Seminary before completing his Master’s in Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Southwest University, Southwest Institute of Archaeology and Biblical History, Albuquerque, NM where he also was a Ph.D. candidate and taught Old Testament and Semitic Languages. He went home to be with the Lord while this article was in the editing process.