1 st Coming of Christ

2. God’s Plan of the Ages 2nd Coming of Christ Rev 19:11-21; Mt 24:29-31; Mk 13:24-27 T R I B E S M O U R N Great White Throne Judgment Rev 20:11-15 Nations Gathered at Har-magedon Rev 16:12-16 elect gathered Judgment of the Nations Mt 25:31-46 Daniel’s 70th Week Rev 6-19 Dan 9:24-27 Meltdown of Matter 2 Pet 3:10-13 1st Coming of Christ Covenant Made with the Many for One Week Dan 9:27 New Heaven / Earth Rev 21-22 Abomination of Desolation Mt 24:15; Mk 13:14;Dan 12:1 Day of Wrath Day of God The Day of the Lord Pentecost Battle of Gog & Magog 1000-year Reign of Christ The Calling Out of Jew & Gentile into One Body Revelation 2-3 3½ years 3½ years Revelation 20:1-6 Lake of Fire Rev 20:11-15 Mt 25:41,46 Satan Bound Rev 20:1-3 Satan Loosed Rev 20:7-9 Pentecost 2 ??? Pentecost 3 Bottomless Pit (Abyss) Rev 20:1-3

4. After the restoration of Israel (2:26-28) 586 BC AD 30 820 BC ??? The Day of the Lord Pentecost 3 Pentecost 1 Pentecost 2 Joel Babylonian Captivity

6. GOSPEL PREACHED INTO WHOLE WORLD BIRTHPANGS BIRTH And then... the End shall come! SAINTS WILL BE PURGED, PURIFIED & REFINED Day of God’s Wrath • CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TIMES • religious deceivers • wars, rumors of wars, • disturbances • famines, earthquakes, • plaques • terrors, great signs from • heaven • persecution of believers • apostasy • false Christs & false • prophets • lawlessness increased • love of many grow cold TRIBES MOURN Michael shall arise THE GREAT TRIBULATION or THE TRIBULATION • Stone cut without hands • God’s eternal indestructible Kingdom • the Highest • One • saints • people of the • saints Days cut short for the elect’s sake elect gathered • Little horn will devour, tread down, crush the whole earth, • He wages war with saints • overpowers them • wears them down • alters time and law • Dominion will be annihilated • Destruction is decreed • destroyed without human agency • 10 horns • Little horn • uproots 3 horns • battles with kings of • the South & the North other countries, the Beautiful Land, & Egypt • Edom, Moah & • Ammon rescued • destroys many who • are at ease Matthew 24:31 Matthew 24:29-30 Covenant made for one week THRONES SET UP ANCIENT OF DAYS SON OF MAN ISRAEL BECOMES A NATION ISRAEL TAKESS BACK JERUSALEM • Rescue • Resurrection • Reward RESCUE FOR JEWS (Dan 12:1) TIME OF GREAT DISTRESS X 3½ years 3 ½ years 1260 days 1290 days Power of Holy People Shattered (Dan 12:7) 1335 days Blessedness 1948 1967 Matthew 24:1-14 Matthew 24:15-28 Complete destruction on one who makes desolate (Dan 9:27) Sacrifice & Grain Offering stopped Abomination of Desolation set up

7. 29. Water flowing east from under the south side of the temple – Ezekiel 47:1-12

8. “Joel 3:2,12, parallel to Zec. 14:2-4, where the mount of Olives answers to the ‘valley of Jehoshaphat’ in Joel. Possibly ‘the valley of BERACHAH’..., where between Tekoa and the main road from Bethlehem to Hebron Jehoshaphat assembled the people to bless Jehovah for the victory over Ammon, Moab, etc. (2 Chr. 20:20-26). The valley with the Kedron at its foot is now called ‘the valley of Jehoshaphat.’ But it was not anciently so; Jerome and the Onomasticon of Eusebius first call it so in the fourth century A.D. As the Jews bury worn out rolls of Scripture (for which they have such a deep reverence) here, it is likely the Jehoshaphat from whom the valley is named was a rabbi held in veneration. The tomb called Jehoshaphat’s tomb (an excavation with an architectural front) is certainly not that of the king Jehoshaphat, for he was buried in the city of David (2 Chr. 21:1).... The enemies Tyre, Sidon, the Philistines, Edom, and Egypt (Joel 3:4,19), are types of the last confederacy under antichrist (Rev. 16; Rev. 17; Rev. 19), which shall assail restored Israel and shall be judged by Jehovah. As Jehoshaphat means ‘the judgment of Jehovah,’ ‘the valley of Jehoshaphat’ is probably the general name for the scene of His judgment, Jehoshaphat’s victory over the godless horde that sought to dispossess Judah typifying the last victory over the anti-Christian host that shall seek to dispossess restored Israel (Ezek. 38-39).... The word in Joel is `eemeq, which means a ‘spacious valley’, not a narrow ravine (for which the term is nachal) such as the valley of the Kedron. In Joel 3:14 ‘the valley of Jehoshaphat’ is called ‘the valley of decision’ or ‘excision,’ where the foes shall meet their determined doom. ‘ ‘ARMAGEDDON’... in Rev. 16:16 corresponds: from har a mountain, and Megiddo the valley of Jezreel, the great battle field of Canaan, where godly Josiah fell before Pharaoh Necho. Some great plain anti-typical to the two valleys will probably be the scene of the last conflict.” Fausset on “The valley of Jehoshaphat”

9. The commerce of the whole world was gathered into the warehouses of Tyre. ‘Tyrian merchants were the first who ventured to navigate the Mediterranean waters; and they founded their colonies on the coasts and neighbouring islands of the Aegean Sea, in Greece, on the northern coast of Africa, at Carthage and other places, in Sicily and Corsica, in Spain at Tartessus, and even beyond the pillars of Hercules at Gadeira (Cadiz)’ (Driver’s Isaiah). In the time of David a friendly alliance was entered into between the Hebrews and the Tyrians, who were long ruled over by their native kings (2Sa 5:11; 1Ki 5:1; 2Ch 2:3). Tyre consisted of two distinct parts, a rocky fortress on the mainland, called ‘Old Tyre,’ and the city, built on a small, rocky island about half-a-mile distant from the shore.It was a place of great strength. It was besieged by Shalmaneser, who was assisted by the Phoenicians of the mainland, for five years, and by Nebuchadnezzar (B.C. 586-573) for thirteen years, apparently without success. It afterwards fell under the power of Alexander the Great, after a siege of seven months, but continued to maintain much of its commercial importance till the Christian era. It is referred to in Mt 11:21 and Ac 12:20. In A.D. 1291 it was taken by the Saracens, and has remained a desolate ruin ever since. ‘The purple dye of Tyre had a worldwide celebrity on account of the durability of its beautiful tints, and its manufacture proved a source of abundant wealth to the inhabitants of that city.’ Both Tyre and Sidon ‘were crowded with glass-shops, dyeing and weaving establishments; and among their cunning workmen not the least important class were those who were celebrated for the engraving of precious stones’ (2Ch 2:7,14). The wickedness and idolatry of this city are frequently denounced by the prophets, and its final destruction predicted (Isa 23:1; Jer 25:22; Eze 26:1; 28:1-19; Am 1:9,10; Zec 9:2-4). TYRE - “a rock, now es-Sur; an ancient Phoenician city, about 23 miles, in a direct line, north of Acre, and 20 south of Sidon. Sidon was the oldest Phoenician city, but Tyre had a longer and more illustrious history. Easton on “Tyre”

10. SIDON - “a fishery, a town on the Mediterranean coast, about 25 miles north of Tyre. It received its name from the ‘first-born’ of Canaan, the grandson of Noah (Ge 10:15,19). It was the first home of the Phoenicians on the coast of Palestine, and from its extensive commercial relations became a ‘great’ city (Jos 11:8; 19:28). It was the mother city of Tyre. It lay within the lot of the tribe of Asher, but was never subdued (Jud 1:31). The Zidonians long oppressed Israel (Jud 10:12). From the time of David its glory began to wane, and Tyre, its ‘virgin daughter’ (Isa 23:12) rose to its place of pre-eminence. Solomon entered into a matrimonial alliance with the Zidonians, and thus their form of idolatrous worship found a place in the land of Israel (1Ki 11:1,33). This city was famous for its manufactures and arts, as well as for its commerce (1Ki 5:6; 1Ch 22:4; Eze 27:8). It is frequently referred to by the prophets (Isa 23:2,4,12; Jer 25:22; 27:3; 47:4; Eze 27:8; 28:21,22; 32:30; Joe 3:4). Our Lord visited the ‘coasts’ of Tyre and Zidon = Sidon (q.v.), (Mt 15:21; Mr 7:24; Lu 4:26) and from this region many came forth to hear him preaching (Mr 3:8; Lu 6:17). From Sidon, at which the ship put in after leaving Caesarea, Paul finally sailed for Rome (Ac 27:3,4). This city is now a town of 10,000 inhabitants, with remains of walls built in the twelfth century A.D. In 1855, the sarcophagus of Eshmanezer was discovered. From a Phoenician inscription on its lid, it appears that he was a ‘king of the Sidonians,’ probably in the third century B.C., and that his mother was a priestess of Ashtoreth, ‘the goddess of the Sidonians.’ In this inscription Baal is mentioned as the chief god of the Sidonians”. Easton on “Sidon” or “Zidon”

11. Fausset on “Philistia” “As in Amos and Jeremiah the Philistines are traced to Caphtor, probably the Casluhim and Caphtorim were tribes which intermingled, the Caphtorim having strengthened the Casluchian colony by immigration; so the Philistines may be said to have come from either (Bochart). Philistia is derived from the Ethiopic falasa ‘to emigrate,’ Hebrew palash, ‘wander.’ ...Successive emigrations of the same race took place into Philistia, first the Casluhim, then the Caphtorim from both of which came the Philistines, who seemingly were in subjection in CAPHTOR..., from whence ‘Jehovah brought them up’ (Amos 9:7).... “Their immigration to the neighborhood of Gerar in the south country was before Abraham's time, for he deals with them as a pastoral tribe there (Gen. 21:32,84; 26:1,8). This agrees with the statement (Deut. 2:23) that the Avim dwelt in Hazerim, i.e. in nomadic encampments. By the time of the exodus the Philistines had become formidable (Exo. 13:17; 15:14). At Israel's invasion of Canaan they had advanced N. and possessed fully the seacoast plain from the river of Egypt (el Arish) to Ekron in the N. (Josh. 15:4,47), a confederacy of the five cities (originally Canaanite) Gaza (the leading one), Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron (always put last). Each city had its prince (called seren or sar: Josh. 13:3 ‘lords’): Amos 1:7,8.... “Their plain was famed for its fertility in grain, vines, and olives (Judg. 15:5), so that it was the refuge from times of famine (2 Kings 8:2; compare Gen. 26:12). It suited war chariots, while the low hills of the shephelah afforded sites for fortresses. Philistia is an undulating plain, 32 miles long, and from nine to 16 broad, from 30 to ft. above the sea. To the E. lie low spurs culminating in hog's backs running N. and S., and rising in places 1,200 ft. above the sea. To the E. of these the descent is steep, about 500 ft., to valleys E. of which the hill country begins. The sand is gaining on the land, so that one meets often a deep hollow in the sand, and a fig tree or apple tree growing at the bottom, or even a house and patch of ground below the sand level. It was the commercial thoroughfare between Phoenicia and Syria on the N. and Egypt and Arabia in the S. Ashdod and Gaza were the keys of Egypt, and the latter was the depot of Arabian produce (Pint., Alex. 25). The term ‘Canaan’ (merchant) applied to the Philistine land (Zeph. 2:5) proves its commercial character. They sold Israelites as slaves to Edom and Greece, for which God threatens retribution in kind, and destruction (Amos 1:6-8; Joel 3:3-8). They were skilled as smiths in Saul's days; at the beginning of his reign they had so subjugated Israel as to forbid them to have any smith...: 1 Sam. 13:19-22. Their images, golden mice, emerods, and armour imply excellence in the arts (1 Sam. 6:11; 17:5,6). They carried their idols with them in war (2 Sam. 5:21), and published their triumphs in the house of their gods; these were DAGON (Judg. 16:23)..., Ashtaroth (1 Sam. 31:9,10), Baalzebub (2 Kings 1:2-6), and Derceto (Diod. Sic. 2:4). Their god Dagon was half man and half fish; Derceto was the female deity, with the face of a woman and body of a fish; our mermaid is derived from them. They had priests and diviners (1 Sam. 6:2), ‘soothsayers’ (Isa. 2:6). Their wealth in money was great (Judg. 16:5,18). They had advanced military posts or garrisons in Israel's land (1 Sam. 10:5; 13:3,17); from whence they sent forth spoilers, so that travelers durst not go by the highways (Judg. 5:6), and the Israelites hid from the Philistines in caves, or else fled beyond Jordan (1 Sam. 13:6,7). “Though the Philistine land was allotted to Israel, it was never permanently occupied (Josh. 13:2; 15:2,12,45-47; Judg. 1:18; 3:5,31; 13-16). Neither Shamgar nor Samson delivered Israel permanently from the Philistines. The Israelites so lost heart that they in fear of the Philistines bound Samson (Judg. 15:12). The effort to deliver the nation from the Philistines was continued unsuccessfully under Eli (1 Sam. 4), successfully under Samuel (1 Sam. 7:9-14); Saul (Israel's desire for a king was that he might lead them in war: 1 Sam. 8:20), 1 Sam. 13; 14; 17; David (after the disaster at Gilboa: 1 Sam. 31), 2 Sam. 5:17-25, when they dared to penetrate even to the valley of Rephaim, S.W. of Jerusalem, and to Bethlehem (1 Chr. 11:16-18; 14:8-16), taking their images, and pursuing them to Gazer, then taking Gath and so wresting the supremacy from the Philistines... (1 Chr. 18:1; 2 Sam. 8:1), so that encounters with the Philistines henceforth were in their own land (2 Sam. 21:15-22). Solomon had them tributary (1 Kings 4:21,24; compare 1 Kings 2:39). The Egyptian Pharaoh took Gezer at the head of the Philistia plain, and gave it as his daughter's marriage portion to Solomon (1 Kings 9:16,17); and Solomon fortified it and Bethhoron, to command the passes from the Philistia plain to the central region. At Israel's disruption Rehoboam fortified Gath, etc., against the Philistines (2 Chr. 11:8). But the Philistines laid hold of Gibbethon commanding the defile leading from Sharon up to Samaria; Israel had a long struggle for its recovery (1 Kings 15:27; 16:15). The tribute had ceased, only some paid presents to Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 17:11). Under Jehoram they invaded Judah (2 Chr. 21:16,17). Uzziah inflicted a decisive blow on them, dismantling their cities Gath, Ashdod, and Jahneh, and building commanding forts in their land (2 Chr. 26:6; Amos 6:2). But under the weak Ahaz the Philistines recovered, and invaded the cities of the low country and S. of Judah, taking Bethshemesh, Ajalon, Gederoth. Shocho, Timnah, and Gimzo: Isa. 9:12, ‘the Syrians before (i.e. from the E., which quarter they faced in marking the points of the compass) and the Philistines behind,’ i.e. from the W. (2 Chr. 28:18.) Isaiah (Isa. 14:29-32) warns Philistia, ‘rejoice not because the rod of him (Uzziah) that smote thee is broken; for out of the serpent's (as the Philistines regarded Uzziah) root shall come forth a cockatrice,’ i.e. a more deadly adder, namely, Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:8), ‘and the firstborn of the poor (i.e. the most abject poor, Hebraism; the Jews heretofore exposed to Philistia's invasions and oppression) shall feed in safety.’ Hezekiah had Egypt for his ally in resisting Assyria, possibly also in subduing the Philistines. Hence Sargon's annals (Bunsen, Eg. 4:603) term Gaza and Ashkelon "Egyptian cities.” His general Tartan took Ashdod, as key of Egypt (Isa. 20:1-5). The Assyrians fortified it so strongly that it stood a 29 years' siege under Psammetichus (Herodot. 2:157). Sennacherib took Ashkelon, and gave part of Hezekiah's land as a reward to Ashdod, Gaza, and Ekron for their submission (Rawlinson 1:477). After the Babylonian captivity (Ezek. 25:15-17) the Philistines vented their ‘old hatred’ on the Jews, for which God as He foretold ‘executed vengeance on them with furious rebukes, and destroyed the remnant,’ namely, by Psammetichus, Necho (Jer. 25:20), and Nebuchadnezzar who overran their cities on his way to Egypt (Jer. 47), and finally by Alexander the Great, as foretold (Zec. 9:5,6, ‘the king shall perish from Gaza’; Alexander bound Betis the satrap to his chariot by thongs thrust through his feet, and dragged round the city; the conqueror slew 10,000, and sold the rest as slaves: Zeph. 2:4,5). “At Medinet Haboo there are sculptures representing Philistine prisoners and warriors and ships attacked by Egyptians (Rosellini). They used sometimes to burn their prisoners alive (Judg. 15:6; Ps. 78:63). Their speech differed from the Jews' language (Neh. 13:23,24).”

12. Easton & Fausset on “the Sabeans” “Descendants of Seba(Ge 10:7), Africans (Isa 43:3). They were ‘men of stature,’ and engaged in merchandise (Isa 45:14). Their conversion to the Lord was predicted (Ps 72:10)” (Easton). On Seba, Faussett adds, “Son of Cush, i.e. Ethiopia (Gen. 10:7). A commercial and wealthy region of Ethiopia (Ps. 72:10; Isa. 43:3; 45:14 ‘men of stature’). The Macrobian Ethiopians were reported to be the tallest and comeliest of men (Herodotus 3:20). Meroe, at the confluence of the Astaboras and Astapus, was called Seba, until Cambyses called it Meroe from his sister (Josephus, Ant. 2:10). Seba is distinct from Sheba, which is Semitic; Seba is Hamitic. The Sebaeans were an Ethiopian, ruling race, which dwelt about Meroe the capital, and were physically superior to the rest of the people. Shebek, or Sabacho or So, founded here an Ethiopian kingdom which ruled Egypt. Meru means an island in Egyptian; Meru-pet is ‘the island of Pet,’ the bow, or else ‘Phut.’ The Astaboras is the Atbara, the most northern tributary of the Nile, and the Astapus and Astasobas unite to form the Blue river; these bound the island Meroe.” Easton on “Edom” “Idumea (Isa 34:5,6; Eze 35:15), ‘The field of Edom’ (Ge 32:3), ‘the land ofEdom’ (Ge 36:16) was mountainous (Ob 1:8,9,19,21). It was called the land, or ‘the mountain of Seir,’ the rough hills on the east side of the Arabah. It extended from the head of the Gulf of Akabah, the Elanitic gulf, to the foot of the Dead Sea (1Ki 9:26) and contained, among other cities, the rock-hewn Sela (q.v.), generally known by the Greek name Petra (2Ki 14:7). It is a wild and rugged region, traversed by fruitful valleys. Its old capital was Bozrah (Isa 63:1). The early inhabitants of the land were Horites. They were destroyed by the Edomites (De 2:12) between whom and the kings of Israel and Judah there was frequent war (2Ki 8:20; 2Ch 28:17). At the time of the Exodus they churlishly refused permission to the Israelites to pass through their land (Nu 20:14-21) and ever afterwards maintained an attitude of hostility toward them. They were conquered by David (2Sa 8:14 comp. 1Ki 9:26) and afterwards by Amaziah (2Ch 25:11,12). But they regained again their independence, and in later years, during the decline of the Jewish kingdom (2Ki 16:6 R.V. marg., “Edomites”), made war against Israel. They took part with the Chaldeans when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, and afterwards they invaded and held possession of the south Jerusalem, and afterwards they invaded and held possession of the south of Palestine as far as Hebron.At length, however, Edom fell under the growing Chaldean power (Jer 27:3,6). There are many prophecies concerning Edom (Isa 34:5,6; Jer 49:7-18; Eze 25:13; 35:1-15; Joe 3:19; Am 1:11; Obad; Mal 1:3,4) which have been remarkably fulfilled. The present desolate condition of that land is a standing testimony to the inspiration of these prophecies. After an existence as a people for above seventeen hundred years, they have utterly disappeared, and their language even is forgotten for ever. In Petra, ‘where kings kept their court, and where nobles assembled, there no man dwells; it is given by lot to birds, and beasts, and reptiles.’ The Edomites were Semites, closely related in blood and in language to the Israelites. They dispossessed the Horites of Mount Seir; though it is clear, from Ge 36:1... that they afterwards intermarried with the conquered population. Edomite tribes settled also in the south of Judah, like the Kenizzites (Ge 36:11) to whom Caleb and Othniel belonged (Jos 15:17) The southern part of Edom was known as Teman” Easton on “Shittim” “acacias, also called ‘Abel-shittim’ (Nu 33:49), a plain or valley in the land of Moab where the Israelites were encamped after their two victories over Sihon and Og, at the close of their desert wanderings, and from which Joshua sent forth two spies (q.v.) ‘secretly’ to ‘view’ the land and Jericho (Jos 2:1)”.

13. The Timing of the Invasion 1. Israel is a state again 2. The waste places of past centuries are inhabited 3. Israel is dwelling in unwalled villages (present-day kibbutzim) 4. Israel is dwelling securely, ie, “confidence” regardless of whether it is during a state of war or peace The Mountains of Israelextend the length of the center of the country, beginning at the southern point of the Valley of Jezreel at the town of Jenin in Galilee (biblical Ein Ganim), & continuing south until they peter out at a point north of Beersheba in the Negev. These mountains contain the famous biblical cities of Dothan, Shechem, Samaria, Shiloh, Bethel, Ai, Ramah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Debir, & most importantly Jerusalem, which seems to be the goal of this invading army. Up to 1967 all of the mountains of Israel, except for a small corridor of West Jerusalem were entirely in the hands of the Jordanian Arabs. Only since 1967 have the mountains of Israel been in Israel, thus setting the stage for the fulfillment of this prophecy (A. Fruchtenbaum) X X X X 3 ½ years Abomination of Desolation 3 ½ years Five Views as to When the Russian Invasion will Take Place 1. Russian Invasion will occur before the 70th week of Daniel. 2. It will occur when the Abomination of Desolation is set up. 3. It will occur at Armageddon. 4. It will occur in the Interlude between The Tribulation & the Millennium (unlikely). 5. It will occur at the end of the Millennium (unlikely). ? ? ? ? ? The Millennium

14. X X X X 3 ½ years Abomination of Desolation 3 ½ years ? ? ? ? ? The Millennium Israel returns to the Land Israel takes back Jerusalem tribes mourn Israel dispersed among nations The Tribulation Battle of Armageddon 1948 1967 The Supper of God

15. 35:1 The wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus 35:2 It will blossom profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, The majesty of our God. 35:3 Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. The Deserts Blossom (35:1-7) BKC - 35:1-2 - The description in this chapter of the land and the people is a highlight of the first half of the book. This is the desired millennial state for which the nation has longed since God first promised it to Abraham. This is the state that mankind constantly longs for - a utopia in which peace and fertility prevail. This condition will not come, however, till after God’s judgment on the world (Isa_34:1-17). This emphasis in Isaiah rules out postmillennialism, which teaches that the world will get increasingly better thus bringing in the kingdom which will be followed by the Messiah’s return. The amillennial teaching that there will be no earthly kingdom at all because the Old Testament promises to Israel are being fulfilled in the church today is also foreign to Isaiah’s thought. Isaiah taught that the Lord will regather believing Israel, Abraham’s physical descendants, and will establish God’s long-awaited kingdom on earth. That promised restoration is not being fulfilled in the church today in any sense. In the Millennium the parched land will become rich agricultural land (cf. Isa_32:15). The dry areas of the nation will become fertile (figuratively expressed as being glad) and will blossom.Apparently God will bring about climatic changes that will result in more rain in those areas.Lebanon… Carmel, and Sharon, which were becoming barren (see Isa_33:9…), will once again become fruitful areas of agriculture. People in those areas will see the Lord’s glory, that is, they will see the fruitfulness that comes because of righteousness; they will see Him who will be dwelling in their midst as King (cf. …Isa_33:17). Barnes - 35:3 Streng-then ye - That is, you who are the religious teachers and guides of the people… Or it may be regarded as address-ed to the officers and ministers of religion when these blessings should have come; …to make use of the influ-ences, the promises, and the consolations which would attend the coming of the Messiah, to strengthen the feeble, and confirm those who were faint-hearted. Preacher - From Wasteland to Garden As creation was reversed in the devastation of Edom, so the garden is restored in the transformation of Zion. As a means of communicating with the children of Israel, Isaiah may well be envisioning the desert region known as the Arabah, which runs down through the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Arabah on the Persian Gulf. A deep valley below sea level, the Arabah is the Death Valley of the Middle East - uninhabited, unproductive, and uninviting. To transform that desert into a carpet of crocuses whose beauty gladdens the heart and puts a song on the lips is a miracle indeed. Every person in Judah and Jerusalem who had seen the Arabah would understand the transformation that brought the cedars of Lebanon, the oaks of Carmel, and the roses of Sharon to the wasteland (Isa_35:2). The smell, the strength, and the sight of these wonders of nature would cause every eye to open wide and see the "glory of the LORD" and "the excellency of our God" (Isa_35:2). Barnes - The weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees - Fear relaxes the strength of the arms, and the firmness of the knees; and the expressions ‘weak hands,’ and ‘feeble knees,’ become synonymous with saying, of a timid, fearful, and desponding frame of mind. Such were to be strengthened by the assurance of the favor of God, and by the consolations which would flow from the reign of the Messiah. The Jews, who looked abroad upon the desolations of their country, were to be comforted by the hope of future blessings; those who lived in those future times were to be consoled by the assurances of the favor of God through the Messiah...

16. 35:4 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." 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 35:6 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. The Deserts Blossom (35:1-7) Barnes - 35:4Of a fearful heart - Of a timid, pusillanimous heart; those who tremble before their enemies. The Hebrew is, as in the Margin, ‘Of a hasty heart;’ that is, of those who are disposed to flee before their enemies… Behold, your God will come with vengeance - That is, in the manner described in the previous chapter; and, generally, he will take vengeance on all the enemies of his people, and they shall be punished. The language in this chapter is, in part, derived from the captivity at Babylon Isa_35:10, and the general idea is, that God would take vengeance on all their enemies, and would bring them complete and final deliverance… The general promise is, that however many enemies might attack them, or however much they might fear them, yet that Yahweh would be their protector, and would completely humble and prostrate all their foes. Preacher – From Weak to Strong - Three morale problems are addressed in the transformation of attitudes among the children of Israel. "Weak hands" is the symbol of powerlessness and the inability to get things done. "Feeble knees" suggests the inability to move forward with a sense of direction. As we remember, the drunken leaders of Israel had misled the people so that they no longer trusted their leaders or themselves. The "fearful-hearted" are the people who have been traumatized again and again by threats of attack and destruction so that they lived emotionally on the raw edge of frenzy. To live constantly in fear drains the body, mind, and soul of its vitality, creativity, and faith. Put yourself in the place of a person who has no hope, or confidence, and lives in constant fear. To you the Lord says, "Be strong, do not fear … He will come and save you!" (Isa_35:4).Your weak hands feel the strength to get things done again, your feeble knees are steadied for a forward step, and your fearful heart is calmed in the confidence that the Lord will dispel your enemies and save you. The change of the environment from a desert to a garden might have been miraculous, but it is nothing compared to the transformation of the human spirit. Preacher – 35:5-7 From Lame to Leaping – A…work is promised in the transformation of the physical disabilities of blind, deaf, lame, and mute people. In a forecast of Jesus' ministry, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will run "like a deer," and the mute will sing. While Isaiah has used blindness and deafness as metaphors for persons who are spiritually blind and deaf to the Word of God, the fact that he joins them with the disabilities of being lame and mute means that he expects physical as well as spiritual healing. The transformation of Zion and its people would not be complete without physical healing. From Drought to Delta - Life in the Middle East depends on water. In the desolation of judgment revealed in chapter 34, the sources of water dried up, leaving only dust in its place (Isa_35:7-9). Old Testament symbolism equates water with life and dust with death. So naturally, in the transformation of Zion, out of the dust of the wilderness, the desert, the parched ground, and the thirsty land burst the artesian wells, streams, pools, and springs of life-giving water. In direct contrast, then, with Edom being turned into a dusty land where only thorns and thistles grow, God's transforming power will turn the "habitation of jackals" (Isa_34:13 and 35:7) into a fertile delta of grass, reeds, and rushes. As Egypt had its rich delta created by the waters of the Nile, so Zion would have its deltas created by the miracle of God.

17. 35:7 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. 35:8 And 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. 35:9 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, 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD will return, And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away. The Deserts Blossom (35:1-7) The Highway of Holiness (35:8-10) of the unsuspecting traveler. Because of the terrain, major roads for caravans bypassed Jerusalem on the east along the Mediterranean coast and on the west around the Dead Sea. The children of Israel could only dream of a highway through Judah and to Jerusalem that would be broad, straight, and safe for trade and travelers. Their dream is fulfilled in the glorious future of Zion when God transforms the uncharted wilderness into a superhighway that would be the envy of modern road builders. To qualify as a highway, a path through the mountains will have to be cut and the valleys raised to make the road level and straight. Its name will be the "Highway of Holiness" because it is the work and the way of the Holy One of Israel…. The Highway of Holiness will also be so plainly marked that the simplest soul can travel on it without going astray and so safely protected that the most innocent souls can walk on it without fear of animal ambush (Isa_35:9). …For the "ransomed of the LORD," the Highway of Holiness leads home. Zion is the destination and the songs of joy and gladness replace the dirge of "sorrow and sighing" as the destination comes into view…. Preacher - 35:8-10 From Wilderness to Highway In forthcoming chapters, a "highway" is to become one of Isaiah's favorite analogies for envisioning the return of the children of Israel from exile and communicating the meaning of God's way for His people (Isa_40:3; 41:17; 43:14; 48:21). The concept is introduced here as part of the transformation of the uncharted wilderness into a Superhighway for the redeemed of the Lord. Israel did not have a reputation for its roads. Without the techniques and tools for road building that gained sophistication with the coming of the Roman Empire, the mountains and hills of the Holy Land were traversed with narrow, winding and Stony footpaths through wilds where animals lurked in ambush