Death Is Swallowed Up

September 16

Isaiah 23-25

Psalm 105:1-6

Proverbs 22:28-29

Philippians 3:12-21

Death Is Swallowed Up

“And Yahweh of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all people on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.  And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations.  He will swallow up death for all time, and Lord Yahweh will wipe tears away from all faces, and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;  for Yahweh has spoken.  And it will be said in that day, ‘Behold, this is our God in whom we have hoped that He would save us.  This is Yahweh in whom we have hoped; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.’”  Isaiah 25:6-9 LSB 

This a beautiful prophecy of a future feast on Mt. Zion prepared by God symbolizing His ultimate victory over death.  There are several significant things to note in this passage.  The feast is prepared by God Himself and He will serve the finest meat and wine in abundance.  The feast will be for “all peoples.”  Up until this point God’s blessings had been for the Jews.  There was coming a time when the message of salvation would be available to all, Jews and Gentiles, emphasizing God’s love and desire that all would come to know Him.  The covering or veil Isaiah referred to in verse 7 is the veil of sin that separates us from God.  From the moment sin entered the world in the Garden, there has been a “veil” over man’s eyes.  “For now we see in a mirror dimly but then face to face.  Now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”  I Corinthians 13:12 LSB  There is an ignorance and darkness that accompanies sin.  Just as the darkness of night does not allow us to see clearly, the darkness of sin dims our senses so that we do not understand the reality of our situation.  There is coming a time when this veil will be removed and we will see and understand fully.  We will recognize truth and no longer be deceived by the lies of Satan.  I think the veil may also refer to the fear of death.  There is a universal dread and fear of death and dying.  Even for believers there is some fear of the unknown and of the process of death.  We are assured that when we close our eyes in death here on earth, we will open them in heaven.  Death is not final, it is a doorway to the rest of eternity for us, but it still involves separation from those we love for a time so it is understandable that there will be some anxiety about it.

This is a messianic prophecy foretelling about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection when He would defeat death and hell, and the gospel would be preached throughout the world providing eternal life to all who would believe in Him. But it also foretells a future time, at His second coming, when death will be swallowed up completely, all tears will be wiped away and there will be peace on earth.  There will be no more death or fear or anxiety.  We will be able to celebrate a wonderful feast prepared by God where we can rejoice and be glad in our salvation.  It will be the culmination of our hope and faith resulting in immense joy and peace.