We continue with the subject of,

The Millennium and the End of Sin

The New Earth? And who Adventist believe will dwell there

We continue with our examination of Isaiah Chapter 34

VERSE 12 “They shall call its nobles to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing.”

VERSE 13 “And thorns shall come up in its palaces, Nettles and brambles in its fortresses; It shall be a habitation of jackals, A courtyard for ostriches.”

VERSE 14 “The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion; Also the night creature shall rest there, And find for herself a place of rest.”

VERSE 15 “There the arrow snake shall make her nest and lay eggs and hatch, and gather them under her shadow; There also shall the hawks be gathered, Everyone with her mate.”

There is an expression “birds of a feather flock together.” What an ill assortment of birds! It is like being in a desolate ghost town where only eerie sounds of the night are heard— vultures and wild beasts. In Verse 12 calls of “Is anybody here?” go unanswered in the emptiness, in the lack of populace and ruler-ship. The only occupants are those enumerated: screech owls, jackals (RSV), wild beasts, vultures. The screech owl’s cry sounds like a woman being forcibly molested. Like the lion, it depends upon its terrifying screech (roar) to paralyze its prey as it descends and viciously attacks at night.

One who happens to enter this desolate city at night would be afraid of creatures lurking in the shadows. Jackals or laughing hyenas have a dreadful snarl on their faces; they are cowardly but very vicious and sharp-toothed, relying on packs for courage. Similarly, many people who have no courage as individuals are vicious when part of a gang. Jackals snip at the edges of a herd and feed on the remains left behind by other animals.

All of these wild beasts and birds of prey occupy dark places and are sneaky and vicious. This is the situation in Babylon. Jesus likened Babylon to a tree in which every unclean bird roost on the branches (Matt. 13:32). Revelation 18:2 reads, “Babylon the great … is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” A lot of birds in one tree or cage produce a lot of droppings. And so, Babylon has embraced among its communicants the unregenerate, the wicked of the world.

Generally speaking, wild beasts and birds of prey hunt the weak, the old, and the sick so that they themselves will not get injured or have a problem. Just like human bullies, they are vicious but cowards. The criminal human element similarly preys on the elderly and the lame.

“Habitation of dragons” (Verse 13) is the “haunt of jackals” (RSV).

The statement “There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather [her young] under her shadow” refers to the multiplication of owls and vultures. Like a nest of scorpions, they breed more and more.

With all of these beasts and creatures, Verse 15 ends with “There shall the vultures also be gathered, everyone with her mate.”

Note: Verse 16, although marked with a paragraph break, is really attached to Verse 15. Both verses pertain to mating.

VERSE 16 “Search from the book of the Lord, and read: Not one of these shall fail; Not one shall lack her mate. For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.”

“Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read.” In other words, if you want information, if you want to know what will happen, read the Bible.

“No one of these [prophecies] shall fail, none shall want her mate.” Whether favorable or unfavorable, these predictions must be fulfilled.

An article in the first Reprint has the subtitle “Foretold, Fulfilled.” Until a prophecy is fulfilled, it lacks its “mate.” The Lord’s Word will not return unto Him void, but will accomplish its purpose (Isa. 55:11).

In the illustration here in Isaiah 34, the birds must have their mates; that is, the dire foreboding prophecies with regard to the destiny of Edom (Christendom) must be fulfilled (primarily from the spiritual standpoint). Every jot and tittle of a prophecy will be fulfilled, and when it is, it has met its mate. In the game of chess, the expression “checkmate” is used. Pieces are maneuvered on a board with the object of capturing the other party, and the final move is called “checkmate.”

“Checkmate” is defeat to the one party and victory to the other. The doom and judgment of Babylon will bring shame and confusion of face to those who held high positions in the system, but it will bring honor and vindication to the Lord.

The Song of Solomon shows a favorable fulfillment of prophecy, for the “song” pertains to the future wedding of the Church and the Bridegroom. The bride is multitudinous, consisting of many maidens who look forward to being united in marriage with Jesus. The time of the wedding is the “time of mating of prophecies,” for it is then that all end-of-the age prophecies will be fulfilled. Song 2:12 calls it “the time of the singing of birds.”

Thus, ends Chapter 34, Verse 17 is actually a part of Chapter 35 and as such will be examined when we begin Chapter 35 in our next post.

Keep in mind that the division of the text into chapter, paragraph, verse and etc., as is commonly now accepted, as well as vowels and punctuation are of a more recent invention (about the middle of the 16th century), added to the text by the translators.