Isaiah 34:10-17
Isa 34:10
It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof
shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none
shall pass through it for ever and ever.
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for
thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the
fire that never shall be quenched: (Mark 9:43)
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and
ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image,
and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:11)
Verse 10 is speaking about the permanency of God’s
judgment upon the human race on the last day.
Once all the unbelievers are sentenced to hell, the smoke of their
torment goes up forever and ever plus the fire of judgment in hell is never
quenched. It will be a perpetual
damnation as it will continue to burn from generation to generation which is
speaking about everlasting in nature.
None shall ever escape its clutches because when one is there, they will
be there forever.
Isa 34:11
But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the
owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the
line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.
Edom will become a haven for all kinds of wild birds and
animals. This will happen because
it will be uninhabited by humans from which animals and birds normally avoid.
All that will be left is chaos and confusion.
Normally a plumb line is used to measure whether a building is being
built straight but here there will be no straight line as all will be in
disarray. The stones of emptiness
will be formless and void and unusable for any proper structure.
The only thing they will be good for is to be removed permamently.
Isa 34:12
They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but
none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
Then the people of Edom will attempt to find some type of
government and they will seek those who are nobles to run the government and
defend them but there will be none available as all will be gone.
Then they shall seek for princes to run the government and bring a
semblance of order but they will become nothing, that is, insignificant without
any strength or wisdom to run the country.
Edom will no longer be a country never mind a powerful one.
Isa 34:13
And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and
brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons,
and a court for owls.
As a result of the destruction of Edom, wild plants will
overgrow the previously inhabited palaces of the nobles and princes.
Nettles are plants with thorns on them and brambles are also thorny
plants. Not only will it grow over
with vegetation but it shall become the habitation of all kinds of land animals
and a place where owls will build their nests.
It will eventually become an uninhabitable waste land.
Isa 34:14
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the
wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech
owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
Those animals that prowl the desert will also dwell with
those who are in marshy lands. This means that Edom in its entirety will be
brought down and given over to the animals and birds.
The satyr is like a rough hairy goat and is only mentioned here in
Isaiah. (13:21) The screech owl is
a bird of the night which will be able to safely find a place for herself and be
able to have young without any threats from a human.
Isa 34:15
There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and
hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered,
every one with her mate.
The great owl may be the Egyptian eagle-owl which is also
found in southern Europe. They are
also found frequently in Egypt and Israel among ancient ruins.
The great owl may raise her young without any fear of humans coming after
them. Then there will be vultures
who will be present and they will feed upon the dead carcasses of both animals
and humans.
Isa 34:16
Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of
these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and
his spirit it hath gathered them.
Isaiah now tells his hearers that they are to take the
book of the LORD which is the Scriptures that they had up to that time which
would have include some of the prophets and the law.
They were to read and realize that everything which God had stated would
happen will come to pass in his timing.
None shall want her mate would be referring to the fact that the
fulfilment of these things was not depending upon whether the animals have mates
or not but will be fulfilled by the LORD himself and these animals would have
refuge in Edom in perpetuity. The
LORD had decreed it and he himself will carry out the plan he has just spoken
of.
Isa 34:17
And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath
divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to
generation shall they dwell therein.