Let’s dig into Isaiah 24-29. It will be digging deep, but here we go. Most think Isaiah 24-29 is one section predicting one future event. Some say it has a dual fulfillment, but I don’t believe that to be the case. If an Old Testament prediction is about a specific event, like the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), then it can have one and only one fulfillment. Isaiah 24-29 is predicting one specific event to occur in Isaiah’s future, and has no dual fulfillment. But what is that one future event that is predicted in those chapters? Let’s start digging.

Here are some of my conclusions on this section.

1 The predicted future (Isaiah’s future) events in Isaiah 24-29 would all occur at the same time. It says “on that day” several times (24:21; 25:9; 26:1; 27:1,13; 28:5. The phrase doesn’t necessarily mean one 24 hour day, but it does mean a specific period of time in the future. I might say, “in my dad’s day” and you know that means, not a 24 hour day, but period of time in his ife. The event(s) in all 6 chapters are said to be fulfilled in the future at the same time. But when is that time of fulfillment. Keep digging.

2 The destruction of Jerusalem and a judgement of the evil Jews is the main event predicted to happen in Isaiah’s future. 24:12; 25:2,12; 29:1-3,7 (Ariel is Jerusalem in these verses). Isaiah was written about 700 BC so I suppose it could be predicting the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC, but there are reasons to believe that it is predicting the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD and not the destruction in 586 BC. The reasons are given below. BTW this destruction is describe in figurative language (24:19 the earth is broken apart and split, which is typical figurative language used of the judgement of nations in the Old Testament). Keep digging.

3 Isaiah 28:16 predicted that a precious cornerstone will be laid in Zion in Isaiah’s future, and that prediction was fulfilled in Jesus being the cornerstone of the church. Isaiah 28:“Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
The one who believes in it will not be disturbed.” 1 Peter 2:6 quotes this verse and says that this prediction was fulfilled in Jesus being the chief cornerstone of the church. If Isaiah 28:16 is a prediction fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah, then it stands to reason that all 6 chapters will be fulfilled when the Messiah Jesus came. Keep digging.

4 Isaiah 25:7 predicts that in Isaiah’s future death will be swallowed up for all time, and that is a prediction fulfilled in 70 AD. Isaiah 25:7 “Now the Lord of armies will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined, aged wine.⁷ And on this mountain He will destroy the covering which is over all peoples, the veil which is stretched over all nations. ⁸ He will swallow up death for all time.” Jesus came to abolish spiritual death. Jesus began His reign over His spiritual kingdom, the church, when he ascended to the Father after his resurrection. He would reign till He conquered all his enemies. The last enemy to conquer was death (1 Corinthians 15:25,26). Actually He had already abolished death for believers during the transition period from 30-70 AD. 2 Timothy 1:10: “He has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel”. But spiritual death would not be officially destroyed until His coming in 70 AD to judge the Jews, using the Romans, at the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. Then, in 70 AD, spiritual death would be destroyed once for all time and immortality would be given to believers and to the righteous dead of the old covenant who would be raised in 70 AD just as Daniel predicted in Daniel 12:2. (Isaiah 26:19 predicted that resurrection to happen in 70 AD: “Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.”) Paul even says that some of those he was writing to at Corinth would still be alive to experience that immortality. 1 Cor 15:⁵¹ Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” He then says that in 70 AD at Jesus’ coming that Isaiah 25:7 would be fulfilled (and he quotes that verse) and that spiritual death would be destroyed. 1 Cor 15:⁵⁴ But when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written (in Isaiah 25:7): “Death has been swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; ⁵⁷ but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” The Law was the source of spiritual death and the Law ended in 70 AD. After 70 AD, there was no more temple (it has never been rebuilt), no more animal sacrifices, and no more priests. The writer of the book of Hebrews said that, at the time of writing of the book (about 60 AD), the Law and the old covenant was “about to disappear”. Hebrews 8:¹³ When He said, “A new covenant (the prediction of a new covenant made in Jeremiah 31:31-34),” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.” It officially did disappear and end in 70 AD. At the same time in 70 AD, spiritual death was destroyed once for all time. This fulfillment of Isaiah 25:7 in 70 AD shows that Isaiah 24-29 was a Messianic prediction and not the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. I am always amazed at those who say that Jesus has not defeated death yet. He defeated spiritual death for all believers. John 11:John 11:25-26: “Jesus said to her (i.e. to Martha), ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live'”, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” Jesus did not come to destroy physical death. Believers still die physically, but they will live on spiritually forever after physical death. Have we dug deep enough to discover the meaning of Isaiah 24-29? I hope so.

The conclusion then is that Isaiah 24-29 was a Messianic prediction to be fulfilled with the coming of Jesus the Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The 6 chapters are filled with figurative language that is hard to understand the exact meaning of, but we know that it has already been fulfilled in 70 AD. Most importantly these chapters in Isaiah tell us that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church and that spiritual death has been defeated once for all time. The predictions in Isaiah 24-29 were made in 700 BC, about 800 years before the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. This is another amazing example of fulfilled prophecy in the Old Testament.

Maybe you never ever studied Isaiah 24-29. I hope this study helps you understand these chapters but also to find some nuggets of truth in the amazing word of God. Keep digging deeper into the word of God and you will find many more treasures of truth.