Isaiah on Tuesday - The Scroll is Sealed

The more I read Isaiah, the more he is my friend. I never cease to be amazed at the words of this prophet. In the 28th chapter of Isaiah, an indictment is leveled against Israel and the future is laid out - a future revealed by the the Revelation of Apostle John , particularly the 5th chapter.

As Isaiah closes his vision of "that day", the day of the LORD, he foretells of a time when Ariel is
besieged by hordes of enemies and

4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble out of the dust.
Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.

[An aside - the language here is stunning. I think that's an incredibly vivid picture, purely from an aesthetic standpoint]

Yet the besieging enemies will be "blown like chaff." The destruction of Ariel's enemies is not a wholly triumphant affair for Israel, however:

6 the LORD Almighty will come
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.

and

9 Be stunned and amazed,
blind yourselves and be sightless;
be drunk, but not from wine,
stagger, but not from beer.

10 The LORD has brought over you a deep sleep:
He has sealed your eyes (the prophets)
he has covered your heads (the seers).

But here is the tie-in with John's Revelation:

11 For you this whole vision is nothing but words sealed in a scroll. And if you give the scroll to someone who can read, and say to him, "Read this, please," he will answer, "I can't; it is sealed." 12 Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say, "Read this, please," he will answer, "I don't know how to read."

Read this alongside Revelation 5:

1Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" 3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

The vision of "That day" is sealed in a scroll and none are worthy to open it, indeed, they cannot. And why is the scroll sealed? Isaiah continues:

13 The Lord says:
"These people come near to me with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
Their worship of me
is made up only of rules taught by men.

They have exchanged the love of God for the love of rules, the fear of God for the fear of man. In fact, as Isaiah continues, they even begin to think that God cannot see them while they make their plans, plot injustice and think of themselves as greater than the one who formed them.

John weeps in his revelation that no one could open the scroll. He longs to see the scroll opened . Why? Isaiah finishes:

18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,

and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.

19 Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

20 The ruthless will vanish,
the mockers will disappear,
and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down-

21 those who with a word make a man out to be guilty,
who ensnare the defender in court
and with false testimony deprive the innocent of justice.

22 Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says to the house of Jacob:
"No longer will Jacob be ashamed;
no longer will their faces grow pale.

23 When they see among them their children,
the work of my hands,
they will keep my name holy;
they will acknowledge the holiness of the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

24 Those who are wayward in spirit will gain understanding;
those who complain will accept instruction."

The opening of the scroll harkens a day of justice when "The ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who have an eye for evil will be cut down" and "No longer will Jacob be ashamed; no longer will their faces grow pale." I too look forward to "That Day."