Isaiah 63:1-65:16 The Treading of the Winepress
The theme of God's Highway Project reaches its completion point in Isaiah 62, but there are still four more chapters in Isaiah with two major pictures in them. One picture is the treading of the winepress in Isaiah 63-65a and the other is the new heaven and new earth in Isaiah 65b-66. Why not end with Chapter 62 at the high point of the theme? Why include these other pictures and how do they fit in with the theme? That is what we are going to answer. But before we begin, I just want to review what we have studied so far with a quick overview.
As I explained at the beginning of the study, Isaiah 40-66 is a subdivision of the book of Isaiah, and is broken into three parts:
As I explained at the beginning of the study, Isaiah 40-66 is a subdivision of the book of Isaiah, and is broken into three parts:
Part 1 (Isaiah 40-48) focused on God's power and sovereignty and ability to save His people. Isaiah was cast in a very passive stance of simply having to believe and bear witness of what they had seen.
Part 2 (Isaiah 49-57) focused on God's love, grace, and offering of peace and, again, Israel was cast in a very passive stance of simply having to believe and bear witness of what they had seen. The Servant's death in Isaiah 53 was the apex act, not just of Part 2 but of Parts 1, 2, and 3 put together. Everything, before and after, pivots around this point.
Following Isaiah 53, a series of kingdom pictures are presented in Isaiah 54-56. Shame is taken away and we see a kingdom glorious in its wealth, justice, righteousness, peace, and returning children. The kingdom is presented and yet not realized. In Isaiah 57, the picture of the glorious kingdom fades and the picture of an idolatrous kingdom emerges, one where the righteous perish (or are taken away to be spared the evil to come) and the wicked flourish. Even so, there is the promise of redemption for those who would return. Part 2 ends on that promise, but it doesn't return to the picture of the glorious kingdom.
Part 3 (Isaiah 58-66) begins with that picture of the idolatrous kingdom in place and begins to build back to the picture of the glorious kingdom. Isaiah 58 opens with a delay in Israel's restoration. She calls to God, but God refuses to answer because she is still sinning. She makes an outward show of humbling herself by fasting when her heart is far from it. In Isaiah 59, God charges His people with their sin, and they confess as a nation. In response, the Redeemer comes to save them from their enemies. Then the kingdom is realized in Isaiah 60-62. This is the apex of Part 3 and the completion of God’s Highway Project and the theme of “preparing the way.” Here is a pictorial chart of what we have seen so far:
We now move into the final pictures of the treading of the winepress in Isaiah 63-65:16 and the new heaven and new earth in Isaiah 65:17-66:24. The elements in these pictures that come after the kingdom will be echoes of the ones before the kingdom in Isaiah 57-59. The LORD will come and another span of judgment will ensue (4b). We will see another lengthy penitential prayer on Israel's part (3b) and God's response (2b). The final picture is the new heaven and new earth (1b). When you look at it on the chart below, you can see how the pictures mirror one another around the central focus of the Kingdom of Peace. Pictures 4a and 4b are parallels, as are 3a/3b, 2a/2b, and 1a/1b.
The Chiastic Structure
The pictures in Isaiah 63-66 mirror those in Isaiah 57-59 around the central picture of the kingdom (Isaiah 60-62). When we see this kind of mirroring in a narrative, we know we are dealing with a chiastic structure. A chiastic structure is a way of organizing information around a central point, such as the kingdom picture. The narrative pictures or statements (Isaiah 58-59) build up to the central point (Isaiah 60-62), and then, once the main picture is revealed, the opening pictures are readdressed one at a time in a mirrored fashion (4b-4a, 3b-3a, 2b-2a, 1b-1a). But the closing pictures aren’t exactly a rehash of the opening ones. There are some differences. The differences present either an expansion of the previous picture, a resolution, or a reversal of it, in light of the main point.
Today, we will flesh out the picture of treading the winepress (4b, 3b, 2b). As we work through these pictures, we will find that they have the same theme as their counterparts (4a, 3a,2a) but with some differences. We will examine the differences as we go.
>> Download the pdf chart: Isaiah 63-66 Chart
Isaiah 63:1-6 (4b on the chart)
The chapter opens with a dialogue between the prophet and God. The prophet paints a picture, at once glorious and fearful, of God in His sovereign fury treading the winepress. The picture is much like the Redeemer coming in Isaiah 59. In Isaiah 59, it is the Redeemer who treads down all of Israel’s enemies, but now it is the LORD who treads down the winepress of "the peoples." So, when we compare the pictures, we should ask:
(Spoiler alert: As we get deeper into the chapter, we will find that the enemies being addressed this time are not the Gentile nations but God's own people who He counts as His enemies.)
Isaiah 63:7-14
The prophet pauses to speak a word of encouragement to Israel as the judgment commences, reminding them of their special relationship with God, but he also reminds Israel of her sin and disobedience and how they rebelled against the LORD and grieved His Holy Spirit. There is a mixing of the distant past with the more recent past and even the present, as if this judgment is on the imminent horizon.
Isaiah 63:15-19 (3b on the chart)
Again, Israel questions why God has restrained His hand as if He is not seeing her plight. It is almost as if she is back to where she was before the kingdom was realized. The adversaries have trodden down the sanctuary and now she is facing judgment for her own sin. So, the picture here in 3b is very similar to 3a, except for the somewhat shocking statement in 63:17:
Israel admits she has a hardened heart and is in a state of continuing sin, and she lays the charge on the LORD for having done this to her. To blame God for her own straying is an outrageous charge! This is the beginning of the penitential prayer for forgiveness and help that is very much like the one in Isaiah 59, but this statement strikes a shockingly different tone.
Israel's claim is outrageous in Isaiah's day, but it is not as outrageous as it seems from where we stand in the Church Age. The LORD has hardened Israel’s heart for a time and for a purpose, as Paul explains in Romans 9-11.
Isaiah 64:1-12 (3b continued)
This passage records Israel’s confession. She has continued in her ways and has sinned. She needs salvation and cleansing. God has hidden His face from her because of her iniquities. Again, this wording is similar to what was said in Isaiah 59 (3a):
Israel then pleads for mercy. God is the potter. She is merely clay in His hands. He was the one who made her. Will He restrain Himself from her and continue to afflict her? (Again, Paul's argument in Romans 9-11 follows this same vein, even using the potter and clay analogy.)
So, 3b is another penitential prayer that is very much like the one in 3a. In 3a, when Israel confesses, the Redeemer responds by coming to save her from her enemies.
Isaiah 65:1-16 (2b on the chart)
God begins His response with a scathing remark that He was sought by those who didn’t ask for Him and found by those who did not seek Him (meaning the Gentiles), and He answered them, “Here I am, Here I am!” That is a reversal from Isaiah 58 (2a) where Israel was the one who sought God and He did not answer her.
God then goes on to charge Israel with her continuing idolatry and her hypocrisy. Hypocrisy was the problem back in Isaiah 58 (2a), where Israel was making an outward show of humility but still oppressing her people behind the scenes. Here, her hypocrisy is still at work. Verse 5 records her own words, “Do not come near me, for I am holier than you!” Holier than who? She is wicked and idolatrous! Her self-righteousness and idolatry infuriate the LORD and He vows to measure her works against her as He wreaks judgment on her. Her penitential prayer falls on deaf ears this time. She is not saved from her enemies. She has become God's enemy, and He treats her as such. As Israel's judgment commences, there is a distinction made between a faithful remnant (the "cluster" in verses 8-10) and the hypocrites and idolators. Only the faithful remnant is saved from destruction.
Thus, the treading of the winepress in 4b is a judgment on God's enemies, and it has this in common with the picture in 4a, when the Redeemer comes to save Israel. The enemies in 4a are the Gentile nations. The enemy in 4b is Israel herself who is wicked and counted as God's enemy.
Chiastic Structure versus Linear Timeline
So, we have made all these parallels and comparisons in our chiastic structure, and they all revolve around the Kingdom of Peace, which is the apex picture in Part 3. It seems as if the Kingdom is the end picture in the timeline. All the pictures after it seem to loop back to the opening pictures in some way, so they don’t seem to be presenting new information—just some new twists. If we asked Isaiah, he might say that the restoration of Israel in her kingdom was end point, and the reason for arranging the information in this chiastic structure was to bolster that point. The kingdom of peace has been the goal from the start of this study on God's Highway Project. The road ends there.
But is the kingdom the end picture in the eschatological timeline, or are the pictures that come after it a continuation of that timeline?
From where Isaiah stands on the timeline, looking forward, the restoration of Israel in the kingdom is the end picture, but we, as Church-age believers, stand at a much farther point down the historical timeline from Isaiah and have the benefit of hindsight. We see how his prophecies worked out for Israel after the Babylonian captivity, and we also see what has yet to come to fruition. We also have additional prophecies recorded in the New Testament to use for comparison. So let's take a second look at the chart and consider it not from a chiastic structure this time but as a linear timeline.
Matching Isaiah 53-66 with the book of Revelation
The pictures in Isaiah 63-66 mirror those in Isaiah 57-59 around the central picture of the kingdom (Isaiah 60-62). When we see this kind of mirroring in a narrative, we know we are dealing with a chiastic structure. A chiastic structure is a way of organizing information around a central point, such as the kingdom picture. The narrative pictures or statements (Isaiah 58-59) build up to the central point (Isaiah 60-62), and then, once the main picture is revealed, the opening pictures are readdressed one at a time in a mirrored fashion (4b-4a, 3b-3a, 2b-2a, 1b-1a). But the closing pictures aren’t exactly a rehash of the opening ones. There are some differences. The differences present either an expansion of the previous picture, a resolution, or a reversal of it, in light of the main point.
Today, we will flesh out the picture of treading the winepress (4b, 3b, 2b). As we work through these pictures, we will find that they have the same theme as their counterparts (4a, 3a,2a) but with some differences. We will examine the differences as we go.
>> Download the pdf chart: Isaiah 63-66 Chart
Isaiah 63:1-6 (4b on the chart)
The chapter opens with a dialogue between the prophet and God. The prophet paints a picture, at once glorious and fearful, of God in His sovereign fury treading the winepress. The picture is much like the Redeemer coming in Isaiah 59. In Isaiah 59, it is the Redeemer who treads down all of Israel’s enemies, but now it is the LORD who treads down the winepress of "the peoples." So, when we compare the pictures, we should ask:
Q: Is this picture (4b) another picture of the event in 4a? Are we talking about the same event on the timeline?
Q: Are the Redeemer and the LORD the same person?
Q: Who are "the peoples"?
(Spoiler alert: As we get deeper into the chapter, we will find that the enemies being addressed this time are not the Gentile nations but God's own people who He counts as His enemies.)
Isaiah 63:7-14
The prophet pauses to speak a word of encouragement to Israel as the judgment commences, reminding them of their special relationship with God, but he also reminds Israel of her sin and disobedience and how they rebelled against the LORD and grieved His Holy Spirit. There is a mixing of the distant past with the more recent past and even the present, as if this judgment is on the imminent horizon.
Isaiah 63:15-19 (3b on the chart)
Again, Israel questions why God has restrained His hand as if He is not seeing her plight. It is almost as if she is back to where she was before the kingdom was realized. The adversaries have trodden down the sanctuary and now she is facing judgment for her own sin. So, the picture here in 3b is very similar to 3a, except for the somewhat shocking statement in 63:17:
“O LORD, why have You made us stray from Your ways, and hardened our heart from Your fear? Return for Your servants' sake, the tribes of Your inheritance.” - Isaiah 63:17 NKJV
Israel admits she has a hardened heart and is in a state of continuing sin, and she lays the charge on the LORD for having done this to her. To blame God for her own straying is an outrageous charge! This is the beginning of the penitential prayer for forgiveness and help that is very much like the one in Isaiah 59, but this statement strikes a shockingly different tone.
Israel's claim is outrageous in Isaiah's day, but it is not as outrageous as it seems from where we stand in the Church Age. The LORD has hardened Israel’s heart for a time and for a purpose, as Paul explains in Romans 9-11.
Q: Why did God harden Israel's heart so that she continued in her blindness and sin?
Isaiah 64:1-12 (3b continued)
This passage records Israel’s confession. She has continued in her ways and has sinned. She needs salvation and cleansing. God has hidden His face from her because of her iniquities. Again, this wording is similar to what was said in Isaiah 59 (3a):
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” - Isaiah 59:2 NKJV
Israel then pleads for mercy. God is the potter. She is merely clay in His hands. He was the one who made her. Will He restrain Himself from her and continue to afflict her? (Again, Paul's argument in Romans 9-11 follows this same vein, even using the potter and clay analogy.)
So, 3b is another penitential prayer that is very much like the one in 3a. In 3a, when Israel confesses, the Redeemer responds by coming to save her from her enemies.
Q: Is she saved from her enemies after this penitential prayer?
Isaiah 65:1-16 (2b on the chart)
God begins His response with a scathing remark that He was sought by those who didn’t ask for Him and found by those who did not seek Him (meaning the Gentiles), and He answered them, “Here I am, Here I am!” That is a reversal from Isaiah 58 (2a) where Israel was the one who sought God and He did not answer her.
God then goes on to charge Israel with her continuing idolatry and her hypocrisy. Hypocrisy was the problem back in Isaiah 58 (2a), where Israel was making an outward show of humility but still oppressing her people behind the scenes. Here, her hypocrisy is still at work. Verse 5 records her own words, “Do not come near me, for I am holier than you!” Holier than who? She is wicked and idolatrous! Her self-righteousness and idolatry infuriate the LORD and He vows to measure her works against her as He wreaks judgment on her. Her penitential prayer falls on deaf ears this time. She is not saved from her enemies. She has become God's enemy, and He treats her as such. As Israel's judgment commences, there is a distinction made between a faithful remnant (the "cluster" in verses 8-10) and the hypocrites and idolators. Only the faithful remnant is saved from destruction.
Thus, the treading of the winepress in 4b is a judgment on God's enemies, and it has this in common with the picture in 4a, when the Redeemer comes to save Israel. The enemies in 4a are the Gentile nations. The enemy in 4b is Israel herself who is wicked and counted as God's enemy.
Chiastic Structure versus Linear Timeline
So, we have made all these parallels and comparisons in our chiastic structure, and they all revolve around the Kingdom of Peace, which is the apex picture in Part 3. It seems as if the Kingdom is the end picture in the timeline. All the pictures after it seem to loop back to the opening pictures in some way, so they don’t seem to be presenting new information—just some new twists. If we asked Isaiah, he might say that the restoration of Israel in her kingdom was end point, and the reason for arranging the information in this chiastic structure was to bolster that point. The kingdom of peace has been the goal from the start of this study on God's Highway Project. The road ends there.
But is the kingdom the end picture in the eschatological timeline, or are the pictures that come after it a continuation of that timeline?
From where Isaiah stands on the timeline, looking forward, the restoration of Israel in the kingdom is the end picture, but we, as Church-age believers, stand at a much farther point down the historical timeline from Isaiah and have the benefit of hindsight. We see how his prophecies worked out for Israel after the Babylonian captivity, and we also see what has yet to come to fruition. We also have additional prophecies recorded in the New Testament to use for comparison. So let's take a second look at the chart and consider it not from a chiastic structure this time but as a linear timeline.
Matching Isaiah 53-66 with the book of Revelation
Let's add some labels to these picture elements, and then ask some questions.
In the next blog, we will finish the timeline sequence with the new heaven and new earth in Isaiah 65-66.
Q: To what is the Kingdom of Peace (picture 5) equated in the book of Revelation? (Revelation 20:1-6)
Q: The Kingdom of Idolatry (1a) precedes the Kingdom of Peace. What kingdom is that?
Q: How do we interpret picture 1a where the righteous perish and/or are taken away to spare them from future calamity?
Q: Where does the Church Age fit in the chart?
Q: When does the hardening of Israel's heart end? When does she finally recognize her Redeemer? (Zechariah 12:10-11)
Q: When does the treading of the winepress happen? (Revelation 14:17-20 and 19:11-16)
Note: Revelation 14-19 contain a string of pictures that appear in this order:
1) The coming of Christ and His army,
2) The reaping of the harvest and treading of the winepress,
3) The Bowl Judgments,
4) The fall of Babylon, and
5) A final picture of Christ coming on a white horse. (This final picture of Christ mentions that His robe is dipped in blood. This parallels the picture of LORD's robe in Isaiah 63:1-7.)
Q: We talked about citizenship in Isaiah 56 where God promised to bring the Gentiles into the kingdom. Which citizens reign with Christ in the Millennial kingdom? (Revelation 20:4-6)
Note: Isaiah doesn't flesh out for us where the righteous go when they perish in the Tribulation Age or what their role is in the Millennial Kingdom. The only citizens that Isaiah sees entering the Kingdom of Peace are those who are still alive after the battle of Armageddon when Christ returns in His second advent. These are not resurrected people in their immortal bodies. These are mortal people who will continue to live on in the kingdom. They include mortal Israel and the mortal Gentile nations. Isaiah doesn't explain about the immortals who enter the kingdom and are mentioned in Revelation 20:4-6.
Q: There is another battle event when the LORD enters into a confrontation with His enemies, but it comes after the Millennial kingdom. What is that battle and with whom? (Revelation 20:7-10)
Q: What are we still missing from the picture?
In the next blog, we will finish the timeline sequence with the new heaven and new earth in Isaiah 65-66.
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