Why God's Interest Is in the Jew

“Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments of Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. 2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the wine vat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me; yea, I trod them in mine anger, and trampled them in my wrath; and their lifeblood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. 5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold; therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my wrath it upheld me. 6 And I trod down the peoples in mine anger, and made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth” (Isa. 63:1-6).

The last point of Isaiah’s sermon pertains to the second coming of the Lord in glory. As we have seen in the preceding chapter, the believers now are to tell Israel that Messiah’s coming is at hand. When we thus throw up a highway, casting out the stones by correcting the errors of Israel, and when we give the positive proof concerning the messiahship of the Lord Jesus Christ to her, she will receive Him, and He will return. Such is the logical conclusion to be drawn from the sequence of the thought of this sermon. When we sow the seed in the field of Israel, the Lord will send the judgments of the Tribulation to water it. There will spring forth a bountiful harvest from this sowing. The nation of Israel will learn of its mistake of nineteen hundred years standing, will repudiate the national sin, and will plead for Him to return. This is seen in Hosea 5:14—6:3. The real penitential confession of Israel is recorded in Isaiah 53:1-9. This acknowledgement penitential Israel in the year 1941-plus will make. Then she will look unto Him whom her ancestors pierced and will plead for Him to return. When she arrives at the point that she will say “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord,” He will return and deliver her.

Isaiah, who was the court preacher in Judah, by the Spirit of God, was carried forward to the year 1941-plus and was standing in the city of Jerusalem, looking southeastward toward the land of Edom. In this vision he saw a stranger approaching who attracted his attention. He announced to us this fact by asking two rhetorical questions: “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength?” From these questions one can see that the stranger is not an ordinary person, for He is “glorious in His apparel” and is marching “in the greatness of his strength?” The prophet recognized the superiority of this one but wished information as to His identity.

The stranger replies in these words: “I that speak in righteousness.” He, according to this statement, is the one who speaks in righteousness, that is, every utterance of His is in harmony with the highest standard of God’s righteousness. This statement in and of itself is sufficient to give us a definite idea as to who this one is. Instantly we recognize Him as a super-human being. The next expression enables us to make our identification with absolute certainty—“mighty to save.” There is but One who is mighty to save, that is, who is able to save unto the uttermost, and who is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Hebrew Messiah. Thus when this passage is read in the light of the New Testament revelation, as well as the prophecies of the Old, one can recognize instantly this One as the Lord Jesus Christ at His second coming.

There is something unusual about His personality, concerning which the prophet inquires: “Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winevat?” His garments are sprinkled red. He reminds the prophet of a man who in the ancient Orient treads in the winevat. As he steps upon the luscious grapes, much of the juice would be caused to sprinkle upon Him. This is the appearance of the Messiah when He comes from Edom to Jerusalem at His second coming.

Does Messiah not come directly to the Mount of Olives when He returns? This is a question of debate. Some excellent brethren say, “Yes.” Others who are just as qualified contend that He will return, coming to Edom first and after that to Jerusalem. That seems to be the teaching of the passage that we have under consideration. This position is confirmed by a study of Habakkuk 3, which undoubtedly is a picture of our Lord’s return. That prophet saw him coming from Teman. When both records are placed side by side, it becomes apparent that there is perfect harmony between the two predictions.

But why does Messiah go to Edom before coming to Jerusalem? The probable answer is to be found in the fact that in the middle of the Tribulation the Antichrist will launch an anti-Semitic drive in order to blot the Jewish nation from the face of the globe—especially those of the orthodox type. It is true that the apostate remnant of Israel will have entered into a covenant with the world dictator, but the orthodox and believing portion of the race will flee from Palestine and will hide in the wilderness. From the latter part of Daniel 11, it seems that they will flee to the lands of Ammon, Moab, and Edom. When Revelation 12 is read in connection with these Old Testament predictions, we see confirmation for this position, for the woman of this chapter is undoubtedly Israel who flees in the middle of the Tribulation into the wilderness where she is protected and sustained by miraculous intervention on the part of her God. At the close of the Tribulation will occur what is scripturally known as “the War of the great day of God the Almighty.” It seems that at that time a special effort will be made by Satan and his emissaries to exterminate Israel from the face of the globe. In all likelihood there will be a supreme effort made to annihilate the faithful remnant that will be in hiding in the lands mentioned above.

When the Antichrist launches this campaign of extermination against Israel at the end of the Tribulation, Messiah will rend the heavens and come to her rescue, delivering her and coming in mortal combat with her enemies. His garments thus will be sprinkled with blood.

This approaching stranger, the Lord Jesus Christ, explains to the prophet why His garments are bespattered as one who has trodden in a winevat, for He declares, “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the peoples there was no man with me: Yea, I trod them in mind anger, and trampled them in my wrath: and their life blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my raiment. For the day of vengeance was in my heart and the year of my redeemed is come.” From these verses we see that the Messiah comes in actual mortal combat with the enemies of Israel in the land of Edom before He comes to Jerusalem. Coming to Jerusalem later He stands in that day upon the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14). This scene, as we see from verse 4, is the day of vengeance, and the year of the redeemed of the Lord. The prophets constantly spoke about the Day of Jehovah which, as they declared, is to be a day of wrath, of indignation. A very fine description is found in Zephaniah 1:14-18. There are, however, many passages dealing with this time of Jacob’s trouble. When the set time arrives, the Messiah will rend the heavens and come in answer to Israel’s repudiation of her national sin and her cry to Him to appear to save her (Ps. 80:1-7).

Messiah at the time here foreseen is the only one who engages in this combat. There is no one to help Him. His own arm takes hold of the situation, He treads the people under foot, and comes off from the fray victorious. Having conquered in Edom, He comes to Jerusalem and there delivers Israel in the nick of time—after half of the city has been captured and the houses rifled and the women ravished.

At that time Jehovah, who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, mounts the throne of David, establishes His government in Jerusalem, “and of the increase of his government there shall be no end upon the throne of David.” The fact that the Lord made this prediction is the guarantee of the fulfillment of the same. Thus Jehovah-Jesus, who redeemed us on Calvary’s cross nineteen hundred years ago by His blood, will return to this world at the end of the Tribulation (at the invitation of convicted Israel) and will lift the curse, establish His kingdom, and reign from sea to sea, and from the river to the end of the earth (Ps. 72). At that time Israel will cease to be the tail of the nations; on the contrary, she will become the head and the channel of world-blessing.

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