The un-creation

"He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness." Isaiah 34:11


Isaiah chapter 34 is one of the most disturbing sections of the Bible. The prophet paints a graphic picture of the day of the LORD -- that day when judgment will be meted out on the nations, and when the wicked will be devoted to destruction. The language here hearkens back to the battles of Joshua when the Angel of Yahweh took up the sword and fought against Israel's enemies. Edom ("the people I have devoted to destruction") is a precursor to all those throughout the ages who oppose God and his people. The imagery of Isaiah 34 includes blood flowing like an avalanche down the mountains (34:3). It reminds of that unforgettable scene from The Shining where the camera is literally engulfed in blood.

Should this be taken literally or metaphorically? I think both. It's literal-metaphoric. The day of the LORD spoken of by the Old Testament prophets saw partial fulfillment in judgments on the various nations that oppressed Israel, but it's ultimate fulfillment is yet to come. The exact sequence of those events I'll leave for others to debate. As graphic as the symbolism is, the reality will be worse than any literalistic scenario we can conjure up. Especially intriguing is the language used in verse 11 quoted above. Isaiah uses the same Hebrew words for "confusion" and "emptiness" usually translated "without form and void" in Genesis 1:2. In some sense the judgment of the wicked is a reversal of creation, an un-creation if you will. Those Hollywood blockbusters that portray chaotic post-apocalyptic worlds have a kernel of truth. For the righteous redeemed the day of judgment will bring a complete reversal of the disorders owing to sin, but for the unredeemed wicked even the good gifts they've enjoyed will be taken away. Confusion and emptiness will become ultimate reality.

Does this reversal of creation language give support to annihilationism? I don't think so. There are lots of indications elsewhere in scripture that the final state of the wicked will be a conscious state. One more thing . . . I'm glad Isaiah 34 is followed by Isaiah 35. Aren't you?