Isaiah 26 - Death, Resurrection, Christ, and the Rapture in the Old Testament

Of all the possible topics I could have chosen to write on for my first ever post, I must admit this one is quite the unconventional and unexpected of the bunch. But it's been on my mind a lot for the past 2 years and now it's time to finally bring it out into the open.

This study focuses on a mysterious passage out of Isaiah 26 (KJV), where the speaker shifts from that of the prophet to....that of someone else. You simply can't overlook it, and even Jewish rabbis have noticed it holds significance for the messianic age. Let's check it out together:

Isaiah is speaking here:

16 Lord, in trouble they have visited You,
They poured out a prayer when Your chastening was upon them.
17 As a woman with child
Is in pain and cries out in her pangs,
When she draws near the time of her delivery,
So have we been in Your sight, O Lord.
18 We have been with child, we have been in pain;
We have, as it were, brought forth wind;
We have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth,
Nor have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

Now the speaker shifts from Isaiah to someone else, who comforts Isaiah with very loving and mysterious language:

19 Your dead shall live;
Together with my dead body they shall arise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;
For your dew is like the dew of herbs,
And the earth shall cast out the dead.

Let's stop for a second here and review the highlighted text above. "my dead body". whose dead body? Isaiah's? No. remember the speaker has shifted. But who? This is when i get excited to reveal the splendor of this mysterious text. It is none other than the preincarnate Christ, Isaiah speaking via the Spirit of Jesus within him.

10Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
1 Peter 1:10-12

Our passage points to Christ, looking ahead to his death and resurrection with those he has redeemed through his sacrifice made for mankind. This will be a common theme on this blog. My aim is to shed more light on often overlooked passages that deserve more recognition and elevated importance. Back to our text. Christ will die, and together with his body will the dead in Christ rise again. No wonder even God's angels longed to understand such mysteries! They are indeed fascinating and never fail to boost my faith all the more. They are nurturing and nourishing words for the soul.

For your dew is like the dew of herbs:

The dew that clings to the herbs in the morning, the plants of the field, give off an unmistakable shining, shimmering glow, displaying the splendor of God's creation. Thus it will be at the return of Christ. We will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Our new glorified bodies transformed, shining among our brothers and sisters.

"Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever." Daniel 12:3
But we have not yet reached the crescendo of our passage. The build up continues! Let's continue working through our text:

20 Come, my people, enter your chambers,
And shut your doors behind you;
Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment,
Until the indignation is past.
21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
The earth will also disclose her blood,
And will no more cover her slain.

This should bring to our remembrance the Passover event from Exodus. God's sparing of the Hebrews during the final plague, the death of the firstborn. We all remember it well right? Blood placed over both the lintel of the door and sides of the door. The Hebrews enter into their chambers, and shut the doors behind them. The indignation passes over them and they are spared from the great tragedy that comes upon the Egyptian people.

But the next thought that may come to mind, is....the rapture! We too will enter into our chambers, the heavenly chambers (or mansions) Christ has reserved for those that love him. He will take us there to be with him, and spare those in Christ from the tribulation to come.

1“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so,I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3

9For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.11Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

We come to the end of our passage, with much to dwell and reflect on. I find it perfectly reasonable to think Paul had several passages in mind pertaining to the death and resurrection of Christ. I would think this was on his mind at some point during his discourse with all those who benefited from his spirit led words. Paul preached on our future glorified bodies, our rising with Christ, being baptized in Christ, and being persecuted for Christ' sake.

For, we will indeed be like him, and see him as he is. What a glorious thought my friends. As Paul would say I say to you, encourage one another with these words and those from from 1 John 3:2 below:

"Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2