Isaiah 29: 7-8. “And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth and, behold, he eateth: but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh : but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.”
God will allow the nations to war against Jerusalem in order to finally bring His people back to Himself. It will be terrible for Jerusalem, but the end result will be their final restoration to God. This has been the case throughout the history of Israel. There is a cycle of obedience, sin, turning away, idolatry, retribution, and restoration. You’d think they’d “get it,” after all these thousands of years, but like all the rest of us, the hearts of the people are sinful. It is easier to just give in to surrounding influences. We all fight that battle every single day.
This time, however, the restoration will be complete and final. The nations that rose up against Jerusalem, vowing to destroy it forever, are described in today’s passage as people who are dreaming. They are hungry, they eat, then they wake up realizing it was a dream indeed.
I had the strangest dream just before I woke up this morning. I don’t remember who was involved, but I was tasked with collecting a debt owed to someone in my family. As I walked toward the debtor’s house, he met me in his front yard with the check in hand. I was delighted that it had been so easy until I realized he had written the check incorrectly–knowingly–and it would be worthless. Then I woke up. It was so real that I felt sure there would be a check in my hand, but of course there wasn’t.
So it shall be for those who persecute Israel. They will wake up thinking that finally, Israel and Jerusalem and all Jews have been wiped off the face of the earth. The reality will be far different. They dreamed of victory, but their victory will turn to utter defeat.
Linda's Bible Study 