Isaiah sees the end of the world and the coming destructions as the millennial reign is ushered in. Like unto the Great Flood in the days of Noah wherein the earth was cleansed with water so shall it be cleansed with fire at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. (Malachi 4:1). The wicked will be swept off the face of the earth while the earth is purified and cleansed. The wicked will go directly to the Spirit World Prison where they will begin to repent. During the millennium while Christ is establishing his reign of peace on earth, those who were destroyed by fire and sent to Spirit Prison will see how it is to live under the telestial laws of Lucifer in a dog eat dog world. They will remain in hell until such a time as they repent and accept the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Those destroyed in the flood at the time of Noah abode in hell until the time of the Savior’s resurrection. During the three days that the Lord’s spirit was in the Spirit World, he organized the missionary effort to teach those who were rebellious during the days of Noah. (1 Peter 3:18-19, D&C 138:30). That effort to teach those in hell will continue through the Millennium. That includes those who will be destroyed at the Second Coming. Meanwhile those relatively few who remain alive at the Second Coming and are judged sufficiently righteous, though far from perfection, will be lifted up in a cloud while the earth burns beneath them; “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Those lifted up will be placed down on the terrestrial paradisiacal earth around Kolob.[1] (10th Article of Faith). Isaiah sees the earth reeling to and fro like a drunkard as it hurls through space to return to its Terrestrial; Garden of Eden state.
Isaiah 24: ¶1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.[The destruction is universal. Class distinctions are obliterated. The only status that counts is whether one is righteous or unrighteous] 3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. 4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. [Why will the wicked be punished?] 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh. 8 The mirth of tabrets [Tambourines] ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. 9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it. [At the end of the grape harvest there was a harvest festival that involved singing songs and the playing of musical instruments like the harp and the tambourine]. 10 The city of [is in chaos] confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in. 11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone. 12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction. [Rubble blocked the entrance of the gate].
¶13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. [Olive branches are shaken after a blanket is placed on the ground to collect the falling ripe olives, there are few olives left after the shaking and the same is true after the gleaning of the grapes referencing to the idea of a small remnant being left] 14 They [the righteous surviving olives and grapes meaning the surviving righteous] shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. 15 Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea. [‘Isles of the sea’ is used to describe far away places]. 16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. [While the righteous are grateful they were spared, they were taken back with sorrow for the wicked because the wicked had nowhere to hide from their impending doom]. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. 17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. 18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
This is where the earth is hurled through space and takes up its abode as a terrestrial earth.
19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
The high and noble wicked are consigned to Spirit Prison Hell
21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the [Spirit] prison, and after many days shall they be visited.[The gospel will be taught to them in hell. As the wicked are destroyed on the earth the final signs of the times are displayed in the heavens]. 23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.[As the earth moves to a new orbit it will leave the moon behind and the moon will have the appearance of the color of blood. The sun will be left behind. Either all the stars will fall from heaven or the earth will hurl through space and it will appear as all the stars are falling.] “Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.(Matthew 24:29)’ see also Isaiah 13:10,
“The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.” (Joel 2:31). The Apostle Peter taught, “I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below,
to Blood and fire and clouds of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Acts 2:19-20).
Isaiah 25: The first 5 verses of this chapter is a song of praise to the Lord by the righteous during the Millenium. In verses 6-8. “In this mountain” is a phrase referring to Mt. Moriah aka “Zion.” It was on Mt. Moriah that Abraham was willing to offer his son Isaac. Mt. Moriah/Zion is where the first and second Jewish Temples were built. The Western Wall once referred to as the Wailing Wall is what remains of the demolished Temple of Herod and is a holy place today for all Jews. At the time of the Second Coming the Lord will call for a feast of ‘fat things’ (rich foods), ‘wine on the lees’ refers to the grapes that are grown on the windless side of the vine. They are considered the finest and choicest grapes. Verse 7 is about the resurrection. The phrase ‘face of the covering’ is the shroud of death that all mankind faces. The ‘vail’ (sheet or prayer shawl) is the covering placed over a dead body. Verse 8 follows that death is swallowed up in the resurrection of Christ. As a result of the resurrection we will all see our loved ones again and the tears shed at death will be wiped away. Verses 9-12 vindicates the righteous, we trusted in God and He saved us. Zion has been redeemed while the wicked (symbolized by Moab) is like mire in the streets. Good does triumph over evil.
¶1 O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. [Premortal Councils in heaven].[2] 2 For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. 3 Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. 4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
¶ 6 And in this mountain [Zion] shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail [death] that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
¶ 9 And it shall be said in that day, [Second Coming] Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. 10 For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab [the world] shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill. 11 And he shall spread forth his hands [as Moses parted the waters of the Red Sea] in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. 12 And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
¶ Isaiah 26: The first 4 verses are a song of praise saying that those who trust and have faith in the Lord will have ‘perfect peace’ in that day of the resurrection. Verses 5-11 extols the ‘way of the just’ who seek the Lord in prayer every morning. Though grace and kindness are shown to the wicked they learn nothing. The wicked will be ashamed and ultimately be destroyed in the fire. Verses 12-19 Celebrates the Atonement, ‘thou hast wrought all our works in us’ Christ through the Atonement did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We were once ruled over by lords (masters) in this world but they are dead. The central theme of resurrection is encompassed in verse 19. “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise, sing ye that dwell in the dust (grave): for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, (meaning that the dew disappears, the days of the grave are over) and the earth shall cast out the dead. (Resurrection). Verses 20-21are a voice of warning to the righteous to hide themselves until the overpass or “Passover” of disaster is gone. Joseph Smith referred to this as “The overflowing scourge.”[3] D&C 45:31-32 declares, “And there shall be men standing in that generation that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing scourge; for a desolating sickness shall cover the land, but my disciples shall stand in holy places, and not be moved; but among the wicked men shall lift up their voices and curse God and die.”
Isaiah 26: ¶1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. 2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. 3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
¶ 5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust. 6 The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy. 7 The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just. 8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [Justice and Charity] are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 10 Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he [the wicked] deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD. 11 LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
¶ 12 LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us [Atonement]. 13 O LORD our God, other lords [in the world] beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. 14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish. 15 Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. 16 LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. 17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy 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 wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. 19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. [Resurrection] Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
¶ 20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast (past over). 21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
Isaiah 27: The theme of this chapter is the ‘Deliverance of Israel.’ Verse 1, At the Second Coming the Lord will punish Leviathan (a Canaanite mythical god with the body of a serpent and the head of a beast) representing the wicked nations of the world. Verses 2-6 compares the Lord with the keeper of a vineyard of red wine. The Lord is the caretaker of the vineyard, he watches over it and protects it. Those who oppose the Master of the vineyard will be burnt up like kindling or they can repent and make peace with the Lord. The covenant people that the Lord of the vineyard has protected, Jacob/Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the whole earth. Verses 7-11asked a rhetorical question. Hath Jehovah smitten Israel as gravely as he utterly destroyed the wicked? The implied answer is no! Why? Because the Lord preserved a remnant of Jacob. Verse 8 mentions the east wind. This is a hot wind of destruction that wipes out all the budding fruit and even the ripe fruit withers from the heat of the east wind that blows from the desert. The west wind blows from the sea.
Isaiah 27: ¶ 1 In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. 2 In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. 3 I the LORD do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. 4 Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. 5 Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me. 6 He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.
¶ 7 Hath he smitten him, as he smote those that smote him? or is he slain according to the slaughter of them that are slain by him? 8 In measure, when it shooteth forth, thou wilt debate with it: he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind. 9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar [of false gods] as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images [of false gods] shall not stand up. 10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof. 11 When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favor.
In the midst of the great destruction at the time of the Second Coming, the Lord will gather the righteous one by one. The greatest and most powerful nations in Isaiah’s time were Assyria and Egypt
¶ 12 And it shall come to pass in that day [Second Coming] that the LORD shall beat off [thresh out] from the channel of the [Euphrates] river unto the stream of Egypt [Southern Gaza was considered the norther boundary of Egypt], and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. 13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
What is the New and Everlasting Covenant? “It is the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ (D&C 66:2). It is new every time it is revealed anew following a period of apostasy. It is everlasting in the sense that it is God’s covenant and has been enjoyed in every gospel dispensation where people have been willing to receive it. The new and everlasting covenant was revealed again to men on earth by Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith. It contains sacred ordinances administered by priesthood authority—such as baptism and temple marriage—that provide for man’s salvation, immortality, and eternal life. When people accept the gospel and promise to keep God’s commandments, God covenants to give them the blessings of His new and everlasting covenant.”[4]
“The Lord sent the fullness of his gospel, his everlasting covenant,” D&C 66:2 (D&C 133:57). “I will make an everlasting covenant with you,” Isa. 55:3 (Jer. 32:40). “The new and everlasting covenant was instituted for the fullness of the Lord’s glory,” D&C 132:6, 19, “In order to obtain the highest degree in the celestial kingdom, a man must enter into the new and everlasting covenant of marriage,” D&C 131:1–2, “Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant,” Heb. 12:24 (D&C 76:69). “It shall be an everlasting covenant,” Ezek. 37:26. “The Lord made a new covenant, and the old passed away,” Heb. 8:13. “I have sent my everlasting covenant into the world,” D&C 45:9 (D&C 49:9).