Isaiah 10:20-27 prophesies that Israel will be released and return. Verse 20 says, “In that day the remnant of Israel and those of the house of Jacob who have escaped will no longer rely upon him who strikes them, but they will rely upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.” To rely upon Jehovah in truth is to rely upon Jehovah in truthfulness. Verse 21 and the first part of verse 22 say, “A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant among them will return.” Paul quoted this word in Romans 9:27, indicating that a remnant of Israel will be saved. They will rely upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and return to the mighty God.
Isaiah 11:11-12 says, “In that day the Lord, / By His hand for the second time again, / Will recover the remnant of His people / Who remain, from Assyria and from Egypt, / From Pathros, Cush, and Elam, / From Shinar, Hamath, and the islands of the sea. / He will lift up a standard to the nations, / And will gather the outcasts of Israel; / And the dispersed of Judah He will assemble / From the four corners of the earth.” The standard that will be lifted up is Christ. At that time, Ephraim’s jealousy will depart, and the adversaries in Judah will be cut off. The northern kingdom of Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, the southern kingdom, nor will Judah be hostile toward Ephraim (v. 13). The Lord will take away the divisive element, and these two kingdoms will become one. The restored remnant of Israel “will fly down upon the shoulders of the Philistines on the west; / Together they will plunder the children of the east. / Edom and Moab will come into the grasp of their hand, / And the children of Ammon will submit to them” (v. 14).
Furthermore, Jehovah will utterly destroy the tongue of the sea of Egypt, that is, the gulf of the Red Sea. He will also wave His hand over the River, the Euphrates, with the scorching of His wind. He will strike the Euphrates into seven streams and march men through it dryshod. There will also be a highway from Assyria for the remnant of His people to return (vv. 15-16).
“The River” spoken of in Isaiah is the Euphrates, which Abraham crossed (Josh. 24:2-3). The great river Euphrates is also mentioned in Revelation 16:12 in relation to the war at Armageddon. In the coming days God will dry up the Euphrates with the scorching heat from the wind. He will also change the situation on the earth and open the way from Assyria to the Holy Land for the children of Israel to return.
Three big problems and frustrations will be solved for the return of the children of Israel. First, the tongue of the sea of Egypt, that is, the Gulf of Suez, which frustrates the traffic from Egypt to the Holy Land, will be destroyed. Second, God will use scorching heat from the wind to dry up the Euphrates into seven streams so that the children of Israel can walk through it. Third, God will build a highway to the Holy Land from Assyria.
Isaiah 27:12-13 says, “In that day Jehovah will beat out the grain from the flowing stream of the River / Unto the brook of Egypt; / And you will be gleaned / One by one, O you children of Israel. / And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, / And the ones lost in the land of Assyria will come, / As well as the outcasts in the land of Egypt, / And they will worship Jehovah / On the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” The grain in verse 12 denotes the scattered people of Israel. According to these two verses, all the Israelites who are outcasts, lost, and scattered will be gathered together and brought back to the good land. The fulfilment of this prophecy began with the return of the captives from Babylon. It is still being fulfilled today, and it will be fully accomplished at the Lord’s second coming.
In verses 9 through 11 of chapter 51, Isaiah cried out for the arm of Jehovah to awaken and put on strength as in the days of old, especially as in the time when His elect came out of Egypt. In their exodus from Egypt, the first obstacle that the children of Israel faced was the Red Sea, which was in front of them, while Pharaoh’s army was behind them. The children of Israel could do nothing about the situation, but the arm of Jehovah caused a strong wind to blow so that the water was divided. The sea was dried up, and Israel walked in the sea on dry land. Isaiah was burdened for the arm of Jehovah to do the same thing in his day so that the captives of Israel could be brought back.
In Isaiah’s prophecy Christ is given the name “arm of Jehovah.” Christ is the arm of Jehovah, the Triune God, the great I Am. Christ is the arm of Jehovah to save God’s people. The arm of Jehovah’s awakening and putting on strength as in the days of old is for the ransomed of Jehovah to return and to come to Zion with a ringing shout and eternal joy (v. 11).