My primary focus right now in terms of studying Bible prophecy is on Isaiah 11:11-16, which says the following.
- Isa 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
- Isa 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
- Isa 11:13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
- Isa 11:14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
- Isa 11:15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
- Isa 11:16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
Isaiah 11:11-16 is an extremely important passage because it summarizes a lot of End Times prophecies concerning the redemption and return of Israel. Many prophecies in the Bible concern the redemption and the return of Israel (especially those of the latter part of the Book of Isaiah) so a good understanding of this passage will enable you to understand a lot of the prophecies of the Bible.
I’ve been trying to figure out the timing of the events described in the above passage for the past several years, but it has not been until recently that I’ve made some significant progress on pinpointing the timing of the events described above. I’m not yet done with my study of the passage above, but I’ll share with you my current thinking on the highway of Isaiah 11:15-16.
Isaiah 11:16 and Isaiah 35:8-10 speak of a “highway of holiness” that’ll be used by Jews located in Egypt and Assyria. These Jews will use the highway to return to Israel following their redemption.
- Isa 11:16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
- Isa 35:8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
- Isa 35:9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
- Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
My current theory on the highway (which has changed from the past) is that will be created following the events of the 7th bowl judgment which basically will knock down every mountain on Earth.
- Rev 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
- Rev 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
- Rev 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
- Rev 16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
The main reason why I’m beginning to think that the highway will form following the event of the 7th bowl judgment is that Isaiah 40:1-4 indicates that a desert highway is going to form at a time when every mountain and hill is going to be brought low:
- Isa 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
- Isa 40:2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.
- Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
- Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
Some argue that the desert highway is just the highway of the Lord with no practical purpose. Isaiah 42:15-16 suggests otherwise… Isaiah 42:15-16 indicates that people are going to use the highway:
- Isa 42:15 I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.
- Isa 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
At this moment, it looks like an indirect consequence of the great earthquake of the 7th bowl is that it will create the desert highway for those in Egypt and Assyria to follow back to Israel.
An apparent indirect indication that the highway will form following the events of the 7th bowl is that the Lord will hiss (whistle) to call back His people, especially those in Assyria and Egypt:
- Isa 7:17 The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.
- Isa 7:18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
- Isa 7:19 And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.
- Isa 7:20 In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.
- Zec 10:8 I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.
- Zec 10:9 And I will sow them among the people: and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and turn again.
- Zec 10:10 I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them.
According to Isaiah 5:26, the Lord is likely going to hiss at the same time He will lift up an ensign to the nations.
- Isa 5:26 And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
The time when the ensign is given appears to be after the Battle of Armageddon since it appears that the defeated nations will bring the remnant of Israel that’ll be scattered throughout the world at that time back to Israel.
- Isa 49:22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
- Isa 66:16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
- Isa 66:17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
- Isa 66:18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
- Isa 66:19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
- Isa 66:20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
There is still one major complication that I have to still work out with regards to this theory. Isaiah 27:12-13 mention that a great trumpet shall be blown around the time that those in Egypt and Assyria are ready to return.
- Isa 27:12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.
- Isa 27:13 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.
I need to figure out if this great trumpet relates to a specific End Times trumpet (like one of the seven trumpets or a prophetic holiday trumpet) or if it is a trumpet that will sound on its own (maybe the sounding of the trumpet is the Lord’s “hiss”).
What I’ve presented is just preliminary stuff. My thinking on when the highway forms can change if someone finds a way to disprove the theory I’ve laid out or if I find a way to disprove it. Feel free to disprove it if you can.
