Where is Isaiah 19 Dispensationally?
Dispensationally, where is Isaiah chapter 19?
Isaiah 19 is titled: "The burden of Egypt" (Isaiah 19:1The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
See All...). The chapter deals with the judgment of Egypt (Isaiah 19:1-15 [1] The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
[2] And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom.
[3] And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.
[4] And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
[5] And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
[6] And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.
[7] The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more.
[8] The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.
[9] Moreover they that work in fine flax, and they that weave networks, shall be confounded.
[10] And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.
[11] Surely the princes of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
[12] Where are they? where are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now, and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed upon Egypt.
[13] The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
[14] The LORD hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.
[15] Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail, branch or rush, may do.
See All...), the salvation of Egypt (Isaiah 19:16-22 [16] In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.
[17] And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.
[18] In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called, The city of destruction.
[19] In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.
[20] And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.
[21] And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it.
[22] And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.
See All...), and the blessings on Egypt and Assyria (Isaiah 19:23-25 [23] In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.
[24] In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:
[25] Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.
See All...). The chapter begins with this announcement: "Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it." (Isaiah 19:1The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
See All...). Although this clearly places the general time of the prophecy at the coming of Christ in glory (the Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation), the events of the chapter probably occur at the end of the Tribulation and at the beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ.
The Egyptians will be given "over into the hand of a cruel lord" (Isaiah 19:4And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
See All...). Their river (the Nile) "shall be wasted and dried up" (Isaiah 19:5And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
See All...). Egypt will be "seduced" (Isaiah 19:13The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have also seduced Egypt, even they that are the stay of the tribes thereof.
See All...) and "shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts" (Isaiah 19:17And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt, every one that maketh mention thereof shall be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts, which he hath determined against it.
See All...). At this point, Egypt will turn to the Lord. They will build Him an altar (v.19) and will "cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them" (Isaiah 19:20And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them.
See All...). The "LORD shall be known unto Egypt" (v.21). Because of this chapter's connection with the coming of the Lord (v.1) and because of the blessings that follow (v.23-25), these events must be at the end of the tribulation. As amazing as it may seem to those of us who know the history of Egypt, Egypt will be one of the righteous nations that enters into the kingdom age. Surely, this is great grace!
Perhaps the key verse of the chapter is Isaiah 19:22And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.
See All..., which states, "And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them." This healing includes multiple blessings. One of those blessings is the joining of Egypt with Israel and Assyria by a great highway and as "a blessing in the midst of the land" (Isaiah 19:23-24 [23] In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.
[24] In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:
See All...). Assyria is roughly modern Iraq--this also is amazing. This must be the time of the kingdom reign of Jesus Christ. The phrase, "in that day," is used six times in the later part of this chapter (Isaiah 19:16In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.
See All..., 18, 19, 21, 23, 24). This phrase is often used in connection with the kingdom reign of Christ.
The key to understanding the chapter may be to see the events overlapping the coming of Christ in power and great glory. The chapter cannot be entirely placed in the tribulation or in the kingdom. It must begin in one and end in the other.