Isaiah 34 - 35

Isaiah 34-35 covers the desert and wilderness motif seen previously in the book. The chapter provides a challenge in dealing with its imagery of the earth hearing with the sword and turning pitch. While some parts share cosmic imagery with Revelation, the message seems to talk about the destruction of Edom and the establishment of the messianic kingdom. The spiritual wilderness occurs after Jerusalem's imminent destruction, with Isaiah 35 referring to a realization of messianic hope, where God chooses the weak and foolish things to conquer.