Isaiah 5:26-30: Fulfilled in the End Times?

Isaiah 5 is a chapter that many assume has been completely fulfilled. Consequently, you don’t see many articles connecting Isaiah 5 with the end times. After much study, I believe that Isaiah 5:26-30 likely has end time implications, and I will explain why in this article.

Isaiah 5:1-25

I believe the first 24 verses of Isaiah 5 are relevant to the past and relate to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah (both are mentioned in verse 5:7). Although Isaiah 5:25 relates to a past judgment of the people of Israel, it is a particularly noteworthy verse because it mentions that the Lord’s (His) “hand is stretched out still”:

“Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.” (Isaiah 5:25)

Isaiah 5:26-30

The phrase “His hand is stretched out still” is noteworthy because it means that there is an additional judgment beyond the one mentioned in verse 25 ordained. Isaiah 5:26-30 highlights this additional judgment:

“(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: (27) None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: (28) Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind: (29) Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. (30) And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof. (Isaiah 5:26-30)

One possible fulfillment of Isaiah 5:26-30 is the attack by the Babylonians and their allies. A fulfillment of Isaiah 5:26-30 by the hand of the Babylonians and their allies is a possibility since Babylon appears to have been “far” enough away to be described as “far” in the Bible. For example, Hezekiah lumps Babylon together with a “far country” in Isaiah 39:3:

“(2) And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not. (3) Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. (Isaiah 39:2-3)

Another possible fulfillment of Isaiah 5:26-30 is the attack by the Romans and their allies. Deuteronomy 28:48-68 mentions that a nation will come “from the end of the earth” to attack the people of Israel. Bible commentators like Albert Barnes and John Gill believe this refers to the Romans. Here are some verses from that passage:

“(48) Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee. (49) The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; (50) A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: (51) And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee. (52) And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee. (53) And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:…(63) And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. (64) And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.” (Deuteronomy 28:48-53, 63-64)

End Time Fulfillment

Many Bible commentators conclude that the judgment of Isaiah 5:26-30 was fulfilled by the Babylonians or by the Romans. In contrast, I believe Isaiah 5:26-30 likely sees its ultimate fulfillment during the end times.

Isaiah 5 and Joel 2

One reason why I believe Isaiah 5:26-30 likely sees its ultimate fulfillment during the end times is that the passage mirrors Joel 2:3-10, which is definitely a passage which will see its fulfillment in the end times (the Day of the Lord is mentioned in Joel 2:1). The parallels between the passages are highlighted in the table below:


  • Horses
  • Organized
  • Darkness
  • No Escape

Isaiah 5:26-30: (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: (27) None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: (28) Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind: (29) Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it. (30) And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

Joel 2:3-10: (3) A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. (4) The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. (5) Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. (6) Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. (7) They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: (8) Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. (9) They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. (10) The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

In that Day

Another reason why I believe Isaiah 5:26-30 likely sees its ultimate fulfillment during the end times is that verse 5:30 includes the words “in that day”, which is a phrase that often alludes to the Day of the Lord:

And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.” (Isaiah 5:30)

Isaiah 5 & Isaiah 13

A third reason why I believe that Isaiah 5:26-30 likely sees its ultimate fulfillment during the end times is that Isaiah 5:26-30’s details about the attackers brought by the Lord are similar to the details concerning the Lord’s army in Isaiah 13, an end time chapter. Isaiah 13 mentions an army brought by the Lord, which He too lifts up a banner (the Hebrew for “banner” in Isaiah 13:2 is the same word used to denote “ensign” in Isaiah 5:26), He too summons, and brings from the end of heaven. The parallels between Isaiah 5:26-30 and Isaiah 13 are highlighted in the table below:


  • Gather the Nations
  • Ends of the Earth

Isaiah 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:”

Isaiah 13:1-6:“(1) The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see. (2) Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. (3) I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. (4) The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. (5) They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. (6) Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.”


Conclusion

If Isaiah 5:26-30 sees its ultimate fulfillment during the end times, it may relate to the end time siege of Jerusalem described in chapters like Ezekiel 7, Zechariah 12:2, and Jeremiah 4.

Feel free to write in the comments section if you have any thoughts about this or any other topic. If you would like to learn about the timing of the end time siege of Jerusalem, click this link for my article about the topic: When Jerusalem Will Be Attacked During the End Times?

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Wayne Croley
Wayne Croley

Hi! I’ve studied and written about Bible prophecy since I was a teenager. My goal is to make Bible prophecy easy for you to understand while avoiding the sensationalism seen elsewhere. I am the author of several end time books, including Prophecy Proof Insights on the End Times, a comprehensive book about the end times. I hold an M.B.A. and degrees in Managerial Economics and Political Science.

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  1. If this is an eschatological event, then the logical conclusion is that when Israel(daughter of Zion) is attacked by this “northern” army, so too is the daughter of Babylon. Compare:
    Jeremiah 6:22-24 and Jeremiah 50:41-43. Given how similar(practically the same) the wording is, a child could deduce that they are occurrences within the same event. Ezekiel 38-39 and Joel 2 tie into this as well. When it comes to the linguistics, scholars can be a big help, but often times they narrow their focus so much on a single word that they lose sight of the bigger picture.

    You also have the spirit of the kings of the Medes(Jeremiah 51:11), Ararat + Minni(Armenia), Ashkenaz(Scythians, who are the ancestors of modern Russians) Jeremiah 51:27.

    I think one of the mistakes made regarding Ezekiel 38-39 is the assumption that it is a short-lived and narrow-in-scope event where these nations just up and suddenly try to invade Israel from out of nowhere. Based on other Scripture dealing with the “northern army” or the “disaster appearing out of the north”, this or these aggressor(s) appear to have some initial success at their spoiling/plundering until they reach the mountains of Israel where God Himself destroys 5/6th of all of their armies.
    This also raises the question that if Gog and allies are demolished in Israel, who is attacking the daughter of Babylon?

    It begs the question of where China fits in to all of this as well. To our knowledge, we do not see them nor the other far-eastern countries mentioned by tribal name directly attacking Israel or anyone else. The only hint we seem to have is the 6th trumpet, where an army of 200 million horsemen appear and a third of mankind is killed by fire, smoke, and brimstone, followed later on in the 6th bowl where the kings of the east are gathered with the other armies of the world to Armageddon.

    It is a difficult puzzle to put together when it comes to detail, but one thing we do know is that its going to turn into a world-wide miserable mess that only Christ will be able to put a stop to.

    • Chris,

      The 200 million horsemen is Magog from among the deceived nations. In Rev. 20 it said “their NUMBER is as many as the sand in the seashore”. In Rev. 9 John said “I heard their NUMBER”. This event happened at the end of the Millennium.

      Gog is Satan, the 8th king, Apollyon, Abaddon, the beast who once was, now is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit/abyss and will go to perdition.

      Seal 6 is the Great Tribulation, The Bowls Judgement, The Resurrection of the Dead in Christ and Rapture of the Alive in Christ, The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

      Seal 7 is the Millennium, the half hour silence in Heaven, the thousand years of peace on Earth.

      The Trumpet Judgement happens at the end of the Millennium.

      The White Throne Judgement is where the Dead will be judged (Sheep and Goat); and the Saints and the Prophet will be rewarded; The Mystery of God, which is Christ, shall be completed, where all the enemies of God, death, and sin will be destroyed, where all kingdoms, power, and authorities will be handed by Christ to God, so that God will be all in all.

      Try looking on the Book of Revelation having two narratives (segments) of the same entire prophetic end timeline. One narrative is from Rev. 2 up to Rev. 11. The other one, which is a beginning of another narrative (starting off with the phrase “A great and wondrous sign appeared…”) of the same entire prophetic event explained in a different manner, from Rev. 12 up to Rev. 21.

      This way you can see if their are things that parallels or fits from one narrative to the other.

      • Why do we need another gospel or prophecy from the Little Scroll if the Gospel is still in force during the Great Tribulation?

        Why do we need Two Witnesses during the Great Tribulation if we have the Overcomers, the Saints-to-be, to preach the Gospel?

        Are all prophecies and the Gospel still lack something, and that something must be prophesied or preached again?

        The danger of believing that the Two Witnesses will prophesy during the Great Tribulation is that the False Prophets, which is Satan’s counterfeit, will be mistakenly took as the Two Witnesses.

      • Why do we need another gospel or prophecy from the Little Scroll if the Gospel is still in force during the Great Tribulation?

        Why do we need Two Witnesses during the Great Tribulation if we have the Overcomers, the Saints-to-be, to preach the Gospel?

        Are all prophecies and the Gospel still lack something, and that something must be prophesied or preached again?

        The danger of believing that the Two Witnesses will prophesy during the Great Tribulation is that the False Prophets, which is Satan’s counterfeit, will be mistakenly taken as the Two Witnesses.

      • You obviously have a much skewered approach to Scripture. The idea that you get the 7th Seal itself as encompassing the entire 1,000 year reign of Christ(or any part of it for that matter) is in itself nonsense and would mean that these judgments encompass a timeline that runs through the millennium without any chronological or successive order. Are you aware of how silly this is? Where did you learn this from?
        There are multiple segments in Revelation, but you have turned it into a bowl of spaghetti here.

        Gog is not Satan or the antichrist. If you ever bothered to read Ezekiel 38-39 thoroughly, you would know that Gog’s intent is to plunder. This isn’t the battle of Armageddon. Gog is buried with the rest of his hoard in Hamon Gog(literally, Multitude of Gog). The antichrist, along with the false prophet, is captured and cast alive into the lake of fire, not buried.

        Its simply unbelievable what some people post here…

        • Chris,

          Do you think Half an Hour Silence in Heaven is just 30 minutes here on Earth?

          Is time in Heaven relative to the Sun as the Earth is?

          What does John meant about the Last Hour?

          1 John 2:18
          Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.

          What does John meant about the Ten Kingdoms/Toes given authority as kings for One Hour?

          Revelation 17:12
          12 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.

          Will it take 2,000 years after the demise of the Roman Empire to wait before the Ten Kingdoms/Toes to begin their reign? Does satan took a holiday from persecuting and killing the christians and the jews after the fall of the Roman Empire?

          Is John’s understanding of the Hour literal or figurative?

          • Rev. 10:6
            6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

            Will time be no longer at the Second Advent or at the end of the Millennium?

            Rev. 10:7
            7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

            When will the Mystery of God, which is Christ, be finished? At the Second Advent or at the end of the Millennium?

            Rev. 11:18
            18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

            When will the Dead, not the Dead in Christ, be judged? At the Second Advent or at the White Throne Judgement?

            Where in Revelation does it clearly said the saints and the prophets are rewarded at the Second Advent?

            In Rev. 20, Is the saints being given authority to judge is a sort of reward or a duty?

            Isn’t it that the rewards are the crowns?

            Does priest wear crowns? Isn’t it more proper that crowns be worn by kings?

            When will the saints becomes the royal priesthood? (Rev. 20) When will they become kings? (Rev. 21)

            It really is just a matter of asking the right questions.

  2. Could it be the time when we return back with Yeshua Messiah to battle against anti christ for Jerusalem the isaiah 26-30 verses? Sounds like when we come on horses behind Yeshua when we return to earth

  3. I think this is a Gentile force that is more of an attacking force than a defensive force.  Ezekiel 7, Joel 1, Joel 2, and Zephaniah 1 are chapters to look at to see that the land is not spared from attack.

  4. Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he
    hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and
    the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

    At this point I think, his people means all of us. So I think this is a warning to the all, not just Judea.

    The Lords hand is still out seems to mean that we can still take his and be righteous, walk hand in hand.

    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:

    Isa 5:27  None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

    Isa 5:28  Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:I think this is calling one the Lost Ten tribes of Joseph, to Return to the Cradle, The Middle East, not to Destroy Judea, likely to defend it, however more over to defend, righteousness, not that Judea is the Land of Righteousness, just the Battle will be about Justice. It is likely to take place in the Middle East, for that is where Worlds collide.

    Isa 5:29  Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.

    Isa 5:30  And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.Hear I roar as the Lyon.The Return of the King, The Army of David.–King David