Isaiah’s New Heavens and New Earth (Part 10): The Final Verdict
By Robert E. Cruickshank Jr. with Daniel E. Harden
Daniel E. Harden (Editor)
Copyright © Robert E. Cruickshank, Jr. (August 29, 2025)
All Rights Reserved
In this series, we have seen how Isaiah specifically refers to two groups – the rebellious people of Israel and Judah before the exile, and the faithful returnees whom God would bring back after the exile. The rebellious in Isaiah’s day had turned away from God and turned instead to the idols of other nations, following their pagan practices of worship. The returnees would have a “new heart,” turn to God, and turn away from idols – having learned the lesson that had been given when He punished the rebellious generation.
In verses 18-23, Isaiah provides a picture of the joy that would return to Jerusalem once the people returned after being scattered, and with their response of once again following the statutes having been laid down to their ancestors. They would face difficulties along the way from other enemies, but they would prevail. The temple itself would be rebuilt, and God would provide Levites and priests, just as he had done at Sinai.
This was all about retribution for the faithful.
But Isaiah doesn’t concern himself solely with the faithful returnees. This was, after all, a courtroom where the rebellious and their accomplices were being tried.[1]
And in the final verse, we find the verdict being rendered on those being prosecuted.
Corpses and Consequences
“Then they will go out and look
At the corpses of the people
Who have rebelled against Me.
For their worm will not die
And their fire will not be extinguished;
And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind” (Isa. 66:24 NASB).
Chapter 66 closes with a couple of extremely ominous declarations. In fact, the verse is so dark that when read in synagogues, the Jews would go back and read verse 23 again after verse 24, so as not to leave the prophecy on a dark note. Some manuscripts even have verse 23 repeated after verse 24 for this reason.[2]
Verse 24 begins with the statement: “And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me.” The antecedent for the pronoun “they” seems to refer to “all flesh” in verse 23 – the same group as indicated with the last two words of verse 24. And indeed, the entire Persian empire would become quite aware, and witness firsthand, the victory of the Jews over 75,000 soldiers from Haman’s army (Esther 9:11-19). This victory was indeed empire-wide, and visible to all (Esther 9).
But they would have also been aware of the original conquest of Israel’s northern kingdom at the hands of Assyria, the destruction of the rebellious idolaters among God’s people, the Assyrian rampage through the cities of Judah (2 Kg. 18:13), the massive deaths of Assyria when it tried to conquer Jerusalem (Isa. 37:33-38), the eventual Babylonian conquest of Judah due to its idolatry, and the subsequent downfall of Babylon at the hands of the Persians as well.
This statement in Isaiah 66:24 could be a reference to any of these events. Since this is a reference to the people of the nations after the restoration, it would seem to refer to the mass victory of the Jews over Haman’s forces. But the inclusion of the word “rebelled” paints a larger picture.
Did Haman actually “rebel” against God? The word “rebel” is the Hebrew word pasha, which refers primarily to an offense or transgression. This form of the word, however, is also used to describe political aggression. In 2 Kings 3:5-7, Moab “rebelled” against the king of Israel. In 2 Kings 8:20-22, Edom and Libnah “rebelled” against Judah. As such, it is quite in keeping with the use of this word to portray Haman as having “rebelled” against God. This same “rebellion” could also apply to both Assyria and Babylon.
However, it is equally true that the accused, Israel and Judah, are said to have “rebelled” against God. Isaiah says as much in his opening statement in Isaiah 1:2.
As such, this can be understood in much the same way as the references to “enemies” in verse 14. That is, it would apply to any and all who stood up and defied God during this entire exile-to-restoration event, from the Israelites and Jews themselves who were largely decimated because of their idolatry, to those after the exile that stood in the way of God’s plan for the restoration of His people. Certainly, even to this day, the Jews consider Haman the absolute vilest of all the enemies in the entire history of the Israelites and Jews (see also Esther 7:6), because he intended to not only defeat them, but to completely annihilate them (Esther 3:6, 13; 9:24).[3] But Haman didn’t succeed. And, once defeated, the bodies of Haman’s armies did lie around un-plundered for all to see (Esther 9:10, 15, 16).
In fact, while few events leave behind empire-wide evidence with corpses all around, the defeat of Haman’s armies did just that, as they were soundly routed in every province. The results were visible for all to see. By the time the restoration was complete, “all flesh” – every province – had seen evidence of the futility of opposing God. No other battle in all of Israel’s history can lay claim to that distinction.
Worms and Fire
The result? “Their worm will not die. And their fire will not be extinguished. And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind (flesh).” Indeed, they were an abhorrence to the entire empire.
People like to distance this verse from the rest of Isaiah, often relegating it solely to the afterlife, since Christ alluded to it in Mark 9:48. But in reality, Isaiah has already used each of these component images in his previous prophecies about literal, physical destruction.
The phrase “their fire will not be extinguished” is a Hebrew idiomatic reference to the wrath of God. Once His wrath has been invoked, no man can waylay it. And once again, this reflects Isaiah’s opening statement, where he says that the wrongdoer will suffer this fate:
“The strong man will become like flax fiber,
And his work a spark.
So they shall both burn together
And there will be no one to extinguish them” (Isa. 1:3).
Once under condemnation, there is no turning back.
The phrase “their worm will not die” is likewise a Hebrew idiom. Judith 16:17 states that “Woe to the nations that rise up against my kindred! the Lord Almighty will take vengeance of them in the day of judgment, in putting fire and worms in their flesh; and they shall feel them, and weep for ever.” Clearly that thought is an echo of Isaiah 66:24, where it is also directed at those who oppose His people. Later instances in Jewish literature, such as Ecclesiasticus, also refer to the fate of vengeance on the ungodly as “fire and worms” (7:17).
Keil and Delitzsh expand on this, suggesting that it is impossible to push the details of the text into extreme literalism. They ask, “How can corpses be eaten by worms at the same time as they are being burned, or how can they be the endless prey of worms and fire without disappearing altogether from the sight of man?”[4] But that question merely emphasizes the point that prophetic language often includes the use of hyperbolic language. This is a classic example, meant to emphasize the severity of judgment.
Jeremiah uses the same type of language, saying that the cities of Judea, including Jerusalem, would be judged with unquenchable fire for not keeping the Sabbath (Jer. 17:26-27). Nebuchadnezzar indeed burned those cities to the ground in 586 BC, but those fires burned out that same year. The language emphasizes how the gravity of the judgment serves as a perpetual reminder of the consequences of disobeying the Lord. Jeremiah and Isaiah are both using the same literary device to drive their point home.
And, just like all the other details in his closing argument, Isaiah utilizes images in 66:24 that he has used previously. In Isaiah 30:18-33, God promises Jerusalem that Assyria will not conquer them, but that they will “weep no longer” because of Assyria (30:19) – language very similar to the promise to the returnees at the restoration in Isaiah 65:19. At the end of this section on Jerusalem repelling Assyria, Isaiah makes the statement that those who tried to conquer Jerusalem (and its king) would suffer the same fate as that found in Isaiah 66:24:
“For Topheth has long been ready,
Indeed, it has been prepared for the king.
He has made it deep and large,
A pyre of fire with plenty of wood;
The breath of the Lord, like a torrent of brimstone, sets it afire” (Isa. 30:33).
The Assyrians were not successful in conquering Jerusalem. Instead, 185,000 of their soldiers died outside of Jerusalem (Isa. 37:33-38).
Likewise, Isaiah has already provided words from God using the idea of worms pertaining to judgment on His enemies. When speaking to the king of Babylon, God said:
“Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
the sound of your harps;
maggots are laid as a bed beneath you,
and worms are your covers” (Isa. 14:11).
And just as the destruction of Babylon is tied to worms in Isaiah 14, fire also plays a prominent role in the prophecies about the downfall of Babylon in Jeremiah 50-51.
The idea of ‘worms’ was sometimes used to indicate either destruction and decay, or as simply a way to indicate the lowly state of a person or nation. For example, in Isaiah 41:14, God refers to Jacob and Israel as having become a “worm”, because their idolatry had caused them to tumble from an exalted status to being nothing more than base creatures like the nations around them.
Likewise, Isaiah often refers to the judgment of God as a “devouring fire” (Isa. 29:6; 30:27, 30; 33:11-14; 47:14; etc.) And the fact that it is “unquenchable” is reminiscent of the prophecy against Edom:
“And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch,
and her soil into sulfur;
her land shall become burning pitch.
Night and day it shall not be quenched;
its smoke shall go up forever.
From generation to generation it shall lie waste;
none shall pass through it forever and ever” (Isa. 34:9-10).
When God prepares the fires of His wrath, it can neither be repulsed nor quenched.
The additional question with Isaiah 66:24 is whether it refers to consequences on earth, or in the afterlife.
Warnings and Wrath
The picture of the undying worm and the unquenchable fire is repeated by Christ in Mark 9:48, with a reference to the eternal Lake of Fire. Yet the underlying idea is the same – if one is a recipient of God’s wrath, then the fate is grim indeed. If we incorporate Christ’s words as a further explanation, then Isaiah 66:24 would mean that those enemies of God’s people, even including both the idolatrous Israelites who had turned their back on God (and like those of Mark 9:50, had lost their flavor and become useless), as well as bitter Haman and his troops, were destined for that same eternal Lake of Fire as a result of their rebellion – a fire than can cause excruciating pain without destroying the spirit.[5]
But that doesn’t detract from the literalness of the prophecies of Isaiah. In Old Testament prophecies, the promise of judgment fire was not relegated solely to the spiritual realm or the afterlife. Literal, physical fire was a tool used repeatedly by God on both enemies of His people as well as His people themselves when they turned their back on Him. The divine fire was generally brought about through human agents, although God could use fire directly from Heaven if He so chose.
Furthermore, the use of corpses (or dead bodies) in Isaiah 66:24 is also highly indicative of their physical state, rather than their state in the spiritual realm. Again, this is something Isaiah has used before. In chapter 34, for example, just before the section that details divine fire as judgment (verses 9-10), we also find another quote that is similar to Isaiah 66:24. Speaking against the nations that acted against Israel, God says this:
“For the Lord is enraged against all the nations,
and furious against all their host;
he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.
Their slain shall be cast out,
and the stench of their corpses shall rise;
the mountains shall flow with their blood” (Isa. 34:2-3).
Likewise, Jeremiah uses the idea of corpses as a result of divine judgment as well (Jer. 31:40; 33:5).
So, it shouldn’t surprise us when the last word given by God through Isaiah to His enemies, foreign and domestic, is one of corpses, worms, and fire.
Verdict!
Taken as a whole, then, with Isaiah having wrapped up his closing argument, God the Judge gives the final verdict on the accused: GUILTY! And the severe sentencing: a punishment that will not end – not only for the guilty party, the idolatrous people of God, but also for all those who opposed God’s people – Assyria, Babylon, Haman, and the rest, who were accomplices and accessories to the crime.
Despite the preference of the Jews to leave Isaiah’s prophecies on a positive note by rereading 66:23, the fact remains that with the guilty verdict and the sentencing, the court case is officially closed.
Recap
In the final verse of Isaiah’s prophecy, God renders the decision of the covenant lawsuit that began in chapter one. The verdict is in, and the consequences are grim – for Israel’s apostates, for the enemies of restoration, and for all who opposed the Lord’s plans and purposes.
These symbols, far from being strictly literal, draw from a rich tapestry of biblical idioms and hyperbole to underscore the permanence and severity of God’s wrath. Whether referencing Assyria’s failed siege, Babylon’s fall, or the Jews’ decisive victory over Haman’s forces, Isaiah’s point is the same: rebellion against God – whether from His own people or their enemies – results in devastation and disgrace.
Takeaways
In the closing verse of his closing chapter, Isaiah reminds us that rebellion brings consequences. God’s judgment on his enemies – enemies from within and without – leaves a lasting witness. Isaiah’s imagery is meant to be firmly instilled within us, so that we can remember the importance of walking in obedience to God’s word. These historical judgments point to eternal realities. Jesus’s echo of Isaiah’s words in the New Testament should call us to repentance and renewal in our own lives, and prompt us to share the Gospel with those who do not have the Lord in their lives. Most importantly, Isaiah’s closing statement reminds us that God’s enemies never prevail in the end. From Assyria to Babylon, from rebellious Israel to Haman, all opposition to the Lord’s plans and purposes is ultimately defeated.
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[1] See: Robert E. Cruickshank, Jr., and Daniel E. Harden, Isaiah’s New Heavens and New Earth (Part 8): Trying the Case – Isaiah’s Opening and Closing Arguments – The Burros of Berea https://bit.ly/3UFo0Kp
[2] For example: Isaiah 66:24 with Midrash https://bit.ly/46I2fBg
[3] “In Rabbinical tradition, Haman is considered an archetype of evil and persecutor of the Jews. Having attempted to exterminate the Jews of Persia, and rendering himself thereby their worst enemy, Haman naturally became the center of many Talmudic legends” (Haman (Bible) – New World Encyclopedia https://bit.ly/4fmn4nL ).
[4] Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsh | Sacred Texts Archive – Isaiah Chapter 66 https://bit.ly/465tN2W
[5] If applied to “eternal fire” – meaning fire in the spiritual realm – Jewish cosmology included an area in the underworld where there was a fire that continually burned. Furthermore, this fire was able to cause excruciating pain, but didn’t necessarily result in the dissolution of what was in this area. We tend to think of the destructive properties of physical fire, but that doesn’t mean that some things aren’t impervious to a certain degree. Such would be the case in the underworld. Those in the fire would feel extreme discomfort and pain without necessarily being burned away to nothingness. This nuance may well also come into play, to a certain extent, in other passages about fiery judgment as well.