Isaiah 25:6-8
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined. And He will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken.
One of the signs of the final bounty God means to bestow on the world in the Messianic age is wine. Isaiah (curiously) associates wine with, of all things, the destruction of death. It's not a connection most of us would normally make, yet there it is. And (Isaiah being an inspired prophet and all) it turns out he was right to do so. For of course, the very first miracle done by Jesus in inauguration of the Messianic Age was to turn water into wine. At the end of His ministry He likewise turned wine into blood. Ever wonder what He turned blood into? Just look at the empty tomb!
By Mark Shea
Mark P. Shea is a Catholic author, blogger, and speaker.
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