Isaiah Lesson 22

The Kingdom Theme in Scripture and Israel’s Covenant Role

Welcome, everybody. Can we call on Pastor John here to open us in prayer?

Father, we are grateful that we can come into your very presence. We're grateful that we have truth that has been recorded and preserved for us, and we're grateful that your Holy Spirit enlightens us and lumens us to these very truths.

As we come together, we ask, Father, you would speak through Pastor Jeff and that what we're going to learn will go into the depths of our hearts, draw us into a close relationship, understanding of you, and we know that your word is alive and active, so we say thank you.

In Jesus' name, amen.

There are certain threads that run throughout the entirety of scripture. One of those, of course, would be redemption, and that finds its fulfillment in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. Another thread that is really cover to cover in the Bible is the idea of kingdom.

If you begin in the very first chapter of Genesis, you have chapter 1, verse 26 to 28, where Adam and Eve are given dominion over the birds and the animals and the creeping things, and that concept of dominion and even the image of God is the idea of kingdom.

So what you have there is God as the ultimate king and creator making man to be like a vice regent on earth, as kings and queens, in the sense ruling in God's stead, in his place, commissioned by him to that role as a vice regent.

So the idea of kingdom, then, runs throughout the scripture. You see that again and again, and then in the 11th chapter of Genesis, you see the creation of a nation, a kingdom, through which God will mediate blessing to all the other nations of the earth.

That is a very prominent theme. In the 11th chapter, just before Israel is born as a nation, there is a rebellion where man attempts to build kingdom apart from God's reign and rule. So in rebellion to God as the king, they seek to make a name for themselves.

Of course, where do they build this tower? A place called Babel. Today, we are going to study the tower of Babel, not from Genesis 11, but a rebuilt kingdom, a rebuilt kingdom in the same place called Babylon.

Exodus 19 and the Mosaic Covenant as the Basis for Blessing and Curse

It will be in the 13th chapter, but let's just remember, first of all, this big concept. Turn with me first to Exodus chapter 19. Some theologians from Dallas Seminary that I respect that have written a book on biblical theology would say that Exodus 19 verses 2 through 6 are really crucial in understanding the whole Pentateuch, really, the whole first five books of Torah.

Exodus 19, 2 and following, they set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai. And they encamped in the wilderness, there Israel encamped before the mountain. While Moses went up to God, the Lord called to him out of the mountain saying, thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the people of Israel, you yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself.

Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples for all the earth is mine and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. So the purpose of the creation of the nation Israel would be to mediate blessing to the entire world, to all the nations that this one chosen people would represent the kingdom of God on earth.

And this would be a kingdom of priests. Do you see how it's called a kingdom of priests? Look at verse six, you shall be to me a kingdom of priests. What is the essential role of a priest? Mediator, intercessor, a go between.

And that's what Israel was to be to all the nations of the earth. As nations blessed Israel, according to the covenant with Abraham, what would happen to the nation? That nation itself would be blessed.

If a nation were to curse Israel, God's kingdom of priests, what would be of that nation? They would be cursed. When we come to Isaiah chapter 13, we need to understand this context because Israel has been created to mediate blessing, but they have been trampled underfoot.

The nations, whether they be the Edomites, the Moabites, Tyre, the Syrians, the Assyrians, who are the ones who are sweeping over the world as a kingdom at this time, and then the Babylonians, all of these peoples are enemies to Israel.

They're not blessing the chosen people. And conversely, Israel is not serving its function as a lighthouse to the nations. Notice again in Exodus 19 verse five says, now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples.

Well, that covenant that flows from Sinai in chapters 20 to 24, the covenant of Sinai is the Mosaic covenant, the law. And if you notice the word if in Exodus 9, 19 verse five, that indicates there is a conditionality to it.

Now, God has made Israel unconditionally to be his chosen people in the Abrahamic covenant. But what the Mosaic covenant does is it introduces a condition. When Israel obeys the covenant, the law, first of all, in chapter 20, you have the 10 commandments, the 10 words.

And then the more specific laws that follow Exodus 21 to 23, you have specific laws that are more particular in case with penalties associated with them. When Israel walks in obedience, according to Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 to 30, what will happen to Israel?

They will be blessed. When they disobey, if the word if in Exodus 19, 5, if they disobey, what will come of them? They will be cursed. So you see there's conditionality to the function of Israel as a chosen people, as the kingdom of God representing the kingdom of God on earth.

Right? So we go to Isaiah. Now we understand what's happening because there's a major break between the 12th and 13th chapter of Isaiah. The first 12 chapters we've studied at length, 21 lessons so far.

And here between lesson 21 and 22, there's a major break in the text. Now we have judgment on the nations and we'll see this for a number of weeks here following. The 13th chapter is an oracle, not concerning Israel, but concerning Babylon.

Babylon is a distinct people group, a distinct nation that if they were wise, they would bless Israel. But do they bless Israel? No. And has Israel served its function to be a lighthouse to the nation at this point in time?

No. And we've studied this for the last 11 chapters. They are considered like Sodom, like Gomorrah, an evil and wicked people. So God is sending the nations to judge them. This is completely in keeping with the Mosaic covenant.

They have not been meeting their covenant obligations and therefore they're being oppressed by surrounding nations. So though we look at those nations and they likewise are cursed because they don't bless Israel.

That's the quandary that they're in, in chapter 13. So John, would you mind just reading chapter 13, the first five verses,.

The Oracle Concerning Babylon

And we'll get into it verse by verse. The oracle concerning Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw, lift up a standard on the bare hill, raise your voice to them, wave the hand that they may enter the door of the nobles.

I have commanded my consecrated ones, I have even called my mighty warriors, my proudly exalting ones, to execute my angst. The sound of tumult on the mountains like that of many people, a sound of the uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathered together.

The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle. They are coming from a far country, from the farthest horizons,. The Lord and his instruments.

Of indignation to destroy the whole land. Okay, so that first word that we have in Isaiah 13 is the oracle. The Hebrew word for oracle communicates a burden being laid upon someone. So picture Christian in the pilgrim's progress with the sack on his back that was a burden to him, a weight.

That idea of carrying a burden, a backpack that loads you down and weighs you down. Well, that Hebrew word for oracle communicates that idea. It's a burden. So some translations actually say the burden of the Lord.

Why is it a burden to Isaiah to carry this message? Yeah, it's a message of judgment, and it's difficult to bear that and to speak that. So an oracle is a weighty burden of a message to be delivered. So it weighs heavy on the one who needs to speak it.

It's probably hard. I picture Daniel when he received some of the bad news. It almost made him feel sick, and it just troubled him and disturbed him. I'm sure when Isaiah pictured what's going to come upon these people in Babylon, these image bearers, it's going to be devastating, and it weighs heavy on him.

So it's an oracle, but it's concerning Babylon. So here we have a big break in the text. Now we're going to hear judgments against the nations. Up until this point, the emphasis has been upon Judah, the southern kingdom.

That's where Isaiah is prophesying and calling them out from their sin to repent and turn to the Lord. So the oracles against the nations will foretell the advance of the Assyrians from west to east. Now that's an interpretive statement that I'm making at this point.

I've read a number of different commentaries looking at how people interpret these judgment oracles, and it seems to me that the Dallas professors in the Bible knowledge commentary are the ones who are kind of hitting it right for the reasons that were given here, not based on their authority as Dallas seminary professors, but based on the arguments that they make, how it fits with the flow of the text and what's actually in the scripture.

So what I see happening in these sections is that the Assyrian army is beginning to conquer, and as they move from west to east, the first nation that they conquer is Babylon. So the 13th chapter will deal, in my mind, with the fall of Babylon, prophesying that fall, which will take place in 689.

So these oracles, though, are not given to these nations. I don't think Isaiah ever travels to the way Jonah goes to Assyria. I don't think he travels and delivers to the king of Tyre what this message is about how Satan is behind the throne in chapter 14 or Babylon 14 or Ezekiel 28.

I don't think that the prophets go to those places. I think this is spoken to Israel. Now, why would God have something to say to Israel about another people? Isn't that just kind of like gossip? Why would they need to know this?

Yeah. Right. His justice towards the nations, but why would Israel need to know a display of his justice? Okay. And these are people that often curse and oppose Israel. Anything like today? Are there any nations surrounding Israel that curse and oppose them?

Whose mullahs say that they would like to see Israel driven into the sea? This has been the state of Israel really since its existence. It's been attacked and oppressed by the nations that surround them.

So there is a sense of comfort to know that God will deal with those who curse according to the Abrahamic covenant, that he will curse those who curse them. So this, in a sense, can be comforting to know that God has their back and they are hearing about this coming judgment.

They're oppressed now, but they will be delivered. So the oracle is this weighty burden, verse one. Verse two, on a bare hill, raise a signal, cry aloud to them, wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.

I myself have commanded my consecrated ones and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exalting ones. The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude, the sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together.

The Lord of hosts is mustering a host for battle. Let me stop right there, fitting with the earlier pronouns. Who is sending the army? Very clearly, it's God who's sending my army. This is my anger, my proudly exalting ones even, the sound of an uproar of nations gathering.

Who is the instrument that God is sending against them? Is this his people, Israel, as you would expect if he sang my army? Babylon is not the instrument here. A series. Yes. Yep. It's God's army. But interestingly, the one who he's sending to judge, we saw this earlier in Isaiah chapter 10, the rod of his anger is Assyria.

He is going to use them. Now, remember from chapter 10, does Assyria so intend in their heart? Do they intend to be God's rod? No. They think they are the ones that conquer any kind of God. They don't know that it's actually Yahweh, the king of Israel who's using them.

But that's what's in view here. The sound of a tumult, the sound of an uproar of kingdoms, the nations gathering. Why do you think Assyria would be called the nations gathering? Why would they be called the nations if it's Assyria that's going to do the conquering?

Ah, the Medes have joined in league with them. Many peoples have been conquered by Assyria at this point. And Assyria has a practice of deporting people from their homeland and placing them somewhere else or bringing them into the Assyrian army.

So, the Assyrian army is kind of a mishmash of different people groups. They are the nations in a sense. They have brought together, this is probably the first worldwide empire. It's no longer just one ethnic people group.

It's a conquering people that's beginning to take world domination. And you'll see other, you know, Babylon itself will become an empire. Then the Medo-Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans. And then there's this kind of gap period of the church age and we'll have the revived Roman empire at the end times.

So, Daniel tells about these different nations that become empires over the world. But Assyria has become that at this point. They're beginning to dominate the world. That's why they're called the nations.

The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together. So, you might, as Luis says, have Medes as part of that army or Assyrian born people. The Goyim? What's that? Gentiles in general? Could be.

Yeah. They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens. So, now you're seeing a mighty force that is made up of many people. Just the uproar is a picture of like the ground shaking. It's so many people that are coming together to be part of this kingdom.

Now, is this a kingdom under God? The way God intended man to represent him on earth according to Genesis 1, 26 to 28? No, this is more like the Babylonian style kingdom of Genesis 11. It's a nation, a kingdom that's being built to make a name for themselves.

Self-will versus God's will. So, they come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the Lord and the weapons of his indignation to destroy the whole land. Pause right there for a second. Would somebody mind clicking down the heat on the back?

Just walking back and just hitting the down arrow. It's turned up too high. You can just push that arrow. You'll find it. Thank you very much. All right. So, the big idea here though in the first five verses that the thing that should jump out at you again and again is that God is claiming responsibility.

Isn't that amazing? It's I myself who have commanded my consecrated ones. He set them apart to do this. Who again are they up against in this particular war? Babylon. Look back at verse 1. The oracle concerning Babylon.

Bob, you're right. It's Babylon that's going to receive this signal against them. And all the peoples are going to come overrun this city. All right.

The Day of the Lord Against Babylon and the Nations

Can I get a reader? Sandy, would you mind reading for me Isaiah 13, 6 through 8? Okay.

So, Babylon will experience something. Is it going to be good, bad, or ugly? Bad and ugly, not good. It's going to be wailing. It's described as the day of the Lord for them. And in a minute, we'll get into the day of the Lord taking on a broader meaning throughout the Old Testament than fulfilled in the book of Revelation.

But here, the day of the Lord is a day that's coming upon Babylon. It's near. As destruction from the Almighty, it will come. When God brings the hammer, that's worse than Thor's hammer. The true God, when he brings judgment, it will happen.

There's no averting it. And it's going to be devastating. All hands will be feeble. Babylon is going to be overrun and be able to do nothing to fight it off. Completely outmatched. Feeble in resistance against it.

Which is saying something because Babylon's been, since the beginning of time, a seat of rebellion against God, always sought to be a powerful people. And yet, they themselves will be feeble. Every human heart will melt, dismayed.

Pangs and agony will seize them. This is going to be devastating. Physical death. There'll be an anguish like a woman in labor. The women here who have given birth can describe what that would feel like.

The guys don't know. But I understand it can be extremely, extremely painful. That's coming on them all. Your wife almost broke your knuckles, huh? Very important point. Yeah. And I'm going to repeat that into the microphone.

This is Isaiah prophesying in Jerusalem, telling Judah what Assyria is going to do to Babylon. Yes. You have to follow because we'll get lost. It gets even more confusing later on in the chapter, which is why you have so much difference of interpretation amongst different Bible scholars.

But that's what I'm saying it is, and I think there's reason for that. So, this is what is going to happen to Babylon. Now, verses 9 to 13. Let me ask John to read so.

The microphone picks up. Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation, and he will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light.

The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will not shed its light. Thus, I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their iniquity. I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.

I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of off it. Therefore, is that 13? Yeah, 13. Therefore, I shall make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day.

Of his burning anger. Okay. The term world indicates that there's something broader to this judgment than simply Babylon in this near-term fulfillment. Very often, this principle arises in scripture, that you have a near-term fulfillment, but also a broader fulfillment that will also take place later on.

A number of people have described it as being like a mountain range, where as you approach a peak, you can't see over the peak, and maybe you're looking at it from the height of a peak, you only see the one, but if you were able to get a bird's eye view, you would see that beyond that peak is another mountain that may be taller than the one itself that you're seeing, but you're only seeing the nearest one.

Okay. This is a judgment against Babylon. That's a context. We can't lose sight of that, but I think what Isaiah is going to do here is broaden it to see something, another mountain peak way in the future.

The day of the Lord becomes a very prominent theme in the Old Testament, and it's picked up in the New, in the book of Revelation, in Joel's prophecy. Many Old Testament prophets, minor prophets will speak of the coming day of the Lord, and it refers to something yet future, so there's a near and a far fulfillment.

We'll see this next week or in coming weeks when John teaches on the 14th chapter. You'll hear about Babylon, but you'll also hear about a power behind Babylon, which is Lucifer himself, Satan himself.

There's double meanings in scripture often. We saw this in chapter 7, where Maher Shalal Hashbaz was referred to as the son of Isaiah and his maturation, but there was a far fulfillment that actually supersedes that, and that's a virgin literally giving birth to a son whose name will be Jesus.

So the near and the far, the near term fulfillment and the far. Here you see a broadening of the category, and it's actually in the text itself. So in verse 9, behold the day of the Lord. Mark that. The day of the Lord.

This is a day that will come on Babylon, who's the subject of the chapter, but also a broader concept that will continue to flesh out as the Bible unfolds its story. We want to see the threads that flow through scripture, the idea of kingdom.

Now God's judgment against nations, a day of God's wrath is prominent, and it will continue to build throughout the scripture. To make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. Verse 10, for the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light.

What does that sound like? Revelation, it happens physically and literally there, but now it's like a symbolic darkness that will come over Babylon. It'll be so destructive. It will just be a day of dark and gloom.

The sun will be dark as rising and the moon will not shed its light. Look at verse 11. I will punish the world. That's why I say that there's a broadening here. Isaiah is speaking about Babylon, but now he's broadened it like a future mountain peak.

A day of the Lord over all the false nations that are not representing God on earth. I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. Now who is ruthless in the Assyrian Babylon equation?

It's Assyria who's ruthless. So now we're beginning, I think, to see that the judgment on Babylon is particular, but it's not isolated. God will turn around and judge the rod of his anger because he does not so intend to serve God.

God is using them, but God will also judge Assyria in coming time. So I think here, this is important to notice for what comes next. I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant. It's broader than just Babylon here.

I think it refers to the Assyrians and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. Assyria is known for how ruthless they were in the onslaught against Babylon and against all their enemies. I will make people more rare than fine gold.

So this is just people in... This is a devastation of the whole world. This has got to be future. Yeah. When in the tribulation, one judgment will kill a third of all mankind and another judgment will do likewise as it comes after one after another.

Seals and then trumpets and then bowls. And then you have the battle of Armageddon in chapter 16 where it's just most of mankind is gathering together against the Christ and they get completely wiped out.

I think that's what's in view here. Something beyond the near term fulfillment says, I will make people more rare than fine gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir. That was a region that had some gold, but it was rare and precious and valuable.

Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaken out of its place as the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. John, could you read for us verses 14 through 16?

The Fall of Babylon in 689 BC

And it will be that like a hunted gazelle or like sheep with none to gather them. They will each turn to his own people and each one flee to his own land. Anyone who's found will be thrust out, will be thrust through.

And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword. Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be plundered.

And their wives ravished. This is a horrifying description of war and conquering. What is the fulfillment of this? The Bible scholars that I've read and that I think fit the history of this would point to 689 BC.

It is the fall of Babylon to Assyria. So when Isaiah is prophesying this, there's still decades yet to come before Assyria will conquer Babylon. Some people have argued against this based on what's coming next in verse 17, that this refers to the fall of Babylon to the Medes, the Medo-Persians.

I don't think that's the case for the reason that John Martin gives. We'll get to that in just a second. But notice just how unrelenting this destruction is. And you got to notice this because this forms the basis for the argument of why it refers to 689.

When the Assyrians conquered Babylon, it was ruthless. Even the children weren't spared. The women were raped. The people were completely destroyed. The city was made a haunt for jackals, completely overrun and left that way for years until the son of Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, came to rebuild it.

So this is a complete destruction of a city. And I think, and you might agree with me, look at verse 15 and 16. This is a picture of violent, terrifying, destructive overthrow, not a peaceful transfer of power, right?

Whoever is found will be thrust through. A lot of survivors? No. Anybody who stays in that city, if you're found in that city, you're done. They're going to kill you when they get there. This is complete destruction.

Whoever is caught will fall by the sword. So if you're running away from the city, they're still trying to run you down. Picture of complete destruction of the city, even their infants and their wives.

I mean, it's a terrifying picture of God's judgment against this people, Babylon. All right, John, would you read for us then 17 and 18?

Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold, and their bowels will mow down the young men. They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, nor will their eye pity children.

Okay. So is this the fall of Babylon in 689, or is this the overthrow of Babylon by the Medo-Persians hundreds of years after that? I don't think so. So here's a quote from John Martin from the Bible Knowledge Commentary.

John A. Martin says, in the Medo-Persian takeover in 539, there was very little change in the city. Does that fit the description? No. It was not destroyed, so it continued on much as it had been. Remember when you're reading the book of Daniel and you just go from king to king?

You go from Nebuchadnezzar and then you have the Persian king. Is it Darius the Mede and then Cyrus the Persian? It's just a transfer of power. Daniel's still living there. Everything just kind of goes on for the people living in the city, but there's been a transfer of power, an overtaking politically.

It was not destroyed, so it continued on much as it had been. But Isaiah 13, 19 to 22 speaks of the destruction of Babylon. We'll see this. It's just a complete, as we've said, not only the people, but the buildings getting knocked down.

Also the word them, against whom the Medes were stirred up, were the Assyrians. So this is interesting. Not the Babylonians. It seems better then to understand this section as dealing with events pertaining to the Assyrian sack of Babylon in December 689 BC.

The Chaldeans pride was overthrown. So the Chaldeans then is Babylonian, but what is up with the Medes? And this is what troubles us because we don't know exactly. I don't know exactly, but look at verse 17.

Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them. What John Martin is saying is that the them in that sentence, I am stirring up the Medes against them, is referring to the Assyrians. So in verses 9 to 16, we've broadened the scope away from Babylon and the arrogant, the pompous pride of the ruthless is referring to the Assyrians, even as it did in Isaiah chapter 10.

So there's some kind of internal struggle where Medes and Assyrians are battling one another. But it all refers to the same event in 689. That's John Martin's take. And I think it's right, just because it so fits the fall of Babylon in 689.

Even the people who are conquering will fall in that. They'll be pushed back from the Chaldeans, but also evidently you have some Medes, as Luis pointed out, who would then turn against Assyrians. So there's going to be people falling left and right in a battle, and some people stabbing one another in the back.

Right. And so they do completely fall. And so some would say, well, then it won't fit. So let's read what follows here, and that will answer that question. So John, would you read for us 19.

Through 22? And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of Chaldeans' pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation, nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

But desert creatures will lie down there, and their houses will be full of owls. Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there, and hyenas will hollow in their fortified towers, and jackals in their luxurious palaces.

Her fateful time also will soon come, and her days will not be prolonged. Raise your hand if you've heard of Saddam Hussein.

Do you remember that we as Americans fought a war, the first Gulf War against Saddam Hussein? Do you realize that when Desert Storm took place, Saddam was building Babylon? Spent a billion dollars building Babylon.

So we have a problem because the text here is saying that Babylon, verse 19, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah. God rained fire on those cities and utterly destroyed them.

And it even goes on to say, verse 20, it will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations. Saddam considered himself a reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar. I didn't know he considered that, but here is how I think we reconcile this evident problem.

It is to say that the Neo-Babylonian empire that rises up and conquers in 605 and then 597 -587 over the Jewish people that this is a separate kingdom. So Neo-Babylon would be different than the Tower of Babel, which is the first iteration.

This Babylonian endeavor, the Neo-Babylonians that conquered, and then later Saddam Hussein when he builds Babylon, it's not contradicting this. It's saying that this effort is like what happened in Genesis 11.

Complete destruction, God floored it. And it's even true if you look historically, I think I have in your notes here, it was Sennacherib's son, Esarhaddon, not the Babylonian empire that rebuilt the city.

And then the rise of the Neo-Babylonian empire, which doesn't begin till 626 and then ends in 539 when it falls to the Medes under Darius the Mede, does not disprove this language. It's still a complete and final destruction of this Babylonian empire.

So it's the same place, that's the issue. Yeah, it might be slightly geographically miles apart, but it could even include some of the same physical territory. But what I'm saying is that the Babylonian empire that was overthrown by Darius the Mede is yet a different iteration.

It's not what is referred to here. This is a complete destruction of their effort to build a tower to God, to make a name for themselves. God keeps wiping it out whenever somebody else will try. In other words, Saddam Hussein is not a reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar.

These are completely different people who are trying to do the same thing. It's the same wicked spirit that animates them, but this effort completely fails, complete conquering. And then for a time, the Assyrians build there.

Even a few years later, you have Esarhaddon building there. Make sense? Okay, so that kind of ties up the kind of didactic teaching of what this refers to. There are scholars who disagree with it. Like I said, there's many that place it as the fall of Babylon in 539.

Doesn't seem to fit. The way I'm seeing it, this is complete destruction. In fact, there's language that describes wild animals lying down there. Why would that be? There's no people. Yeah, it's a complete annihilation.

Hyenas crying out in the towers. Yeah, okay. And it's time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. That again, I think close at hand refers to 689, not hundreds of years later, you know. So, let's make application then.

Warning the Nations, Repentance, and National Judgment

As the day of the Lord approaches, warn the nations of coming judgment. I opened this lesson referring to God's creation mandate that man is to rule as his vice regents. And part of what that includes is nations.

God makes nations rise and he makes nations fall. And he is the judge. When you read Isaiah 13, you cannot miss the fact that God has wrath. Burning anger. And sometimes that wrath is directed at nations.

Babylon, this nation is utterly destroyed under the wrath of God. As will the Assyrians who he's using to bring that judgment. And the Medes later. And that's where I'm going with this. We are a nation that has been so incredibly blessed.

So blessed to prosper the way we do. And I think that it is because a large percentage of Americans have blessed Israel. As a nation in national policy, we have supported Israel. And that's connected to the blessing that's come on us.

That's the promise of Genesis 12. Now, this week, there's introduced into legislation something called the Equality Act. The Equality Act would make it illegal for a person to exclude a man from a woman's restroom.

Or a boy from a girl's restroom in a school. It would ruin women's sports. It would even override some of the religious protections that churches have against such things in our hiring practices. This is the kind of legislation that's being put into this nation.

But it's not the worst thing that this nation has seen. Roe versus Wade in the 1970s. That we would take our children to the fire to be offered to Mullick. 63 million babies slaughtered in this country.

Many people assume that God no longer has wrath. But the wrath that God has exerted against Babylon and against many nations over the course of history will culminate one day in the Day of the Lord. The Day of the Lord will be a day of His wrath.

Read the book of Revelations. It's not hyperbole. Yes, there's some symbolism in that book. But it's meant to be taken literally. A day of God's judgment. And America is not safe from that day just because we have many Christian forebears.

We need to warn people of coming judgment. We need to call people to repentance and faith. God may yet relent. But when you see the devastation in our cities this last summer, even the things that happened in January, which were disgusting.

When you see the state of this country as it is today, I can't help but assume that God in some way is judging this country. And the coming judgment would be far worse than the birth pangs that we're seeing so far.

So what should we be about? If Isaiah 13 is true history, which it is, what should we be about in the meantime? Holiness, prayer, and calling individuals to salvation. To repent and to believe. And who knows, God might send a revival and spare this nation, even as He spared Assyria for a hundred years when Jonah went preaching.

We pray and we witness. From Isaiah 13, we recognize that God still judges nations. And we should still be supporting the nation of Israel. So let's close in prayer, brother. But I put that on you. Carry us in prayer to close this lesson.