Isaiah 13 & 14. Is. 13:1 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. Starting tonight, as we look at the nation of Babylon

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1 Isaiah 13 & 14 Nw we start a new sectin f Isaiah Is. 13:1 The racle cncerning Babyln which Isaiah the sn f Amz saw. This sectin runs int chapter 23, and it chrnicles the cming judgment against a hst f natins wh have std against Israel But as usual, theres mre than meets the eye in these chapters. Starting tnight, as we lk at the natin f Babyln In these chapters, we ll see burdens r heavy messages prclaimed against nt nly Babyln but als Mab, Philistines, Egypt, Arabia and thers In mst cases, the burden is a literal judgment against the cntemprary natins in Isaiah s day r in a nearby future day Even Babyln fits this pattern In chapter 21, Isaiah describes the cming judgment f Babyln at the hands f the Med Persians But in ther cases, particularly in the case f Babyln, there is an imprtant secnd meaning als described Tnight, the racle cncerning Babyln begins by addressing that future fulfillment S t understand what Isaiah is teaching tday and in future weeks, we have take sme time t understand all the ways scripture uses the place name Babyln There are fur ways scripture uses the name Babyln First, there is the ancient kingdm funded by Nimrd, in which the twer f Babel was cnstructed after the fld Lcated in Mesptamia Secndly, there is kingdm f Babyln ruled by Nebechednezzar The natin that ccupied mdern day Iraq and Mesptamia 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

2 Isaiah 13 & 14! 2 Third, there is a physical city recnstructed in the last days frm which the antichrist rules the wrld (Rev 14, 17, 18) It s lcated in Mesptamia, mdern-day Iraq There is a furth meaning as well T figure ut the furth meaning, we need t take a mment and make sme bservatins cncerning the first three places. All three mentins f Babyln are f a physical city lcated in the same place Mesptamia What ther ntable event tk place in Mesptamia? The Garden was lcated there, and the Fall ccurred there What kinds f kingdms and activities mark this place? It is the place where the enemy wrked t bring mankind int slavery t him It is the place f the first manmade kingdm, Babel, that sught t challenge Gd s authrity Accrding t scripture, Babel was the place where idl wrship began Occultism begins there Later it is the place Gd calls Abraham ut frm s he culd be sent t the prmised land Then it is the place fr the kingdm f Babyln, the first f a series f Gentile wrld pwers Gd wuld send t judge His peple s sin Later it will again becme the dminant seat f wrld pwer frm where the enemy will rule having indwelled the antichrist s bdy In ther wrds, Babyln s histry allws it t stand as a symbl r representative fr the enemy s effrt t crrupt Gd s peple and steal His glry 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

3 Isaiah 13 & 14! 3 Mre specifically, Babyln cmes t persnify false religin in any frm Remember, the enemy wins anytime the true Gspel is cuntered by a false view, regardless f what that view may be S, we might think that there are varius chices cmpeting fr ur allegiance and faith But in reality there are nly tw There is Gd and His Sn and the Gspel He made knwn And there is everything else (pie chart) And everything else can be called Babyln in that all these lies find their surce in the father f lies, Satan, and they all gt their start in Mesptamia (Babyln) If smene cmes frm England, we call them English If smene cmes frm Canada, we call them Canadian If smething cmes frm, riginates, frm Mesptamia, we call it Babyln S, the furth meaning f the term Babyln in scripture is t mean the enemies cunterfeit system f faith, a religin f lies that ges by many names But always leads t the same place It is a system f deceptin and evil that began in the Garden, cntinued in Babel, was at wrk in Babyln during Isaiah s day And will nce again take hld f the wrld in a future day Befre we return t Isaiah, let me shw yu a vivid depictin f this truth in Scripture in Revelatin 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

4 Isaiah 13 & 14! 4 Rev. 17:3 And he carried me away in the Spirit int a wilderness; and I saw a wman sitting n a scarlet beast, full f blasphemus names, having seven heads and ten hrns. Rev. 17:4 The wman was clthed in purple and scarlet, and adrned with gld and precius stnes and pearls, having in her hand a gld cup full f abminatins and f the unclean things f her immrality, Rev. 17:5 and n her frehead a name was written, a mystery, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Rev. 17:6 And I saw the wman drunk with the bld f the saints, and with the bld f the witnesses f Jesus. When I saw her, I wndered greatly. Mther f harlts What s a harlt? A cunterfeit lve S a false cunterfeit faith r religin is like a harlt in the way a harlt cunterfeits smething gd (marriage), but it crrupts and leads t destructin S a false religin is a harlt in cmparisn t the true Gspel What is the mther f all harlts? The ne wh gave birth t all the cunterfeits Spiritual Babyln is the mther f all false religins, fr it s where the enemy gave them their start Rev. 17:14 These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will vercme them, because He is Lrd f lrds and King f kings, and thse wh are with Him are the called and chsen and faithful. Rev. 17:15 And he said t me, The waters which yu saw where the harlt sits, are peples and multitudes and natins and tngues. This harlt sits atp all peple and natins N ne and n where is immune frm it s influence Even thse f us wh knw the Lrd were at an earlier pint under the influence f this harlt We were rescued frm it 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

5 Isaiah 13 & 14! 5 Rev. 17:18 The wman whm yu saw is the great city, which reigns ver the kings f the earth. Rev. 18:1 After these things I saw anther angel cming dwn frm heaven, having great authrity, and the earth was illumined with his glry. Rev. 18:2 And he cried ut with a mighty vice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babyln the great! She has becme a dwelling place f demns and a prisn f every unclean spirit, and a prisn f every unclean and hateful bird. Rev. 18:3 Fr all the natins have drunk f the wine f the passin f her immrality, and the kings f the earth have cmmitted acts f immrality with her, and the merchants f the earth have becme rich by the wealth f her sensuality. Here again we see that Babyln is a great city, but it reigns ver the kings f the earth Literally, this will be true in the last days And the influence f Spiritual Babyln is such that many natins and leaders have drunk her intxicating lies Leading t many evil and crrupt leaders yesterday, tday and int the future until Christ sets up His perfect gvernment And many businessman have lived accrding t the enemy s seductive pwer t bend human lust and pride t his wn evil purpses Babyln has been at wrk in the heart f every persn thrughut the ages, and it is a frce that must be judged Gd will judge nt nly the physical place and the peple in it, but He will als judge the religius system represented by the name Babyln It wuld be like saying we are nt nly ging t destry England, and every Englishman, but als the English language and culture with it. With that backgrund, cnsider Isaiah s burden fr the harlt, Babyln We start with a lng passage, s that we get the entire cntext 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

6 Isaiah 13 & 14! 6 Is. 13:2 Lift up a standard n the bare hill, Raise yur vice t them, Wave the hand that they may enter the drs f the nbles. Is. 13:3 I have cmmanded My cnsecrated nes, I have even called My mighty warrirs, My prudly exulting nes, T execute My anger. Is. 13:4 A sund f tumult n the muntains, Like that f many peple! A sund f the uprar f kingdms, Of natins gathered tgether! The LORD f hsts is mustering the army fr battle. Is. 13:5 They are cming frm a far cuntry, Frm the farthest hrizns, The LORD and His instruments f indignatin, T destry the whle land. Is. 13:6 Wail, fr the day f the LORD is near! It will cme as destructin frm the Almighty. Is. 13:7 Therefre all hands will fall limp, ı And every man s heart will melt. Is. 13:8 They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hld f them; They will writhe like a wman in labr, They will lk at ne anther in astnishment, Their faces aflame. Is. 13:9 Behld, the day f the LORD is cming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, T make the land a deslatin; And He will exterminate its sinners frm it. Is. 13:10 Fr the stars f heaven and their cnstellatins Will nt flash frth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the mn will nt shed its light. Is. 13:11 Thus I will punish the wrld fr its evil And the wicked fr their iniquity; I will als put an end t the arrgance f the prud And abase the haughtiness f the ruthless. Is. 13:12 I will make mrtal man scarcer than pure gld And mankind than the gld f Ophir. Is. 13:13 Therefre I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken frm its place At the fury f the LORD f hsts In the day f His burning anger Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

7 Isaiah 13 & 14! 7 Is. 13:14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like sheep with nne t gather them, They will each turn t his wn peple, And each ne flee t his wn land. Is. 13:15 Anyne wh is fund will be thrust thrugh, And anyne wh is captured will fall by the swrd. Is. 13:16 Their little nes als will be dashed t pieces Befre their eyes; Their huses will be plundered And their wives ravished. We need the entire cntext t understand the setting here First, the pening verses make it clear we are lking at a battle Lift up a standard, raise a call t men wh execute Gd s wrath A thunderus rar f peple gathered fr battle, mustered by Gd They cme frm far arund t destry a certain land Clearly, Gd is bring abut this event t serve sme greater purpse Then in verse 6 we get ur first hint f a time marker The day f the Lrd Repeated in verse 9 What des the day f the Lrd mean? Tribulatin Arund thse verses, we get ur cnfirmatin that this is Tribulatin It is a time f destructin frm Gd Every man s heart will melt, all hands are limp It is a cruel fire that exterminates the land And it remves sinners frm the land (nt smething that has happened yet) Then as we mve int verse 10 and beynd, we see clear cnfirmatin that this is an unprecedented time f supernatural judgment N mn, n stars, n sun 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

8 Isaiah 13 & 14! 8 And it s a punishment fr the wrld and it results in the end f the prud Men becme scarce and the earth trembles under Gd s fury Remember, that the natural destructin f an invading army is cmbined with the supernatural destructin Gd brings during Tribulatin Gd is at wrk in many ways during Tribulatin S when the wrld finally turns n Babyln in the last days, it cmes in part by the wrk f a wrld army that Gd raises up t destry the city itself Which explains the explanatins in verse S far, we knw we re lking at a destructin f Babyln during a perid f unprecedented wrldwide destructin aimed at exterminating sinners Then we get a puzzling reference Is. 13:17 Behld, I am ging t stir up the Medes against them, Wh will nt value silver r take pleasure in gld. Is. 13:18 And their bws will mw dwn the yung men, They will nt even have cmpassin n the fruit f the wmb, Nr will their eye pity children. Is. 13:19 And Babyln, the beauty f kingdms, the glry f the Chaldeans pride, Will be as when Gd verthrew Sdm and Gmrrah. Is. 13:20 It will never be inhabited r lived in frm generatin t generatin; Nr will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nr will shepherds make their flcks lie dwn there. Is. 13:21 But desert creatures will lie dwn there, And their huses will be full f wls; Ostriches als will live there, and shaggy gats will frlic there. Is. 13:22 Hyenas will hwl in their frtified twers And jackals in their luxurius palaces. Her fateful time als will sn cme And her days will nt be prlnged. Why is this a puzzling passage? Well, at first glance it seems t transitin frm the time f Tribulatin t the time f the Med Persians and their cnquering f Babyln in 540 BC Many cmes t these verses and leave with that understanding 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

9 Isaiah 13 & 14! 9 But a careful inspectin f the text, makes that interpretatin impssible First, let s define the term Medes In Hebrew, the term is Maday, wh was a sn f Japheth, sn f Nah Maday settled in present day Iran His name later became assciated with the peple wh ccupied that land, the Medes But prphetic scripture cmmnly uses ancient names t reference mdern peple grups Lk back in chapter 11:11, we re tld that the regathering f Israel in the time prir t Christ s return will cme frm Cush, Elam, Shinar amng ther places Cush is mdern day Ethipia, a place Ham s descendants settled Elam is a sn f Shem, wh settled in western Iran Shinar is anther name fr Babyln, mdern day Iraq S the Bible ften refers t ancient names, ften names cnnected t the direct descendants f Nah, t describe mdern lcatins Therefre, we can t assume that the use f the name Medes necessarily means the same Medes that invaded in 540 BC It can just as likely refer t a later grup f Medes, even if by then they are using a different name (like Iranians) Secndly, cnsider that Gd ften repeats circumstances in new ways t reinfrce ld pints Just like the invasin f Judah by Assyrian mirrrs r pictures the antichrist s invasin f Judah in a later day 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

10 Isaiah 13 & 14! 10 Similarly, we shuldn t be surprised if Gd used the invasin f Babyln by Med Persians in 540 BC as a prphetic picture f a later invasin by anther grup f Medes during Tribulatin A clser lk at the details f the invasin that Isaiah describes tells us this is exactly what Gd des After the Medes invade and destry every persn and level the city It will resemble what was left after Gd judged Sdm and Gmrrah In ther wrds, nthing Furthermre, it will never be inhabited again Isaiah ges a step further and says an Arab will never live there again Nr will sheep ever be able t graze there again Only desert creatures will live there It s literally the end f Babyln, as Revelatin 18 describes After the Medes entered Babyln in 540 BC, there wasn t even a fight The King f Babyln, Belshazzar, was killed He was killed by an executiner, because there was n battle at all The city surrendered And it cntinued t exist intact fr anther 40 years Even when it was finally abandned Arabs still ccupied the regin And tday there is a city arund the ancient ruins The details f Isaiah s prphecy simply haven t happened yet Leading us t cnclude that Gd will raise up a new frm f Babyln the city, as He prmises, and that will lead t anther invasin f an army frm Medes frm Persian S Isaiah delivered a burden f was f a cming judgment f Babyln during Tribulatin that is accmplished in part by an army f many natins led by Medes, wh destry the city utterly 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

11 Isaiah 13 & 14! 11 Nw what fllws chrnlgically frm these events? If I m right that this is Tribulatin, then we knw that the new kingdm fllws, with Christ ruling frm Israel And Israel dwelling peacefully in its land Sure enugh, lk at the rest f this racle in chapter 14 Is. 14:1 When the LORD will have cmpassin n Jacb and again chse Israel, and settle them in their wn land, then strangers will jin them and attach themselves t the huse f Jacb. Is. 14:2 The peples will take them alng and bring them t their place, and the huse f Israel will pssess them as an inheritance in the land f the LORD as male servants and female servants; and they will take their captrs captive and will rule ver their ppressrs. The time that fllws is described as a time when Gd in cmpassin again chses Israel Settles them in their land Strangers will attach themselves t the huse f Jacb (Gentile believers) The peples f the wrld will serve Israel as servants And thse wh were previusly their ppressrs will be subject t Israel s rule as the chief natin f the earth, accrding t Gd s purpse These are classic descriptins f Israel during the Messianic Kingdm Nw Isaiah ffers us this humrus and intriguing scene Is. 14:3 And it will be in the day when the LORD gives yu rest frm yur pain and turmil and harsh service in which yu have been enslaved, Is. 14:4 that yu will take up this taunt against the king f Babyln, and say, ı Hw the ppressr has ceased, And hw fury has ceased! Is. 14:5 The LORD has brken the staff f the wicked, The scepter f rulers Is. 14:6 Which used t strike the peples in fury with unceasing strkes, Which subdued the natins in anger with unrestrained persecutin. Is. 14:7 The whle earth is at rest and is quiet; They break frth int shuts f jy. Is. 14:8 Even the cypress trees rejice ver yu, and the cedars f Lebann, saying, ı Since yu were laid lw, n tree cutter cmes up against us Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

12 Isaiah 13 & 14! 12 The setting hasn t changed here...isaiah says it s still in that day A time when the Lrd has given Israel and thse attached t her rest frm pain and harsh service That they will finally be able t take up a taunt against the king f Babyln Wh is the king f Babyln? Neb? Belshazzar? Sme ther king? Well, if we re talking abut the time immediately fllwing Tribulatin, then it makes little sense t feature Neb r anther ancient king Instead, it makes sense that the king described here is ne wh ruled Babyln in the days immediately prir t this mment The king f Babyln during Tribulatin, wh is the antichrist, wh dies at mid Tribulatin The secnd half f Tribulatin, the antichrist s bdy cntinues t live, but nly because Satan brings it back t life and inhabits it But the antichrist is a man, whse sul descends t hell nce he dies like any ther man And here we see a wild descriptin f what that descent int hell lks like With Israel taunting his descent First, we re tld the antichrist is a man wh used t strike the natins in fury and persecutin But nw the whle earth is quiet and at rest Anther clue that we re in the time f the Messianic kingdm Ttal peace n earth with Christ ruling Is. 14:9 Shel frm beneath is excited ver yu t meet yu when yu cme; It aruses fr yu the spirits f the dead, all the leaders f the earth; It raises all the kings f the natins frm their thrnes. Is. 14:10 They will all respnd and say t yu, ı Even yu have been made weak as we, 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

13 Isaiah 13 & 14! 13 Yu have becme like us. Is. 14:11 Yur pmp and the music f yur harps Have been brught dwn t Shel; Maggts are spread ut as yur bed beneath yu ı And wrms are yur cvering. Is. 14:12 Hw yu have fallen frm heaven, O star f the mrning, sn f the dawn! Yu have been cut dwn t the earth, Yu wh have weakened the natins! Is. 14:13 But yu said in yur heart, ı I will ascend t heaven; I will raise my thrne abve the stars f Gd, And I will sit n the munt f assembly In the recesses f the nrth. Is. 14:14 I will ascend abve the heights f the cluds; ı I will make myself like the Mst High. Is. 14:15 Nevertheless yu will be thrust dwn t Shel, T the recesses f the pit. Is. 14:16 Thse wh see yu will gaze at yu, They will pnder ver yu, saying, ı Is this the man wh made the earth tremble, Wh shk kingdms, Is. 14:17 Wh made the wrld like a wilderness And verthrew its cities, ı Wh did nt allw his prisners t g hme? Is. 14:18 All the kings f the natins lie in glry, Each in his wn tmb. Is. 14:19 But yu have been cast ut f yur tmb Like a rejected branch, Clthed with the slain wh are pierced with a swrd, Wh g dwn t the stnes f the pit Like a trampled crpse. Is. 14:20 Yu will nt be united with them in burial, Because yu have ruined yur cuntry, Yu have slain yur peple. May the ffspring f evilders nt be mentined frever. Is. 14:21 Prepare fr his sns a place f slaughter Because f the iniquity f their fathers. They must nt arise and take pssessin f the earth ı And fill the face f the wrld with cities. What a cmpelling and pwer testimny The imagery here is simply stunning While the descriptin is petic t a degree 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

14 Isaiah 13 & 14! 14 It s really gripping t cnsider the pssibility that many f these details may be literal descriptins f life in hell First, there s the prspect that a new arrival are nthing ntable, such that it takes the arrival f smene as imprtant as the antichrist t stir up excitement in this place Isaiah describes a scene f ther leaders f earth living in hell (I have a few favrites I hpe are included in this grup) wh greet the arriving antichrist And they are astnished t learn he shares their fate He was s pwerful and awesme in his day, they can t believe he s here t Then lk in verse 12...the sense f the text changes The earlier cmments regarding the earthly king change t emphasize anther leader They call him the star f the mrning, sn f the dawn The term star f the mrning in Hebrew is He El, which in Latin is lucifer It s reminiscent f the Mrning star (2Pet 1:19; Rev 22) - Christ One wh claims t be Christ, is nw mck him because he bviusly wasn t Gd after all In verse 13 this character is quted as saying he wuld have entered heaven and had a thrne abve Gd Himself And he sat n the munt f the assembly (the temple in Jerusalem) He wuld be like the Mst High (v.14) Instead, he is sent dwn t Shel, t the pit This pit is the same as the abyss f Rev 20 S f curse we re talking abut Satan The transitin between describing the man wh is antichrist and the pwer behind the man, Satan, is nt unusual in Scripture 2009 Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.

15 Isaiah 13 & 14! 15 Ezekiel des a similar transitin in Ezek 27 In verse 16, the text transitins back t the man, the antichrist, There is a cntrast between what this man said and did n earth with what has transpired nw that he has died Even his bdy desn t receive the treatment thers received Unlike ther kings wh received a prper burial, the antichrist s bdy ges withut burial, because it is still walking the earth inhabited by Satan And even the antichrist s natural children are cndemned t die s that he may have n ne t inherit his earthly thrne (v.21) The racle against Babyln ends with a summary f Gd s judgment Is. 14:22 I will rise up against them, declares the LORD f hsts, and will cut ff frm Babyln name and survivrs, ffspring and psterity, declares the LORD. Is. 14:23 I will als make it a pssessin fr the hedgehg and swamps f water, and I will sweep it with the brm f destructin, declares the LORD f hsts. Is. 14:24 The LORD f hsts has swrn saying, Surely, just as I have intended s it has happened, and just as I have planned s it will stand, Is. 14:25 t break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him n My muntains. Then his yke will be remved frm them and his burden remved frm their shulder. Is. 14:26 This is the plan devised against the whle earth; and this is the hand that is stretched ut against all the natins. Is. 14:27 Fr the LORD f hsts has planned, and wh can frustrate it? And as fr His stretchedut hand, wh can turn it back? T summarize, Gd said it, s cunt n it. Next week we pick up at the end f 14 with a shrt racle against the Philistines Fllwed by Mab in 15, Edm in 16 and Damascus in Verse By Verse Ministry f San Antni ( May be cpied and distributed prvided the dcument is reprduced in its entirety, including this cpyright statement, and n fee is cllected fr its distributin.