Would Israel be restored and would foreigners join them? Is God impressed by national pride or national repentance? Let’s look at Isaiah 14.
After divine punishment for their sins, would Israel experience a great reversal?
When the Lord has compassion on Jacob and again chooses Israel, and settles them on their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will make them their own possession in the land of the Lord as male and female servants; and they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors. (Isa 14:1-2 NASB)
Will Babylonian oppression end and people finally be at rest and at peace?
On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. All the lands are at rest and at peace; they break into singing. Even the junipers and the cedars of Lebanon gloat over you and say, “Now that you have been laid low, no one comes to cut us down.” (Isa 14:3-8 NIV)
Are the departed spirits of the dead excited and stirred up to meet the Lord at His coming?
Hell [Sheol, the place of the dead] from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations. They all shall speak and say to you: ‘Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.’ (Isa 14:9-11 NKJV)
Is the king of Babylon symbolic of a once bright and shining angel, who fell from heaven, who because of his delusional ambitions, became the devil?
How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star [Helel, Lucifer], son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble? Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’ (Isa 14:12-17 NLT)
Does the fate of the king of Babylon picture the fate of all abominable national leaders who lead their country to ruin?
All the kings of the nations sleep in glory, everyone in his own house. But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trodden under foot. You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The offspring of evildoers will not be named forever. (Isa 14:18-20 WEB)
Will Babylon be in ruin and the political progeny of such a corrupt city also be cut off?
Prepare a place to slaughter his sons for the guilt of their father. Don’t let them arise to take over the earth or fill the world with cities. I will arise against them, says the Lord of heavenly forces. I will cut off Babylon’s renown and remnant, offshoot and offspring. I will make it the home of herons, a swampland. I will sweep it away with the broom of destruction, says the Lord of heavenly forces. (Isa 14:21-23 CEB)
Will the Assyrians before the Babylonians also be wiped out?
The Lord All-Powerful has made this promise: Everything I have planned will happen just as I said. I will wipe out every Assyrian in my country, and I will crush those on my mountains. I will free my people from slavery to the Assyrians. I have planned this for the whole world, and my mighty arm controls every nation. I, the Lord All-Powerful, have made these plans. No one can stop me now! (Isa 14:24-27 CEV)
Should the Philistines not rejoice too much over Assyria’s defeat, because their own destruction is coming?
In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of you, that the rod that struck you is broken, for from the serpent's root will come forth an adder, and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent. And the firstborn of the poor will graze, and the needy lie down in safety; but I will kill your root with famine, and your remnant it will slay. Wail, O gate; cry out, O city; melt in fear, O Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes out of the north, and there is no straggler in his ranks. What will one answer the messengers of the nation? “The Lord has founded Zion, and in her the afflicted of his people find refuge.” (Isa 14:28-32 ESV)
How important is national humility to God as opposed to national pride?
But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6 HCSB)
Would Israel be restored and would foreigners join them? Is God impressed by national pride or national repentance? You decide!
Babylon (Isaiah 13)
Did the destruction of Babylon symbolize the elimination of all corrupt human governments? Do we hope for a perfect government from heaven? Let’s examine Isaiah 13.
Is this a prophecy about the end of the Babylonian Empire which captured Judah? Could it also apply to that final human government symbolically called Babylon in Revelation?
Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon: “Raise a signal flag on a bare hilltop. Call up an army against Babylon. Wave your hand to encourage them as they march into the palaces of the high and mighty. I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.” (Isa 13:1-3 NLT)
Does this passage have a double meaning, human armies destroying ancient Babylon and heaven’s armies destroying a future Babylon?
The noise of a multitude is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Yahweh of Armies is mustering the army for the battle. They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Yahweh, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. (Isa 13:4-5 WEB)
Do people lose heart at the events of this “day of the Lord?”
Wail, for the day of the Lord is near. Like destruction from the Almighty it will come. Then all hands will fall limp; every human heart will melt, and they will be terrified. Like a woman writhing in labor, they will be seized by spasms and agony. They will look at each other aghast, their faces blazing. (Isa 13:6-8 CEB)
Will God show mercy or pity on that terrible day of the Lord?
I, the Lord, will show no mercy or pity when that time comes. In my anger I will destroy the earth and every sinner who lives on it. Light will disappear from the stars in the sky; the dawning sun will turn dark, and the moon will lose its brightness. (Isa 13:9-10 CEV)
Is this just a prophecy against an ancient empire or are there also allusions to the final day of the Lord?
I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. (Isa 13:11-13 ESV)
How terrible will Babylon be and the consequences she will face?
Like wandering gazelles and like sheep without a shepherd, each one will turn to his own people, each one will flee to his own land. Whoever is found will be stabbed, and whoever is caught will die by the sword. Their children will be smashed to death before their eyes; their houses will be looted, and their wives raped. (Isa 13:14-16 HCSB)
Who eventually conquered ancient Babylon? Was this fulfilled by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC? Were they a ruthless bunch indifferent to bribes?
Watch out! I’m stirring up the Medes against them, who care nothing for silver and take no delight in gold. Their bows will dash the young men to pieces; they’ll show no pity on those not yet born, and their eyes will not spare children. (Isa 13:17-18 ISV)
Is ancient Babylon now nothing but ruins at modern-day Hillah, in southern Iraq?
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs [wild goats] shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged. (Isa 13:19-22 KJV)
Will a symbolic final Babylon experience a similar fate as ancient Babylon?
And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality.” (Rev 14:8 LSB)
Did the destruction of Babylon symbolize the elimination of all corrupt human governments? Do we hope for a perfect government from heaven? You decide!
Is this a prophecy about the end of the Babylonian Empire which captured Judah? Could it also apply to that final human government symbolically called Babylon in Revelation?
Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon: “Raise a signal flag on a bare hilltop. Call up an army against Babylon. Wave your hand to encourage them as they march into the palaces of the high and mighty. I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.” (Isa 13:1-3 NLT)
Does this passage have a double meaning, human armies destroying ancient Babylon and heaven’s armies destroying a future Babylon?
The noise of a multitude is in the mountains, as of a great people; the noise of an uproar of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Yahweh of Armies is mustering the army for the battle. They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Yahweh, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. (Isa 13:4-5 WEB)
Do people lose heart at the events of this “day of the Lord?”
Wail, for the day of the Lord is near. Like destruction from the Almighty it will come. Then all hands will fall limp; every human heart will melt, and they will be terrified. Like a woman writhing in labor, they will be seized by spasms and agony. They will look at each other aghast, their faces blazing. (Isa 13:6-8 CEB)
Will God show mercy or pity on that terrible day of the Lord?
I, the Lord, will show no mercy or pity when that time comes. In my anger I will destroy the earth and every sinner who lives on it. Light will disappear from the stars in the sky; the dawning sun will turn dark, and the moon will lose its brightness. (Isa 13:9-10 CEV)
Is this just a prophecy against an ancient empire or are there also allusions to the final day of the Lord?
I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. (Isa 13:11-13 ESV)
How terrible will Babylon be and the consequences she will face?
Like wandering gazelles and like sheep without a shepherd, each one will turn to his own people, each one will flee to his own land. Whoever is found will be stabbed, and whoever is caught will die by the sword. Their children will be smashed to death before their eyes; their houses will be looted, and their wives raped. (Isa 13:14-16 HCSB)
Who eventually conquered ancient Babylon? Was this fulfilled by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC? Were they a ruthless bunch indifferent to bribes?
Watch out! I’m stirring up the Medes against them, who care nothing for silver and take no delight in gold. Their bows will dash the young men to pieces; they’ll show no pity on those not yet born, and their eyes will not spare children. (Isa 13:17-18 ISV)
Is ancient Babylon now nothing but ruins at modern-day Hillah, in southern Iraq?
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs [wild goats] shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged. (Isa 13:19-22 KJV)
Will a symbolic final Babylon experience a similar fate as ancient Babylon?
And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality.” (Rev 14:8 LSB)
Did the destruction of Babylon symbolize the elimination of all corrupt human governments? Do we hope for a perfect government from heaven? You decide!
Rejoice (Isaiah 12)
In the end of all things, will there be great joy and no more reason for sorrow or crying? Do we look forward to this? Let’s begin in Isaiah 12.
When the hope of nations comes, will people give thanks and sing songs of praise?
Then you will say on that day, “I will give thanks to You, Lord; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation.
And on that day you will say, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted.” Praise the Lord in song, for He has done glorious things; Let this be known throughout the earth. Rejoice and shout for joy, you inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. (Isa 12:1-6 NASB)
As a foretaste of world peace, is there now no difference between Jews and Gentiles who call on the name of Jesus?
As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom 10:11-15 NIV)
Will all the troubles on earth eventually be resolved in such a way that there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying?
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev 21:1-4 NKJV)
In the end of all things, will there be great joy and no more reason for sorrow or crying? Do we look forward to this? You decide!
When the hope of nations comes, will people give thanks and sing songs of praise?
Then you will say on that day, “I will give thanks to You, Lord; For although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation.
And on that day you will say, “Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted.” Praise the Lord in song, for He has done glorious things; Let this be known throughout the earth. Rejoice and shout for joy, you inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. (Isa 12:1-6 NASB)
As a foretaste of world peace, is there now no difference between Jews and Gentiles who call on the name of Jesus?
As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom 10:11-15 NIV)
Will all the troubles on earth eventually be resolved in such a way that there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying?
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev 21:1-4 NKJV)
In the end of all things, will there be great joy and no more reason for sorrow or crying? Do we look forward to this? You decide!
Hope of Nations (Isaiah 11)
Is there a king in whom the Gentiles or nations will hope? Do we look forward to His rule? Let’s look at Isaiah 11.
Who is the rod out of the stem of Jesse, a king that descends from the family of David?
Like a branch that sprouts from a stump, someone from David's family [KJV: a rod out of the stem of Jesse] will someday be king. The Spirit of the Lord will be with him to give him understanding, wisdom, and insight. He will be powerful, and he will know and honor the Lord. (Isa 11:1-2 CEV)
Are righteousness, equity and faithfulness some of the character traits of this king?
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isa 11:3-5 ESV)
Will wild animals literally be tamed during the reign of this king? Does this reverse some curses in Genesis?
The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fatling will be together, and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den. None will harm or destroy another on My entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water. (Isa 11:6-9 HCSB)
Will this “root of Jesse” rally all nations and recover the descendants of the ten tribes from various locations?
At that time, as to the root of Jesse, who will be standing as a banner for the peoples, the nations will rally to him, and his resting place is glorious. At that time, the Lord will reach out his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and will assemble the dispersed of Israel; he will gather the scattered people of Judah from the corners of the earth. (Isa 11:10-12 ISV)
Will the enmity between the northern and southern tribes be healed? Will there be a highway for the remnant to return?
The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. (Isa 11:13-16 KJV)
Does the author of Romans allude to this prophecy in regard to Jesus?
And again Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him shall the Gentiles hope.” (Rom 15:12 LSB)
Is there a king in whom the Gentiles or nations will hope? Do we look forward to His rule? You decide!
Who is the rod out of the stem of Jesse, a king that descends from the family of David?
Like a branch that sprouts from a stump, someone from David's family [KJV: a rod out of the stem of Jesse] will someday be king. The Spirit of the Lord will be with him to give him understanding, wisdom, and insight. He will be powerful, and he will know and honor the Lord. (Isa 11:1-2 CEV)
Are righteousness, equity and faithfulness some of the character traits of this king?
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isa 11:3-5 ESV)
Will wild animals literally be tamed during the reign of this king? Does this reverse some curses in Genesis?
The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fatling will be together, and a child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. An infant will play beside the cobra’s pit, and a toddler will put his hand into a snake’s den. None will harm or destroy another on My entire holy mountain, for the land will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the sea is filled with water. (Isa 11:6-9 HCSB)
Will this “root of Jesse” rally all nations and recover the descendants of the ten tribes from various locations?
At that time, as to the root of Jesse, who will be standing as a banner for the peoples, the nations will rally to him, and his resting place is glorious. At that time, the Lord will reach out his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people, from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner for the nations and will assemble the dispersed of Israel; he will gather the scattered people of Judah from the corners of the earth. (Isa 11:10-12 ISV)
Will the enmity between the northern and southern tribes be healed? Will there be a highway for the remnant to return?
The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. (Isa 11:13-16 KJV)
Does the author of Romans allude to this prophecy in regard to Jesus?
And again Isaiah says, “There shall come the root of Jesse, And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles, In Him shall the Gentiles hope.” (Rom 15:12 LSB)
Is there a king in whom the Gentiles or nations will hope? Do we look forward to His rule? You decide!
Nations Judged (Isaiah 10)
When Israel fell to Assyria and Judah paid heavy tribute, was God disgusted with Assyria’s arrogance? Are our nations arrogant? Let’s learn from Isaiah 10.
What does God say about legislation that punishes the needy and robs the poor?
How terrible it will be for the one who enacts unjust decrees, for those who write oppressive laws that they have prescribed to deprive the needy of justice and to rob the poor of my people of their rights, so that widows may become their spoil and so that they may plunder orphans! What will you do on the day of Judgment, in the calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you run for help, and where will you leave your wealth, so you won’t have to crouch among those in chains or fall among the slain? Yet for all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike. (Isa 10:1-4 ISV)
Which nation would God primarily use to punish the northern tribes of Israel?
O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (Isa 10:5-6 KJV)
However, instead of humbly acting as God’s vehicle of punishment, does Assyria go too far, acting in an arrogant manner?
But it does not intend to act in this way, And it does not think in its heart in this way, Rather, what is in its heart is to destroy And to cut off many nations. For it says, “Are not my princes all kings? Is not Calno like Carchemish, Or Hamath like Arpad, Or Samaria like Damascus? As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria, Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?” (Isa 10:7-11 LSB)
Will Assyria also receive punishment at the hand of the Lord?
So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the arrogant pride of his eyes.” For he has said, “By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, Because I have understanding; And I removed the boundaries of the peoples And plundered their treasures, And like a powerful man I brought down their inhabitants, And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; And there was not one that flapped its wing, opened its beak, or chirped.” (Isa 10:12-14 NASB)
Why is God angry with Assyria? Was their boasting a cause for God to curse them too?
Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood! Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick person wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. (Isa 10:15-19 NIV)
Will the remnant of Israel repent and return to dependence on God?
And it shall come to pass in that day That the remnant of Israel, And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, Will never again depend on him who defeated them, But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, A remnant of them will return; The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts Will make a determined end In the midst of all the land. (Isa 10:20-23 NKJV)
Does God encourage Judah not to be afraid of the Assyrians?
So this is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, says: “O my people in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you with rod and club as the Egyptians did long ago. In a little while my anger against you will end, and then my anger will rise up to destroy them.” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will lash them with his whip, as he did when Gideon triumphed over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb, or when the Lord’s staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea. In that day the Lord will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders. (Isa 10:24-27 NLT)
Will the Lord eventually punish Assyria for their arrogance, like lopping a large tree?
He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage. They have gone over the pass. They have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled. Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth! Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety. This very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. Behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low. He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One. (Isa 10:28-34 WEB)
Did Jesus also speak of yet another punishment of Jerusalem for her sins, one that occurred about 40 years later?
Now Jesus left the temple and was going away. His disciples came to point out to him the temple buildings. He responded, “Do you see all these things? I assure that no stone will be left on another. Everything will be demolished.” (Mat 24:1-2 CEB)
When Israel fell to Assyria and Judah paid heavy tribute, was God disgusted with Assyria’s arrogance? Are our nations arrogant? You decide!
What does God say about legislation that punishes the needy and robs the poor?
How terrible it will be for the one who enacts unjust decrees, for those who write oppressive laws that they have prescribed to deprive the needy of justice and to rob the poor of my people of their rights, so that widows may become their spoil and so that they may plunder orphans! What will you do on the day of Judgment, in the calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you run for help, and where will you leave your wealth, so you won’t have to crouch among those in chains or fall among the slain? Yet for all this, his anger has not turned away, and his hand is still stretched out, ready to strike. (Isa 10:1-4 ISV)
Which nation would God primarily use to punish the northern tribes of Israel?
O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (Isa 10:5-6 KJV)
However, instead of humbly acting as God’s vehicle of punishment, does Assyria go too far, acting in an arrogant manner?
But it does not intend to act in this way, And it does not think in its heart in this way, Rather, what is in its heart is to destroy And to cut off many nations. For it says, “Are not my princes all kings? Is not Calno like Carchemish, Or Hamath like Arpad, Or Samaria like Damascus? As my hand has reached to the kingdoms of the idols, Whose graven images were greater than those of Jerusalem and Samaria, Shall I not do to Jerusalem and her images Just as I have done to Samaria and her idols?” (Isa 10:7-11 LSB)
Will Assyria also receive punishment at the hand of the Lord?
So it will be that when the Lord has completed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the arrogant pride of his eyes.” For he has said, “By the power of my hand and by my wisdom I did this, Because I have understanding; And I removed the boundaries of the peoples And plundered their treasures, And like a powerful man I brought down their inhabitants, And my hand reached to the riches of the peoples like a nest, And as one gathers abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth; And there was not one that flapped its wing, opened its beak, or chirped.” (Isa 10:12-14 NASB)
Why is God angry with Assyria? Was their boasting a cause for God to curse them too?
Does the ax raise itself above the person who swings it, or the saw boast against the one who uses it? As if a rod were to wield the person who lifts it up, or a club brandish the one who is not wood! Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will send a wasting disease upon his sturdy warriors; under his pomp a fire will be kindled like a blazing flame. The Light of Israel will become a fire, their Holy One a flame; in a single day it will burn and consume his thorns and his briers. The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick person wastes away. And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down. (Isa 10:15-19 NIV)
Will the remnant of Israel repent and return to dependence on God?
And it shall come to pass in that day That the remnant of Israel, And such as have escaped of the house of Jacob, Will never again depend on him who defeated them, But will depend on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, To the Mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, A remnant of them will return; The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts Will make a determined end In the midst of all the land. (Isa 10:20-23 NKJV)
Does God encourage Judah not to be afraid of the Assyrians?
So this is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, says: “O my people in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrians when they oppress you with rod and club as the Egyptians did long ago. In a little while my anger against you will end, and then my anger will rise up to destroy them.” The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will lash them with his whip, as he did when Gideon triumphed over the Midianites at the rock of Oreb, or when the Lord’s staff was raised to drown the Egyptian army in the sea. In that day the Lord will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders. (Isa 10:24-27 NLT)
Will the Lord eventually punish Assyria for their arrogance, like lopping a large tree?
He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage. They have gone over the pass. They have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled. Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth! Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety. This very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. Behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low. He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One. (Isa 10:28-34 WEB)
Did Jesus also speak of yet another punishment of Jerusalem for her sins, one that occurred about 40 years later?
Now Jesus left the temple and was going away. His disciples came to point out to him the temple buildings. He responded, “Do you see all these things? I assure that no stone will be left on another. Everything will be demolished.” (Mat 24:1-2 CEB)
When Israel fell to Assyria and Judah paid heavy tribute, was God disgusted with Assyria’s arrogance? Are our nations arrogant? You decide!
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