Do we have faith in God and His final plan, giving us joy in the midst of tribulation? Let’s begin in Isaiah 25.
Does God give us reason for joy even in the worst times of our lives?
O Yahweh [Lord], You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, Counsels formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. (Isa 25:1 LSB)
Is God fair, punishing nations justly for their atrocities? Will they repent and revere Him?
For You have turned a city into a heap, A fortified city into a ruin; A palace of strangers is no longer a city, It will never be rebuilt. Therefore a strong people will glorify You; Cities of ruthless nations will revere You. (Isa 25:2-3 NASB)
Does God care for the poor and needy in an uncaring and ruthless world?
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled. (Isa 25:4-5 NIV)
In Mount Zion, the spiritual center of God’s kingdom, what will He do for all people, all nations?
And in this mountain The Lord of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees. And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken. (Isa 25:6-8 NKJV)
Is this salvation that God brings to all the people just a rescue in this life or eternal?
In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!” (Isa 25:9 NLT)
Will God rule from Mount Zion and reach out to the nations? Will proud nations, symbolized by Moab, be humbled?
For Yahweh’s hand will rest in this mountain. Moab will be trodden down in his place, even like straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill. He will spread out his hands in the middle of it, like one who swims spreads out hands to swim, but his pride will be humbled together with the craft of his hands. He has brought the high fortress of your walls down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust. (Isa 25:10-12 WEB)
Does such praise in the midst of tribulation reveal faith in the final outcome?
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. (Rev 21:4 CEB)
Do we have faith in God and His final plan, giving us joy in the midst of tribulation? You decide!
Great Tribulation (Isaiah 24)
Will the whole earth one day be shaken in judgment? Will we stay faithful to God? Let’s look at Isaiah 24.
After mentioning several specific nations, did God now expand his judgment to the whole earth?
Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared. The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken! (Isa 24:1-3 NLT)
Is our world polluted under its inhabitants? Does God punish humanity for its sins?
The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish. The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. (Isa 24:4-6 WEB)
What fails in the world when God begins withdrawing His blessings?
The wine dries up; the vine withers; all the merry-hearted groan. The joyous tambourines have ceased; the roar of partiers has stopped; the joyous harp has ceased. No one drinks wine or sings; beer is bitter to its drinkers. The town is in chaos, broken; every house is shut, without entrance. There is a cry for wine in the streets. All joy has reached its dusk; happiness is exiled from the earth. Ruin remains in the city, and the gate is battered to wreckage. It will be like this in the central part of the land and among the peoples, like an olive tree that has been shaken, like remains from the grape harvest. (Isa 24:7-13 CEB)
Does a remnant from all over the world praise the Lord? Who is trustworthy?
People in the west shout; they joyfully praise the majesty of the Lord. And so, everyone in the east and those on the islands should praise the Lord, the God of Israel. From all over the world songs of praise are heard for the God of justice. But I feel awful, terribly miserable. Can anyone be trusted? So many are treacherous! (Isa 24:14-16 CEV)
Is the earth utterly broken and violently shaken under the weight of its sins?
Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth! He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. (Isa 24:17-20 ESV)
What will happen to heaven and earth on that day when the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion?
On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven above and kings of the earth below. They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished. The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and He will display His glory in the presence of His elders. (Isa 24:21-23 HCSB)
Will God once more shake heaven and earth together?
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.” (Heb 12:26 ISV)
Could this be pointing to a time just before the return of Jesus Christ?
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Mat 24:21-22 KJV)
Will the whole earth one day be shaken in judgment? Will we stay faithful to God? You decide!
After mentioning several specific nations, did God now expand his judgment to the whole earth?
Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Priests and laypeople, servants and masters, maids and mistresses, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, bankers and debtors—none will be spared. The earth will be completely emptied and looted. The Lord has spoken! (Isa 24:1-3 NLT)
Is our world polluted under its inhabitants? Does God punish humanity for its sins?
The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish. The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. (Isa 24:4-6 WEB)
What fails in the world when God begins withdrawing His blessings?
The wine dries up; the vine withers; all the merry-hearted groan. The joyous tambourines have ceased; the roar of partiers has stopped; the joyous harp has ceased. No one drinks wine or sings; beer is bitter to its drinkers. The town is in chaos, broken; every house is shut, without entrance. There is a cry for wine in the streets. All joy has reached its dusk; happiness is exiled from the earth. Ruin remains in the city, and the gate is battered to wreckage. It will be like this in the central part of the land and among the peoples, like an olive tree that has been shaken, like remains from the grape harvest. (Isa 24:7-13 CEB)
Does a remnant from all over the world praise the Lord? Who is trustworthy?
People in the west shout; they joyfully praise the majesty of the Lord. And so, everyone in the east and those on the islands should praise the Lord, the God of Israel. From all over the world songs of praise are heard for the God of justice. But I feel awful, terribly miserable. Can anyone be trusted? So many are treacherous! (Isa 24:14-16 CEV)
Is the earth utterly broken and violently shaken under the weight of its sins?
Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth! He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. (Isa 24:17-20 ESV)
What will happen to heaven and earth on that day when the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion?
On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven above and kings of the earth below. They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished. The moon will be put to shame and the sun disgraced, because the Lord of Hosts will reign as king on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, and He will display His glory in the presence of His elders. (Isa 24:21-23 HCSB)
Will God once more shake heaven and earth together?
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.” (Heb 12:26 ISV)
Could this be pointing to a time just before the return of Jesus Christ?
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Mat 24:21-22 KJV)
Will the whole earth one day be shaken in judgment? Will we stay faithful to God? You decide!
National Pride (Isaiah 23)
Is a nation’s wealth quickly gone if God so decides? Can God humble a proud nation and lead it to repentance? Let’s begin in Isaiah 23.
Does Isaiah prophesy the destruction of the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, along the south coast of today’s Lebanon?
A message concerning Tyre. “Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed and is without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus [Kittim] it was revealed to them. “Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast, you merchants of Sidon, whose messengers crossed over the sea, and were on mighty waters. Her revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; and she became the marketplace of nations. (Isa 23:1-3 ISV)
Would Egypt suffer loss of trade from these two now condemned cities?
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. (Isa 23:4-7 KJV)
Who is responsible for this punishment of Tyre? Tarshish is a Mediterranean power variously speculated to be headquartered in Spain, Sardinia, Tunis or southern Turkey.
Who has counseled this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? Yahweh of hosts has counseled it, to defile the pride of all beauty, To make contemptuous all the honored of the earth. Overflow your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; There is no more restraint. He has stretched His hand out over the sea; He has made the kingdoms tremble; Yahweh has given a command concerning Canaan to demolish its strong defenses. (Isa 23:8-11 LSB)
Will God destroy their strongholds like Assyria caused Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, to exist no more?
He has said, “You shall not be jubilant anymore, you crushed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.” Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people that did not exist; Assyria allocated it for desert creatures—they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, they made it a ruin. Wail, you ships of Tarshish, For your stronghold is destroyed. (Isa 23:12-14 NASB)
Is this a prophecy of Tyre being diminished during the 70 year Babylonian era? Would her material wealth eventually be dedicated to God?
At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: “Take up a harp, walk through the city, you forgotten prostitute; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered.” At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes. (Isa 23:15-18 NIV)
Is love of neighbor different from national pride? What does God do with the proud?
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 NKJV)
Is a nation’s wealth quickly gone if God so decides? Can God humble a proud nation and lead it to repentance? You decide!
Does Isaiah prophesy the destruction of the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, along the south coast of today’s Lebanon?
A message concerning Tyre. “Wail, you ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is destroyed and is without house or harbor! From the land of Cyprus [Kittim] it was revealed to them. “Be silent, you inhabitants of the coast, you merchants of Sidon, whose messengers crossed over the sea, and were on mighty waters. Her revenue was the grain of Shihor, the harvest of the Nile; and she became the marketplace of nations. (Isa 23:1-3 ISV)
Would Egypt suffer loss of trade from these two now condemned cities?
Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins. As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre. Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle. Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn. (Isa 23:4-7 KJV)
Who is responsible for this punishment of Tyre? Tarshish is a Mediterranean power variously speculated to be headquartered in Spain, Sardinia, Tunis or southern Turkey.
Who has counseled this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth? Yahweh of hosts has counseled it, to defile the pride of all beauty, To make contemptuous all the honored of the earth. Overflow your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish; There is no more restraint. He has stretched His hand out over the sea; He has made the kingdoms tremble; Yahweh has given a command concerning Canaan to demolish its strong defenses. (Isa 23:8-11 LSB)
Will God destroy their strongholds like Assyria caused Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, to exist no more?
He has said, “You shall not be jubilant anymore, you crushed virgin daughter of Sidon. Arise, pass over to Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.” Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people that did not exist; Assyria allocated it for desert creatures—they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, they made it a ruin. Wail, you ships of Tarshish, For your stronghold is destroyed. (Isa 23:12-14 NASB)
Is this a prophecy of Tyre being diminished during the 70 year Babylonian era? Would her material wealth eventually be dedicated to God?
At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute: “Take up a harp, walk through the city, you forgotten prostitute; play the harp well, sing many a song, so that you will be remembered.” At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes. (Isa 23:15-18 NIV)
Is love of neighbor different from national pride? What does God do with the proud?
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6 NKJV)
Is a nation’s wealth quickly gone if God so decides? Can God humble a proud nation and lead it to repentance? You decide!
Feast or Fast (Isaiah 22)
As Assyria threatened Jerusalem, did God install a man who saw Him as the answer, not human efforts? Do we rely on weak politics and our military or God? Let’s look at Isaiah 22.
Why is Jerusalem called the Valley of Vision? Had Mount Zion become a spiritual valley, yet even in that fallen condition, did God provide a vision, a warning? Had all Jerusalem’s leaders fled and did its citizens party while Assyrian armies threatened? Did Isaiah weep?
This message came to me concerning Jerusalem—the Valley of Vision: What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops? The whole city is in a terrible uproar. What do I see in this reveling city? Bodies are lying everywhere, killed not in battle but by famine and disease. All your leaders have fled. They surrendered without resistance. The people tried to slip away, but they were captured, too. That’s why I said, “Leave me alone to weep; do not try to comfort me. Let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed.” (Isa 22:1-4 NLT)
Did the people of Jerusalem, while under siege turn to God, or various human solutions like diverting spring water into the city and strengthening defensive walls? Do we likewise look to weak politics and our military rather than God?
For it is a day of confusion, and of treading down, and of perplexity from the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, in the valley of vision, a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains.” Elam [east of the Tigris River] carried his quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir [a fort in Assyria] uncovered the shield. Your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate. He took away the covering of Judah; and you looked in that day to the armor in the house of the forest. You saw the breaches of David’s city, that they were many; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you didn’t look to him who had done this, neither did you have respect for him who planned it long ago. (Isa 22:5-11 WEB)
Instead of turning to God, did the citizens just party, feast instead of fast? Is there a similar attitude today?
The Lord God of heavenly forces called on that day for weeping and mourning, and shaven heads, and wearing of mourning clothes. But instead there was fun and frivolity, killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Eat and drink! Tomorrow we will die!” But the Lord of heavenly forces has revealed in my hearing: This iniquity won’t be forgiven you until you die, says the Lord God of heavenly forces. (Isa 22:12-14 CEB)
What message did God give to the then current political leader, Shebna? Was God about to fire him?
The Lord All-Powerful is sending me with this message for Shebna, the prime minister: Shebna, what gives you the right to have a tomb carved out of rock in this burial place of royalty? None of your relatives are buried here. You may be powerful, but the Lord is about to snatch you up and throw you away. He will roll you into a ball and throw you into a wide open country, where you will die and your chariots will be destroyed. You're a disgrace to those you serve. The Lord is going to take away your job! (Isa 22:15-19 CEV)
Who did God appoint in place of Shebna, in charge of the palace after the king fled? Could this also be a prophecy of a later descendant of David?
In that day I will call my servant Eliakim [God of raising] the son of Hilkiah [my portion is Yah], and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house. And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father's house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.” (Isa 22:20-25 ESV)
Is someone else cited as having the key of the house of David, who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens? Is it Jesus or Peter?
“Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: “The Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens says: I know your works. Because you have limited strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name, look, I have placed before you an open door that no one is able to close. (Rev 3:7-8 HCSB)
As Assyria threatened Jerusalem, did God install a man who saw Him as the answer, not human efforts? Do we rely on weak politics and our military or God? You decide!
Why is Jerusalem called the Valley of Vision? Had Mount Zion become a spiritual valley, yet even in that fallen condition, did God provide a vision, a warning? Had all Jerusalem’s leaders fled and did its citizens party while Assyrian armies threatened? Did Isaiah weep?
This message came to me concerning Jerusalem—the Valley of Vision: What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops? The whole city is in a terrible uproar. What do I see in this reveling city? Bodies are lying everywhere, killed not in battle but by famine and disease. All your leaders have fled. They surrendered without resistance. The people tried to slip away, but they were captured, too. That’s why I said, “Leave me alone to weep; do not try to comfort me. Let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed.” (Isa 22:1-4 NLT)
Did the people of Jerusalem, while under siege turn to God, or various human solutions like diverting spring water into the city and strengthening defensive walls? Do we likewise look to weak politics and our military rather than God?
For it is a day of confusion, and of treading down, and of perplexity from the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, in the valley of vision, a breaking down of the walls, and a crying to the mountains.” Elam [east of the Tigris River] carried his quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir [a fort in Assyria] uncovered the shield. Your choicest valleys were full of chariots, and the horsemen set themselves in array at the gate. He took away the covering of Judah; and you looked in that day to the armor in the house of the forest. You saw the breaches of David’s city, that they were many; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool. You counted the houses of Jerusalem, and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall. You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you didn’t look to him who had done this, neither did you have respect for him who planned it long ago. (Isa 22:5-11 WEB)
Instead of turning to God, did the citizens just party, feast instead of fast? Is there a similar attitude today?
The Lord God of heavenly forces called on that day for weeping and mourning, and shaven heads, and wearing of mourning clothes. But instead there was fun and frivolity, killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Eat and drink! Tomorrow we will die!” But the Lord of heavenly forces has revealed in my hearing: This iniquity won’t be forgiven you until you die, says the Lord God of heavenly forces. (Isa 22:12-14 CEB)
What message did God give to the then current political leader, Shebna? Was God about to fire him?
The Lord All-Powerful is sending me with this message for Shebna, the prime minister: Shebna, what gives you the right to have a tomb carved out of rock in this burial place of royalty? None of your relatives are buried here. You may be powerful, but the Lord is about to snatch you up and throw you away. He will roll you into a ball and throw you into a wide open country, where you will die and your chariots will be destroyed. You're a disgrace to those you serve. The Lord is going to take away your job! (Isa 22:15-19 CEV)
Who did God appoint in place of Shebna, in charge of the palace after the king fled? Could this also be a prophecy of a later descendant of David?
In that day I will call my servant Eliakim [God of raising] the son of Hilkiah [my portion is Yah], and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father's house. And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father's house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. In that day, declares the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the Lord has spoken.” (Isa 22:20-25 ESV)
Is someone else cited as having the key of the house of David, who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens? Is it Jesus or Peter?
“Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: “The Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens says: I know your works. Because you have limited strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name, look, I have placed before you an open door that no one is able to close. (Rev 3:7-8 HCSB)
As Assyria threatened Jerusalem, did God install a man who saw Him as the answer, not human efforts? Do we rely on weak politics and our military or God? You decide!
Babylon Fallen (Isaiah 21)
Does the fall of ancient Babylon echo the fall of a modern Babylon? Does it affect other nations? Do we worship the splendor of Babylon or God? Let’s look at Isaiah 21.
Are commentators correct, who seem to agree that the desert of the sea refers to the waters of Babylon, a marshy, often flooded plain? Is this a prophecy regarding Persians (Elam and the Medes) from the desert who later conquered Babylon, like a whirlwind from the Negev Desert?
The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on, it comes from the wilderness, from a terrible land. A stern vision is told to me; the traitor betrays, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam; lay siege, O Media; all the sighing she has caused I bring to an end. (Isa 21:1-2 ESV)
Is Isaiah terrified as he realizes that God has given him a prophecy of Babylon’s destruction?
Therefore I am filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pain of a woman in labor. I am too perplexed to hear, too dismayed to see. My heart staggers; horror terrifies me. He has turned my last glimmer of hope into sheer terror. Prepare a table, and spread out a carpet! Eat and drink! Rise up, you princes, and oil the shields! (Isa 21:3-5 HCSB)
What did God tell Isaiah? What was the lookout to do?
For this is what the Lord told me: “Go post a lookout. Have him report what he sees. When he sees chariots, each man with a pair of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him pay attention, full attention.” (Isa 21:6-7 ISV)
What was this all about? Who did Isaiah finally say was fallen?
And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights: And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you. (Isa 21:8-10 KJV)
Does this affect the nations around Israel like Edom and their mountains?
The oracle concerning Dumah [Idumea, Edom, south of the Dead Sea]. One keeps calling to me from Seir [the mountains of Edom], “Watchman, how far gone is the night? Watchman, how far gone is the night?” The watchman says, “Morning comes but also night. If you would inquire, inquire; Come back again.” (Isa 21:11-12 LSB)
Does this also affect other nations around Israel like Arabia?
The pronouncement about Arabia: In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night, You caravans of Dedanites [descendants of Abraham via Keturah]. Bring water for the thirsty, You inhabitants of the land of Tema [one of the twelve sons of Ishmael]; Meet the fugitive with bread. For they have fled from the swords, From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, And from the press of battle. (Isa 21:13-15 NASB)
Does this prophecy also affect other peoples around Israel like the Bedouins?
This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar [the second son of Ishmael, bedouins] will come to an end. The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken. (Isa 21:16-17 NIV)
Does this ancient prophecy foreshadow the fall of an apocalyptic Babylon?
And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Rev 14:8 NKJV)
Does the fall of ancient Babylon echo the fall of a modern Babylon? Does it affect other nations? Do we worship the splendor of Babylon or God? You decide!
Are commentators correct, who seem to agree that the desert of the sea refers to the waters of Babylon, a marshy, often flooded plain? Is this a prophecy regarding Persians (Elam and the Medes) from the desert who later conquered Babylon, like a whirlwind from the Negev Desert?
The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on, it comes from the wilderness, from a terrible land. A stern vision is told to me; the traitor betrays, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam; lay siege, O Media; all the sighing she has caused I bring to an end. (Isa 21:1-2 ESV)
Is Isaiah terrified as he realizes that God has given him a prophecy of Babylon’s destruction?
Therefore I am filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pain of a woman in labor. I am too perplexed to hear, too dismayed to see. My heart staggers; horror terrifies me. He has turned my last glimmer of hope into sheer terror. Prepare a table, and spread out a carpet! Eat and drink! Rise up, you princes, and oil the shields! (Isa 21:3-5 HCSB)
What did God tell Isaiah? What was the lookout to do?
For this is what the Lord told me: “Go post a lookout. Have him report what he sees. When he sees chariots, each man with a pair of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him pay attention, full attention.” (Isa 21:6-7 ISV)
What was this all about? Who did Isaiah finally say was fallen?
And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights: And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you. (Isa 21:8-10 KJV)
Does this affect the nations around Israel like Edom and their mountains?
The oracle concerning Dumah [Idumea, Edom, south of the Dead Sea]. One keeps calling to me from Seir [the mountains of Edom], “Watchman, how far gone is the night? Watchman, how far gone is the night?” The watchman says, “Morning comes but also night. If you would inquire, inquire; Come back again.” (Isa 21:11-12 LSB)
Does this also affect other nations around Israel like Arabia?
The pronouncement about Arabia: In the thickets of Arabia you must spend the night, You caravans of Dedanites [descendants of Abraham via Keturah]. Bring water for the thirsty, You inhabitants of the land of Tema [one of the twelve sons of Ishmael]; Meet the fugitive with bread. For they have fled from the swords, From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, And from the press of battle. (Isa 21:13-15 NASB)
Does this prophecy also affect other peoples around Israel like the Bedouins?
This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar [the second son of Ishmael, bedouins] will come to an end. The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken. (Isa 21:16-17 NIV)
Does this ancient prophecy foreshadow the fall of an apocalyptic Babylon?
And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Rev 14:8 NKJV)
Does the fall of ancient Babylon echo the fall of a modern Babylon? Does it affect other nations? Do we worship the splendor of Babylon or God? You decide!
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