Judgment On Africa

Isaiah 18:1-7

“Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia: That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!” (Isaiah 18:1-2)

It is often hard to understand biblical prophecy because in the Western world the focus has been on Western civilization with little concern or understanding of the influence or importance of other areas.   Many people think that no great civilizations originated in Africa, never realizing that Egypt is in Africa.  At one point in history. Ethiopia ruled most of northern Africa and the Middle East.  Libya ruled a large share of the Mediterranean coast for a while.  Records from Egypt, Babylon and various other countries indicate there were huge, well organized civilizations throughout Africa at different periods, just as there were in other areas of the world.  Because so many of the records have been destroyed, we have only statements from a few trading ventures to tell us about these civilizations. 

From ancient maps and records, it appears that ancient Ethiopia was probably in what we know today as Sudan, with the land of Sheba occupying present day Eritrea, Eastern Ethiopia, Somalia, and for a time Yemen.    South Sudan and western Ethiopia were referred to as Abyssinia.  From the statements about the reed boats it seems probable that this passage refers to ancient Sheba or Abyssinia, or perhaps the rest of Africa using the Red Sea to invade Judah and Israel.  They will definitely be involved in the attacks on Israel in the Tribulation period. 

“All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.  For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.  They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.” (Isaiah 18:3-6)

At the end of the Tribulation, when the Battle of Armageddon starts the last trumpet will sound, and  the Lord will appears on the mount of olives, all the armies of the world will attack and be destroyed, according to Revelation 11:15-18, 16:16-21, and 19:11-21.  Matthew 24: 29-31 says, “ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Immediately after that, Christ will set up the Millennial Kingdom, and there will be peace for a thousand years.  Just before that, during the Tribulation, also called ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble,’ There will be a time of persecution of the Jews.  Matthew 24:21-22 warns, “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.” In  effect, God will prune out all who will not follow Christ as described in Revelation 12:9-17.

“In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.” (Isaiah 18:7)

In that day, Israel, the nation which has been scattered and lost all their pride will be dedicated to the Lord.  They will come back from people who have hated and tried to destroy them to the place where God placed his temple in Mount Zion, a land that has been destroyed like a flood had overflowed it. 

Damascus To Be Destroyed

Isaiah 17:1-14

“The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.  The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.  The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts. “ (Isaiah 17:1-3)

By Isaiah’s day, the ten tribes of Israel had turned completely away from god, allying themselves closely with Syria and adopting their gods.  The two countries had become so intermingled it was hard to tell where the boundaries were along the northern edge.  Farther south, in the land of Ephraim, there was a clearer distinction but there were Syrian military posts, ostensibly to help defend Israel.  Syria had occupied the area east of Jordan, taking land as far south as Aroer and its surrounding cities along the Moabite border.

God said that Damascus would cease to be a city, just leaving a pile of ruins and the entire area east of the Jordan would become a vast open area for herding sheep and cattle, such that no one would fight to take it away.  Like Israel, Syria would lose all the prestige and power they once had, no longer even governing themselves. 

“And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.  And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.   Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.” (Isaiah 17:4-6)

In that day both Judah and Israel will be very weak and impoverished.  They will be like a grape vine or olive tree that has had the fruit harvested, so that it seems as if there is nothing worthwhile left.  There is nearly always a little of the fruit that wasn’t quite ripe or got missed for one reason or another that remains, and the same would be true for Israel.  There would always be a few pockets of survivors.

“At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.  And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.  In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.” (Isaiah 17:7-9)

In that day, People will turn to God, the creator, rather than depending on the things they have made for themselves.  The major cities will be destroyed and only a few little areas will survive because God will still protect the children of Israel.  Most of the land will be desolate and almost uninhabitable. 

“Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.” (Isaiah 17:10-11)

Israel had placed their faith in the gods and power of Syria rather than in God, forgetting about their contract with him.  As a result, God will destroy the Syrian system so they can’t depend on it.   Slips are cuttings or offshoots from other plants.  The prophecy is that Israel would turn back to God , but then try to build using something other than the plan god gave them.  The prophecy has been fulfilled, as can readily be seen from Israel’s history. 

Seventy years after Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem,  Cyrus ordered the rebuilding of the temple and Jerusalem.  Initially there was a great focus on serving god, but even before the temple was complete they had begun to go along with the peoples around them.  Ezra and Nehemiah stirred them u to serve God again and Jerusalem was finally restored, but when the Greeks began to take over, a lot of the Jews adopted Greek culture, eventually forming the group known as the Sadducees.   

Caught in the fighting between the Selleucid and Ptolemaic kingdoms, there was a brief turn to God under the Maccabees.  This was soon taken over by the Pharisees with their new ways of interpreting the Law, and continued until the time of Christ, with constant conflict between Pharisees and Sadducees.  During Christ’s ministry and shortly thereafter there was a brief turning to god before they turned away and Israel ceased to exist as a nation in 70 AD.  The Holocaust resulted in many Jews turning to God again, with the result that the nation of Israel was reestablished in 1948, but since that time there has been a gradual turning away again.

“Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!  The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.  And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.” (Isaiah 17:12-14)

Throughout history, nations that targeted the Jews specifically have suffered incredible desolation and defeat.  When the antichrist comes to power, he will break the treaty with Israel, and near the end of his reign will bring a global force against her as described in Ezekiel 38-39, Daniel 11, and Revelation 12 and 19.  Ultimately they will be completely wiped out and destroyed, as God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3.  “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

Prophecy To Moab

Isaiah 15:1-16:14

“The burden of Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste, and brought to silence; He is gone up to Bajith, and to Dibon, the high places, to weep: Moab shall howl over Nebo, and over Medeba: on all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off.  In their streets they shall gird themselves with sackcloth: on the tops of their houses, and in their streets, every one shall howl, weeping abundantly.  And Heshbon shall cry, and Elealeh: their voice shall be heard even unto Jahaz: therefore the armed soldiers of Moab shall cry out; his life shall be grievous unto him.” (Isaiah 15:1-4)

The people of Moab were descendants of Abraham’s nephew, Lot.  They had adopted their own religion and culture and were jealous of the way God blessed Israel, resulting to a lot of conflict over the years.  Moab was located east of the Dead Sea, in present day Jordan.   Because they have opposed Israel so many times, God will bring them into judgment.   According to Daniel 11, the Tribulation will start with an invasion of the Middle East, led by the king of the North in an attempt to settle the unrest.  This will result in a treaty with Israel and the defeat of the people around them.   The land of Moab will be one of those who are defeated. 

“My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives shall flee unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.  For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing.

Therefore the abundance they have gotten, and that which they have laid up, shall they carry away to the brook of the willows.  For the cry is gone round about the borders of Moab; the howling thereof unto Eglaim, and the howling thereof unto Beerelim.  For the waters of Dimon shall be full of blood: for I will bring more upon Dimon, lions upon him that escapeth of Moab, and upon the remnant of the land.   Send ye the lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion.  For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.” (Isaiah 15:5-16:2)

Emboldened by his success in the Middle East, the king of the North will attempt to subjugate some of the islands and will be defeated, probably by China.  Another government will be formed to establish economic security but will fail after just a short time, partly as a result of drought and climate change resulting in widespread famine.   Starving wild animals will attack people  and anarchy and starvation will cause people to accept the Antichrist’s promises of a better future and make him ruler.   Moab will be one of the regions which are especially hard hit.   It will reach a point where the Moabite people flee take refuge in Israel in hopes of surviving.

“Take counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow as the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; bewray not him that wandereth.  Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.  And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting righteousness.” (Isaiah16:3-5)

When the Antichrist comes to power, half way through the tribulation, he will break his treaty with Israel and force most of those who believe in God to flee.  Moab will be one of the places they go for safety.  God calls on Moab to assist them as they helped Moab earlier.  In exchange for having mercy on the Jews, God will protect Moab. 

“We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud: even of his haughtiness, and his pride, and his wrath: but his lies shall not be so.  Therefore shall Moab howl for Moab, every one shall howl: for the foundations of Kirhareseth shall ye mourn; surely they are stricken.  For the fields of Heshbon languish, and the vine of Sibmah: the lords of the heathen have broken down the principal plants thereof, they are come even unto Jazer, they wandered through the wilderness: her branches are stretched out, they are gone over the sea.” (Isaiah 16:6-8)

While the previous part of the prophecy dealt with what would happen far in the future, the final part deals with what would happen to Moab in the immediate future.  Though they were descendants of Lot, Moab had never followed God, convinced they could succeed without his help.   God will destroy their pride and self-confidence.  They would be overrun and subjugated by people who were not of Semetic origin, the heathen, who would destroy their agriculture and scatter their people, wiping out their established government. 

 

“Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen.  And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.  Wherefore my bowels shall sound like an harp for Moab, and mine inward parts for Kirharesh.   And it shall come to pass, when it is seen that Moab is weary on the high place, that he shall come to his sanctuary to pray; but he shall not prevail.” (Isaiah 16:9-12)

Though they had rejected him for centuries, God still loved them and hated to see them suffer, but their rebellion has resulted in it.  They will no longer produce in abundance as they once did but will struggle to produce enough to survive.  Instead of a joyfully working their fields, it would be a hard, unrewarding chore.  When thy prayed to the gods they had chosen, it would not make any difference.   

This is the word that the LORD hath spoken concerning Moab since that time.  But now the LORD hath spoken, saying, Within three years, as the years of an hireling, and the glory of Moab shall be contemned, with all that great multitude; and the remnant shall be very small and feeble.” (Isaiah 16:13-14)

God had repeatedly warned Moab of the consequences of ignoring him.  At this time he was going to do what he warned them about.  Within three years, the Assyrians would conquer them, taking away their self-government and making them an Assyrian territory.   Their huge army would amount to nothing.  History records the fulfillment of this part of the prophecy.

Palestine

Isaiah 14:21-32

“Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.  For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD.  I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Isaiah 14:21-23)

During the Tribulation, Babylon will be the seat of the religion worshipping the Antichrist, imposing that religion on the people of the world and executing any who do not worship the beast.  God states that he will never allow total domination of the world by these forces.  He will utterly destroy Babylon, their capitol, leaving no trace, either of the name, the people or their relatives.  The city will be a swamp land occupied by waterfowl and swept clean of ruins or reminders of the past. 

Revelation 18: 21-23 describes the destruction of Babylon.  “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.   And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.”  All trace will be completely eradicated in that day.

“The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.  This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.  For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? ” Isaiah 14:24-27)

These statements by God are going to happen.  Assyria will be destroyed after fulfilling God’s purpose in bringing judgment on Israel, leaving Assyria with no power over God’s people.  This is God’s plan and it cannot be changed by anyone.   The Assyrians would be defeated by the Chaldeans about a hundred years later and the Babylonians would take control.  The prophecies against Babylon are just as sure as the prophecies against Assyria.  They will just take longer to happen.

“In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden. “ (Isaiah 14:28)

This prophecy came to Isaiah during Ahaz’s last year as king of Judah.  By that time, the Assyrians had conquered Israel and raided Judah, but had been unable to take it.  When Ahaz died, his son Hezekiah would lead Judah back to serving God in a mighty way. 

“Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.” (Isaiah 14:29)

The Assyrians regularly relocated the people in the lands they conquered, placing other groups in their homeland to disrupt any nationalistic tendencies.  They relocated the Jews, replacing them with a mixture of other groups and calling the old land of Israel Palestina after the Philistines who had occupied the Mediterranean coast.   While the Jews called them Samaritans, others called the mixed people Palestinians.    God warns them not to celebrate when the Assyrians fall because ultimately, a far worse system will arise out of the roots of the Assyrian and Babylonian system. 

“And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.  Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou, whole Palestina, art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times.” (Isaiah 14:30-31)

When that time comes. God will protect the poor and needy of his people, causing the descendants of the Palestinians to die of starvation.  The survivors will be killed during the battle of Armageddon.   The entire Palestinian region will be dissolved, once again becoming part of Israel.   

“What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the LORD hath founded Zion, and the poor of his people shall trust in it.” (Isaiah 14:32)

God has established the Nation of Israel as his chosen people and there is nothing that will ever change that.  Israel just needs to learn to trust him to care for them.  

Satan’s Power To Be Broken

Isaiah 14:1-20

“For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.  And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.” (Isaiah 14:1-2)

When God destroys Babylon, he will again set the Jews in their own land.  In that day other peoples will flock to Israel and those who ruled them as captives and slaves will serve Israel instead.  About eight years after the Medo-Persian Empire  conquered Babylon, Cyrus gave the order for Jerusalem and Judah to be rebuilt as a territory of the Empire.  After the death of Alexander the Great, the Jews were tossed back and forth between the Seleucid or Eastern Empire and the Ptolemaic or Egyptian Empire until the Roman emperor, Octavian or Augustus had Cleopatra killed.  Under the Romans, Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.  They retained control of the land until the Collapse of the Eastern Roman Empire until about 565 AD.  Israel did not even exist as a separate country again until 1948.  Clearly, this part of the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled.

It will only be fulfilled after the destruction of Babylon, at the end of the Tribulation period, when Christ sets up his millennial kingdom after defeating the world’s armies.  According to Revelation 20:4, those who were faithful to Christ during the Tribulation will serve as his administrators during that period.   “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

“And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.  That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!” (Isaiah 14:3-4)

Throughout history, the Jews have tried to be like other nations, instead of following God’s covenant, as is clear from their demand for a king in I Samuel 8:19-20.  “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”  When they see the destruction of those they have tried to emulate and experience what God has promised them they will finally understand that all the pomp and power meant nothing.  They will look at the destruction of Babylon as an example of what happens when man depends on his own power. 

“The LORD hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.  He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.  The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.  Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.” (Isaiah 14:5-8)

When God breaks the power of all the wicked and the rulers of the earth, punishing all those who have abused their power or attempted to increase it, the entire world will be at peace.  There will be great rejoicing because there is no longer concern about protection from those who want to cut them down.  

“Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.  All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?  Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.  They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?”(Isaiah 14:9-17)

Humanity will finally realize that the driving force behind every one of those governments and empires they desired to copy were in fact driven by Satan in his efforts to overthrow God.   Ultimately, he will be cast into the lake of fire, along with everyone who has tried to help him rebel against God.  At that point they will realize that he is not a god, but just another created being like themselves.  His pride and power cannot protect him from the judgment of God, even though he terrified people, trying to destroy anyone who refused to go along with him. 

 

“All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house.  But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.  Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.” (Isaiah 14:18-20)

The world ruler during the Tribulation, known as the Beast or Antichrist, and his chief religious supporter, the false prophet, will be cast straight into the Lake of fire according to Revelation 19:20.  “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Because they have been willing to sacrifice even their own people to gain power, they will not get to have a rest or a trial.  They will not even buried.  The Judgment of the rest of the wicked will be postponed for a thousand years, giving them a break that Satan’s representatives will not get.  Revelation 20:5 tells us, ”But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished…”

At the end of the Millennium, Satan will be freed to give people a chance to choose between him and God.  Those who choose him will be killed, and Satan himself will be cast into the lake of fire where he will be joined shortly by those who chose not to believe in god and his son on earth after their trial according to Revelation 20:7-10.  “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” 

The old picture of Satan laughing as he pitches people into hell is total distortion.  His only concern is to use people to keep himself out of hell any way possible.  His only hope is that he can gather enough supporters that God will give in.  He doesn’t care how many of his supporters are killed in the process. 

Destruction Of Babylon Foretold

Isaiah 13:1-22

“The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.

Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.  I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.” (Isaiah 13:1-3)

This is a message warning what is to happen to Babylon that Isaiah was given.  At the time Assyria was a at its greatest extent, dominating the entire region under Tiglathpileser III.  A little over a hundred twenty years later, the Assyrian Empire would be conquered and destroyed by the Chaldeans, fulfilling part of the prophecy in Isaiah 10.   Babylon became the world power and later would conquer Judah.  Historians have long dated the Babylonian defeat of Judah as about 605 BC.  Records discovered at Babylon and recently translated indicate that it may have about forty years later, about 565 BC.  The prophecy here deals with the eventual destruction of Babylon, far in the future.  It starts with a uniting of those who fear and serve the Lord in the end of the world.  

“The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.  They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.” (Isaiah 13:4-5)

Revelation 19:14-16 describes the gathering of the Host of heaven.   And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”  This will not happen until the end of the Tribulation period.   

“Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.  Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” (Isaiah 13:6-10)

Jesus described these events in Luke 21:25-27.  “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

“And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.  I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.

Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.  And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.” (Isaiah 13:11-14)

When God brings judgment on the world, human pride and prestige will be utterly destroyed.  Suddenly, human life will become far more important than any amount of riches or power.  God will show his power, even changing the earth’s orbit and rotation, so that even our periods of daylight change, according to Revelation 8:12.  “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”  People will want to get back to their own people and own land in hopes of finding safety. 

“Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.  Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.   Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it.  Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.” (Isaiah 13:15-18)

This part of the prophecy was only partially fulfilled when the Medes, allied with the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great, invaded Babylon and took the kingdom from Belshazzer in Daniel 11, over sixty years after Nebuchadnezzar first conquered Jerusalem.  Babylon would remain as the main center of power under the Persians and Greeks until after Alexander the Great’s death about 320 BC.  

“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 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.” (Isaiah 13:19-22)

A change of Euphrates’ course resulted in the abandonment of much of the city and relocation of the capitol under the Seleucid Empire, but Babylon remained through the centuries.  In the mid 1800’s, the British relocated over ten thousand people so they could excavate the city, turning it back to Iraq in 1963.  Saddam Hussein rebuilt most of the city and after his death, the United Nations committed to maintaining it.  Clearly this part of the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled.   Revelation 18 gives details of the destruction described here.  

Israel Reunited

Isaiah 11:11-12:6

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.  And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isaiah 11:11-12)

Since the reestablishment of Israel in 1948, there has been a massive return of Jews to Israel.  Because of the terrorist threats, and freedom in other countries many still do not return.   The tribulation period is to be a time of special judgment on Israel much like what was going on with the Assyrians in Isaiah’s day.   When it ends and the Lord sets up his Millennial kingdom, even survivors from the most welcoming countries around the world will choose to return to Israel.

“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.” (Isaiah 11:13-14)

After Solomon’s death, Israel split into two countries, Israel and Judah.  Israel’s capitol was in the area originally given to the tribe of Ephraim.  The two countries regularly fought for control and there was a great deal of jealousy between them that continues even to this day.   When the Lord builds his millennial kingdom, they will be united and the old jealousies forgotten.  They will control the land of the Philistines or as we know them the Palestinians on the west and the land of the Moabites and Edomites on the eastern side in present day Jordan and Saudi Arabia, with the Jordanian people (Ammonites) as tributaries, fulfilling the promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:18.  “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.”  Israel has never yet had all that land, and understanding the prophecy explains much of the political tension in the Middle East today. 

“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.” (Isaiah 11:15-16)

Revelation 16:18-20 tells us there will be a huge earthquake just before the lord sets up his kingdom that will shake down the mountains.  “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”

When that happens the tongue of Red sea known as the Gulf of Suez will cease to exist, apparently rising.  The Nile River, which presently splits into two main branches, will spread oud dividing into seven streams across the delta that can easily be crossed.  Apparently at the same time the Gulf of Aqaba will deepen,  connecting with the Dead Sea, and the Mount of Olives will split, allowing ships access from the Red Sea all the way to Jerusalem, according to Zechariah 14:4-5.  “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.   And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” 

At about the same time the course of the Euphrates River will change leaving the road open for the eastern nations to attack Jerusalem according to Revelation 16:12.  “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.”  Once the Antichrist’s army has been defeated and the Millennial kingdom set up the way will be open for the Jews to come to Jerusalem. 

“And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me.  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:1-2)

When that day comes. Israel will praise the Lord for saving them, recognizing that he has kept his promise to them despite their constant rebellion throughout the centuries.  They will finally learn to trust him fully, realizing he will keep his promises to them.

“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.  And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.  Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.  Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.” (Isaiah 12:3-6)

Throughout her history, the Jews have thought their salvation was through ritually keeping God’s law.  Finally they will understand that as Ephesians 2:8-9 says, salvation is by trusting God, not through their efforts.  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”  The works are the result of their faith, not the means of obtaining salvation.   There is nothing they can do to save themselves.  As they understand that, they will no longer complain that what they are doing doesn’t work and will recognize that it is God who has cared for them all along.