Isaiah 13:1

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 my anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The noise of a multitude in the mountains is like that of a great people, a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together. The Lord of hosts musters the hosts 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. Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand. It shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

Let's pray. Lord, as we look into and begin this passage of Isaiah that deals with these burdens, these heavy messages and proclamations of judgment upon the nations, I ask that You would teach and instruct us. Sometimes we fail to recognize that You are, in fact, the same yesterday, today, and forever. You do not change.

There are many within the church who think that somewhere between the Old Testament, the Old Covenant, and the New Covenant, You changed. Yet, Lord, You are revealed in Your word as being the same yesterday, today, and forever. The way that You dealt with the nations of old, the way that You dealt with Your own people as they had drifted, departed, and backslid, is the same way You will deal with the nations of today.

It has been said by many, including Billy Graham, that if You do not judge the United States, You will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. It is a hard thing for us to consider, Lord, but the reality of it is very evident and clear. So, I pray that You would prepare our hearts as we look into Your word and as we consider these burdens and these judgments over the next several weeks.

And that you would, Lord, speak so clearly to us so as to remind us that you truly are on the throne and you do have a plan and a purpose. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen. You can be seated.

Over the next several weeks, as we continue our study in the book of Isaiah, we're going to see judgments spoken upon the nations, primarily the nations that were considered enemies of the children of Israel 2,800 years ago during the lifetime of Isaiah. As you've probably taken note, the first 12 chapters of the book of Isaiah dealt with judgment, but it was a judgment directed at God's own people, His own people there in Judah and Jerusalem. While it corporately spoke to the whole nation of Israel, both northern and southern kingdoms, Isaiah's primary message was for the south, Judah and Benjamin.

This reminds us of what we learn in the New Testament. In 1 Peter 4, verse 17, the apostle Peter says, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it first begin at us, what shall the end of them that obey not the gospel of God be?" Judgment must begin at the house of God. The first 12 chapters of the book of Isaiah show that the judgment of God came to His people, the children of Israel, first. When we read in 1 Peter 4, verse 17, "If it begins with us first, then what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel?" The idea is that if God is willing to judge His own people because He is not a respecter of persons, then what does that mean for those who are not His people?

We will see the judgment of God spoken upon various nations over the next several weeks. Tonight, we will see that God is judging the Babylonians. He will also judge the Assyrians, which we considered a little bit when we were in chapter 10. Additionally, He will judge the Arabians, the Edomites, the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, the Moabites, the Philistines, and the Syrians. All these nations stood in opposition to God's people and acted as enemies of God's people; God will now direct His judgment toward them.

One of the things we will see as we go from chapter 13 to chapter 23 is that each one of these judgments foreshadows the great judgment that God will bring upon the entire world, all the nations corporately. When we get to Isaiah chapter 24, the attention will be directed to the whole of the earth, a judgment that has yet to come to pass.

But it will. How do we know that it will? Well, God made good on His word when He directed His judgment to the Babylonians, the Assyrians, and the Edomites. He fulfilled that, and He will most certainly fulfill the remainder of His word. Remember that Jesus, in the Gospel, said not one jot or tittle will be done away with till all be fulfilled. God will fulfill His word.

When we were in Isaiah chapter 9, we saw that the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. God is zealous about the performance of His word. He will enact everything that we read in His word. It will come to pass. We are called by the Apostle Peter priests in a royal generation, God's peculiar people. Some of us may identify with that more than others. But there, in 1 Peter chapter 2, where Peter speaks about that, we have been given a very specific task to proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. God has called you and me out of darkness, and He has given us refuge in Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament, in the law, in Deuteronomy, Leviticus, and Exodus, God proclaimed that there were to be cities of refuge for the children of Israel. There were six cities of refuge, three on each side of the Jordan River in the land of Israel. Those cities were established at a certain distance apart so that they were about a day's journey from anywhere in the land of Israel. The whole point, the whole purpose of the city of refuge was that if you committed manslaughter—if you unwittingly or without purpose killed someone—the example given in the Old Testament is that perhaps you are out in the woods chopping down a tree, and as you are chopping, the head of the axe comes flying off and hits your partner, causing his death.

Prior to the giving of that law, the custom among men was an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. If you slay a man, then by man shall you be slain. God gave that law in Genesis chapter 9 after the flood. The idea was that if I accidentally killed somebody, or even if I killed someone with premeditation, then his next of kin, his nearest kinsman, would come and kill me. He had the legal authority under God's law given to Noah to do so. But then God gave provision for the manslayer, the one who killed someone by accident.

The cities of refuge were established so that if someone killed another person unwittingly, unaware, and without planning to do so, they could flee for their life to the city of refuge. They would run as fast as they could to get there. Once they arrived, they would proclaim their case to the elders of that city, who would determine whether the death resulted from premeditation. If it was determined that it was not premeditated, the individual would be allowed to stay in the city of refuge. The avenger of blood, the next of kin, was not permitted to take their life, and they were safe as long as they remained in the city of refuge.

However, if they left the city, the scripture stated that their blood was upon their own head. They had to stay there for their entire life or until the high priest died. When the high priest died, all those in the city of refuge were allowed to leave and return to their inheritance and land. They were no longer under the law of the kinsman redeemer. These six cities of refuge were established by the children of Israel and maintained by the Levites.

In reality, a significant amount of tax money went into maintaining these cities of refuge in ancient times in the land of Israel. The Levites had to ensure that the roads were clearly marked with signs indicating "refuge" in the Hebrew language. Despite this, I have found no substantial evidence in the Old Testament that these cities of refuge were greatly utilized. This does not mean they were not used; it simply is not documented in the Old Testament. I have also not found much in Josephus' work regarding the cities of refuge, which makes it seem like wasted tax revenue. Have you ever been upset about wasted tax money? There is a lot of discussion about that these days.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that all these things were written as examples for us. They were written for our instruction upon whom the end of the ages has come. The word "refuge" appears many times in the Old Testament, especially in reference to these cities of refuge, but it is found only once in the New Testament, where it speaks of Jesus Christ. In Hebrews chapter 7, He is our refuge.

Here’s the interesting and amazing thing: every single one of us, without recognizing it or realizing it, is guilty of murder. You may say, "Well, it was manslaughter. I didn’t realize that I had done it. I never intended to do so. I never planned to do so." But you and I are guilty of the death of Jesus of Nazareth. Our sin killed Him.

Because of all that we have done, He has been killed on our behalf. He has a next of kin, a father. A father whom the Scriptures reveal is merciful, just, and holy. He will execute justice. The reality is that every single one of us, being guilty of this manslaughter, has but one place to turn: to find refuge in Christ. If we do not turn and find refuge in Christ, then we abide under the wrath of the Father. The day of judgment will come.

We read here in Isaiah chapter 13, verse 6: "Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand." The day of the Lord is a term that appears 29 times in the Bible. The first time we saw it was several weeks ago, or maybe even several months ago, in Isaiah chapter 2, verse 12. Isaiah chapter 2, verse 12 says, "For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty, upon everyone that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low."

Everyone that is proud and lofty, everyone that is lifted up, everyone that refuses to flee to Jesus Christ for refuge, will face the day of the Lord. Every single reference to the day of the Lord, all 29 of them in the Bible, deals with judgment. They all deal with destruction. Words associated with the day of the Lord include fear, darkness, and terror. It is a day of gloom, a day of destruction.

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision—this is the day of the Lord in the valley of decision, as stated in Joel chapter 3, verse 14. The prophet Amos said, "Woe unto those who desire the day of the Lord," because it is a day of great darkness. The day of the Lord, I believe, is any time that God reaches into the realm of humanity for judgment.

You see, today is the day of man. Man does as he pleases; he does what he wants. But there comes a time when God says, "No more." We see that in Genesis chapters 18 and 19, where God heard the cry coming up from the city of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was the day of man in Sodom and Gomorrah. Man did whatever he wanted to do; whatever was right in the sight of man, he did.

But there came a day when the cry became so great that God came down to investigate what was happening in that city. The day of the Lord arrived when He poured out fire from heaven upon the city. We know that prior to that, the cry of the entire earth rose up to God in Genesis chapter 6. There came another day of the Lord when God reached into humanity and stopped all the goings-on of man. He brought judgment.

Here in Isaiah chapter 13, we read of the day of the Lord coming upon the people of Babylon. Babylon is one of the most referenced cities in the Bible, second only to the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible, while Babylon is mentioned 294 times. It is seen as a wicked place. Whenever we see Babylon mentioned in the scriptures, we can look back to an actual physical city located in what we call modern-day Iraq, in the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia, right there on the Euphrates River. This area, situated between the Tigris and Euphrates, is known as the Valley of Shinar, which is considered Babylon.

There was a key stronghold, a great city called Babylon. It was in that same plain that Nimrod, in Genesis chapter 11, gathered together with the men of the world. They wanted to build a tower that would reach up into the heavens and make a name for themselves. This was a satanic ambition. Babylon is associated in the scriptures with wickedness and evil.

I believe that there are demonic entities set over the great stronghold cities and nations of the world. Even the Church of Satan acknowledges this belief. They think that there are specific demonic beings that oversee nations, including one probably over the United States. In the scriptures, we know of one called the Prince of Persia. We read about him in Daniel chapter 10. He withstood Gabriel and Michael, the archangel, when they were dispatched by God to speak to Daniel the prophet. The Prince of Persia withstood Gabriel for two weeks until he was helped by Michael.

And so we also know that there is a Prince of Babylon. When we read about Babylon in the Scriptures, our minds go to an actual literal city that existed thousands of years ago, and the Scriptures seem to indicate that it will one day exist once again. However, we need to recognize that the references to Babylon also speak to spiritual inhabitants and a spiritual king, whom we might call the Prince of Babylon. We are going to be introduced to him tonight, if we get to Isaiah chapter 14, which I hope we do. His name is used only once in the Scriptures. We don't know if it's a name or a title: Lucifer. This is a name that many people know, even if they don't know the Scriptures.

People do not name their children Lucifer for some reason, as we recognize that it has some sort of demonic and wicked connotation. We acknowledge that Lucifer, the son of the morning, is a terrible name, a terrible title. Yet, it is the name associated with this spiritual entity over Babylon. This is not just a city; it represents a character, a nature, and a spiritual entity. In fact, this whole world is now under the sway of this wicked one, Lucifer.

We see his first stronghold, I guess you could say, in the Valley of Shinar, situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, among that great city that thought it could never be overthrown. Yet, it was. Here, God speaks about the overthrow of that city. This, of course, is after He has already spoken judgment to His own people—His own people who felt that they were exempt from the judgment of God. As a result of their wicked hearts, thinking they were exempt, they went headlong into sin. They figured they could do whatever they wanted to do.

This is one of the great dangers that sometimes even happens among Christians, where they think, "Well, I prayed a prayer, and I'm safe, and everything's okay. I can do as I please because I'm elect." This is very dangerous thinking, as God has made it very clear: He will by no means clear the guilty (Exodus 34:7). Yes, He is merciful. Yes, He is gracious. Yes, He has forgiveness for thousands. But He will by no means clear the guilty.

Remember what the Apostle Paul said in many places in the New Testament, but most specifically in 1 Corinthians 6, where he states that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. They will receive judgment from God.

A day of darkness, the day of the Lord. God judged His own people, showing that He is not partial and that He is not a respecter of persons. But now He turns His attention, and it is notable that He first focuses on Babylon, for they are the epitome of evil.

Babylon. The burden, we read in verse 1 of chapter 13, is a heavy message declared. A heavy word is lifted up against this nation that itself was lifted up. Now, Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw this burden. We have already considered this in Isaiah chapter 1, verse 1; Isaiah chapter 2, verse 1; and Isaiah chapter 3, verse 1. Isaiah saw a vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem, but now he sees a vision concerning Babylon.

"Lift ye up a banner upon a high mountain. Exalt the voice unto them. Shake the hand that they may go unto the gates of the nobles." Basically, what Isaiah sees is someone standing upon the mountaintops, waving a banner and declaring that it is Babylon's time for judgment. And here the judgment comes.

"I have commanded," God says, "my sanctified ones. I have also called my mighty ones for my anger, even them that rejoice in my highness." God has set apart an army to come and destroy the Babylonians. The noise of the multitude in the mountains indicates they are coming with great speed—a great people, a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms, of the nations gathered together. The Lord of hosts musters His host for battle. God is assembling an army to come and destroy.

As God assembles this army, He says, "Howl ye, for this is the day of the Lord; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty." The day of the Lord is associated here with destruction directly from the hand of God. God is intervening in the wickedness of humanity, reaching into the realm of humanity, and His aim is for the Babylonians.

Now, notice the reaction to this. In verse 7, it states, "Therefore, shall all hands be faint and every man's heart shall melt." In reality, this is the proper response when God moves for judgment. Unfortunately, one should bow before the Lord in humility prior to His move for judgment and not in the face of His move for judgment. You see, if you only humble yourself when the Lord actually moves for judgment, it is too late. Destruction has come.

How do we know this? Well, turn in your Bibles to the book of Joshua, specifically Joshua chapter 2. In this chapter, the children of Israel are on the move to enter the promised land. God has given them very clear direction to go in and take out all the enemies of God. The first city they encounter is Jericho. Joshua sent two spies into the city, and they were taken in by a woman with a very seedy past, Rahab the harlot.

Notice what she says to these two spies in verse 8 of Joshua chapter 2. Before they lay down, she came up to them while they were on the roof of her house. She said to them, "I know that the Lord has given you the land and that your terror has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you."

The children of Israel were being used by God to bring about a day of the Lord upon the Canaanite peoples. He was going to judge the Canaanites, having given them over 400 years to repent, which they had not done. God, who is patient and long-suffering, is also just, and He will by no means clear the guilty. Thus, God was using the children of Israel as His instrument of judgment, the army of His wrath in Joshua chapter 2.

This woman in Jericho said, "We, all of us—not just in Jericho, but every single one of us in the land—faint because of you." Why? Because they had heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, and what they did to the two kings of the Amorites on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom they utterly destroyed.

As soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted. There remained no more courage in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in the heaven above and in the earth beneath. This woman, who had been a heathen like all the rest in Canaan, recognized that the God of the children of Israel was a great God and greatly to be feared. She said that when they heard the testimony about what their God had done, their hearts failed. They fainted and melted because of the Israelites.

And so, once again, in Isaiah chapter 13...

When God was on the move, the reaction is the proper response but at the wrong time. The right response at the wrong time. God was already on the move for judgment. Now, God extended grace to Rahab the harlot there in the city of Jericho in Joshua chapter 2 as she humbled herself before the Lord. Interestingly, she was only safe—she and her household—as they stayed inside her house that was marked by a scarlet cord. In a sense, that one house was marked as a city of refuge. God always offers a way of refuge and a way of escape to those who will heed His word.

As we've considered before in Amos chapter 3, surely the Lord God does nothing without revealing His secret first to His servants, the prophets. God is so awesome and just. He will execute wrath upon those who are unrighteous. However, He is also a good God, a loving God. We see that in the fact that before He judges, He always tells us why He is going to judge and always gives us an opportunity for repentance.

But here He says to the Babylonians, judgment is coming. Therefore, all hands shall be faint, and every man's heart shall melt; they shall be afraid. Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them. They shall be in pain as a woman that travails. They shall be amazed one at another, and their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

Now we see the purpose of the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is going to come, and we find that it is going to be cruel. It's going to be a day of wrath, a day of fierce anger. It's going to lay the whole land desolate. This is specifically speaking about literal Babylon 2,800 years ago that would be destroyed by the Persians. However, it has a much further reach because some of the things we see in this passage indicate that the land will never be inhabited again.

We know that this is not the case yet, but great Babylon will one day fall, as we read in Revelation chapter 18: "Babylon, Babylon has fallen, has fallen." When that takes place, the further judgment we see here will mean it will never be inhabited again. As we read through Isaiah chapter 13 and Isaiah chapter 14, these prophecies have a near fulfillment that actually came to pass in 539 BC.

At the hands of the Persians, King Cyrus, there is a fulfillment that is yet to come to pass. It has a physical, literal interpretation, as it did upon Babylon back in the 500s BC, and it has a spiritual application, as we will see upon the prince of Babylon, Lucifer.

He says, "Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate." The purpose is clear: He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. God is going to execute wrath upon the sinners. The stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light. The sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.

Now, if you would highlight verse 10, this is what we call a prophetic landmark. You might want to write that in the margin of your Bibles: a prophetic landmark. One of the prophetic landmarks or indicators of the day of the Lord, this great and terrible day of the Lord that is going to come, is described in the scriptures. The sun will be darkened, the moon will be turned to blood, and the stars will withdraw from shining. We see this in a number of different places in the scripture.

We see it here in Isaiah chapter 13, and we will see it again later on in the book of Isaiah. We see it in Joel chapter 3. Jesus speaks about it in Matthew chapter 24, and we see it in the book of Revelation, all speaking about this day of the Lord that is going to come.

So God says, "When this great and terrible day of the Lord comes, the sun will withdraw its shining, the moon will be turned to blood, and I will punish the world." Notice this in verse 11: "I will punish the world for their evil." This again splits up a near fulfillment and a latter fulfillment. Isaiah chapters 13 and 14 do speak to Babylon, which was judged by God at the hands of the Medo-Persian Empire, as we will see even in verse 17: "Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them."

This speaks of that judgment that took place in 539 BC, but it also speaks of a yet further judgment. What we see here is that the judgment upon Babylon is a foreshadowing of the judgment that God is going to bring upon the whole world, as we will see in Isaiah chapter 24. "I will punish the world." Why? Because of their evil and the wicked for their iniquity. "I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease and will lay low."

The haughtiness of the terrible is addressed by God, who explains exactly why He is going to punish and judge. He speaks of arrogance, pride, haughtiness, evil, and wickedness. Notice this: when God judges, the result of His judgment is stated in verse 12. He says, "I will make a man more precious than fine gold, even a man than the gold wedge of Ophir."

Ophir is referenced several times in the Old Testament and was well known in its day for its very precious gold. There is much debate about the exact location of Ophir. Some believe that the Queen of Sheba was related to Ophir in some way and that she came from the region of Ethiopia. During that period, if you spoke of the gold of Ophir, it was understood to be the most precious gold available.

God indicates that when this judgment comes, He will judge the world in such a way that men will become more precious than fine gold, even the gold of Ophir. This implies that men will be very few upon the earth. When you read through the Book of Revelation, it seems to indicate that God will destroy millions and billions of humanity during the tribulation.

You might wonder, why would God do that? We already have evidence that He did so in Genesis through the flood. We also have indications that He will do it again in the last days prior to His return. It may seem incomprehensible why God would allow such a thing, as it appears evil and wicked. However, we have already seen in the Book of Isaiah that God is just in His judgment. He does not judge according to what is seen with the eyes or heard with the ears; He judges with righteousness.

When we witness that judgment come to pass, those of us who are with Christ will be able to say, "Yea and amen." It is good and right because God is just. Therefore, in verse 13, He states, "I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall be removed out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger." This day of the Lord is referenced as the day of His fierce anger, marking another prophetic landmark. The heavens will be shaken, and the earth shall be moved out of her place.

The Scriptures indicate that this great and terrible day is referenced in other passages as well, such as Matthew chapter 24 and Joel chapter 3. It shall be as the chaste roe or the gazelle, and as a sheep that no man takes up. Every man shall turn to his own people and flee everyone to his own land. Everyone that is found shall be thrust through, and everyone that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword. The children also shall be dashed into pieces before their eyes. Their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.

When we read in verses 14 and 15 about them running, it speaks to the reality that there is no place to flee when the judgment of the Lord comes. His judgment will come, and there is no way to escape it. We will see the very same thing when we get to Isaiah chapter 24. In Isaiah chapter 24, verse 18, it says, "And it shall come to pass that he who flees from the noise of fear shall fall into a pit. He that comes out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in a snare. For the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake."

Again, we see the shaking of the earth mentioned, which correlates to what we find in Isaiah chapter 13 and other places in Scripture. Notice that no one will be able to flee, as stated in verse 18. Because of fear, they will run away, and as they are running, they will fall into a pit. If they manage to get out of the pit, they will be caught by the snare. This is the very same thing that the prophet Amos spoke of.

Turn in your Bibles to the book of Amos, chapter 5. In Amos 5, verse 18, we read, "Woe unto those that desire the day of the Lord. To what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness and not light." Amos continues in verse 19, "As if a man did flee from a lion and a bear met him, or he went into a house and leaned his hand on the wall and the serpent bit him." Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness and not light on every side, and no brightness in it?

What the prophet Amos says aligns perfectly with what God is communicating through the prophet Isaiah. Again, we see this correlation among different men.

Called by God, speaking the very same thing, Isaiah says it's like when you're fleeing from fear and you fall into a pit. You climb out of the pit, but you're snared and you're dead. Amos says it's as if you're running from a lion, and you come around the corner and there's a bear. You finally get away from the bear, and you get into the house. You put your hand against the wall, huffing and puffing, and a serpent bites and kills you. There's no fleeing from the day of the Lord.

Just as we've already seen in Isaiah chapter 13, if the reaction of man in the face of the day of the Lord is humility, it's too late when He comes. This is what we see in Revelation chapter 6. In Revelation chapter 6, the kings of this world and the heathen, when the day of the Lord begins to come and all the signs are coming to pass, flee and hide in caves. They call for rocks to fall upon them, but death flees from them. They are trying to get away, showing humility in the face of God, yet their humility is too late. It is a show of humility when judgment is already beginning to come to pass.

Notice the breadth of God's destruction in verse 16: their children also shall be dashed into pieces before their eyes, their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives shall be ravished. We must consider this in the context of what took place in Babylon when the Medo-Persian Empire destroyed and took over Babylon in 539 BC. However, we also need to consider this in the breadth of God's judgment that is going to come to the whole world, as this judgment is a foreshadowing of what God is going to bring to pass.

In verse 17, God says, "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 eyes shall not spare children." God says that when He raises up the Medes to destroy the Babylonians, they are not going to Babylon seeking a spoil. Interestingly, we see this to be the case. We know from history that when Babylon fell to the Medes in 539 BC, it was in September of that year. We know this from Herodotus, a secular historian, but we also know it from the book of Daniel.

When these things took place, if you want to read about it, you can read Daniel chapter 5. The prophet Daniel was an advisor to King Belshazzar in the city of Babylon when the Medes came and destroyed the city. You may remember the story because, in Daniel chapter 5, Belshazzar was a wickedly arrogant king. His grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, had actually shown some sort of repentance and humility in the face of the one true God, but Belshazzar was a young, arrogant king in Babylon.

Belshazzar and the people of his great city believed Babylon was a stronghold. The walls of the city were considered to be impenetrable. He was proud, and when the Medo-Persians began to lay siege to Babylon, Belshazzar and his advisors thought there was no way anyone could ever breach their walls. They felt invincible, filled with arrogance and haughtiness.

In the face of this siege, what did he do? He had a party. This was not just a one-day event; it lasted for many days. In the midst of this drunken orgy of a party, Belshazzar said, "You know, my grandfather Nebuchadnezzar got all kinds of really nice silver and gold platters when he went to Jerusalem and destroyed that city. He took them right out of the temple. Let's use those for our party." These instruments were sanctified for the use of God only, yet he used the golden bowls and cups for his guests.

In the middle of his party, a hand appeared out of nowhere and wrote on the wall, "Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." How many of you remember the writing on the wall? Daniel chapter 5 says that Belshazzar's knees smote together and his bowels were loosed. I guarantee he was instantly sober. He called all of his magicians and advisors together, but nobody could figure out what this meant. So, they called Daniel, who was able to interpret the writing. He told Belshazzar, "You've been weighed in the balances and found wanting, and tonight your kingdom will be taken from you."

What Belshazzar did not realize was that, at that very moment, his fate was sealed.

In September of 539 BC, Cyrus, the king of Persia, with his armies, diverted the Euphrates River, which flowed under the walls of the city of Babylon. They redirected the river so that the men could walk through in knee-high water. The great Euphrates River had gates that were actually submerged in the water, and yet, for some reason, those gates were open. Prophetically, we read in the Bible that it was God who opened the gates. The Medo-Persian army entered the city under the walls where the Euphrates flowed into Babylon, and they sacked the city. The people in Babylon did not even realize they had been taken over for days. This event occurred that very night.

The Medo-Persians found the city filled with silver and gold, much of which had been taken from Jerusalem. Cyrus, the king of the Medo-Persian Empire, released the Jews who had been captive in Babylon and allowed them to take their gold and silver back with them. We read that when they come, they will not regard silver; they are not coming for spoil but for judgment. I guarantee the Medo-Persians did not realize that this was their purpose. They probably even wondered why they did not desire the silver and gold. God had stirred their hearts to go and judge Babylon.

The prophecy states that they shall dash the young men in pieces and have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare the children. Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. This is a supernatural destruction; it is the day of the Lord.

In secular history, they often discuss the great military wisdom and intelligence of Cyrus. They wonder how he managed to enter the city. However, it was all due to the Lord and nothing to do with Cyrus. God destroyed the glory of Babylon, overthrowing it as He did Sodom and Gomorrah.

Verse 20 states that Babylon shall never be inhabited; it shall not be dwelt in from generation to generation. Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, nor shall the shepherds make their folds there, but wild beasts will inhabit the area.

Of the desert shall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures. Owls shall dwell there, and wild beasts of the island shall cry in their desolate houses. The dragons and their pleasant places—her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

Now, when we read in verse 20 that it shall never be inhabited again, I think we bounce back to the far fulfillment. We recognize that even today there are some that dwell in that region called Babylon, but it is desolate, isn't it? We know historically of the Hanging Gardens, the beautiful gardens that were one of the wonders of the world. They do not exist today.

As we read the Book of Revelation and other passages of apocalyptic prophecy, we see many references to Babylon. There have been a lot of Bible teachers who have said that this is just a spiritual Babylon, or some will say it represents an economic Babylon or a religious system of Babylon. However, many Bible teachers for years have asserted that Babylon will never be inhabited again. The scripture indicates it was destroyed in 539 BC and will never be a literal city again.

However, I think it will be. Those same Bible teachers said the same thing about Jerusalem and Israel. They all agreed that there would never be another Israel; they had been expelled from the land and would never be gathered together again. Yet, there were some throughout church history who said that Israel would become a nation again and that Jerusalem would be inhabited by the Jews once more.

One noted theologian was Sir Isaac Newton. Many people think of Sir Isaac Newton in the context of being the father of physics and a great mathematician, but we often overlook that he was also a theologian. He spent the last 11 years of his life studying the Book of Daniel. Hundreds of years before it came to pass, he stated that after studying the Book of Daniel, the children of Israel would inhabit the land of Israel once again. He predicted that when they inhabited the land, they would also inhabit Jerusalem just before Messiah the Prince comes the second time.

The amazing thing is that Sir Isaac Newton, hundreds of years before it happened, said it would take place between 1890 and 2060—right on the money. In fact, the modern Zionist movement came together during this time.

In the late 1890s, Israel became a nation again on May 14, 1948. Isaiah 66 prophesies and says, "Who has seen such a thing? A nation birthed in a day." Ezekiel 36 and 37 talks about the valley of dry bones coming together and causing the land to be rebirthed, making it fruitful once again.

Interestingly, many Bible teachers in the 17th and 18th centuries believed that the United States was the new Jerusalem, that it was Israel. They spiritualized the text about Israel becoming a nation again, and yet it came to pass. Isn't it fascinating how many millions and billions of dollars are being given by the G20, the 20 wealthiest nations in the world, to rebuild Babylon? Now we call it Iraq, but they are rebuilding it. I would not be surprised if it becomes an economic powerhouse and a significant political entity again in the last days, just before the coming of the Lord.

Revelation chapter 18 says that Babylon has fallen, and God will destroy it; it shall never be inhabited again. Chapter 14, verse 1 states, "For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will yet choose Israel and will set them in their own land. Strangers shall be joined to them, and they shall cleave unto the house of Jacob. 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. They shall take them captives whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors."

After the first judgment of Babylon in 539 BC, this would come to pass. Cyrus, the king of Persia, would come into Babylon, overthrow the Babylonian kingdom, and establish it as another key city of the Medo-Persian Empire. Daniel the prophet would bring to him the scroll of Isaiah and the scroll of Jeremiah, where God, hundreds of years before he was born, named him by name in Isaiah chapter 40 and Isaiah chapter 45: "Cyrus, you are my king for my purpose, to let my people go, to send them back to rebuild Jerusalem." Daniel the prophet probably went in and said, "Cyrus, I'd like to show..."

I would like to show you what the one true God has to say about you. At the beginning of the book of Ezra, Cyrus the king stands up and says that God has called him to do this. He sends the captives back to the land and lets them go free, just as we read in Isaiah chapter 14. The Lord will have mercy on Jacob, even though He would judge them at the hands of the Babylonians in 586 BC.

Now, He will have mercy upon Jacob. Why? Because God, in His nature and character, is merciful. He will yet choose Israel; He will still choose them. How awesome is that? I love verses like that, which show that God, in His mercy, will choose once again. How many times do we fall, and yet the Lord still chooses us? How many times do we defame His name because of our foolishness or our sin, and yet He still chooses us?

I love that verse in Jonah chapter 2, where it says the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time. I am so thankful for that. He will yet choose Israel and set them in their own land. He is going to place them back in their land; He is not going to give them a new land.

You know what? God has done this now twice. How cool is it that God continues to bring them back to their land? In 539 BC, they were dispatched from Babylon back to the land of Israel. They were expelled from the land at the hands of the Romans and Titus in August of 70 AD. They came back to the land nearly 2,000 years later, on May 14, 1948. God will set them in their land once again.

Not only that, we read that strangers shall be joined to them. When we read about strangers being joined to them, we get more information in verse 2, where it says they shall take them captives whose captives they were. Some Babylonians came with them out of Babylon and went back to the land of Israel with them, a mixed multitude. The exact same thing happened when they left the land of Egypt in the book of Exodus.

There were many Egyptians who went with the children of Israel back to the land. In verses 1 and 2, we see a fulfillment when the children of Israel left Babylon in 539 BC. However, I believe there is a further fulfillment in what we observe in our own day, as the children of Israel continue to return to the land of Israel. Just a few weeks ago, there was a report from the Israeli national news stating that in 2009, another 19,000 Israelites came from Europe, the Americas, and all over the world to return to the land of Israel. We are still witnessing today the ingathering of the dispersed children of Israel back to their homeland, which is a fulfillment of prophecy and an indicator of the coming day of the Lord.

It shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give you rest from your sorrow, fear, and hard bondage, wherein you were made to serve. You will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon. When we read about the king of Babylon in verse four, we need to consider both its literal fulfillment and its spiritual context. Literally, it refers to King Belshazzar in 539 BC, but spiritually, it speaks of King Lucifer in our day.

There are many in our world right now who are under bondage in Babylon. If you are not a believer in Christ Jesus and have not been set free by Him, you are a slave of Babylon today. Jesus offers you the opportunity to go free and return to Zion with everlasting joy. If you do not accept this, you remain a slave to Babylon and are still under the harsh taskmaster, the prince of Babylon, Lucifer.

God says to His people in verse three that it shall come to pass that you will find rest from your sorrow, fear, and hard bondage. How many of you tonight have experienced rest from sorrow, fear, and bondage?

In Jesus Christ, amen. He set you free from sorrow, from fear, and from bondage. He freed you from the sorrow of sin and death, from the fear of coming judgment, and from the bondage and slavery to sin. We have been set free, given a new name and a new land.

But God says that on the day you are set free, you will take up this lamentation, this proverb, this mournful song. It is really a mockery of a mournful song. Here it is: "How has the oppressor ceased, the golden city ceased? The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked and the scepter 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 hinders."

Now, I want you to think about this in the context of the ancient city of Babylon and their king. I also want you to consider this in the context of Lucifer. God is speaking judgment against both of them. The Lord has broken people in wrath with a continual stroke. Consider the enemy, our adversary, the devil. He smites the people with a continual stroke; he rules the nations in anger and is persecuted. But he is going to be destroyed, and no one is going to hinder him. No one will hold back this destruction.

The whole earth is at rest and is quiet; they break forth into singing. When Babylon was destroyed 2,500 years ago, the earth was at rest. The Medo-Persians were not interested in taking slaves and prisoners of war as the Babylonians had been. The world was at rest; the Babylonians were done away with. But when Lucifer is done away with, the world will be at rest. It will be quiet, and the world will break forth into singing—not just the people of the world.

Notice this verse: "Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, since thou art laid down, no feller has come up against us." You see, the Babylonians, in building what was one of the grandest cities of the day, had sent their fellers, their lumberjacks, to all the surrounding nations, especially to Lebanon, to take those choice cedars of Lebanon. They cut them down to bring the lumber back to Babylon to build the city. They had deforested just about everything; they were not interested in ecology.

They weren't worried about global warming; they just destroyed everything they could, building their city, making it great, and making a name for themselves. This was the heart and mindset of the Babylonians since the time of Nimrod in Genesis chapter 11, verse 21.

The creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. The whole of creation is groaning for the bondage of the prince of Babylon, Lucifer, to be done away with. When Lucifer is done away with, creation will rejoice. I look forward to what it will sound like when creation rejoices. Don't you?

We are living in a fallen creation. Notice this as we continue with verse 9: "Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee." This is speaking to the king of Babylon, both literal and spiritual. Hell from beneath is excited to meet you, Lucifer.

A lot of times, we have this misconception about Lucifer. We think that he is like the commander or leader of hell. He is not. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Matthew that hell is a place created for Satan, a place of destruction, a place of torment created for him. He has not been to hell yet. People seem to think that he kind of comes and goes from hell and that he is down there leading. People say things like, "Hey, when I go, I'm going to hell; I'm going with my friends." No, you're not. Your friends might be there, but you won't be partying.

Hell from beneath is excited to meet you at your coming; it's looking forward to it. Hell is looking forward to meeting Satan. That day will not come until the end of Revelation chapter 19, where he is bound in the lake that burns with fire. Pastor Mark was teaching on that this morning. Hell is moved for you at your coming; it has stirred up the dead for thee. There is almost like a parade waiting for the coming of Satan to hell. Even all the chief ones of the earth have raised up from the thrones of all the kings of nations, and they shall speak and say unto thee, "Are you also become weak as we are? Are you become like us? No different than us. Your pomp is brought down to the grave."

The noise of your stringed instruments is put to silence. Notice this verse: "The worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee." The idea is that we've prepared a bed for you, a nice mattress of worms, a sheet of maggots just for you. Remember, Jesus says, "Where the worm dies not, the fire is not from heaven."

Oh, Lucifer, son of the morning! This is the only place in all the Scriptures that we read of Lucifer, the son of the morning—a title or name we don't fully understand. "How art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations?" For thou hast said in thine heart, and here is the sin of Lucifer revealed to us: the five "I wills," if you would.

"I will sit 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." The five "I wills" of Satan reveal the undoing pride of the wicked one. We are told in Ezekiel chapter 28 that he is a created being. It appears that, at most, he was possibly the highest angelic being. Some even believe that he had some relationship to music and worship in heaven. Created beautifully, he excelled many of the other angelic beings.

That's why, when he comes, he doesn't come with a little pitchfork, a pointed tail, and horns. He comes as an angel of light. Interestingly, Joseph Smith said that he saw an angel of light that came and spoke to him; that was Lucifer. Muhammad spoke of the same thing when Allah came and spoke to him; that was Lucifer as well. This angel of light, Lucifer, the son of the morning, said, "I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." The stars of God is a reference to the other angels. He wanted to exalt his throne above all the angels in heaven.

"I will sit upon the throne of the congregation." Not only did he want to be above the stars, the angels of heaven, but he also wanted to be over all humanity.

Jewish legend holds that Satan, or Lucifer, did not like the plan that God proposed in creating man. God intended to create man a little lower than the angels, but He was going to give man dominion over all of His creation. The Jews say that Lucifer resented this plan, especially the idea that God would redeem fallen man. When man returns, all the angelic beings would be subject to him, and God would sit upon the throne of the congregation, ruling over man as well. Lucifer desired to be like the Most High.

Notice that he did not claim he wanted to excel the Most High; he knew that was impossible. Instead, he wanted to be like the Most High. This is exactly the lie he fed to Adam and Eve in the garden. He said, "If you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will be like God, knowing good and evil." The same pride that filled his heart was the pride he used to deceive Adam and Eve, leading them to fall.

God declared, "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." Lucifer said, "I will exalt my throne above the congregation on the sides of the north." But God responded, "No, you will be brought down to the pit." Those who see Lucifer will narrowly look upon him and consider, "Is this the man that made the earth tremble and shook the kingdoms?"

This passage speaks both of literal Babylon and of Lucifer. When we behold Lucifer, who scares the nations, we will one day stand in disbelief and ask, "Is this really it? This is the one who caused the kingdoms to shake, who made the world a wilderness and destroyed its cities?"

Imagine what the world looked like under the rule and authority of God. Picture what it will be like when He restores it once again. Lucifer made the world a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof, leaving the kings of the nations to lie in glory, each of them.

In his own house, thou art cast out of the grave like an abominable branch and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with the sword, that go down to the stones of the pit, as a carcass trodden under the feet. All the great kings of this world receive pomp and circumstance when they die; they are held in state and out into the streets, tread upon the mire of the streets. He was not carried away in great glory.

Lucifer himself, when he is cast into the pit, is not going to experience a glorious thing. God says, "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. 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."

Don't allow Babylon to continue, is basically what God says. Destroy them completely; don't allow any inhabitants to leave and establish something more. "For I will rise up against them," says the Lord of hosts, "and cut off from Babylon the name and the remnant, the son and nephew," says the Lord.

Now, this is one of the only cities that we see in the Scriptures where God judges them and there is no remnant that comes forth. Amalek is another one that was supposed to be utterly destroyed, with no remnant. "I will also make it a possession for the bittern, the pools of water, and I will sweep it." So, God is going to completely sweep over it and destroy it. He says, "The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, 'Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.' God says, 'I have determined a destruction upon Babylon, and it will come to pass that I will break the Assyrian in my land.'"

Now, the tone of chapter 14 changes as we shift from Babylon to Assyria. God says, "I will break the Assyrian in my land," which brings us back to Isaiah chapter 10. We will see the fulfillment of this in Isaiah 36 and 37. "I will tread him under foot upon my mountains, and then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders."

So, God says the children of Israel there in Jerusalem are under the burden.

Under the bondage of Assyria, God declares that He will destroy the Assyrians in His land, on His mountain. When He does, He will remove their bondage. This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth. Notice that verse 26 is exactly what we had seen previously in Isaiah chapter 13: the judgment that would fall upon the Babylonians was purposed upon the whole earth. This is the hand that is stretched out upon the nations, for the Lord of Hosts has purposed, and who shall disannul it? His hand has stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

Verses 25 through 28 contain a short judgment spoken against the Assyrians. We have seen two chapters almost entirely focused on the Babylonians, and now God says He will judge the Assyrians as well. But not just the Assyrians. In verse 29, or verse 28, it states that in the year that King Ahaz died, this burden was pronounced: "Rejoice not, thou whole Palestina, or Philistia, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken. For out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, or a viper, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. I will kill thy root with a famine, and he shall slay thy remnant. Howl, O gate! Cry, O city! Thou whole Philistia art dissolved, for there shall come from the north smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed times."

What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? The Lord has founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall trust in it. From verse 29 to 32, we find a judgment spoken against the Philistines. There are a few different interpretations regarding this. When we read in verse 29 that the rod of him that smote thee is broken, and that out of the serpent's root shall come forth a viper, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent, we see a couple of different views on this.

God says to the Philistines, "You are going to be judged." They were rejoicing because Ahaz had died, but God warns them not to rejoice at Ahaz's death. Ahaz had brought judgment upon the Philistines, and now God says, "Don't rejoice because Ahaz is dead, for I am going to raise up Hezekiah, his son, and he will judge you."

That's one possible interpretation. The other possible interpretation is: don't rejoice because the Assyrians have been destroyed by the Lord. The Assyrians harshly oppressed the Philistines. Don't rejoice because the Assyrians are gone; from the root of the Assyrians are going to come the Babylonians, and they are going to destroy you.

Basically, what God is saying is: don't rejoice because you think you escaped. Judgment is coming. That word can be applied in our day as well. There are many people who continue in their sin, thinking, "Well, obviously God doesn't care; He hasn't done anything." Don't think that His lack of judgment upon you now disannuls the fact that He will judge you later. The fact you have not been judged yet is because God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance.

Yet, if you refuse to repent, the day of the Lord will come—a day of darkness, a day of destruction, a day where God will bring vengeance. In Jeremiah chapter 46, verse 10, it states that God will avenge Himself of His adversaries. Do not remain an enemy of God. He has given you an opportunity to repent and find refuge in Jesus Christ. If you refuse to repent, the day of judgment will come.

All of these judgments that we're going to see—we've already seen the judgment upon Babylon, the judgment upon Assyria, and Philistia. Next week, we'll talk about Moab, and we'll continue on about Egypt and Ethiopia. All of these judgments are foreshadowings of what God is going to bring about in the last days. So far, He has been gracious, but there is coming a day of wrath.

Let's stand and pray together. Father, I thank You for Your Word. Lord, I thank You that You do nothing without first revealing Your secret to Your servants, the prophets. You have given us a book filled with prophecy—not just the book of Isaiah, but the Bible as a whole—telling us what is going to come to pass before it comes to pass. You say, "Remember not the former things of old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning." You have proclaimed that You are going to do a new thing. Lord, I pray that You would help us to take notice of these things and give us boldness to speak.

The truth in a nation that so desperately needs Your light. Would You fill us with Your Spirit? Give us understanding of Your Word and be with our lips to speak boldly the truth. Thank You that You have set us free and given us rest from sorrow, from fear, and from hard bondage.

Lord, help us to be priests declaring the praises of You who called us out of darkness into Your marvelous light. We praise You in Jesus' name. Amen.