ISAIAH 13-142007 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Isaiah 13-14

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2007.

Israel, Edom, and Tyre. And as we continue this book and continue the words of the prophet Isaiah, we'll be looking at all these surrounding nations of Israel and the things that God had to say about them and to them, warning them of destruction that is coming, judgment that will be poured out because of the rebellion against God.

And so we start this evening in chapter 13 with God's pronouncement of judgment upon the nation of Babylon. In verse 1 of chapter 13, it says, So, when you came in this evening, hopefully you received a little pamphlet, a little handout.

titled Babylonian Overview or Babylon Overview. And that is just for you on your own. I would encourage you to take a look at it after the service when I'm done teaching. And you can read up on the nation of Babylon, some of the history of Babylon. And the very back is a timeline of some of the different kings of the nation of Babylon and the city of Babylon when it was conquered and so on and so forth.

And this is what God is pointing at and referring to this evening, the nation of Babylon. Babylon was a powerful nation, but not while Isaiah was writing these things. This is one of the reasons why we can stand fast in the word of God, because God proved that this is his word by telling us in advance what would be taking place.

As Isaiah was writing these things, the world empire of the day was the nation of Assyria. The nation of Babylon wouldn't come for another 50 to 100 years after Isaiah had already been dead. And so he's writing these things while Isaiah

Babylon is not a threat. Babylon is not a world power. Babylon is not a major nation. It exists, but it's not a major nation at all in that sense. And so he's writing these things prophetically about the judgment and destruction of a nation really that does not even exist yet or is not even in power yet.

So it's the burden against Babylon. That word burden is a word that's used often by the prophets in their writings. It was a way that they would describe when God had given them a message. It was something that was laid upon their hearts, a vision or a word of judgment or a word of promise.

whatever it may be, but it was something that was laid upon their hearts. It was a burden or an oracle that they received. And this is specifically against the nation and the city of Babylon.

Now, it's often been said that the Bible can be titled a tale of two cities, and the two cities are Jerusalem and Babylon. Jerusalem being the center of God's work, the center of God's plan, with the Jewish people there right in the midst of the land, but of course, ultimately leading up to Jesus Christ being in Jerusalem, crucified upon the cross that we might have redemption and forgiveness of sins.

But in contrast to the city of Jerusalem is the city of Babylon, which throughout time and throughout history has been completely opposed to the things of God and really often offers a substitute to the things of God, a counter religion or a counterfeit religion. In the book of Revelation, when God is pronouncing judgment upon this city, the city of Babylon, he

He says that the blood of the prophets all are there in Babylon. He also says that there in Babylon was the root or the seed of all false religions and everything that is contrary to the things of God stem out of the nation and the city of Babylon.

And so as Isaiah is writing these things, again, the nation is not yet established, but this is to come. The Babylonian kingdom will arise. They will be a great threat. In fact, they will conquer Jerusalem. They will conquer Judah. They will take the Jews captive and hold them captive for 70 years. But God is promising that Babylon will be taken care of as well. They will be destroyed.

Now the ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies that we'll be looking at today have not yet occurred. The ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies is during the tribulation period, something that is yet to come when God's judgment and wrath will be poured out upon the earth. We know this for several reasons. Verse 6 talks about the day of the Lord. It's a phrase that's used throughout the scriptures to refer to that time, the time at the end when God's judgment is poured out.

The time just before and including when Jesus Christ returns to establish his kingdom. In verse 19, it talks about that Babylon is going to be destroyed just as Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed and it will never be inhabited again. But that type of destruction has not happened to Babylon yet, to the city of Babylon yet.

It will happen. It's going to happen. And I would encourage you and challenge you to spend some time in Revelation chapter 18 on your own this next day or a couple of days and look into these things for yourself as God there in Revelation chapter 18 spells out and tells us clearly

how Babylon will be destroyed in the end times. During that tribulation period, just prior to the return of Jesus Christ, Babylon will be destroyed in the way that we will see here this evening, as well as described in many other portions of Scripture. So let's go on. Verses 2 and following, it says...

Lift up a banner on the high mountain, raise your voice to them, wave your hand that they may enter the gates of the nobles.

Verse 4. Verse 5.

They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, the Lord and his weapons of indignation to destroy the whole land. Here in the beginning of this prophecy regarding Babylon, we have the Lord mustering an army for battle. He's calling out, waving his arms, gathering everybody together. He's mounting up and preparing for this great destruction that will take place in the city of Babylon.

The city of Babylon will be destroyed, but it's not going to be like other times. Babylon has been conquered many times, as you will see as you read through the different things that Babylon has gone through.

After the Babylonian kingdom rose to power, then there was another kingdom that rose to power, the Medo-Persian Empire, that conquered Babylon. And then later, Alexander the Great came and conquered Babylon. And there's been many conquerings of Babylon in that sense over the years.

But this one is going to be completely different. This one is going to be the Lord's doing. He's going to call the armies together. He's going to make the assault. It's going to be His work against this city, against this nation.

In Revelation 18, verse 8, again talking about the city of Babylon, it says, "...for strong is the Lord who judges her." This is going to be the judgment, the wrath, the indignation, the anger of the Lord being poured out

upon Babylon, as he says several times there in verses 2 through 5, that this is the anger, the indignation of God against the city of Babylon. Going on, verse 6 through 8 says, "...whale, for the day of the Lord is at hand. It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore, all hands will be limp. Every man's heart will melt."

Here Isaiah is describing what's going to happen when this destruction takes place. Now, to put it in context, remember King Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon.

It's said that the walls were so thick they could have chariot races on top of the walls of the kingdom. It was a very fortified city that was the capital of Babylon. It was a powerful nation, a mighty nation that conquered really all of the known world at that time. It wasn't yet as Isaiah was writing these things, but that's what it would become in the years after his death.

This wonderful nation, this great nation, this powerful and rich nation full of mighty men, a great army, they were going to be reduced to fearful men, powerless men. He says that their hands will be limp. They'll be so freaked out, so frightened, so terrified, they won't even be able to move. The hearts will melt. They won't have courage or boldness like they once had.

They're going to be rendered powerless. So he says, wail. It's something to be sorrowful over because the day of the Lord is at hand. The day of the Lord. Again, a phrase that's used to describe the judgment and wrath of God being poured out upon the whole world. That tribulation period is

When God makes all things right. It's a glorious day for the saints. For you and I as Christians, we look forward to the day of the Lord. Because it's in the day of the Lord that we'll be caught up into the air to be with Jesus Christ. We won't be going through the time when the world is experiencing the fullness of the wrath of God. But to the sinner, to those who do not know Jesus...

wail for the day of the Lord is at hand. There's great sorrow. There's much worse in store. There's much more that they will be going through. And so they're rendered useless. But the church will not be here for this. This will be a time as God's wrath is poured out upon the earth. 1 Thessalonians 5.9 tells us that God did not appoint us to wrath, but instead, hey, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws nigh, Jesus said.

When you see all these things happen, when you see all these things take place and the beginning of the birth pains and the beginning of troubles and the rumors of wars, look up. You aren't appointed to wrath. Your redemption is drawing nigh. This is something that should not be fearful for us as Christians, but for those who are not, for those who reject Jesus Christ.

It is something that is fearful and will be fearful because the day of the Lord is at hand. Verse 9 says,

Here again we see that the day of the Lord will be a day of wrath. He says it's cruel with both wrath and fierce anger.

It's not going to be pleasant. This is not a time of God's mercy and grace being poured out, but it is a time of judgment, of wrath, of fierce anger being poured out upon the whole earth. Not only that, but he begins to describe some of the things that are going to happen. The land is going to be desolate. He's going to destroy its sinners from it.

That means lots of people are going to be wiped out. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not give light. The sun will be darkened and the moon will not shine any longer. Sound familiar? It might sound familiar to you if you're familiar with Revelation chapter 6. It sounds an awful lot like when the sixth seal is opened there in Revelation chapter 6 verses 12 and following.

The Apostle John, as he's writing the book of Revelation, as he's seeing this vision, and there's the scroll with the seven seals, and as each one is opened, then judgment and wrath is leashed out and poured out upon the earth. When he gets to the sixth seal, the sixth angel, or the, I'm sorry, Jesus opens the sixth seal, it says that, "...behold, there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth."

And the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it's shaken by a mighty wind. The sun's going to be darkened. The moon's going to turn blood red. The stars of heaven are going to fall just like what Isaiah said. They're not going to give their light. There's going to be great darkness in this day of wrath and this day of judgment that takes place during the tribulation period.

As the wrath of God is being poured out. It goes on in Revelation chapter 6 to tell us that the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, every person who is alive tries to hide themselves, tells the mountains to fall upon them, tries to escape. Because in verse 17 it says, "...for the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

The wrath of God is going to be poured out. The judgment of God will be unleashed upon the earth at this time. Babylon is going to be destroyed. But not just Babylon. Look at verse 11 here in chapter 13. He says, I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will halt the arrogance of the proud and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Verse 12.

I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens and the earth will move out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of his fierce anger. It shall be as the hunted gazelle, as a sheep that no man takes up. Every man will turn to his own people. Everyone will flee to his own land.

Everyone who is found will be thrust through and everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. Here Isaiah goes on to describe even further what's going to be taking place in the great day of the Lord when the wrath of God is poured forth. He tells us, first of all, that it's

punishment on the whole world for its evil. The tribulation period is going to affect the entire world. It's not going to be a local devastation or just limited by borders or boundaries. We had some pretty devastating things take place the last few years with Hurricane Katrina, with the tsunami that took place over there in Asia.

But they're localized, they're limited, and many of us did not experience any devastation as a result of those things. We experienced fires here in Southern California, but here in the area of Corona, we were not really affected that much by it, unless you were Phil or Rick and you're out there fighting the fires. But

But they were localized. There was certain people that were affected, certain people that had to experience the trouble and go through the difficulty. But not everybody did. But in this time of tribulation, it's going to be a punishment that's unleashed upon the whole world. Everybody is going to experience. The entire face of the earth is going to be experiencing trouble and turmoil like never before. The wrath of God will be poured out.

And sometimes in studying these things, we can begin to be concerned. Who is this God that we serve? Who is this God of the Bible? And all of this wrath and judgment. He sounds like a mean and evil God, and not a God that I want to be a part of. But you need to understand, if we do not understand the judgment of God, then we do not understand His mercy. Nor do we understand the seriousness of sin. Nor do we understand the extent of rebellion in our own hearts.

This is not unjust judgment. This is not like maybe you or I can have the capacity to, you know, something just finally pushes us over the edge and we get angry and we get furious and we do, you know, way beyond what's just and right. We go way overboard in our anger. This is not what God is doing.

His punishment, His judgment, His wrath is just. It's right. It's appropriate. It's not overboard. But it's worse than this world has ever seen. God is a loving and merciful God.

And He does not desire that anyone should perish. And that is why He is patient. That's why all these things we're reading about haven't happened yet because there are those who have not received Him yet. There are those who have not accepted His message and received the salvation that He offers. And so He's waiting patiently. But there will come a time when He will not be able to wait any longer. He is merciful and loving. He is gracious. But He is also holy and righteous.

And so the time will come when justice must be done and His righteousness must be satisfied. And so the wrath of God must be poured out. The judgment must be poured out upon the earth. There's going to be great punishment. Isaiah is describing it here. Man's going to be scarce. There's not going to be hardly anybody around. As you read through the book of Revelation, you can see why that's true. Because there's great devastation. Millions upon millions of people will die.

Because of the rejection of God. There's going to be earthquakes. It talks about every island being moved. Every mountain will shake. It's going to be earthquakes not like we've seen yet. They're going to rock the world. It's going to be devastating. It talks about his fierce anger, death, and destruction that's going to be taking place. And not just to Babylon. Not localized to one area. But the entire world is going to experience this judgment for their rejection of God.

Going on, verse 17 and 18, he says, This is where we can see the dual fulfillment of these things that Isaiah is writing about.

In reference to the Medes, verse 17 says, I will stir up the Medes against them. The majority of what we're reading here has not taken place yet. You would have probably read about it in the history books if it had. It's something that's yet future. But there is also, as Isaiah was writing this, a time that the Medes would conquer the nation of Babylon.

There was a time in 539 B.C. that the Medes and the Persians together, led by Cyrus, the commander of their army, conquered the nation of Babylon, conquered the city of Babylon, brilliantly by rerouting the Euphrates River and gaining access to inside the city. So he didn't have to mount a siege against it or attack the walls. They kind of snuck in overnight and the people of the city of Babylon rebelled.

They went to bed as Babylonians, and when they woke up in the morning, there was a new kingdom established. They were part of the Medo-Persian Empire. And so there was no real war, no real battle, but it was the Medes who came against them. Now let me remind you, when Isaiah is writing these things, Assyria is the world power. Babylon is not really a threat to anyone.

As Isaiah is writing these things. Assyria is a big threat. Assyria caused much sleepless nights for the kings of Judah and the people of Judah. They thought for sure that Assyria would be able to come and conquer them. But Babylon wasn't really a threat. The Medes were even less of a threat than Babylon. These were people and areas that really were almost non-existent.

but they would become world powers later. Isn't it amazing how history just happens to reflect what God said would happen? He said it would happen. And looking at the world at that time, it would have been very questionable. Yeah, you're crazy. You don't know what you're talking about. It would be, if I could use this example, and please forgive me if it's offensive, but it would be like us saying, hey,

In 100 years or another 50 years, Mexico is going to conquer all of North America. They're going to take over the United States. They're going to attack Canada. They're going to be a military power that the world has never seen and rule all of Northern America. Some of you guys say, yeah. In 50 years, that's what's going to happen. But 100 years after that, then Guatemala is going to wipe out Mexico.

Now, if you know your geography, if you know, hey, Guatemala is like this little thing and Mexico is kind of big, but North America is much bigger. It'd be like, yeah, right. You're crazy. That's not going to happen. This little country, this little, that's not going to happen. It's not going to take place. That's what it would be like for Isaiah writing these things.

What are you talking about Babylon? They're just this little town over there. There's no threat there. And the Medes, come on. They're just these scattered people out there in the wilderness. There's no king. There's not even really any power or any army to them. They're just there. What are you talking about? And yet God laid out all these things ahead of time. They would take place after Isaiah had already died. But they were written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The prophetic word of God.

He authenticated His Word this way, proving over and over again, He is the author. He knows the beginning from the end. His Word is true, and we must believe it and abide by it. Going on, verses 19 and following, he says, "...and Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah."

It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation, nor will the Arabian pitch tents there, nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there. But wild beasts of the deserts will lie there, and their houses will be full of owls. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will keep her there. The hyenas will howl in their citadels, and the jackals in their pleasant palaces.

Her time is near to come and her days will not be prolonged. Judgment upon Babylon. It's going to be complete, total, and permanent. This has not happened yet. He compares their destruction to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18 and 19. As fire came from heaven and rained upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, never to be inhabited again.

Never to be established again, completely obliterated, completely wiped out. To this day, we don't even know where Sodom and Gomorrah were. General ideas, general vicinities, but there's nothing there. It's wasteland. That's not true yet of the nation of Babylon. We know where the ruins are and the remains are. In fact, Saddam Hussein, back when he was in power, was trying to rebuild that city, the city of Babylon.

It's been rumored as well that the United Nations has some plans for rebuilding the city of Babylon and making it a powerful commercial center. It would be interesting as that takes place. But God says, no, the destruction of Babylon is going to be complete, just like Sodom and Gomorrah. In verse 20, He says, it will never be inhabited. Currently, in the Middle East, in the country of Iraq, the area of Babylon is

There's a city there, Al-Hila, which sits right around where Babylon used to sit. Al-Hila is the capital of the Babel province there in the nation of Iraq. And it has an estimated population of 540,000 people. It's populated. There's people around. It's inhabited. But the destruction that Isaiah is talking about, when it takes place, it will never be inhabited again.

It's something yet to come. The judgment that will be poured out, the wrath of God that will be poured out during the tribulation period. It's coming. We need to be ready. Going on in chapter 14, verse 1, it says, "...for the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will still choose Israel and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them and they will cling to the house of Jacob."

Then people will take them and bring them to their place. And the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the Lord. They will take them captive, whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors. Chapter 13 and 14 go hand in hand. Chapter 13 is Isaiah prophesying about the destruction of Babylon, the burden of the Lord that he received against Babylon.

Chapter 14 continues on that thought, but from a different perspective. He's speaking about the restoration of Israel, and as they are restored and established, what they will say when they look back at the nation of Babylon. What they will say about Babylon after they've gone through this time, and after they've been established and been rescued from the rule and the destruction of Babylon. God is not done with the nation of Israel yet.

He still has plans to fulfill these verses and establish them once again in their land. Their current existence does not measure up to these verses. There's something still that God wants to do and that he will do. In fact, he will do it in the millennial kingdom. When Jesus comes again, the second coming of Jesus Christ to establish his kingdom again,

These things will be fulfilled. Immediately after the tribulation period, Jesus will return. He'll set up his reign centered there in the land of Israel, in the city of Jerusalem. And these things, as well as many other verses throughout the Bible, will be fulfilled as Israel is restored as a nation, as the center of God's plan for the world. During the tribulation period, the Antichrist, the one who will come against Israel, will

At first, he will have peace with Israel. He'll make a covenant, a peace treaty with them. And for three and a half years, there will be peace between the Antichrist, the ruler that is to come, and Israel. But then, halfway through his reign, halfway through that seven-year tribulation, he's going to break the covenant.

break the treaty, there will not be peace any longer. Instead, he will heavily persecute the nation of Israel. And in fact, he will try to annihilate, completely wipe Israel off the face of the earth. But even though he's going to try this, even though he's going to be a powerful ruler, God's going to turn the tables. It tells us in verse 2 that the people who they were once enslaved to will become their servants.

The people that once held them captive, Israel will now hold captive. God's going to flip things around. And as Israel is persecuted and troubled and the world is going to come against them, God will turn the tables when he returns and establish his kingdom there in the land of Israel. And so once that's done, when they're established, when Jesus has set up his reign there,

Then he goes on to tell us, this is what they will talk about and say regarding the nation of Babylon. Verses 3 and following it says,

The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers. He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he who ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted and no one hinders. The whole earth is at rest and quiet. They break forth into singing. Indeed, the cypress trees rejoice over you. And the cedars of Lebanon sing, Since you were cut down, no woodsman has come up against us.

At that time, he says, when Israel is established, then they will look back and they will take up this proverb. They will say these things after God has brought them back into the land. And they will say them against the king of Babylon. This world ruler, the Antichrist, who will come against them fiercely.

The king of Babylon is going to be the Antichrist. And when they look back after the work has been already accomplished by the Lord, they will say these things. They will say, look how the oppressor has ceased. He once was so powerful and he was so mighty and he had so much wrath and power coming against the nation of Israel, but now he has ceased. They'll be looking back in amazement. Look, there was nothing to it after all.

They'll look back and say, the Lord has broken the staff of the wicked. Today we often see injustice. We see wickedness in authorities. Wickedness in power. But in looking back, they'll be able to say, look, God has broken the staff of the wicked. Those who had authority, those who ruled, those who reigned in wickedness, God has removed their authority. He's broken their staff. They have no authority any longer.

As a result, they'll look back and say, hey, the whole earth is at rest and quiet. Finally, there will be peace on earth and goodwill towards men because Jesus has come back and established His kingdom. There will not be peace. The whole earth will not be at rest and be quiet until that time. As hard as we try for peace and as much as man tries and all the plants and trees, there will not be peace until Jesus comes on this earth.

But when He does, He says they will break forth into singing. Not only is there going to be peace, but there's going to be rejoicing. Because Proverbs 29.2 tells us that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. There'll be great rejoicing because finally righteousness will rule. Jesus Christ will have established His kingdom. Going on, verses 9-11 says...

This is still them looking back at the king of Babylon and this is what they will say. Hell from beneath is excited about you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. They all shall speak and say to you, have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? Your pomp is brought down to Sheol.

And the sound of your stringed instruments. The maggot is spread under you. And worms cover you. And looking back at this king. Looking back at all that he did. All the havoc that took place under his rule. They're going to say, hell is excited to meet you. The Antichrist is going to be powerful. Understand the whole world will be amazed at him. The whole world will follow after him. But when he is dead...

The whole world will be amazed that it turns out that He is as weak as everyone else. He's not the Savior of the world as everyone hoped. Instead, they'll be amazed saying, "Have you become as weak as us? You're just like us?" It will seem as if He is a God. It will seem as if He is the Messiah. It will seem as if He has all power and authority. But He'll be shown for who He truly is because God will rule. God will win.

No one can exalt themselves against God and win. Whether you're the Antichrist or whoever you are, I don't care how impressive you are, God is God and we are not. We are to worship Him and honor Him. To Him belong all glory and honor. To us belong none. And so we cannot exalt ourselves against God and win. We will be shown to be as weak as everyone else.

Our pomp and all the things that we put up and our great pride will be completely wiped out. The maggot will spread under you. The worms will cover you if you oppose God by exalting yourself.

Israel, Edom, and Tyre. And as we continue this book and continue the words of the prophet Isaiah, we'll be looking at all these surrounding nations of Israel and the things that God had to say about them and to them, warning them of destruction that is coming, judgment that will be poured out because of the rebellion against God.

And so we start this evening in chapter 13 with God's pronouncement of judgment upon the nation of Babylon. In verse 1 of chapter 13, it says, So when you came in this evening, hopefully you received a little pamphlet, a little handout.

titled Babylonian Overview or Babylon Overview. And that is just for you on your own. I would encourage you to take a look at it after the service when I'm done teaching. And you can read up on the nation of Babylon, some of the history of Babylon. And the very back is a timeline of some of the different kings of the nation of Babylon and the city of Babylon when it was conquered and so on and so forth.

And this is what God is pointing at and referring to this evening, the nation of Babylon. Babylon was a powerful nation, but not while Isaiah was writing these things. This is one of the reasons why we can stand fast in the word of God, because God proved that this is his word by telling us in advance what would be taking place.

As Isaiah was writing these things, the world empire of the day was the nation of Assyria. The nation of Babylon wouldn't come for another 50 to 100 years after Isaiah had already been dead. And so he's writing these things while Isaiah

Babylon is not a threat. Babylon is not a world power. Babylon is not a major nation. It exists, but it's not a major nation at all in that sense. And so he's writing these things prophetically about the judgment and destruction of a nation really that does not even exist yet or is not even in power yet.

So it's the burden against Babylon. That word burden is a word that's used often by the prophets in their writings. It was a way that they would describe when God had given them a message. It was something that was laid upon their hearts, a vision or a word of judgment or a word of promise.

whatever it may be, but it was something that was laid upon their hearts. It was a burden or an oracle that they received. And this is specifically against the nation and the city of Babylon.

Now, it's often been said that the Bible can be titled a tale of two cities, and the two cities are Jerusalem and Babylon. Jerusalem being the center of God's work, the center of God's plan, with the Jewish people there right in the midst of the land, but of course, ultimately leading up to Jesus Christ being in Jerusalem, crucified upon the cross that we might have redemption and forgiveness of sins.

But in contrast to the city of Jerusalem is the city of Babylon, which throughout time and throughout history has been completely opposed to the things of God and really often offers a substitute to the things of God, a counter-religion or a counterfeit religion. In the book of Revelation, when God is pronouncing judgment upon this city, the city of Babylon,

He says that the blood of the prophets all are there in Babylon. He also says that there in Babylon was the root or the seed of all false religions and everything that is contrary to the things of God stem out of the nation and the city of Babylon.

And so as Isaiah is writing these things, again, the nation is not yet established, but this is to come. The Babylonian kingdom will arise. They will be a great threat. In fact, they will conquer Jerusalem. They will conquer Judah. They will take the Jews captive and hold them captive for 70 years. But God is promising that Babylon will be taken care of as well. They will be destroyed.

Now the ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies that we'll be looking at today have not yet occurred. The ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies is during the tribulation period, something that is yet to come when God's judgment and wrath will be poured out upon the earth. We know this for several reasons. Verse 6 talks about the day of the Lord. It's a phrase that's used throughout the scriptures to refer to that time, the time at the end when God's judgment is poured out.

The time just before and including when Jesus Christ returns to establish his kingdom. In verse 19, it talks about that Babylon is going to be destroyed just as Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed and it will never be inhabited again. But that type of destruction has not happened to Babylon yet, to the city of Babylon yet.

It will happen. It's going to happen. And I would encourage you and challenge you to spend some time in Revelation chapter 18 on your own this next day or a couple of days and look into these things for yourself as God there in Revelation chapter 18 spells out and tells us clearly

how Babylon will be destroyed in the end times during that tribulation period just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. Babylon will be destroyed in the way that we will see here this evening as well as described in many other portions of Scripture. So let's go on. Verses 2 and following it says,

Lift up a banner on the high mountain, raise your voice to them, wave your hand that they may enter the gates of the nobles.

Verse 4. Verse 5.

They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, the Lord and his weapons of indignation to destroy the whole land. Here in the beginning of this prophecy regarding Babylon, we have the Lord mustering an army for battle. He's calling out, waving his arms, gathering everybody together. He's mounting up and preparing for this great destruction that will take place in the city of Babylon.

The city of Babylon will be destroyed, but it's not going to be like other times. Babylon has been conquered many times, as you will see as you read through the different things that Babylon has gone through.

After the Babylonian kingdom rose to power, then there was another kingdom that rose to power, the Medo-Persian Empire, that conquered Babylon. And then later, Alexander the Great came and conquered Babylon. And there's been many conquerings of Babylon in that sense over the years.

But this one is going to be completely different. This one is going to be the Lord's doing. He's going to call the armies together. He's going to make the assault. It's going to be His work against this city, against this nation. In Revelation 18, verse 8, again talking about the city of Babylon,

It says, "...for strong is the Lord who judges her." This is going to be the judgment, the wrath, the indignation, the anger of the Lord being poured out upon Babylon. As he says several times there in verses 2-5, that this is the anger, the indignation of God against the city of Babylon.

Going on, verse 6-8 says, "...whale, for the day of the Lord is at hand. It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will be limp. Every man's heart will melt, and they will be afraid. Pains and sorrows will take hold of them. They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth. They will be amazed at one another. Their faces will be like flames."

Here Isaiah is describing what's going to happen when this destruction takes place. Now, to put it in context, remember King Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon.

It's said that the walls were so thick they could have chariot races on top of the walls of the kingdom. It was a very fortified city that was the capital of Babylon. It was a powerful nation, a mighty nation that conquered really all of the known world at that time. It wasn't yet, as Isaiah was writing these things, but that's what it would become in the years after his death.

This wonderful nation, this great nation, this powerful and rich nation, full of mighty men, a great army, they were going to be reduced to fearful men, powerless men. He says that their hands will be limp. They'll be so freaked out, so frightened, so terrified, they won't even be able to move. The hearts will melt. They won't have courage or boldness like they once had.

They're going to be rendered powerless. So he says, wail. It's something to be sorrowful over because the day of the Lord is at hand. The day of the Lord. Again, a phrase that's used to describe the judgment and wrath of God being poured out upon the whole world. That tribulation period is

When God makes all things right. It's a glorious day for the saints. For you and I as Christians, we look forward to the day of the Lord because it's in the day of the Lord that we'll be caught up into the air to be with Jesus Christ. We won't be going through the time when the world is experiencing the fullness of the wrath of God. But to the sinner, to those who do not know Jesus,

wail for the day of the Lord is at hand. There's great sorrow. There's much worse in store. There's much more that they will be going through. And so they're rendered useless. But the church will not be here for this. This will be a time as God's wrath is poured out upon the earth. 1 Thessalonians 5.9 tells us that God did not appoint us to wrath, but instead, hey, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws nigh, Jesus said.

When you see all these things happen, when you see all these things take place and the beginning of the birth pains and the beginning of troubles and the rumors of wars, look up. You aren't appointed to wrath. Your redemption is drawing nigh. This is something that should not be fearful for us as Christians, but for those who are not, for those who reject Jesus Christ.

It is something that is fearful and will be fearful because the day of the Lord is at hand. Verse 9 says,

For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. Here again we see that the day of the Lord will be a day of wrath. He says it's cruel with both wrath and fierce anger.

It's not going to be pleasant. This is not a time of God's mercy and grace being poured out, but it is a time of judgment, of wrath, of fierce anger being poured out upon the whole earth. Not only that, but he begins to describe some of the things that are going to happen. The land is going to be desolate. He's going to destroy its sinners from it.

That means lots of people are going to be wiped out. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not give light. The sun will be darkened and the moon will not shine any longer. Sound familiar? It might sound familiar to you if you're familiar with Revelation chapter 6. It sounds an awful lot like when the sixth seal is opened there in Revelation chapter 6 verses 12 and following.

The Apostle John, as he's writing the book of Revelation, as he's seeing this vision, and there's the scroll with the seven seals, and as each one is opened, then judgment and wrath is leashed out and poured out upon the earth. When he gets to the sixth seal, the sixth angel, or the, I'm sorry, Jesus opens the sixth seal, it says that, "...behold, there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth."

And the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its late figs when it's shaken by a mighty wind. The sun's going to be darkened. The moon's going to turn blood red. The stars of heaven are going to fall just like what Isaiah said. They're not going to give their light. There's going to be great darkness in this day of wrath and this day of judgment that takes place during the tribulation period as the wrath of God is being poured out.

It goes on in Revelation chapter 6 to tell us that the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, every person who is alive tries to hide themselves, tells the mountains to fall upon them, tries to escape. Because in verse 17 it says, For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand? The wrath of God is going to be poured out. The judgment of God will be unleashed upon the earth at this time.

Babylon is going to be destroyed. But not just Babylon. Look at verse 11 here in chapter 13. He says, I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will halt the arrogance of the proud and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Verse 12. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.

Verse 2.

Everyone who is found will be thrust through and everyone who is captured will fall by the sword. Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. Here Isaiah goes on to describe even further what's going to be taking place in the great day of the Lord when the wrath of God is poured forth. He tells us first of all that it's

punishment on the whole world for its evil. The tribulation period is going to affect the entire world. It's not going to be a local devastation or just limited by borders or boundaries. We had some pretty devastating things take place the last few years with Hurricane Katrina, with the tsunami that took place over there in Asia.

But they're localized, they're limited, and many of us did not experience any devastation as a result of those things. We experienced fires here in Southern California, but here in the area of Corona, we were not really affected that much by it, unless you were Phil or Rick and you're out there fighting the fires. But

But they were localized. There was certain people that were affected, certain people that had to experience the trouble and go through the difficulty. But not everybody did. But in this time of tribulation, it's going to be a punishment that's unleashed upon the whole world. Everybody is going to experience. The entire face of the earth is going to be experiencing trouble and turmoil like never before. The wrath of God will be poured out.

And sometimes in studying these things, we can begin to be concerned. Who is this God that we serve? Who is this God of the Bible? And all of this wrath and judgment. He sounds like a mean and evil God, and not a God that I want to be a part of. But you need to understand, if we do not understand the judgment of God, then we do not understand His mercy. Nor do we understand the seriousness of sin. Nor do we understand the extent of rebellion in our own hearts.

This is not unjust judgment. This is not like maybe you or I can have the capacity to, you know, something just finally pushes us over the edge and we get angry and we get furious and we do, you know, way beyond what's just and right. We go way overboard in our anger. This is not what God is doing.

His punishment, His judgment, His wrath is just. It's right. It's appropriate. It's not overboard. But it's worse than this world has ever seen. God is a loving and merciful God.

And He does not desire that anyone should perish. And that is why He is patient. That's why all these things we're reading about haven't happened yet because there are those who have not received Him yet. There are those who have not accepted His message and received the salvation that He offers. And so He's waiting patiently. But there will come a time when He will not be able to wait any longer. He is merciful and loving. He is gracious. But He is also holy and righteous.

And so the time will come when justice must be done and His righteousness must be satisfied. And so the wrath of God must be poured out. The judgment must be poured out upon the earth. There's going to be great punishment. Isaiah is describing it here. Man's going to be scarce. There's not going to be hardly anybody around. As you read through the book of Revelation, you can see why that's true. Because there's great devastation. Millions upon millions of people will die.

because of the rejection of God. There's going to be earthquakes. It talks about every island being moved, every mountain will shake. It's going to be earthquakes not like we've seen yet. They're going to rock the world. It's going to be devastating. It talks about His fierce anger, death, and destruction that's going to be taking place. And not just to Babylon, not localized to one area, but the entire world is going to experience this judgment for their rejection of God.

Going on, verse 17 and 18, he says, Behold, I will stir up the meads against them, bless you, who will not regard silver, and as for gold, they will not delight in it. Also their bows will dash the young men to... We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.