Isaiah 13-14

Isaiah 13:1–5, 17–18

- Babylon was not as strong as King Hezekiah’s country in Isaiah's time.

- The “holy ones” are the Holy Spirit and Angels. The “warriors” are the opposing forces to take down Hezekiah, which is Babylon. Holy means “sanctioned by God.”

See Genesis 10:8–10, Genesis 11:1–9

- Babylon’s ancestor was Nimrod. He was famous because he was a “might hunter before the Lord.” The type of attitude expressed by Babylon is pride, lack of humility.

Isaiah 13:6–22

- The repeated phrase is “The day of the Lord is coming” or “The day of the Lord is near.”

- We learn that the day will be a day of destruction; all men will be filled with terror, pain, and anguish. The day will be a cruel day, a day full of wrath and fierce anger. The day will destroy all the sinners. The day will be a dark day, where the stars of Heaven will not shine, the rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not be lit. God will punish the evil on this day, and He will end arrogance and humble those who are proud and ruthless. On this day, many men will die, because many men are evil and need to be punished.

- From this passage, people might think it is thus okay to be violent, to use violence to gain justice.

See Romans 12:17–21

- However, God’s wrath is God’s wrath. No human being can use it, because we are not perfect, and we are not the Judge. God is the Judge, for He is the one and only perfect being who is perfectly JUST. Furthermore, we are encouraged by the Bible to “not repay anyone evil for evil.” Just because others have done wrong and have done evil in the eyes of the Lord, we have been told to “be careful to do what is right.” Because if we repay evil with evil, then we have also done evil. And on the day of Judgment, we, too, will then be punished by God for the evil that we have done. Hence, we have also been told, “Do not take revenge but leave room for God’s wrath.” Because at the end of times, only God can punish the evil. Because only God is perfect. God will be just and punish all those who have done evil. And so, no matter what, we cannot do evil even if evil has been done to us. God will avenge us for the evil that has been done to us. God will protect us from all the injustice. We must be patient and wait for God to deliver the final judgment.

Isaiah 14:1–8

- After humbling Israel, God will show His love for Israel by uniting the house of Jacob in his own land. There will be peace. God will also relieve Israel from suffering, turmoil, and cruel slavery. God will save Israel from the rule of Babylon.

- Babylon was too proud and think it can be God’s equal or even greater than God, and thus it fell.

- Israel’s relationship with the nations will be restored. Israel will unite all nations, and all nations will be ruled under Israel.

Isaiah 14:9–32

- Babylonian King thinks he would go to Heaven and rise above the throne of God. But in reality, God will strike Babylonian King down and also his descendents and cut them off from God. No one will ever remember Bablyonians, and there is no place in Heaven for them.

- When a person die and is not a Christian, he cannot go home to Heaven, because by choosing never to put his trust in the Lord, he has chosen not to go there. The soul of a non-Christian, when he dies, thus goes to a place where there is no God. Because this place has no presence of God, the world is dark, cold, and unjust. And people call this place Hell, because it is ruled by Satan. People who are weak in spirit are people who chose not to place their trust in the Lord. And because they refuse to be a part of God and His people, they all end up in Satan’s world. These people are proud and thought they were better than everyone else. They thought they were so powerful, they do not need God to teach them, to love them, to guide them. Such prideful behavior weakens their soul, allowing Satan to come and seduce them, to lure them to his world, to Hell.

Compare Isaiah 14:12–15 with Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12:9

- The King of Babylon represents Satan, the devil.

Read Isaiah 14:22–23 and Revelation 18:2, 10 and 21.

- During the end of Babylon, the Lord will rise against them. God will cut off Babylon and its descendents from Him and bring destruction to its land. He will bring an end to the Babylon kingdom; God will bring Babylon its doom. Babylon will then become a home for demons, with evil spirit runs wild, because it would be the home of Satan. And after this day, Babylon will be completely destroyed, never to rise again.

- God will save Judah from Assryia. Assyria will be crushed by God, removing its control on the people of Judah. God will triumph, because He has made the decision, and no one can prevent God’s will, not even Satan. God will therefore set up Zion for the people of Judah, a place where every child of God will be sheltered, protected, and live in peace and harmony.