Isaiah 13 English Standard Version The Judgment of Babylon 13 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw. 2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles. 3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones. 4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle. 5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! 7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt. 8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. 11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. 12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. 14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land. 15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword. 16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished. 17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver and do not delight in gold. 18 Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children. 19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. 20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. 21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there wild goats will dance. 22 Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. God has already designated the time, place, and manner for the destruction of Babylon. We know it will come at the hands of the Medo-Persian Empire who are the second of the kingdoms in Daniel's visions. God calls the Medo-Persians His mighty men that have been summoned to execute His anger. We might think at first that this would be the LORD's angelic army or the armies of Israel and Judah that would accomplish this the way that those who would execute judgment are described, but it is yet another pagan king and His army that the LORD will use to judge the kingdom of Babylon for all of its years of godlessness and rebellion.
Though they are led into battle by an earthly king, the picture is of the LORD Himself summoning them to battle, leading them into battle, and waging war with the heavenly weapons of warfare alongside them. This is the picture we have of the armies of Israel when they would go out to war, but these are not the armies of Israel. However, I think there is some language here that speaks not of the destruction of the physical kingdom of Babylon that took place at the end of the reign of King Belshazzar, but instead speaks of the day in which the worldview of the Babylonians will be ultimately destroyed (the day spoken of in Daniel's vision in Daniel 2 when the rock representing the kingdom of God destroys all remnants of the major earthly kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the kingdom of Antichrist). The physical kingdom of Babylon may be destroyed, but the spiritual rebellion that was at work to found and flourish that kingdom is still hard at work and the kingdom of Antichrist will be identified with Babylon the Great. Therefore, I think some of this prophecy speaks for the "near" fulfillment of the destruction of the physical kingdom and some speaks of the "far" fulfillment of the destruction of the spiritual kingdom. Both can be simultaneously true, and the same text can have dual meanings that are both correct interpretations. I think the shift happens around verse 8 and definitely verses 9-16 speak of the coming judgment in the end times that awaits all those who identify with the spiritual kingdom of Babylon, as these verses speak of the coming plagues described in the seal, trumpet and vial/bowl judgments of the wrath of God in the book of Revelation that announced the coming Day of the LORD and His return to judge the wicked and ultimately save the righteous. Verse 17 brings us back to the "near" fulfillment in that the Medes are identified as the kingdom that would be stirred up against the Babylonians. They will not need to conquer to acquire wealth as they will have all the wealth they need and more, but they will come seeking vengeance and bear the sword to execute swift judgment. God says that He will cause Babylon to become like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah--destroyed and never again to be rebuilt. We know where Babylon used to be, but no one has ever rebuilt that ancient city once it was torn down and destroyed. It would not be a place for men or domesticated animals to dwell, only the wild unclean animals would live in that area. This will be sign for all those that would try to identify themselves with this once great kingdom in the end times that their destruction will be just as total, complete and sure, yet they will be haughty, proud, and rebellious and will refuse to learn from the judgment that was passed on the physical kingdom and will join in the rebellion against the LORD and His people. It will not go well for them as Jesus Himself will return and destroy all those in rebellion with the word of His mouth. By His Word He spoke everything into existence and when the time comes, at His word, they will cease to exist. The Lord will have victory that Day, His kingdom will be established firmly, and His kingdom will be forever and ever. Comments are closed.
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Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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