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'He created it not in vain (without form), He formed it to be
inhabited' (Isa. 45:18).
'He shall See His seed ... and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper
in His hand' (Isa. 53:10).
The 'replenishing' so long awaited, and so often thwarted, will at long
last, and in God's own good time and way, be gloriously completed.
THE
NATIONS
AND
THE
TIME
OF
THE
END
There are many nations that come into touch with Israel during its
eventful history, and any attempt to deal with them except in a very
selective way, is obviously precluded by the vast amount of detail involved.
Our interest at the moment, however, is focused upon those nations that have
a prominent part to play at the time of the end.
The prophet Isaiah, in his visions of the glorious day that is coming,
speaks not only of Israel, but of the nations that shall be associated with
Israel in the day of the Lord. He speaks of these nations under the headings
'Burdens' and 'Signs'. There are ten 'burdens', two 'exclamations' and one
'sign', making a total of thirteen, an ominous number in Scripture,
associated with rebellion (see its first occurrence, Gen. 14:4).
The Burden of Babylon (Isa. 13:1 to 14:27).
(1)
The Gathering of The Armies (Isa. 13:1 -5). -- The command to
destroy the whole of Babylon is given to the 'sanctified ones'
('saints' as in Deut. 33:2 and Zech. 14:5 i.e. 'the holy angels')
and to the 'mighty ones' (i.e. 'mighty angels' as in Rev. 18:21
and 2 Thess. 1:7) and to the kingdom of nations from a far
country.
(2)
The Day of The Lord (Isa. 13:6 -18). -- This period is described
as the Day of the Lord, cruel with wrath and fierce anger. The
object of this destruction of Babylon is to punish the world for
its evil, and to lay low the proud and haughty.
(3)
The Destruction of Babylon (Isa. 13:19 -22). -- The destruction
of Babylon will be so complete that:
(i)
Its overthrow is likened to Sodom and Gomorrah.
(ii) It shall never be inhabited again by man.
(iii) It shall become the habitation of doleful creatures.
(4)
The Sin of Babylon (Isa. 14:4 -23). -- The king of Babylon is
charged with being:
(i)
The oppressor, the staff of the wicked, the sceptre of rulers,
and the ruler and persecutor of the nations. (See also 14:4,
margin: 'The exactress of gold').
(ii)
Lucifer, Son of the Morning, who said, 'I will ascend in to
heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God ... I will
be like the most High'. These words link Babylon's blasphemy
with the sin of the Anointed Cherub in the past (Ezek. 28:14) and
with the Man of Sin (2 Thess. 2).