INTRODUCTION: • in Chapter 10 Isaiah Prophesies That the Assyrian Empire Would Fall and in It’S Place Another Empire Would Rise… God’S Empire

______VANTAGE POINT: ISAIAH

INTRODUCTION: • In chapter 10 Isaiah prophesies that the Assyrian Empire would fall and in it’s place another empire would rise… God’s empire. • Isaiah begins Chapter 11 by identifying who the leader of this new empire would be

Isaiah 11:1–5 (NKJV) 11 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch 2 shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The 3 Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

Jesse was the father of King David, so out of the lineage of David would come a ruler • We are told that a Branch will grow out of his roots… in other words, out of a seemingly dead stump, God will raise up a new Kingdom • By the time we come to Isaiah, David’s Kingdom appears to be ready to end • The nation of Israel is being conquered by foreign nations, but out of this seemingly dead nation a ruler would emerge • The Spirit of the Lord would rest upon this ruler with wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and reverence for God • His Kingdom would be characterized by righteous rule and a restored creation

Isaiah 11:6–9 (NKJV) 6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy

• Nature will enjoy the harmony that it was under before sin entered the world • The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord • The nation of Israel will be regathered and reunited and the “Root of Jesse” will become a banner for uniting Jews and Gentiles

The Jews will once again return to their homeland Isaiah 11:10–11 (NKJV) 10 “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting 11 place shall be glorious.” It shall come to pass in that day That the LORD shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea.

Isaiah says the Lord will make a highway for His people to return Isaiah 11:16 (NKJV) 16 There will be a highway for the remnant of His people Who will be left from Assyria, As it was for Israel In the day that he came up from the land of Egypt.

• The centuries-long division between Israel and Judah will come to an end • God’s highway would be called the Way of Holiness (Isaiah 35:8) • NOTE: When Isaiah looked at his people, he saw a sinful nationi that would one day walk the “highway of holiness” and enter into a righteous kingdom • He saw a suffering people who would one day enjoy a beautiful and peaceful kingdom • He saw a scattered people who would one day be regathered an reunited under the kingship of Jesus Christ • Peace will come to the earth only when Jesus returns to the earth and sets up His literal Kingdom on earth • That’s why Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6… Thy Kingdom come • It’s a prayer calling out for that day when God will restore all things, reunite the nations under the banner of His Kingdom Isaiah © 2014 Holland Davis ______VANTAGE POINT: ISAIAH

Now Isaiah breaks into a hymn of praise Isaiah 12:1–6 (NKJV) 12 And in that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For YAH, the 3 LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ ” Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day you will say: “Praise the LORD, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted. 5 Sing to the LORD, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth. 6 Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”

Isaiah’s name means “Jehovah is salvation” and salvation is a key theme in this song • Vs.4 Isaiah refers to a future event… in that day • The event Isaiah is referring to is the day when Israel will be regathered and reunited as a nation • The Jewish remnant will have come through the time of tribulation on the earth – referred to as the time of Jacob’s trouble • They will repent when they see Jesus their Messiah and in that day they will return to the Lord • When they return to the Lord, they will worship Jesus saying… Praise the Lord, call upon His name, Declare His deeds among the peoples, Sing to the Lord, Cry and shout for great is the Holy One of Israel

The chorus in vs. 2… The Lord is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation… • This song was song after the armies of Pharoah were defeated in Exodus 15:2 • You know the story, the Red Sea closed in on Pharoah’s army… wiping them out • It was also sung at the rededication of Ezra’s temple (Psalm 118:14) • The Second Temple was rededicated under Ezra’s leadership • It will be sung again when the Jewish nation accepts Jesus Christ as their King • They will recognize the Holy One of Israel and willingly obey His holy law

• This song closes this section of Isaiah with joyful celebration

Something interesting to note… there are 4 significant names that Isaiah uses to tell the people God’s plan for them • First Immanuel… God is with us giving a message of hope • Maher-shalal-hash-baz… His name is a warning for judgment • But his brother Shear-Jashub… His name speaks of the promise of mercy… a remnant will return • Finally Isaiah’s name means Jehovah is salvation and He brings a song of rejoicing as the people discover that Jehovah is their salvation

Chapter 13 Isaiah prophesies against Babylon (modern day Iraq) • The word “Babel” means “gateway to a god” and sounds like the Hebrew word balal, which means “confusion” • In Scripture, Babylon symbolizes the world system man has built in defiance of God. • Jerusalem and Babylon are contrasting cities: • One is the chosen city of God, the other the wicked city of man. • The city of God will last forever, but the rebellious city of man will ultimately be destroyed

Isaiah 13:2–5 (NKJV) 2 “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. 3 I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for My anger— Those who rejoice in My exaltation.” 4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, Like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The LORD of hosts musters The army for battle. 5 They come from a far country, From the end of heaven— The LORD and His weapons of indignation, To destroy the whole land.

Now, this is an interesting prophecy… • The city of Babylon was completely destroyed in 689 BC by Sennacherib and the Assyrian army, but it was rebuilt by Sennacherib’s son • In 539 BC, Darius the Mede captured the city, but did not destroy it • After Alexander the Great, the city declined and wasn’t rebuilt • Thus, Isaiah’s prophesy was fulfilled

• But it is clear that Isaiah’s prophesy describes something more significant than the rise and fall of ancient Babylon • He speaks about the Lord commanding His sanctified ones • Who is he talking about? • The only sanctified ones mentioned in the Bible are the Church • He talks about the noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together • He says the whole land will be destroyed… so Isaiah is talking about something greater than the downfall of one nation

NOTE: Biblical prophecy has a near and a far interpretation • The prophets often began a message by focusing on local events, but there was also a greater message concerning the distant future • Isaiah saw a picture of the Day of the Lord, a time when God would pour out His wrath on the whole world • During this time, the Babylonian world system would be destroyed

Isaiah 13:6–13 (NKJV) 6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man’s heart will melt, 8 And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one 9 another; Their faces will be like flames. Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. 10 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. 11 “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. 12 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 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.

In Revelation 18 we read… Revelation 18:1–3 (NKJV) 18 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul

Isaiah © 2014 Holland Davis ______VANTAGE POINT: ISAIAH spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”

• We’ve already seen the similarities between Isaiah’s vision of heaven and John’s vision of heaven in Isaiah 6 • Here both John and Isaiah describe the fall of Babylon during the time of great destruction referred to as the Day of the Lord

(Vs. 17) Isaiah jumps back into current events Isaiah 13:17–20 (NKJV) 17 “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. 18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. 19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 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.

• The city of Babylon lay desolate until 1983 when Saddam Hussein began rebuilding the city of Babylon as a tourist attraction • In his mind, He was the incarnation of Nebuchadnezzar and he wrote this inscription on many of the bricks… • This was built by Saddam, son of Nebuchadnezzar, to glorify Iraq • Thus this city remains unsettled to this day just as Isaiah prophesied • I love the fact that God’s Word is TRUE!!!

In Chapter 14 God says He will have mercy on Jacob • God goes back to His original covenant with Abraham, Issac and Jacob • The reference to Jacob predates the division between Israel and Judah • Thus God reaffirms His love for His chosen people

Isaiah 14:1–2 (NKJV) 14 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. 2 Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants

In Exodus 19:3, there is a reference to Jacob and Israel • It is a saying used to refer to all 12 tribes of Israel • The promise is that God will have mercy on all 12 tribes and they will rule over their oppressors… Israel will be prominent • That’s what we see developing in the Middle East today • There are little skirmishes from those who oppressed Israel, and yet Israel remains victorious, unconquered, prominent in the region

(Vs. 3-21) record a song or a taunt that will be sung by people freed from the fear of the King of Babylon Isaiah 14:3–8 (NKJV) 3 It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, 4 that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say: 5 “How the oppressor has ceased, The golden city ceased! The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of the rulers; 6 He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke, He who ruled the nations in anger, Is persecuted and no one hinders. 7 The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing. 8 Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you, And the cedars of Lebanon, Saying, ‘Since you were cut down, No woodsman has come up against us.’

• You could say that Isaiah was the forerunner to Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie… he was the first protest songwriter • Here he writes a song against the King of Babylon, predicting his demise • The question to be asked is… who is the King of Babylon?

History points to Sennacherib • In fact, there are many parallels between the description in Isaiah 14 and the curse against Sennacherib in Isaiah 37:21-29 • Both describe the ultimate personification of pride that result in one who lifts their eyes up against the Lord • But Paul tells us we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, wickedness in high places • In other words, there is a spiritual power behind every world leader and the power behind Babylon is referred to in vs. 12-21

Isaiah 14:12–17 (NKJV) 12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’

There are two ways to interpret this passage • It was common for Ancient Middle Eastern Kings to see themselves as the representative of a god on earth • They would command the people to worship them • That’s why Daniel is thrown into the fire, because He refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar as god • Canaanite mythology spoke of a god represented by the planet Venus, which was referred to as helel ben sahar or the Day Star or son of Dawn • According to their myths, the Day Star attempted a hostile takeover of the highest throne… in order to become The God. • In the Latin Vulgate… helel ben sahar is translated Lucifer

The early church fathers believed that Lucifer is Satan • They get that name from this passage • Lucifer literally means… shining one or light bearer • According to theologians, Lucifer is one of 3 archangels mentioned in Scripture… Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer • However, in Ezekiel 28:12-14, we read that Satan is referred to as the anointed cherub • Thus Satan is not an archangel, but a cherubim • Interesting to note, we see the first cherubim mentioned in Genesis 3:24 where God put a cherubim at the entrance of the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life • That is the job of the Cherubim to cover or protect and yet we see in the case of Satan that he wanted to be like the Most High and thus his pride resulted in his downfall

• And one day, we will look at Satan and say… is this the one that caused all the problems?

Isaiah 14:16–17 (NKJV) 16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’

• (Vs. 22-23) the Lord says He will cut off from Babylon the name and remnant.. they will be completely destroyed • (Vs. 24-27) Assyria will be judged • (Vs. 28-32) The Philistines will be destroyed • Basically everyone who oppressed the Lord’s chosen will be destroyed • This principle extends to the Church, God’s beloved • Anyone who oppresses the Lord’s Church, His beloved will be judged • God doesn’t like people taking advantage of His Bride and the Lord says… we can take refuge in this

Chapter 15, Isaiah prophesies against Moab Isaiah 15:1–9 (NKJV) 15 The burden against Moab. Because in the night Ar of Moab is laid waste And destroyed, Because in the night Kir of Moab is laid waste And destroyed, 2 He has gone up to the temple and Dibon, To the high places to weep. Moab will wail over Nebo and over Medeba; On all their heads will be baldness, And every beard cut off. 3 In their streets they will clothe themselves with sackcloth; On the tops of their houses And in their streets Everyone will wail, weeping bitterly.

Now, you might think… what did Moab do? • Moab, East of the Dead Sea, has been an enemy of Israel for centuries • In Israel’s wanderings, it was the Moabite women that seduced Israel’s men in Numbers 31 • In the time of the Judges, Israel was oppressed by Moab for 18 years • Saul fought Moab and David defeated Moab in 2 Samuel 8 • Solomon was influenced by his wives to build an altar to the Moabite god Chemosh • Thus Moab has been a seductive and oppressive influence in Israel’s history Isaiah © 2014 Holland Davis ______VANTAGE POINT: ISAIAH

That is what the enemy seeks to do • If he can’t conquer you, he will oppress you • If he can’t oppress you, he will seduce you into oppression • But at the cross of Jesus Christ, the enemy was defeated once and for all and now the enemy is powerless against you

The Bible says… Romans 8:37 (NKJV) 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

You might say, but I feel condemned because I’ve given in to the enemies attacks… • that’s what temptation is… • it’s an attack from the enemy

Romans 8:34–35 (NKJV) 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Romans 8:38–39 (NKJV) 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• You might have a Moabite in your life… someone or something that is out to oppress you or seduce you • Know this… God has already judged every enemy you will ever face and He has overcome and you will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony… • What is the Word of your testimony? That I was lost, now I’m found • I was blind, now I see. I was condemned, now I’m forgiven and there is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION