Book of Isaiah Bible Study - Part 12

So greetings, everybody! Once again, welcome to our Bible study. This is the 12th in the series, and we are at Isaiah 14. Let's go ahead and turn to Isaiah 14 and read that first verse, and then I have some comments about an overview of chapter 14. Isaiah 14 is a wonderful chapter. It's got so much in it that you could spring from and go to the various parts of the Bible, as we often do, and we need to do. So in Isaiah 14 verse 1, it says, For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob. Remember that Jacob can be used for all 12 tribes, and in this case it is used for all 12 tribes. And remember that prophecy is written in parallelism, and oftentimes the second sentence to a large degree reinforces the first sentence, as in this case, so have mercy on Jacob, will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land. Isaiah is writing in 750 BC, 2750 years ago, and at that time, of course, Babylon had not risen to the heights that it did rise to, in which he was able to take the Judah into captivity from 604 to 586 BC. So even the mention of Babylon, as we shall see here in just a moment, Isaiah is way ahead of his time, and then he talks about this, as we shall see, he will choose Israel and set them in their own land. So, of course, the Northern Kingdom was taken into captivity into Syria in Circa 721-718 BC, never to return to their homeland. They were scattered, many of them returned to Israel, and they, to a large degree, maintained their tribal identity. You can read about Anna the Prophet, the Prophet is from the tribe of Asher, and also Hezekiah sending out a note to the various tribes to come to keep that great Passover that he was able to set up and administer when they discovered the book of the law in the temple. So, the strangers shall be joined with them. So, Judah did return from Babylon, but this seems to go forward to the millennium, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And so, the house of Jacob includes all 10 tribes. And so, we read from, as we have read from, I guess, several times, Zechariah chapter 8 and verse 23, the last verse in Zechariah 8, how that the time will come when the nations will be joined to Israel, and God's great goal is to bring all nations into a relationship with Him, and eventually into the Israel of God. And so, we know that everyone that is a spiritual Jew is not necessarily by birth a physical Jew by birth, and there are spiritual Jews, and there are physical Jews, but God wants everybody to be a part of the Israel of God, regardless of their national or ethnic background. In Zechariah 8 and verse 23, thus says the Lord of hosts, in those days it shall come to pass that 10 men shall take hold out of the languages of the nations. So, you see the languages of the nations, apparently, languages still exist. There's not one pure Hebrew tongue, and maybe that comes way later.

That verse in Zechariah says, it actually means a ceremonially clean tongue, even shall take hold of the skirt of Him that is a Jew. And remember that somewhere along the way the Jew came to be a designation for also those who were of the northern 10 tribes. As I mentioned earlier, a lot of those who were taken into captivity into Babylon returned, and some were able to escape the captivity to begin with. Take hold of the skirt of the Jew, saying, we will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. And so Zechariah 8 is a great restoration chapter showing the restoration of Israel in the millennium, and there are other places. So let's get now a bit of an overview of the book of Isaiah 14. Isaiah 14 is a very important prophetic chapter. It's written in a non-rhyming form that deals with the restoration of Israel, with other nations joining the Israel of God, as we just mentioned. Babylon has existed from the days of Nimrod, so there's a lot about Babylon in this chapter. Let's go to... we see the origin of Babylon in Genesis chapter 10 and verse 8. Almost every scripture we turn to, I say, should be a memory scripture. If it's not a memory scripture, at least you know what it's about. You know the origin of Babylon, and not necessarily have to know exactly where it is found in the Bible in Genesis 10 and verse 8. We see the origin of Babylon. Genesis 10 verse 8, And Cush begat Nimrod, he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. In this word, before, it doesn't necessarily mean in time, order, it can mean in the presence of, it can mean to take the place of. He set himself up before God. In fact, just Satan the devil, as we shall see later in Isaiah 14, tries to set himself up over the throne of God. So did Nimrod try to set himself up over God. He was a mighty hunter that tried to set himself up over God, whereof it is said, even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord, and the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, or Babel, Erech, Akkad, Telna, and the land of Shinar. So that's the origin of Babylon. Now this word, babble, is translated as babble a few times, and it's translated 250-something times as babylon, and a few times as babylonian. All together, this word, babble, is used in the Bible 262 times. So it's from Genesis to Revelation that you have this about Babylon. So Babylon has existed from the days of Nimrod, and we just saw they read the origin of it. It's a system based on false religion, rule of a special class, both religious, political, and governance over civil matters and over societal matters as much as possible. It's only been in the United States of America for the past 250 years or so that freedom, as we have known freedom, has existed as a culture in a nation.

It is a system that Satan is the prince of, along with his demonic minions and human agents who sell their life essence to do his bidding. A lot of people have gone down that track, and Nimrod was the first one that went down that track and set himself up over God, tried to take over. Satan eventually tried to take over the throne of God. The beast power, at the end of the age, it says in 2 Thessalonians 2 verses 3 and 4, sits in the temple of God, proclaiming that he is God.

The rule of Babylon is oppressive, is harsh, though it parades under the banner of liberty and freedom. They promise liberty but produce enslavement. In 2 Peter 2 and verse 19, here's what Peter writes, While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption, for of whom a man is overcome, of the same as he brought in bondage. So this thing in Babylon comes on to a large degree in the name of liberty oftentimes, but really the goal of Babylon is enslavement. Just like the goal of the world order, the reset that is planned, is to make man subservient to the state in all of his activities. Paul writes in Romans 6 16, to whom you yield yourselves to obey his servants, you are. So Isaiah 14 addresses the judgment of Babylon, the judgment of Satan, the restoration of Zion, physical and spiritual, the judgment of the Assyrian, which is one of the titles of the beast. In fact, one can develop a whole course, it seems, based on Isaiah 14. So we'll try to wring out as much as we can out of this and keep it as simple as we can without getting bogged down too much in academic minutia, which many of the commentaries do as they talk about this book.

So we will continue here now in Isaiah 14. Verse 2, And the people shall take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids, and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors. Now, how much that occurred when Judah returned from Babylon? I don't know, but if we read in Isaiah 66, we'll get more of a picture of what Isaiah is talking about here in chapter 14 with regard to the nations. Isaiah 66, verse 12, For thus says the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then shall you suck, you shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you, you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Of course, Jerusalem becomes the capital of the world. Both the civil and religious government will be headquartered in Jerusalem, and when you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like a nerve, and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. For behold, the Lord will come with fire and with chariots with a whirlwind to render his anger with fury and rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by sword will the Lord plead with all flesh, and the slain of the Lord shall be many. And then we go down to verse 18. And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations to Tarshish, to Paul, Ludd, that draw the bow and tubal and javen to the isles of Faroth, that they have not heard, that have not heard of my fame, neither have seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. See, there be even some people in the millennium, beginning of the millennium, who have never even heard of this, of the name of Jesus Christ, and much less the plan of salvation, and these emissaries will be sent out to the nations, and I will take of them for priests and for Levites, says the Lord, and so on it goes. So this restoration of Israel also has to do with the restoration of the other nations as well. So we see how Isaiah 14 too, and Isaiah 66 are connected, and there are other places that do that as well. Verse 3, and it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give you rest from your sorrow and from your fear, and from the hard bondage wherein you were made to serve. You shall take up this Proverbs, and so that somewhat completes the prophecy of restoration. Some of it was contained in chapter 13, and then he comes back to restoration toward the end of this chapter.

Then he starts with Babylon, which we've already talked about the origin of Babylon, how this chapter deals with the judgment of Babylon. We saw the origin of Babylon. We know it is based on false religion and a system of oppression that enslaves people, while promising liberty, really their end goal is to enslave people under their rulership. So take up this proverb against the king of Babylon. The ultimate king of Babylon, of course, is Satan the devil. Satan the devil, as it says in 2 Corinthians 4,4, is the god of this present evil age. And say, how has the oppressor ceased? The golden city ceased. Now, the golden city is the exactress of goal, like we read from in Isaiah chapter 10, that the Babylonian system seeks to garner all the wealth of the world into the control of very few people.

This phenomenon has been accelerated in recent times. In fact, during the lockdown and the COVID pandemic, as they call it, the rich got much richer, the poor got poorer, and that trend is continuing. And James 5 talks about eventually the cries of the poor reach the ears of the Lord of Sabooth, and he comes and intervenes. And we are admonished to have patience and wait for the coming of the Lord. The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked and the scepter, that is, the crown representative of the rulership, the scepter of the rulers. He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, like we read from 2 Peter, while promising them liberty, they become servants, like Paul wrote, to whom you yield yourself servants who obey your servants you are. So he who smites the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that rules the nations in anger is persecuted and non-enders. We see an example of an angry leader in rulership attacking Ukraine at the present time. That's not to say that the others are righteous, because there's hardly any righteous ruler on the face of the earth today. In fact, I can't off the top of my head name one righteous ruler of a nation.

The whole earth is at rest.

The whole earth is at rest and is quiet. They break forth into singing. Yes, the fir trees rejoice at you. The cedars of Lebanon saying, since you are laid down, no feller has come up against us.

Now we come to a problem verse in the King James translation of the Bible. We're just reading this verse as we shall see. It makes it sort of sound like that the the dead can be stirred up and the dead have consciousness, but of course the dead have no consciousness. So let's read the verse and let's talk about it. Hell, which is the Hebrew word for shield, which means grave. The grave from beneath is moved for you, that is for this king of Babylon, to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead. Now there are many, many translations of this in various languages. In just a moment I'll read the translation that's given in the Expositor's Bible. And it does not mean that the dead have consciousness, and they're stirred up when the king of Babylon is laid to rest in his grave in his final resting place.

So it stirs up the dead for you, even all the chief ones of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones and all the kings of the nations. Now this is written in a satirical form in which as a satire it is saying that in the metaphoric sense that when Satan is laid to rest, of course, Satan is not laid to rest in the physical sense. We'll talk about that in just a moment as well. Here's how the Expositor's Bible and other translations translate that verse. They don't even say that the dead are stirred up. Sheil from underneath shudders at you to meet your arrival, stirring up for you the shades, all great goats of earth, lifts erect from their thrones all kings of peoples. So in the poetic language of the day in which they were writing, in which it is not written to a large degree in parallelism, but it does not necessarily rhyme. But in the language of the day, it is a satirical description of what the kings of the earth would be saying when they see the king of Babylon laid to rest. It's a poetic description of Satan being cast into the pit. Remember that Christ preached to the lost spirits in a state of Tartarus who are in a condition of restraint. So let's notice now there are several verses in the Bible that make it clear that there is no consciousness after one dies. First of all, in Ecclesiastes 9 and verse 5, if you will turn to Ecclesiastes 9 and verse 5, we'll notice that there, Ecclesiastes 9 verse 5, For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

Also, we note here from Proverbs.

Proverbs 24, I believe it is. If you'll turn to Proverbs 24. No, it's 21. I'm sorry. In Proverbs 21 and verse 16. In Proverbs 21 and verse 16, The man that wanders out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead. And as we just read from Ecclesiastes 9 and 5, that the dead know not anything.

Now, the beast and the false prophet, they are cast into the pit. First of all, we note a poetic description of Satan being cast into the pit in Ezekiel 31 and verse 15.

Ezekiel 31 and verse 15, we see a poetic description of Satan being cast into the pit.

Ezekiel 31 and verse 15.

Thus says the Lord God, in that day when he went down to the grave, I caused a morning, I covered the deep for him, I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed, and I caused Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field faded for him. So, once again, written in poetic form, not necessarily in rhythm or rhyming, but in poetic form and in parallelism. One of the things that the ancients did, and to some degree this is still alive today with necromancy and that kind of thing of supposedly being able to communicate with the dead, was the belief that there was an underground, a world, of spirits, and there is to some degree as we shall see, but it is demonic beings that are held in a condition of restraint. It is not human beings who are in the grave who have any kind of consciousness because there is no consciousness in the grave.

So, continuing here, verse 16, I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to shield with them that descend into the pit, and all the trees of Eden, the choice, the best of the Lebanon, all that drink water shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into shield with him unto them that be slain with the sword, and they were his arm that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the nations. To whom are you thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden?

Yet shall you be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth, just like it's talking about in Isaiah 14 and verse 9, the nether parts of the earth, in which, according to the northern Semitic tribes, believed in this underground world, you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. That this is Pharaoh and all his multitude saith the Lord God, along with Pharaoh and his multitude. Now what happens to the... Let's go now to 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 4 before we go to what happens to the beast and the false prophet. In 2 Peter 2 and verse 4, we see here the condition of restraint that some of the demons are in at the present time, and from some of these verses, one could get the idea there is a world of fallen spirits that are held in restraint. Which are to be loosed at the end of the age, going out to deceive the nations.

In 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 4, 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 4, and if God spared not the angels at sin, but cast them down to, the old King James says, but the translation, the Greek word here is tartaroupe. So in the New Testament, there are three words that are translated to hell, and you'll find there will be a lot of people who are not educated, who don't really know that there are three different words that are translated to hell in the New Testament. There is Hades, which means the grave. There is chihinah, which means the fire that burns, hail fire. And then there is tartaroupe, a condition of restraint. So God cast down these angels into a condition of restraint, and delivered them into a change of darkness to be reserved unto judgment. And you know in 1 Corinthians 6, it says, don't you know that you will judge angels?

So there's coming a time for that judgment. Now notice this with regard to the condition of restraint. So we'll go back a page or two to 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter 3 and verse 18. And we'll notice this.

You very seldom hear this read in church, or you probably don't read it that often. 1 Peter 3.18. For Christ also has once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit. Of course, the Father raised Him to a glorious, radiant Spirit beings. Of course, He can appear as a human being, which He did to the apostles after His resurrection, by which He went and preached unto the spirits in prison. Those spirits, those fallen angels that were in a condition of restraint, He went and preached to, which sometimes were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared.

So, evidently at that time, additional restraint was placed on the demonic spirits that were on the earth at that time, and more restraint was placed upon them. And they are in this condition waiting for judgment. So, there is this shadowy world, as you might say, beneath where these are being held in restraint. Now, there are some demonic powers and demons that stalk the face of the earth, and we read of several encounters that Jesus had with people possessed by demons during His earthly ministry.

Now, we go to Revelation 19, and we see the the fate of the beast, who would be the physical fulfillment of the King of Babylon, I guess you would say, at the end of the age. Of course, Satan the devil is the ultimate spiritual leader of the Babylonian system. He is the god of this world. But in Revelation 19, you see what happens to the beast's power and the false prophet. Revelation 19, verse 19. Revelation 19-19, and I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army.

Of course, as described as well in Revelation 16 at the Battle of Armageddon. It is at Armageddon. It is the battle of the great day of God Almighty. The beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. So this is the hell fire, the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Now, with regard to Satan himself, of course, as we'll read later, he tried to take over the throne of God. But Satan has not yet met his final judgment. But we see that final judgment across the page here in Revelation 20 in verse 1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hand on the dragon, that old serpent, serpent which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.

And cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more. We're tired. Isaiah 4 deals with that deception and what he has done and how he's a oppressor, what he's done to the nations, promising liberty. But actually, he rules and anger and seeks to enslave. So he deceives the nations no more till the thousand years should be filled, and after that he must be loose a little season.

Then we notice later in the chapter what happens. Verse 7, and when the thousand years are expired, this is Revelation 27, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, all world, God and may God, to gather them together to battle the number of whom is as sand of the sea. So Satan is able to deceive, even after a thousand years of the rulership of God and Christ on the earth, he is able to deceive multitudes of people.

And they went up on the breadth of the earth and encompassed the camp of the saints about the beloved city of course Jerusalem, and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. That's the physical people who are in this great rebellion that Satan has deceived. And then, and the devil that deceived them, spirit being, was cast in the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were cast, not where they are, they have burned up, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Now some have asked the question that I've had a debate with a lot of people with regard to could God destroy Satan the devil? Well, if God cannot destroy that which he has created, then he wouldn't be God. But God has not chosen, according to this, not chosen to destroy Satan the devil, but he has cast him into this pit, this is what the Bible says, where he is tormented forever and ever.

On the other hand, physical beings are not tormented forever and ever. They burn as long as there is combustible material, and they become ashes, according to Malachi 4, under the feet of the righteous.

So let's go back now to Isaiah 14.9. You see, all along the way, it's leading up to this Satan trying to take over the throne of God. So Isaiah 14 and 9 again, hell from beneath is moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the shadows, the shady ones, for you, even all the chief ones of the earth. This is a satirical thing.

It is raised up from their throne, all the kings of the nations. So the kings of the nations have been brought down, and the king of Babylon will be brought down, just as the kings of the nations have been brought down. Now, this translation that is in the Expositor's Bible, if you have a Bible like Esaured, something like that, you'll have this commentary, the Expositor's Bible. It's several sets, but if you have Esaured, you have Expositor's Bible, and you can go read what they say about. And of course, in any commentary, you have to ferret through that which is true and that which is not.

So Satan is going to be cast down, and he's going to be given free reign to a large degree in these last few years, as we read about Revelation 12.

Let's read once again how this verse is translated from the Expositor's Bible and other sources as well. It has something similar to this. As we have seen, the dead know nothing, there's no consciousness in the grave. Jesus Christ was in the grave three days and three nights. There was no consciousness in the grave, but the Father resurrected him from the dead. Sheol from under shudders at you to meet your arrival, stirring up for you the shades. So the shades would be this imagined underground world that some people think they can communicate with all great goats of earth. So the great kings, those who thought they were something on earth, lived erect from their thrones, all kings of peoples. So what they're saying is, you are the recipient of the same judgment that we received.

So we continue now in Isaiah 14 and 10. 1410.

All they shall speak and say unto you, Are you also become weak as we? So this shows it is a parody. Are you become like unto us, powerless?

Your pup is brought down to the grave. So here, see, is to the grave, to sheal. And the noise of your vials, the worm is spread under you, and the worms cover you. So similar to what we read in Ezekiel 31 of the poetic form in which this is framed. Now we did read what happens to the beast and the false prophet at the end of the age. They're cast into the burning with fire and brimstone. We also saw that what happens to Satan. Satan is in a state of restraint for a thousand years, then released, it goes out and deceives the nation, then is cast into that pit where the beast and false prophet were cast into that burning flame, tormented day and night. Now, people ask the questions of, well, if there are spirit beings, how they're tormented by fire. The demons and Satan are tormented by the fact that they are isolated and cannot influence anybody. Just like it says in 2 Peter chapter 2, wandering stars foaming out their shame forever.

So Isaiah 14, 11, your pomp is brought down to the grave and the noise of your vials.

The worms is spread under you and the worms cover you. How are you falling from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How are you cut down to the ground? Which did weaken the nations?

There are people who have even talked about, well, this Lucifer literally means light bringer. And at one time, Lucifer might have been a light bringer. He was at the throne, the very throne of God and was the anointed carob that covers.

But he is cast out.

You know, in Job chapter 1, he comes before the throne of God. And there's this conversation about God asked Satan, have you considered my servant Job? And of course, Satan's reply was, oh, he he serves you because you've been so good to him. You bless him, take it away, and he'll curse you to your face. And you know the rest of the story.

For you have said in your heart, you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven.

So Satan, of course, is not satisfied with his state of what he was given.

For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. So the angel, I will be chief. I will be over the host. I will be like the Lord of hosts. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregations of the sides of the north.

And it is by deduction thought that God's throne is in the north. You can read Psalm 75.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High.

You know, what he really is saying, I will take the place of the Most High. I will subvert God. I will take over the throne of God. But, verse 15, yet you shall be brought down to shield to the grave, to the sides of the pit. And of course, we read about that ultimate pit, the one that he's cast into at the end of this age, where he's in a condition of restraint for a thousand years, released for a short season, deceives the nations, then is cast into a pit and tormented forever and ever.

Verse 16, David, see you, shall narrowly look upon you, and consider you, saying, is this the man that made the earth to tremble and to shake kingdoms? And you may get a bit of what the French might call doublée entendre, with dual meaning here. You have the king of the earth, in the sense of the king of Babylon in the flesh, the beast power who does this, and Satan. Of course, Satan is the one who gives the beast power his power, as it says in Revelation 13, that made the world as a wilderness and destroyed the cities thereof, that opened not the house of his prisoners. And you're looking at what a destroyed city looks like. You see some of the pictures of what's happened to Maripol, there in Crimea area of Ukraine. Of course, Russia claims Crimea. With Maripol, they want Maripol to surrender. You see the utter destruction that takes place in war, and Satan is the one who rules in anger and oppression.

All the kings of the earth, even all them, lie in glory, everyone in his own house. But you are cast out of your grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword that go down to the stones of the pit as a carcass trodden underfoot. In other words, your judgment is the severest that can come upon a being.

You shall not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land and slain your people. The seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. Prepare slaughter for his children, for the iniquity of their fathers, that they do not rise nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.

So God is going to plead with all flesh, as we have read, and the wicked are going to be destroyed. For I will rise up against them, says the Lord of Hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, and son and nephew, says the Lord. In other words, everyone that is in the Babylonian system who refuses to give it up. And you can read in the last few verses of Revelation 9, that even after the trumpet plagues are poured out, several of them, not all of them, that they still do not repent, and they curse God. I will also make it a possession for the bitter and pools of water, and I will sweep it with besom of destruction, says the Lord of Hosts. Now we read last time the destruction of Babylon. In Revelation 17, I'm just briefly rehearsing, in Revelation 17 it says that the beast and the ten nations hate the whore and burner with fire. Then from Revelation 16, the seventh vial of wrath, a great earthquake, and that great city, Babylon, came under judgment, divided into three parts, and sinks into the sea, never to rise again.

So you have to ferret through some of the poetic language that is contained in Isaiah and in the prophets. One of the challenges in the prophets is the duality concept that a lot of it applies to the present or to the past, or the immediate future in the physical sense, but the ultimate fulfillment is the spiritual sense at the end of the age.

The Lord of Hosts is sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purpose, so shall it stand. In other words, there's nothing going to change God's mind with regard to this judgment. I will break the Assyrian in my land.

There are three places that especially talks about the breaking of Satan the Devil. Now, the Assyrian is one of the titles of the beast power. Now, there, of course, Assyria conquered Babylon in... I'm sorry, I said it backwards. The Babylon eventually conquered Assyria, but the Assyrian is one of the titles of the beast power. That I will break the Assyrian in my land and upon my mountains, and tread him under foot, then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. And this great burden that is going to come upon all the nations when this final fulfillment of prophecy takes place during the Great Tribulation is going to be more horrible than anything that we can imagine. This is a purpose that is purpose upon the whole earth. You see, it's the end of the age, and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.

For the Lord of hosts has purpose, and who shall disannul, and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? In the year that King Ahaz died was this burden. So in the physical sense, it happened then. But the greater fulfillment is coming at the end of the age. Rejoice not, you whole palestina. And, of course, this is, Palestine is derived from the root of Philistine. And really, it's to some degree the derogatory term. Today, you have the Palestinians, as they call themselves, those who were displaced by the Jews when they took over what is now modern Israel during the 1948 war. Many of the Palestinians fled into Jordan. And, of course, there's been since 1948 this continual back and to between the Palestinians and Israel. Because aright of him that smote you is broken. For out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety. So God is going to take care of the enemy.

As we read in verse 29. And the firstborn of the poor, now he comes back to the restoration. And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety. And I will kill your root with famine, and he shall slay your remnant. So nothing will be left of the wicked. Hallogate, Cryo City, you whole, Palestinian, are dissolved. For there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in his appointed time. What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion. Okay, we read about those messengers of the nation going out in the last several verses there of Isaiah 66. I will send out to the nations those that have never heard of my fame. What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion. So he's Zion, Jerusalem is going to be built, will be the jewel of the world in the sense of its physical beauty once again. And the poor of his people shall trust in it. Of course, in the spiritual sense, you have the two divisions of the kingdom, the converted ones that live over into the millennium, and then those that will be converted during the millennium when those messengers go out. And then you have, of course, the spirit beings who are ruling over the physical ones.