A Dirge for the Death of the Devil - Isaiah 14

Introduction

What will the end of the world be like? Perhaps no other question has so enamored, so perplexed, so disturbed humankind since the Garden.

Certainly in our day we find ourselves obsessed with the final fate of the human race.

Will we be conquered by a superior alien race? Will a meteor strike earth, causing it to keel off it’s orbit and careen out into space, causing all life on earth to freeze to death in a matter of days? Will international nuclear war leave this pale blue dot a pale gray radioactive wasteland?

While the pundits and politicians surmise about the end of days, Isaiah speaks with eschatological confidence on the future of God’s people, the future of earthly kingdoms and powers, and the future of this pale blue dot.

Isaiah’s confidence is sky high at this point in his prophetic ministry. As we saw in chapters 5-12, Isaiah beheld Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts, in all his glorious holiness, and then watched Him do exactly what He said He would do.

On the basis of that experience, Isaiah now continues to speak, and he does so with confidence, knowing that Yahweh who provided the sign of the son, will do exactly what He said He will do.

We find ourselves two chapters in to 12 chapters of oracles concerning the nations. Isaiah turns his prophetic voice from Israel and Judah, as he spoke in chapters 5-12, to the nations of the earth, in chapters 13-24. These oracles are not merely declarations of God’s wrath. Rather, in keeping with Isaiah’s singular focus and primary theme in his book of prophecy, they are oracles of salvation through judgment.

Last week we considered an oracle for Babylon, an oracle the pronounced their God-ordained destructive power, rising up to destroy Assyria and assume the rule of the civilized world. But as we saw, that rule was short-lived, and Babylon would eventually be overtaken by the Medes, which would be taken over by the Greeks, which would be taken over by the Romans.

We considered the reality that not only is Babylon a historical kingdom and people group, it is also understood theologically and typologically to be the kingdom of Antichrist, symbolizing world systems that stand in opposition to Yahweh, His rule, and His decrees, and that the theme of Babylon as opposition to Yahweh culminates in the final destruction of Babylon when Christ returns, destroys all evil, and ushers His people in to glory.

This week, we will consider a future funeral dirge sung over the corpse of the king of Babylon. This chapter looks forward, into the future of Israel and the future of the world, and Isaiah foretells this song to be sung by the people of God when evil is finally defeated for good.

We will consider this chapter in 4 segments:

Future Compassion

Isaiah has pronounced woes and judgment upon Israel and Judah in the preceding chapters, and as he has tendency to do, lines that judgment with the hope of salvation.

In much the same way then, he now reminds his hearers of the future rest of God’s people, that a day will come when Israel will again rest in their own land, and God will again choose them as the object of his love and compassion. Thus we see here a future compassion. Yahweh will once again pour out his grace upon his people in that day.

And that outpouring of grace takes a specific shape. For Isaiah, the outpouring of God’s future grace toward true Israel is marked by two things:

The ingathering of Gentiles - the future grace of Yahweh involves the joining of strangers into the ranks of the Israelites. The language indicates four truths about this ingathering: first, the word translated there attach, indicates a blending or mixing. In other words, these attached Gentiles will be indistinguishable from the Hebrew people. Second, the word translated there join, is the same word used throughout the Old Testament of the nations joining themselves to Yahweh in a saving fashion. In other words, this ingathering is saving. It is redemptive for the Gentiles. Third, the Gentiles will be brought into the house of Israel. The servant language there is derivative of the language of Deuteronomy, in which the nation was instructed on humane treatment of captured citizens of conquered nations. For the Hebrew people, to bring a servant into your house was almost akin to adopting them as a part of your family. Beyond that, we know that these servitude relationships were temporary, because in the year of Jubilee, all the servants were to be set free to settle in their own homes, with their own families.

The rest of God’s people - the language of rest here is reflective of Sabbath rest. The future outpouring of God’s grace on His people brings them final Sabbath rest. No more turmoil, no more pain, no more enslavement. This is in direct fulfillment of the law of the Sabbath - on the 7th day, you are to cease from your labors so that the entire community, including the Gentiles who are under your roof, might rest. That rest looks forward to this rest - one day to mark the end of your labors, looking forward to an eternity to mark the end of your labors.

What’s the point here? Isaiah is reminding Israel and Judah and indeed the whole world that His future grace is guaranteed. Look at the 7 uses of the word will there in just three verses. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the number 7, generally understood in Hebrew culture as the number of completeness, is the number of will statements made here by Yahweh through Isaiah. Yahweh’s future compassion is not a wistful wish of Isaiah, it is a steadfast hope. Yahweh will pour out His compassion on His people.

But what is perhaps even more beautiful about this passage is that the compassion of Yahweh is not only guaranteed for Israel, it is guaranteed for the whole world. Strangers and foreigners who captured and enslaved Israel will become part of the family. And this concept is nowhere more fully developed than just 5 chapters later, in Isaiah 19:24-25

Isaiah 19:24–25 NASB95

In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

The people of God “in that day,” in the future when all of God’s plans are fully accomplished and realized, will not only be Israel, but will also be Israel’s two greatest enemies: Egypt and Assyria.

The glory of Yahweh’s future compassion is that His compassion will be poured out not only on Israel but on the whole world.

For us then, we can take comfort in Isaiah’s steadfast hope. We too are recipients of Yahweh’s compassion. We live and breathe and walk “in that day.” God is pouring out His compassion on the world even now. The fact that we are all here this morning bears witness to that fact.

And in this day of rest, as the Gentiles have been gathered in and the labors have ceased, the people of God are said to take up a song, a funeral dirge. And that funeral dirge forms the bulk of this chapter. But this dirge is not an ordinary dirge. It is a dirge of curse upon the king of Babylon. It is to this song of curse that we turn our attention now.

Future Curse

Let’s make some observations about this funeral dirge.

First, we see that the dirge is plainly addressed to the king of Babylon. We will return to that later.

Let’s see how he is described in verses 4-6. We see him described as a furious oppressor, as a wicked ruler, and as a harsh taskmaster.

Next we see the reaction to his defeat: The entire population of earth is quiet, restful, and joyful. This group is the same group of Hebrews and ingathered Gentiles that we see in verses 1-3.

We also see that even beyond just people, indeed all of creation rejoices at his defeat in verse 8.

The perspective changes from those who are living to those who are dead in verse 9. The chorus declares that hell itself, articulated here in the ancient Hebrew word Sheol quakes with terror and fear at the arrival of the king of Babylon to it’s sulphuric chambers.. That word excited doesn’t convey the proper sense, it really ought to be tremble with either fear or rage, or perhaps both. The arrival of the king of Babylon is so significant that the spirits of dead kings rise up, almost with a sense of reverence or respect for the arrival of the king of Babylon.

Verses 10 to 17 carry on the imagined song of the dead for the king of Babylon as he descends into hell. The song centers around the majesty of his collapse and fall. He sought to ascend to the heights of heaven, he sought the glory of God for himself, he sought the throne of God for himself, and he sought the blessings of God for himself. But despite his lofty aspirations he is cast down, like a falling star from heaven, thrust into the recesses of Sheol. And the cry of the residents of Sheol is a cry of mockery. They sneer at him, rubbing his accomplishments in his face, making him keenly aware of just how monumentally he has failed in his attempt to coup Yahweh.

Verses 18-21 describe the severity with which the king of Babylon will be punished. He will not be given the glorious, stately end that is the goal of kings from all time. He will not have a lovely funeral, he will not be entombed in glory, surrounded by all his possessions, he will not lie in state in a large and technically complex structure. Instead he will be cast out of his tomb. He will not even have the privilege of a proper burial, nor will he have the privilege of leaving a legacy, but his branch will be rejected. His corpse receives the ultimate in disrespect: being trampled underfoot.

Further, his burial will not be with his people - they have rejected him. Why? Because He brought ruin upon them and slaughtered them. Therefore his offspring will be wiped off the face of the planet. The curse of the king of Babylon will be upon his sons, and they will be kept from arising and conquering and subduing the earth.

This concludes the dirge, but Isaiah tacks on an important post script in verses 22-23, wherein he reveals that the one that accomplishes the casting out of the king of Babylon and his descendants, all his people, as it were, is Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. He will utterly destroy Babylon and her offspring, and it will become an desolate wasteland.

This is a dark song, and one that is almost disturbing to read. It seems uncouth and barbaric to sing a song of rejoicing and taunting over a dead person, no matter how evil. It seems wrong and inhumane, and yet Isaiah prophesies that this song will be sung, and it will be sung in response not just to random events but specifically in response to the work of Yahweh in overthrowing this king and his descendants.

So what could be in view here? I want to offer what I hope will be a helpful and instructive explanation of this dirge.

In order to correctly interpret what is happening here, we must accurately identify the king of Babylon. Who is being spoken of and spoken against here?

We have established that this entire chapter is eschatological, or future-facing, due to the “in that day” language that so often marks teaching about the end of history. Therefore, we can deduce that Isaiah is not speaking about contemporary history, in other words, he is not addressing current events. He is foretelling the future.

With that in mind we can eliminate the theory put forth by some commentators that this chapter is in reference to Tiglath-Pileser III, the Assyrian king in power at this time. Proponents of this view say that due to the power exerted by Assyria over Babylon beginning during the reign of Tukulti-Ninurta who reigned from 1244-1208 BC, and extending all the way to Tiglath-Pileser III from 744-727 BC, that the king of Assyria would have been viewed like a king of Babylon, and that Isaiah could not have conceived of a scenario where the king of Babylon and not the king of Assyria would have been the most powerful and god-like ruler on earth. This view takes away from Isaiah’s Spirit-empowered ability to speak accurately of future events, and diminishes his authority as a mouthpiece of God, and therefore we must reject it.

I believe we can, however, draw three accurate conclusions about the identity of the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14.

The Historical King of Babylon

I believe Isaiah spoke this prophecy to some degree directly into historical events. Specifically, I believe this prophecy speaks to the greatest king of Babylon, and indeed one of the most powerful rulers in human history - Nebuchadnezzar II. Let me explain why. First, historical records indicate the Nebuchadnezzar was a powerful military commander, and was primarily known as a conqueror, one who subjugated other kings and nations to himself. The apparent initial respect of the dead kings of the earth would be an understandable response to someone of Nebuchadnezzar’s stature entering into Sheol. Second, we know that Nebuchadnezzar viewed himself the same way this king of Babylon in Isaiah 14 seems to view himself. Daniel 4:29-30 indicates that Nebuchadnezzar thought of himself as nearly equal to God Himself.

Daniel 4:29–30 NASB95

“Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. “The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’

Daniel himself also acknowledged the greatness and power of Nebuchadnezzar. When Daniel was interpreting one of Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams earlier in chapter 4, we see that Daniel understood and acknowledged the massive extent and influence of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign: Daniel 4:20-22

Daniel 4:20–22 NASB95

‘The tree that you saw, which became large and grew strong, whose height reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth and whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt and in whose branches the birds of the sky lodged— it is you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of the earth.

We also see a similar description of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2. Daniel 2:36-38

Daniel 2:36–38 NASB95

“This was the dream; now we will tell its interpretation before the king. “You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold.

Finally, historical records indicate that Nebuchadnezzar was viewed as a ruthless, furious oppressor, who did indeed subdue the nations in anger.

And what happened to Nebuchadnezzar? He was figuratively cast down from his heaven-like perch above the peoples, and was made to eat grass like a beast for 7 years, and only about 20 years later his kingdom was decimated, never to be rebuilt.

So just as we saw last week that Isaiah sees into the future and predicts the fall of the Babylonian empire, so he also predicts the fall of their king.

But the fall of the king of Babylon here in Isaiah 14 is described in much more dramatic terms than the historical reality of Nebuchadnezzar seems to suggest, and the reaction of not only the nation of Israel but indeed the whole world seems a bit melodramatic a reaction to the death of a king, even one as admittedly evil and powerful as Nebuchadnezzar.

The Ideological King of Babylon

Therefore, as we saw last week that not only is there a historical Babylon, but also what we might call an ideological Babylon, so I believe there is also a historical king of Babylon and an ideological king of Babylon.

The prominence of Babylon’s use in the Bible as a figure of speech representing the kingdoms of the world and of darkness, is clear throughout God’s Word. From the very beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 11, Babylon meant opposition to God. Perhaps no passage indicates this reality more clearly than Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue made up of 5 different materials in Daniel 2. Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom were understood by Daniel to be the chief, the type of the kingdoms that stand in opposition to God and His rule. The kings and nations of Psalm 2, who plot together and devise vanity, could just as easily and just as accurately be described as Babylon.

We see then that historical Babylon provides a typological basis for ideological Babylon, in other words, the real Babylon of history provides the foundation for the anti-God rebellion that Babylon-like kingdoms have engaged in for all time, and so also the historical king of Babylon provides the typological basis for the ideological king of Babylon, in other words, the leader of Babylon becomes an example for all leaders who would dare to lift themselves up to heaven and be as God. That line of “kings of Babylon” is in view here in Isaiah 14, and we begin to come closer to this future scenario that Isaiah describes, in which the king of Babylon will be cast down and destroyed.

The Ultimate King of Babylon

But as we saw last week, there is a third Babylon beyond the historical and ideological iterations. There is also what we might call ultimate or final Babylon, and so this week I would like to point out that there is also an ultimate or final king of Babylon.

I believe it is in this context that John the apostle speaks of Babylon in the book of Revelation, and while not explicitly described there, I think the implication of the text of Revelation is that the ultimate king of Babylon is that ancient deceiver, the serpent of old, the accuser and opposer of Yahweh and his people, the devil and Satan himself.

I believe that in an ultimate sense Isaiah 14 is speaking directly about the destruction of Satan and his being cast down to Sheol, into hell, at the end of time, and Isaiah is prophesying about the reaction of the world to this final act of judgment against the ultimate king of Babylon, the puppeteer controlling the historical king of Babylon and the ideological kings of Babylon.

Isaiah 14 speaks directly to the decimation of the devil at the end of history. It serves as a poetic and haunting rendition of John’s vision in Revelation 20:7-10

Revelation 20:7–10 NASB95

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

So here in these verses in Isaiah 14, we’ve seen the future curse of the king of Babylon, historically, ideologically, and ultimately.

And built upon the foundation of the 7 wills of verses 1-3, we can be assured that this ultimate destruction of the chief arbiter of evil will one day occur. One day, the oppressor will cease. And Isaiah is adamant: this is to be a cause for our joy.

Perhaps as Christians we struggle with this. We hesitate to rejoice over judgment and destruction, even the judgment and destruction of evil. But I submit to you this morning that God receives just as much glory in His wrath as He does in His grace. His power and might are revealed equally in both. And therefore, I think as Christians, when evil is destroyed, defeated, or otherwise held at bay, we should, indeed we must rejoice. There is Biblical precedent set forth for us here in Isaiah that we should take joy in the destruction of the wicked.

Babylon and her king will be cast down. And for that, we can rejoice.

But we now want to turn to a third section of this text, that I’ve called future certainty.

Future certainty

Yahweh continues to speak in verse 24, and He declares his immutable and ineffable intent to accomplish all that he has said, specifically regarding Assyria. Interestingly, the foreign focus changes back here from Babylon to Assyria.

This is an interesting shift, given that the last two chapters were focused on Babylon. There are a number of interpretations offered here, but I favor the approach taken by John Calvin. He proposes that the breaking of Assyria in the land of Israel is in reference to the destruction of Sennacherib’s army and the assassination of Sennacherib himself after their seige of Jerusalem recorded in Isaiah 37:36-38

Isaiah 37:36–38 NASB95

Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead. So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home and lived at Nineveh. It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer his sons killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.

It would seem, given the datestamp in verse 28, that Isaiah is speaking of the destruction of Assyria within the borders of Israel as a future event. In other words, Isaiah is not providing a historical retelling but a prophetic foretelling of this event. The point is that the destruction of Assyria within the borders of Israel and Judah serves, for Yahweh’s purposes, as a sign of his intent to accomplish his purposes. As he destroyed Assyria in his land, so he will also lay waste to Babylon and cast down Babylon’s king, cutting both off from the history of the world. Thus this destruction serves as the guarantee for the future Sabbath rest of Israel and her ingathered Gentile converts.

This destruction establishes the future certainty of this prophecy.

And the underlying principle here is for us as well. The fulfillment of prophecy throughout God’s Word is a reminder and promise that all God says, He will do. We can look to what God has said and then done in the past to give us strength and hope, knowing that what He has said and not yet done, He will certainly do.

So when we look to the Scriptures for comfort, we must look for those promises, and know that they are certain. The Lord IS our shepherd. The Lord WILL complete the good work He began in us. The Lord WILL perfect, strengthen, and establish us.

The certain destruction of Assyria proves the certainty of all that God says.

Finally in verses 29-32 we see future comfort.

Future comfort

Isaiah formulates his declaration of the future comfort of God’s people within this proclamation to Philistia. It is, in keeping with Isaiah’s tendencies, a proclamation of salvation through judgment.

It’s important to note how Philistia would have interpreted the destruction of Assyria’s army. They would have seen it as an act of power on the part of King Hezekiah and the armies of Judah, and certainly as an act of liberation. Assyria was the cull of the ancient near east. We know from historical records that Assyria was often at war with Philistia, given it’s value as a coastal hub of international trade.

The natural reaction of the Philistines to the destruction of Assyria would be rejoicing that their oppressor had ceased. Isaiah warns that this is vain, because evil kingdoms are like the hydra of ancient Greek mythology - cut off one head and two more rise to replace it. In this case it is not two heads of a serpent, but a second serpent that has double the venom and killing power of the first., and that second snake will be struck down to give way to an even more powerful one, this time one that flies.

There is an interesting note on the Hebrew wording here. The word translated serpent and viper, are actually biological terms for real species of snakes that existed in the middle east at that time. The picture here in verse 29 is that the less poisonous and dangerous snakes get consumed by the larger and more dangerous snakes.

So the danger for Philistia is not going away with the destruction of Assyria. It’s only going to get worse with the rise of Babylon, and it will only continue to get worse because Assyria and Babylon are just simply points on a long line of evil, oppressive kingdoms, led by an evil and oppressive king, who is on multiple occasions in God’s Word referred to as a serpent, a snake, and indeed in the book of Revelation a flying serpent - a dragon.

There is no hope for Philistia, only wailing, and indeed there is no hope for the world, only wailing, if the world only looks to it’s own kings and kingdoms for safety and security.

Moving on to verse 30, we see a compelling contrast: the poor and hungry receive protection and provision, while the prideful and powerful Philistines are destroyed with famine.

Again in vs 31 Isaiah takes up the exhortation: wail, cry, sob, melt away! The destruction of your cities, as indicated by the smoke of the burning cities conquered before you, is imminent. Babylon invades from the north, with no straggler. Their destruction is swift, merciless, and unrelenting.

3 verses of judgment, and Isaiah wraps it up with salvation. When the messengers from Philistia come to Israel and Judah, perhaps to seek an alliance against Babylon, they are told that no alliance will save them. Only by clinging to the mountain of Yahweh will your affliction be appeased. Only by finding your refuge in Yahweh Sabaoth and his holy city will one escape the wrath of the dragon. Take refuge in Yahweh, and Yahweh will comfort you in your affliction.

For us then, the lesson is that we must take refuge in Yahweh and in Yahweh alone. It’s tempting for us to think that once the midterms roll around or 2024 rolls around, that we can rejoice because the rod that is striking us will be broken. But the reality of human history is that Babylon and her kings will oppress. That much is certain. Babylon and her kings will afflict. You can take that to the bank. But those who mourn, those who are poor in spirit, those who hunger and thirst, shall receive provision and protection from the Lord Almighty. He and He alone is our refuge.

Conclusion

Isaiah 14 is a chapter of subtle hope and glory. It takes us to the heights of wrath and depths of Sheol, and by so doing, demonstrates that God has a certain future intention to destroy evil and the arbiter of evil, the devil himself. Isaiah reminds us that earthly kingdoms will always oppress, will always afflict, and the only solution is to look to Zion, where Yahweh has installed His King, indeed, His heir, His own son, who does not rule according to the pattern of the kings of Babylon, but rather rules according to God’s Word, for it is His delight and His meditation. The king of Zion stands in opposition at every point to the king of Babylon.

The king of Babylon oppresses, the King of Zion frees the oppressed, Isaiah 61.

The king of Babylon is a harsh taskmaster, but the King of Zion is a tender shepherd, whose yoke is easy and burden is light, Matthew 11.

Yahweh breaks the scepter of the king of Babylon, but He gives a scepter to the King of Zion, Psalm 110.

Upon the death of the king of Babylon, the earth rejoices and is at peace. Upon the birth of the King of Zion, the earth rejoices and is at peace, Luke 2.

The kings of the earth rise up before the king of Babylon, but they fall down to their faces before the King of Zion, Philippians 2.

The king of Babylon was thrown out of heaven for his disobedience, the King of Zion willingly left heaven in order to be obedient, Philippians 2.

The king of Babylon said that he would ascend to heaven and become like God, the King of Zion said that He would descend to the earth and become like a slave, Philippians 2.

Because of his arrogance, Yahweh cast the king of Babylon down to Sheol. Because of His humility, Yahweh exalted the King of Zion to His right hand at the throne of heaven, Philippians 2.

The king of Babylon shook kingdoms, the King of Zion reigns over a kingdom that cannot be shaken, Hebrews 12.

The king of Babylon made the world into a wilderness, the King of Zion will remake it into a paradise, Revelation 21.

The king of Babylon did not allow prisoners to go home, the King of Zion sets the prisoners free, Luke 4.

The king of Babylon was cast out of his tomb because of his shame, the King of Zion was raised from His tomb so that He might be glorified, 1 Peter 1.

The king of Babylon was a rejected branch, the King of Zion was the righteous branch of David, Jeremiah 33.

The corpse of the king of Babylon was trampled, the corpse of the King of Zion was given a rich man’s burial, Matthew 27.

The king of Babylon is cut off from his people in his death, the King of Zion is united with His people in His resurrection, Romans 6.

The king of Babylon slaughtered his people, the King of Zion raises them to life again, Romans 8.

The people of the king of Babylon will not arise and will not take posession of the earth, the people of the King of Zion will rise up and reign with their king, 2 Timothy 2 and Revelation 20.

Yahweh pours out the fullness of His wrath on the king of Babylon and on the people of Babylon, but Yahweh pours out the fullness of His grace on the King of Zion and on the people of Zion, Romans 5.

As certain as the destruction of the king of Babylon is, so also is the certainty of the blessing and reward of the King of Zion.

As Moses said in Deuteronomy 30, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. The King of Zion and the king of Babylon. The Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness. Truth incarnate and the father of lies. The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, and the fallen star, the accuser, the roaring lion, Satan. Allow me to urge you in no uncertain terms, if you have not sworn allegiance to the King of Zion, today is the day of salvation. Repent of your sins, reject the evil of Babylon, and receive grace upon grace in Jesus Christ. Submit before Him as your King and your God, and walk in newness of life. Believe in Him, and have eternal life.

Isaiah proclaims salvation through judgment in chapter 14, hope in the midst of wrath. That hope will sustain you, brothers and sisters. We live in Babylon, and there are kings of Babylon in Moscow, and Washington DC, and Sacramento. As Isaiah was certain that Tilgath Pileser and Sargon and Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar would fall, so also we know that Newsom and Biden and Putin and all the rest will fall. The only kingdom that will not fail is the Kingdom of Yahweh, and the reign of the Son-King that He established in Zion. That kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. That kingdom will not pass away. May we walk as worthy citizens of that kingdom today.