Monday, September 16, 2013

Isaiah 13:14

Copyright Ó 2013 J. Neely
Isaiah 13:14ues

14 And it shall be as the chased [nadach] roe [tsabiy], and as a sheep [tso'n] that no man taketh up [qabats]: they shall every man ['iysh] turn [panah] to his own people [`am], and flee [nuwc] every one ['iysh] into his own land ['erets]. KJV-Interlinear

14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like sheep with none to gather them, They will each turn to his own people, And each one flee to his own land.  NASB

At the time of this writing Babylon was not yet an empire. The existing empires were Egypt to the south, Assyria to the north, and then there was Syria and the northern nation of Samaria who were aligning themselves against Judah.

Isaiah has already prophesied the destruction of Syria and Samaria, at the hand of Assyria, and then eventually Babylon, which at this time existed only as a warring faction within Assyria, would rise up and spread its borders throughout the Middle East.

Just as a proud bird spreads its wings and struts, Babylon would overrun nation after nation, assimilating those territories within its own borders as it advances down to and through Judah.

His armies would consist of peoples from numerous nations.

In this current prophecy, which is one directed at the final days of history, Babylon is used as the example of not only what would happen to that territory of Babylon, but to all territories and nations throughout the world.

Just as Babylon was a mixture of peoples and nations, so to, during the tribulation, which is still future, the anti-christ will be the ruler of all nations around the world.

Isaiah has been describing many of the characteristics and events that surround those final days in history. These descriptions are not in sequential or chronological order, but are simply designed to show the things that are going to happen in those last final days and hours of history.

We’ve already seen how, when the enemy forces are advancing into and through Judah, toward Jerusalem, they’re going to come with great confidence, with great purpose, definitely with great arrogance, and virtually no fear.

They will come with overwhelming forces, and resources, and weapons.

We have already seen how they will advance up to the boundaries of Jerusalem, but will be frustrated and stopped at that point. And remember that the book of Revelation tells us that there will be a pile of dead and dying people that will stretch for hundreds of miles. So the death and destruction will be all around as they advance on Jerusalem.

When an enemy force, especially an evil enemy force, advances with little or no opposition, it has great courage.

But, when this enemy force reaches the borders of Jerusalem, things will change.

We already know from our studies that immediately prior to the Second Advent, a supernatural darkness which eliminates all light, will occur, followed by the actual Second Advent.

When Christ returns, he will be followed by a huge army. That army will consist of all of us Church Age believers. The light will be bright worldwide and the sound of our advance will be overwhelming. We will stop or come to a halt in the clouds, while Christ will descend and set foot on the ground.

The massive armies of the anti-christ are going to do exactly what is described here. They are going to turn and run like frightened deer.

The term, chased roe, describes a frightened, trembling animal such as the gazelle. This is quite the opposite of the attitude of the armies that had been advancing through the Middle East. Instead of ferocious lions advancing on their prey, now they will be running in total fear back toward their homes, or so they think.

The phrase, sheep that no man taketh up, describes a total breakdown in the command and control of these armies. They will be sheep with no shepherd, armies with no leadership, people with no purpose.

The scene will be total chaos as the armies of the world will be running in all directions, in total confusion, clueless as to where they are going or even what they’re going to do.