Isaiah 13:22

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22 And the wild beasts of the islands ['iy] shall cry [`anah] in their desolate houses ['almanah], and dragons [tanniyn] in their pleasant [`oneg] palaces [heykal]: and her time [`eth] is near [qarowb] to come [bow'], and her days [yowm] shall not be prolonged [mashak]. KJV-Interlinear

22 And hyenas will howl in their fortified towers And jackals in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come And her days will not be prolonged.  NASB

In a continuation of the previous verse, the phrase, wild beasts, ‘iy,’ refers to creatures that typically howl, such as jackals or hyenas or wolves.

The word for dragons, generally refers to both marine or land creatures that swim or crawl along, such as lizards or alligators or crocodiles, or creatures of that sort.

This continues the scene of a destroyed Babylon, that once was a thriving and prosperous metropolis, and now at the time of this occurrence, which is still future and a part of all of the end of days or end of the world events, will become an empty and destroyed and desolate area.

The important aspect of this verse and of this chapter, is summed up in the last line of this verse, ‘and her days will not be prolonged.’

This indicates the certainty of something that is going to happen in the future.

This also indicates the certainty of generations of people, from the time that Isaiah first wrote this, who have lived in all of the centuries and millennia that have transpired since Isaiah’s time, and will continue to pass, up until the end of human history, that all of those generations all those billions and billions and perhaps trillions of people, will ignore these words because they seem rather dramatic, they seem as though they are empty words by an unbelieving public, and that is the very reason why these future events will occur.

Unfortunately, most people do not take the Bible seriously. And those who are interested in the Bible only have a superficial interest, a pretense interest, or people who are more impressed about themselves, rather than wanting to genuinely learn what the Bible has to say, and why the Bible reveals this information for our benefit.

Most people think, that if this has already happened in the past, then so what! Or, if this is something that’s going to happen in the distant future, then what does it have to do with us now?

And the point is, that God gave us information so that we can grow in our individual spiritual lives, and build our relationship with him, even though these things might have nothing to do with us, or even involve us.

But there will be people that will be affected by these things, and this information, though small, maybe all that they have to help get them through their trying times.

When Isaiah wrote these words, Babylon as an empire did not exist. It would still be another one hundred and seventy years before the fall of Babylon, and so a completely different future generation at that time, would look to Isaiah’s words for comfort and hope.

When the end of the world comes, and it will come regardless of whether you believe that or not, then there will be people who at that time, will be looking to God and Christ, and these words of Isaiah may very well be the only words they have to cling to, knowing that those then terrible times will come to an end.

Babylon was a city that existed in ancient times. Babylon was a nation, and an empire whose borders extended to most of the then known populated world. Babylon is a term that is representative of worldly activity, of worldly expansion, of worldly prosperity, of worldly conquest. And all of this without any concern or interest in God or human history, or the angelic conflict.

Babylon represents human interests, guided by human opinions, in pursuit of human objectives, based on human plans.

In the end result is not only total destruction, but total self-destruction.

All of human history is a compilation of segments or chapters, that when put together piece by piece, make up the entire picture of humanity.

It’s the same with our individual lives. We go through different segments or small micro chapters of our own lives, from our infancy until the time God removes us from this world.

With each new segment of our life we have a beginning, we learn something within that segment, and then it closes making way for the next segment of our life, and the next experience or learning opportunity where we can learn about God and truth, or we can continue the same old habits and not really learn anything.

But sooner or later, a higher power will say, ‘Enough.’ In that case we are removed from this world.

Since the time of Adam and Eve, well over a hundred and twenty generations, and perhaps more, have come and gone. Every single individual has had an opportunity to know of God and to know God, but in most cases indifference and human priorities have prevented people from not only learning of their self-value, but has prevented people from achieving their self-value.

In the next few chapters, Isaiah will warn of the destruction that is certain to come, and he will also provide assurance of the safety that is available through Christ. But over the next twenty-seven hundred years and more, since Isaiah’s time up until our current time, and still well into the future perhaps for another hundred years, people have and will disregard his words as though they have no value, in pursuit of their own value, which will only end in failed individual lives, and in failed human history.

Even though the path and pattern of human history will not change, your path in your life can change merely by a change in attitude from within yourself, and your decision to pursue your spiritual life as God intends for you. And that is simplest plan to follow and achieve, merely by committing yourself to a daily study the word of God.

Pursuing the worlds method means guaranteed failure.  Pursuing Gods plan, means guaranteed success.

Isaiah 13:21

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21 But wild beasts of the desert [tsiyiy] shall lie [rabats] there; and their houses [bayith] shall be full [male'] of doleful creatures ['oach]; and owls [bath] [ya`anah] shall dwell [shakan] there, and satyrs [sa`iyr] shall dance [raqad] there. KJV-Interlinear

21 But desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of owls, Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.  NASB

The key to this verse is found in the opening words, the wild beasts of the desert, and that is found in the word for desert, ‘tsiyiy,’ which refers to animals that live in dry and desolate places.

That is how Babylon has been described, as a desolate place supporting no human life, and no preference for anyone to even want to live there.

Doleful creatures, is a reference to the sounds of night animals. It’s their scurrying, their clamors, their howlings, their screeches and yells and night howls.

Satyrs, is a term that was typically used in mythology referring to deities in the form of monsters or half man half animal type creatures and was generally used to describe a half man half goat hairy type of beast, and thus describes wild and certainly not domestic types of creatures.

The phrase, shall dance there, is an idiom that refers to free and discrete interaction between these animals, under cover of darkness, because they are all typically night animals and scurry about and chattering during the night, and therefore out of the sight of anyone that might be trying to observe them.

This verse further describes the dramatic change of what was once a great and prosperous city and region, that will become a dark and desolate area that will be populated only by hideous wild animals who pretty much keep to themselves.  A place where man once thrived, and now no one wants to even visit, leaving it to the critters of the night.

Isaiah 13:20

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20 It shall never [netsach] be inhabited [yashab], neither shall it be dwelt [shakan] in from generation [dowr] to generation [dowr]: neither shall the Arabian [`Arabiy] pitch tent ['ahal] there; neither shall the shepherds [ra`ah] make their fold [rabats] there. KJV-Interlinear

20 It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.  NASB

Throughout its history, Babylon enjoyed great notoriety and beauty and glory insofar as that is possible for a city of this world.

Even when Babylon was invaded and defeated several times over, the nation and city was never totally and completely devastated as is being described in this current verse.

All the way down through the centuries even into the first century A.D., Babylon was still a center of trade and prosperity. It did not decline dramatically until well into the dark ages.

However, this verse describes a region that will be totally devastated and virtually empty of inhabitants for many generations following its final destruction.

The term Arab, is the description typically attributed to the descendants of Ishmael, who were a nomadic people that lived in tents and migrated from area to area, never really settling down permanently in one place.

And so Babylon is described as a region so desolate, so worthless, so destroyed that even nomadic people and sheperds will not settle there even on a temporary basis. This will be an area that will be empty of permanent and even temporary inhabitants.

And of course we understand that this will occur after the second advent of Christ.

Isaiah 13:19

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19 And Babylon [Babel], the glory [tsabiy] of kingdoms [mamlakah], the beauty [tiph'arah] of the Chaldees [Kasdiy]' excellency [ga'own], shall be as when God ['elohiym] overthrew [mahpekah] Sodom [Cadom] and Gomorrah [`Amorah]. KJV-Interlinear

19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.  NASB

Back in Abraham’s day, the Dead Sea did not exist, as it was a great river valley through which the Jordan River flowed, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah along with other cities of that valley, existed.

Recall from the story in Genesis how Abraham and Lot separated, where Abraham remained in the hill country to the west, and Lot chose to move to the green rich valley where those cities existed.

When the Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, the entire geography of that valley changed. At some point in time, over time, in history following that destruction, enough earthquakes and natural disasters and such things occurred, resulting in the present day Dead Sea.

Today the surface of the Dead Sea is the lowest point or the lowest elevation on the planet, at approximately 1400 feet or 400 meters below sea level, and its depth is still another 1200 feet or 400 meters deep. So, from sea level the bottom of the Dead Sea is about 2400 feet or 800 meters below sea level.

The present-day Jordan River flows out of the north into the Sea of Galilee, and continues on in a southward direction emptying into the Dead Sea.

Sodom and Gomorrah and all the cities of that plain, were completely destroyed and virtually removed from history as though they never existed. All that remains of them comes from the story in Genesis.

Babylon in its day, was said to be magnificent in its gardens, in its architecture, in its literature, in its arts, and was the center of great wealth and beauty.

However, in short order, in those final days of history the magnificence and beauty of Babylon, as it will be representative of the world at large in those final days, is going to be thoroughly and totally and quickly destroyed, and so too along with it, all of the glories and magnificence of the world at large will be destroyed.

And just as Sodom and Gomorrah were totally removed, so too nothing of man’s evil world will survive the end of the world, and will not enter into or become a part of, God’s kingdom here on earth.

The universe was create perfect.  Satan and sin brought destruction.

The earth was restored to its perfect state, but Adam and Eve and sin brought destruction.

In those final days, all of the chaos and evil of the world will be removed and Gods kingdom will exist in a perfect state.

Isaiah 13:18

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18 Their bows [qesheth] also shall dash [ratash] the young men [na`ar] to pieces [ratash]; and they shall have no pity [racham] on the fruit [pariy] of the womb [beten]; their eye [`ayin] shall not spare [chuwc] children [ben]. KJV-Interlinear

18 And their bows will mow down the young men, They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their eye pity children.  NASB

Their bows, is a phrase that refers to the Persian and Mede archers.

According to Herodotus, a Greek historian of around 450 B.C., Persian youth were taught three things when they’re young, to ride, to draw the bow, and to speak the truth, (1. 136).

According to Xenophon, the Greek historian of around 400 B.C., Cyrus came to Babylon with a great number of archers, (Cyrop. ii. 1).

The combined Persian and Mede army was known for its tactics in the use of archers and cavalry. Archers were stationed in large groups that were several ranks deep. They were surrounded by shield bearers so as to protect them around their perimeter.

Their bows were bent in a reverse manner that gave them the ability to shoot their arrows much farther. It was said that Persian archers could shoot targets at a distance of 200 yards, or about 180 meters.

The Persians massed their archers in large groups so as to pin down their enemies and prevent them from movement. This in turn would allow their cavalry to ride around the enemy flanks and encircle them. The distance and the accuracy and the mass of arrows gave the Persians a phenomenal advantage in battle.

So, Isaiah, is drawing a comparison between the Medes of the time from our past historical perspective, but still future to Isaiah’s day, and the peoples of the east who will be involved in the final days of history, in the Tribulation.

The use of archers was for fighting at a distance. Today, artillery and missiles would be used for that sort of combat.

Isaiah uses the phrase dashed to pieces and that is a sort of result you would expect from masses of arrows descending down on their target. Likewise in our current day as volumes of artillery shells come raining down, the result would be similarly described as being dashed to pieces, or blown to bits, as we would say.

The phrase, no pity on the womb, and the phrase, not spare children, easily describes the results of masses of arrows raining down on an enemy village or position where women and children exist. Arrows and artillery shells can’t discern between their targets. They rain down and strike where they will, and anyone and anything within their killing range is destroyed with impunity.

And so Isaiah foresaw the devastation that would occur with the fall of Babylon, even though that empire did not exist as an empire until well after Isaiah’s time. And likewise, the Medes as a people to be reckoned with, would not occur for a still greater time still in the future.

In our present day a great deal is made in combat to target only enemy combatants, and to spare the general public.  We even have smart and accurate bombs that can target the nose of an enemy.

But as we see from this prophecy, that policy in sparing the general public, will not exist in the Tribulation.

The artillery and missiles and bombs of all sorts, even rifle fire, will not discern between those who are military and those who are civilian.  And, the policy of trying to differentiate between the two, will also fade into unimportance, as there will be no concern as to who is being targeted and who is being killed.

Isaiah 13:17

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17 Behold, I will stir up [`uwr] the Medes [Maday] against them, which shall not regard [chashab] silver [keceph]; and as for gold [zahab], they shall not delight [chaphets] in it. KJV-Interlinear

17 Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them, Who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold, NASB

In Isaiah’s day, the Medes were an unknown and insignificant and backward group of tribes that were scattered in the regions to the east known as Persia. Today that region is known to us as Iran, and to the east into India.

The historian Josephus, relates the Medes as descendants of Madai, who was the son of Japheth, Gen. 10:2.

When Sargon led the Assyrians against Samaria, many of the Samarians were deported into the cities of Persia, then known as the Medes, 2 Kings 17:6. And this was still a future event relative to the time of Isaiah.

Remember too, that we are still in the prophecy of the, end days, which will occur during the Tribulation, which to us is still a future era.

According to ancient historians, when Cyrus, the ruler of the Persians, invaded and defeated Babylon, his primary agenda was conquest and the extension of the boundaries of the Persian Empire, and not in the accumulation of wealth.

Typically in ancient times when armies invaded, one of their primary goals and agendas was to collect plunder and booty from their enemies. There is more than enough documentation in historical records that demonstrates that Cyrus as well as the soldiers of the Mede and Persian armies were not focused on gaining wealth, Herodotus (1. 181-183).

Xenophon makes Cyrus open a speech to his army, and, in particular, to the Medes, who made up the principal part of it, with praising them for their disregard of riches. 'Ye Medes and others who now hear me, I well know, that you have not accompanied me in this expedition with a view of acquiring wealth.' - ("Cyrop." v.)

Gobryas, an Assyrian governor, whose son the king of Babylon had slain, hospitably entertained him and his army, Cyrus appealed to the chiefs of the Medes and Hyrcanians, and to the noblest and most honorable of the Persians, whether, giving first what was due to the gods, and leaving to the rest of the army their portion, they would not overmatch his generosity by ceding to him their whole share of the first and plentiful booty which they had won from the land of Babylon. Loudly applauding the proposal, they immediately and unanimously consented; and one of them said, "Gobryas may have thought us poor, because we came not loaded with coins, and drink not out of golden cups; but by this he will know, that men can be generous even without gold." ' (Keith "On the Prophecies," p. 198, Ed. New York, 1833.)

And so it is interesting that Isaiah, many many years before these events were going to occur, records the gist of the attitude of not only the Persian leader, but also the Persian people, and more specifically the Medes.

Bent on conquest and not on the acquisition of plunder and wealth, the Medes and Persians when they invaded Babylon, did not cart off all of the wealth of the Babylonians.

So also in our future, in the Tribulation, the peoples of the East, which the region of Persia and Mede describe, which is a reference to present-day Iran and the regions to the east into and through India, will also be invading the Middle East.

And so during the Tribulation, Satan and his chosen leader the anti-christ, will have their agenda of destroying all Jews, and all Christians, so as to defeat Christ before he returns at the second advent.

But concurrently with that will be the agenda and objectives of the peoples of the world. Namely those regions described as Persia and areas to the east. Whose objectives will be the conquest of territory, not necessarily the destruction of populations, nor the acquisition of wealth.

So this gives us more insight as to the various attitudes and objectives that will exist in people during those final gruesome days of the Tribulation, especially when so much of the world has already been, and will still be, collapsing all around everyone.

Isaiah 13:16

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16 Their children [`owlel] also shall be dashed to pieces [ratash] before their eyes [`ayin]; their houses [bayith] shall be spoiled [shacac], and their wives ['ishshah] ravished [shakab] [shagal]. KJV-Interlinear

16 Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished. NASB

Most prophecies have many examples to look back to in history. Then there is the main event of the prophecy, the actual fulfillment of the intended prediction which is yet to come.

Jesus Christ is a God of mercy and love and compassion, but he is also a God of justice and righteousness and judgment.

The actions that are described here are not the actions of Christ, but are the actions of people who are engaged in this final evil war.

Throughout history, in ancient times and even in modern times, atrocities and horrors of all kinds have occurred.

When an invading army overwhelms a defenseless or weaker population, then that weaker population is at the mercy of the invaders.  These things occurred when Babylon fell, when Persia fell, when Greece fell, and so forth.

Often times in the heat of battle there is no law, no order, and atrocities occur at will.

Prior to and during this future and final Armageddon war, atrocities will have been commonplace throughout the entire duration of the seven-year tribulation era.

Recall our study in Revelation where nearly from the beginning of the Tribulation, and because restraint has been removed giving sin free reign, then crime and corruption and far worse will become commonplace. With the decline of economies, corruption in government, a starving population, natural disaster after disaster, and roving gangs, the entire fabric of society will have already disintegrated by the time of the last great battle.

And prior to and during that last great battle, the world will be full of warring factions and people that will be willing to do anything for themselves.

By the time of the Armageddon battle, all morals in society will have disintegrated, and evil as the world has never known before will be running rampant everywhere.

And as this verse describes murder and torture and theft and atrocities almost beyond imagination, will be ongoing until the actual arrival of Christ.

Isaiah 13:15

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15 Every one that is found [matsa'] shall be thrust through [daqar]; and every one that is joined [caphah] unto them shall fall [naphal] by the sword [chereb]. KJV-Interlinear

15 Anyone who is found will be thrust through, And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.  NASB

In those final days in history, which we call the Tribulation, there will be great destruction, great chaos, and death all around as a result of God’s just execution of justice.

The empires of old grew up over periods that took decades or even centuries, and then faded each in their turn in like manner.

Isaiah lived in the early 700s BC. The current empire in place was the Assyrian Empire. The Babylonian Empire would not come into its own until the mid-600s BC, and it would be replaced by the Persian Empire in the mid-500s BC, which in turn will be replaced by the Greek empire in the mid-300s BC, which in turn will be replaced by the Roman Empire in the mid-100s BC.

Each of these historical empires rose and fell over long periods of time.

The last great empire which will occur in the Tribulation, and is generally known as the revived Roman Empire, will fall very rapidly at the end of that seven-year period known as the Tribulation.

While the entire Tribulation will see a rapid deterioration of all of the worlds nations throughout that seven-year period, the end will come at the second advent Jesus Christ, and the end will not take decades or years or even months. The end of that empire will occur over the space of hours and minutes and seconds.

The anti-christ, who is Satan’s number one choice for ruling the world, will be the leader of history’s shortest lived empire.

We have already seen that at the second advent the evil armies and people of the world will turn and run in rapid retreat and terror and fear. They will scatter in all directions, they will hide anywhere they can. But there will be nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, and anyone who associates themselves with any of these retreating forces will be dealt with in the same manner as all of the evil forces are going to be handled.

No one will be captured as prisoners, no one will be allowed to get away. Jesus Christ, who is the God of this universe and the just ruler of all that is true, is and will destroy all evil without exception. In this last great battle there will be no survivors among the evil forces that have rallied to Satan’s will.

The age of evil will end, and not the tiniest bit will be allowed to enter into the kingdom of God.

Isaiah 13:14

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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.

Isaiah 13:13

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13 Therefore I will shake [ragaz] the heavens [shamayim], and the earth ['erets] shall remove [ra`ash] out of her place [maqowm], in the wrath [`ebrah] of the LORD [Yahovah] of hosts [tsaba'], and in the day [yowm] of his fierce [charown] anger ['aph]. KJV-Interlinear

13 Therefore I shall make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of hosts In the day of His burning anger.   NASB

Language of biblical destruction on an enormous scale.

Throughout history, there have been numerous disasters with volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, storms of all sorts, disease that has ravaged entire continents, wars that have resulted in phenomenal atrocities and so forth.

And in every one of these cases, the damage and destruction, even though severe, was eventually repaired and people recovered to continue their existence in history.

But we are in a passage that describes the end of the world and from that end, there will be no recovery as far as human effort is concerned.

The end of human rule marks the end of satanic influence and rule, and the beginning of Gods rule on this earth.  That change will last for one-thousand years which will prove beyond any doubt that Gods rule will be and is far superior to the rule of anyone or anything else.

But before all of this can happen, God will clean house, so to speak.

And here we have language of enormous destruction and change.

The heavens, plural, ‘shamayim,’ is a reference to the general sky, and can refer to the celestial bodies beyond our planet such as the moon, the sun, the stars and such, but here there is an emphasis on what people can see in their immediate presence.  In the daylight, which will occur immediately before and after the total blackout of all light, which we have already studied, then the night sky simply cannot be seen.  What people will see will be the sky and the land around them.

Not to say that some changes might occur in the outer space regions beyond, but those changes will not be apparent to people that are under judgment, severe judgment.

We know from our study in Revelation that the continents, the islands, the mountains, even the hills will all come crashing down and/or lost from view. This is a massive earthquake, volcano, and whatever else event that will occur in those final days and hours and even at the second advent when Chirst’s foot actually touches down on the ground.

People will still be alive, will still have their opportunity to repent (quickly) and believe in the Lord, but most if not all, will refuse, even in the face of all of this phenomenal devastation, which will transform the total appearance of the planet, rendering it totally different than what we are all used to knowing and seeing.

Jerusalem will be elevated, and all regions around about will be lower plains.

We know that people will be able to walk to Jerusalem from wherever they are, so the planet’s appearance and form will change.  Dramatic is a word that comes nowhere near describing this event.

Isaiah 13:12

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12 I will make a man ['enowsh] more precious [yaqar] than fine gold [paz]; even a man ['adam] than the golden wedge [kethem] of Ophir ['Owphiyr]. KJV-Interlinear

12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold, And mankind than the gold of Ophir.  NASB

First, Ophir was a place that was renowned for its exceptionally fine gold output.  It was said to be located in Southern Arabia, in Africa, or perhaps in the Far East perhaps in India.  But Arabia was the most common location expressed.

Ophir was the eleventh son of Joktan, Gen. 10:29, so the name had been around several thousands of years before Isaiah’s time.  And as time goes by, in some cases the stories gain greater and greater embellishment.

Solomon was said to have received gold from Ophir.  And it was said to take three years to go to Ophir, trade for the gold and then return in ships loaded with gold and other precious cargo.

In any case, in Isaiah’s time that gold was nothing more than a story. If you had gold from Ophir, then you had something that was very rare, and seen by virtually no one.

And so we have our verse.

When men become as rare as gold, more precious that fine, refined gold, then there are very few men left.

And that is the meaning of this verse.

Fine gold, ‘pazs,’ means refined pure gold that you can walk along and just pick up.  But we know that gold is not pure when found in the creek or in the ground, it has to be purified after it is found.  So finding fine gold is rare indeed.  It just does not happen.

So, the judgment will be so great, so thorough, that there will be no one remaining, except for believers who are rescued by Christ.

Now, to put this into perspective.

We are currently in the Church Age.  Our dispensation ends when the Rapture occurs, and then the Tribulation begins with a total span of only seven years.  Christ returns in His second Advent, at the end of the Tribulation, and this is when the greatest judgment in history will occur.

Today there are seven billion plus people on the earth.  If the Rapture does not occur for another hundred years then the earths population could easily be in the fifty billion range, give or take.

The Bible defines, per John, that the ‘end times’ is our dispensation, because we are the final dispensation prior to the Tribulation.  We have been in the end times for nearly 1,980 years now (2013 – 33 A.D.).  We assume that the Cross occurred in 33 A.D. and that Pentecost which started our dispensation with the filling of the Holy Spirit, fifty days later, was in that same year.

The ‘last days’ or ‘final days’ phrase applies to the seven year Tribulation period.

Anyway, we also know that the end of our dispensation will be marked by many historical trends such as rapidly increasing populations, knowledge, earthquakes and such, but the most important trend will be the ‘great apostasy,’ that both Jesus and Paul mentioned.

That means a reduction in saved people near the end of our dispensation, or certainly a dramatic reduction is interest in Christianity and doctrine.

So, if this is all true, and the Rapture does not occur for some time now, then whenever it does occur, those believers that are removed by the Rapture, may very well be few in number.  Still maybe in the millions or billions, but a smaller percentage of the total population in any case.

So, we are studying the value of man being greater than fine gold.

In the Tribulation we already know that per Revelation, over half of the population of the world will die in the first three-and-a-half years of that seven year period.  With a population of perhaps forty or fifty billion, that is a huge body count.

And in the last half of the Tribulation, nearly everyone else will die, most will probably die when the Second Advent occurs, during Armageddon.

That leaves only those who are rescued by Christ.  And this number could be perhaps hundreds or thousands.  We do not know the number but we do know that, that remnant will be small by comparison.

Thus man becomes a valuable commodity so to speak.  Where there once was tens of billions spread across the planet, now there will be fewer than the population of a single small village or town. 

And certainly no people of the evil category.  They will all be gone.

The picture is clear, the devastation and judgment at the Second Advent will be complete, really complete.

And what is more, most people will mock at this, ignore this, and pretty much disregard this information.  That is why the generations to come, however many that remain, will themselves be the cause of this final end of the world scenario.

Isaiah 13:11

Copyright Ó 2013 J. Neely

Isaiah 13:11ues

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11 And I will punish [paqad] the world [tebel] for their evil [ra`], and the wicked [rasha`] for their iniquity [`avon]; and I will cause the arrogancy [ga'own] of the proud [zed] to cease [shabath], and will lay low [shaphel] the haughtiness [ga`avah] of the terrible [`ariyts]. KJV-Interlinear

11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud, And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.  NASB

And here is the reason for the demise of Babylon.  It is evil and its inhabitants practice sin as a matter of their normal pattern of life, with little or no regard for their thoughts or actions.

But not only the region described as Babylon, but the entire world will be judged and destroyed.

Within this verse, the entire world is placed on notice.  Do evil, and your time will come.  And when it does come, the destruction will be total and thorough and complete such that no one will survive.

This applies to each individual who lives throughout history as they pursue evil during the course of their life, lest anyone tries to think they will get out of some sort of judgment prior to the end of the world, as well as the entire world when God finally decides to end human history where humanity rules the world under the guidelines of evil.

And so we have the final days of history, the end of the world prophecy, for humanity.

With lots of books and movies and jokes, even crazy people with signs, regardless of what you think or believe, there will come a time when God will put an end to evil, and when that day comes it will not be pretty, and those who are around to experience it will continue to disbelieve even in the face of their certain and final demise.

Isaiah 13:10

Copyright Ó 2013 J. Neely

Isaiah 13:10ues

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10 For the stars [kowkab] of heaven [shamayim] and the constellations [Kaciyl] thereof shall not give [halal] their light ['owr]: the sun [shemesh] shall be darkened [chashak] in his going forth [yatsa'], and the moon [yareach] shall not cause her light ['owr] to shine [nagahh]. KJV-Interlinear

10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises, And the moon will not shed its light.  NASB

The stars of heaven is simply the reference to the stars in the night sky. 

However the word for constellations, ‘kaciyl,’ is a reference to the orions, or to the various star constellations, but with a specific reference to Orion which can be seen by everyone all over the planet.

Orion was resented as the great hunter in Greek mythology, and in other cultures around the world was noted as a messenger to the gods, as the devourer of enemies and other similar attributes.

But, a form of the word, ‘kaciyl,’ also means fat or burly, stupid or silly or foolish, and thus comes to mean, to be stupid, or to be foolish, or to be fattened with foolishness.

The Hebrew word for Orion means fool, as in one who is foolish to oppose God.

And so here there are two connotations for this verse. First the actual light from the stars will be blocked out, and second, the attitude and beliefs of people or society in general in placing their trust in empty philosophies such as looking to the stars or to the constellations for guidance, will also disappear from view.

Whatever hope or resources that people have become accustomed to in various objects or beliefs, will vanish, because they are false in the first place, of no substance in the second place, and amount to phenomenal foolishness by a spiritually dysfunctional people, who lack truth.

When you lack truth, you are wide open to the foolish ideas of this world.

There are two events of supernatural darkness in history that are similar, both documented in Matt. 27:45 and Matt. 24:29.

The first total darkness occurred at the time of the Crucifixion when Christ was experiencing the actual judgment during those three hours on the Cross on that Passover afternoon from noon until 3 o’clock. 

The second event of total darkness will occur immediately prior to the Second Advent.  Where in all light from whatever source, will suddenly cease, and total darkness, a real total darkness in which there is no light, will occur for a period of time.

This will lead to the confusion and terror of that day.

The stars of course are able to generate their own light.  The sun is able to generate its own light, but the moon merely reflects light from the sun.

This is not symbolic but describes a very real event wherein the light from these sources will cease to be seen.  It does not mean that they will simply cease as stars or suns, but that the light emanating from them will not be seen.

On both the day side of the planet and the night side of the planet, all light will vanish. How this will occur is not explained.  One might think that the many violent activities with war, with fire and smoke, with exploding volcanoes and such will fill the sky with dust and smoke such that the light is blocked out.

However, when Christ does return and with all of the hosts of armies right behind Him, all will be seen with clarity and in all their glory. 

Shall not give their light, ‘halal,’ means to shine, to boast, to make a show, to rave, to be foolish.  And again this is a reference to the many worldly or earthly or celestial things that people have come to depend on, and are now instantly gone.

The implication here is not of heavy clouds, or smoke or some form of natural blockage of light, but of some supernatural means that will prevent the light from being seen on earth.

If people saw smoky skies, they would not notice the unusual darkness as they would attribute it to the natural events that are occurring.  If they saw an eclipse, then that too would be described as a natural event. 

But here the light ceases with no apparent explanation, thus causing extreme fear, because there is no explanation as to why the light suddenly stopped.