Introducing The Oracles
Isaiah 13:1
June 18, 2023
Tonight we begin a new and lengthy segment in Isaiah’s book.
It is the section which gives the most difficulty to the reader both in understanding it and in accepting it.
It is the segment which we might call “The Oracles”
You see it in verse 1, “The oracle concerning Babylon…”
(You’ll see it 10 times)
You are familiar with the word “oracle”.
It is a word that means “burden”
And we most recently looked at it in our study of the book of Malachi.
Malachi 1:1 “The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.”
Hopefully you remember that when we studied Malachi we talked about how “burdened” God was over the sin of the people.
They had sin that He was tired of carrying.
The people were burdensome to Him.
We read about how they had “wearied” God.
That is the word Isaiah uses here over and over as he addresses the nations surrounding Israel.
Only here the burden is not on God, it is on the backs of sinners.
These oracles are sermons in which Isaiah outlines the coming judgments which God will lay on the world.
All in all, he will refer to somewhere between 11 & 13 different nations depending on how you count them.
Some are current enemies of Israel.
Some are nagging enemies of Israel.
Some are future enemies of Israel.
Some are potential allies whom Israel was prone to trust in for salvation.
And God is pronouncing judgment on them all.
Namely so that we will see that the enemies of God’s people will perish, and no other nation should be considered a hope of salvation.
If we might try to understand Isaiah’s method here in modern terms.
Consider another world war.
What nations might you consider as the enemy who would afflict you?
What nations might you consider as the ally who would save you?
And then you learn that God will judge all of them, including your own nation for all have sinned and salvation is found in Him alone.
That is what you see coming here from Isaiah.
The entire segment runs from chapter 13 through 23 where God deals with surrounding nations like Babylon, Assyria, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Ethiopia, Egypt, Edom, Arabia, and Tyre.
And all of them have judgment pronounced upon them.
All of them are handed a burden from the LORD.
SOME OF THESE JUDGMENTS ARE CURRENT AND IMMEDIATE.
Some of what you read are judgments that were fulfilled in Isaiah’s day or shortly there after.
SOME OF THESE JUDGMENTS ARE PROPHETIC.
Some of the judgments which Isaiah describes have still not yet occurred on the earth and await the time of the great tribulation to find their fulfillment.
But what is unmistakable in every single oracle that Isaiah presents is that every time we are reading of God’s wrath poured out on sinners.
And that is a popular subject in Scripture.
One would even wonder how it has become so overlooked in the world today.
If you are confused as to whether or not God really is angry at sinners and whether or not He will actually judge them, then read this segment in Isaiah.
God will judge sin.
God will judge sinners.
And it will be terrible.
And while the world certainly needs to be informed of such a reality, the message of Isaiah is for the church.
Isaiah mentions all these foreign nations in his oracles, but you should know that those foreign nations never heard them.
These were not messages of warning preached to Babylon and Assyria and Edom so that they might repent and be saved.
These were messages of judgment preached to Israel regarding what God will do to a sinful world.
And look, some of it is hard to read.
(6-8) “Wail, for the day of the LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man’s heart will melt. They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.”
That’s a terrifying day.
(14-16) “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. Anyone who is found will be thrust through, And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword. Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.”
That is a terrifying and awful picture.
And Isaiah is going to talk about this stuff for 11 chapters!
WHY?
What is our benefit to studying 11 chapters of God’s judgment of the world?
Wouldn’t we be better served to study God’s grace?
Wouldn’t we be better served to study God’s love?
Wouldn’t we be better served to study God’s mercy?
What possible benefit is the church supposed to find in spending a couple of months pondering God’s judgment of sinners?
Well for one: HOPE
If you don’t know it now, hopefully you will learn it soon, that God is for His church.
God is on the side of His people, whom He has redeemed.
Yes, we are in a sinful world.
Yes, we suffer persecution at the hands of sinful man.
Paul said it (quoting Psalms 44)
Romans 8:36 “Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”
The world hates believers.
The world persecutes believers.
And the Bible promises that this will only continue to get worse.
But one of the things that we learn from a segment of Scripture like this is that those who afflict God’s church will not win.
Even in the middle of this oracle concerning Babylon
Isaiah 14:1-4 “When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the LORD as male servants and female servants; and they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors. And it will be in the day when the LORD gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say, “How the oppressor has ceased, And how fury has ceased!”
One of the realities of studying this section of judgment is to remember that God will not allow sinners to run free forever.
He will stop them and punish them for your sake.
Jesus said it:
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Paul promised:
Romans 16:20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
He told the Thessalonians who were heavily persecuted:
2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 “For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
Peter reminded us:
1 Peter 4:1-5 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”
You see the promises repeatedly in the Bible.
Even though God’s people currently suffer under the hands of evil men, they will not always.
God will one day pour out His wrath upon those who persecuted and afflicted His people.
In justice He will return punish those who persecuted you.
He will crush Satan under your feet.
He will repay with affliction those who afflict you.
He will cause those who malign you to give an account of their wickedness.
That is a message of hope to God’s people.
Isaiah is delivering that message.
As the children of Israel witness God pouring out His wrath on nations like Babylon or Assyria or Philistia; nations which did unspeakable evil to Israel.
God will deal with them and they will not afflict you forever.
That’s one reason the church should study such a segment.
In addition, we also learn that we don’t have to deal with them ourselves because God will.
Romans 12:19-21 “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord. “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
That is a great message to us as well.
Vengeance belongs to the Lord and we have hope because we know He is capable of carrying it out.
One of the benefits of the church studying such a section is that she can have hope as she sees God dealing justly with sinners.
Another reason is: FAITH
That studying God’s power to overthrow the enemy should inspire faith in you.
There is no need to turn to a worldly savior, God is your salvation.
As we study these oracles you will see Isaiah deal with the nations of Ethiopia and Egypt.
Isaiah brings these nations up because they were nations that Israel was prone to look to for salvation.
But they were false saviors and should not be trusted.
God reveals His judgment on them to show you that you should not trust them either.
And we learn that.
It would not be wise to trust in the US government or in another foreign nation for deliverance if they also abide under the wrath of God.
Instead God’s people should learn to trust God.
This segment will help you learn that.
Psalms 1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.”
We learn here to put faith in the salvation of God.
We also learn to put faith in the justice of God.
I know that you, like me, are grieved at the rapid spread of sin even in our pocket of the world.
Here we are in the month of June, which someone in our world has arrogantly labeled “Pride Month”
Look, even if we didn’t know what specific sin they were promoting, just having a month where pride is exalted would be bad enough.
For God is opposed to the proud.
But it gets even worse when we find out the focus of that pride.
That men are boasting and proudly displaying a sin which God has specifically called evil.
A sin which God has actually rained fire and judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah for.
As I contemplated pride month, I couldn’t help but think of the verse we already studied in Isaiah.
Isaiah 3:9-11 “The expression of their faces bears witness against them, And they display their sin like Sodom; They do not even conceal it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves. Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions. Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, For what he deserves will be done to him.”
Well this segment of oracles helps us see that God is not speaking idle threats when He says that.
He is not a God who threatens to “count to 3” and then get so 3 and does nothing.
When God promised to judge sin and to rescue us from this evil world He meant it.
This segment will increase your faith in the justice of God.
He will judge sinners.
He will redeem this world from the curse.
He will establish a kingdom where righteousness dwells.
Just read the segment.
But there’s still another benefit for the church to study this segment and that: WARNING
As you read these judgments which God will pour out upon sinners let Peter’s statement ring loudly in your ears.
1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
When God begins to pour out His wrath and to bring justice on the head of sinners make sure you understand that He doesn’t start in the pub, He starts in the pew. He starts in the pulpit.
We have been clearly told by Jesus that “from whom much is given, much is required.”
We have been warned by Him:
Luke 12:47-48 “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
When God begins to pour out His judgment on the earth He starts with those who know better.
Furthermore when God judges sinners, that includes hypocrites who are sinners in hiding.
The stained glass of the church won’t hide the sin of your heart.
When Jesus came the first time, it was the religious elite who bore the greatest expression of His wrath.
When Jesus came the first time, though His disciples expected Him to declare war and deliver Israel, He only declared war on one place and that was the temple.
Do we remember the parable of the wedding banquet?
Matthew 22:11-14 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.”
When God comes to judge sinners He will judge all sinners.
If we’ve learned anything from Isaiah it should be that you don’t want to stand in the presence of the Holy One if you are a man of unclean lips.
God knows the difference and when He pours out judgment He will start with the house that is called by His name.
The warning is clear: BE REAL
As you study this segment in Isaiah and learn of God’s wrath poured out you should also know that He already knows the condition of your heart.
You aren’t fooling Him in the least.
Don’t roll the dice on your soul.
As Peter said:
2 Peter 1:10 “Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;”
Paul said:
2 Corinthians 13:5 “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”
That is good advice to the church.
And this segment in Isaiah should motivate every one of us to do just that.
But even then it’s not just a “saved” or “not saved” situation.
Even those here who are truly redeemed and know that they have been saved should be inspired by what we read in this segment.
We should be inspired to avoid the things that bring God’s judgment.
Colossians 3:5-10 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him”
Paul clearly promotes righteous living among the body of Christ.
But pay special attention to how he calls for it.
He tells us to kill of any “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed”
WHY?
“For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience.”
Well here in Isaiah you’re going to see what the wrath of God falling on sinners looks like.
And when you see it, let Paul’s warning ring in your ear and determine to put away the things that have made God so angry.
It would be a foolish thing to witness God judging the world for their immorality and then to boldly go and participate in it as though He doesn’t care if you do it.
Listen to Paul again when he writes to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:17-19 “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.”
Paul clearly says that you and I should not walk like the world.
Don’t act like them.
If you keep reading chapter 4 he’ll talk about lying and stealing and gossip and slander.
And Paul says they only reason the world does those things is because they are ignorant of God and hard hearted.
You don’t want to be in their camp.
Instead, Paul encourages:
Ephesians 5:1-7 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them;”
Paul says you should imitate God and stay away from immorality or impurity or greed or coarse jesting because those people don’t go to heaven.
In fact he says again, “for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience”
There it is again.
Those behaviors invite God’s wrath.
Well is it such a bad thing to invite God’s wrath?
Well, study Isaiah 13-23 and you tell me.
I think you’ll find that you don’t want to do anything that invites the wrath of God into your life.
That is why Paul will go on to say:
Ephesians 5:11 “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;”
Ephesians 5:15-16 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”
Learn from the revealed judgment of God.
Take this segment as a warning.
Peter taught:
2 Peter 3:10-13 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”
There it is again.
“the day of the Lord” – and incidentally that is what we’ll be talking about. The day of God’s judgment on the earth.
Peter says that day is coming and it will be bad.
You’ll see that in Isaiah 13-23.
And since it will be bad, Peter asks you a question:
“what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct in godliness..?”
It’s a good question.
The point is that this segment, though difficult to deal with is extremely beneficial to the church.
It gives us hope that God will one day crush our enemies.
It strengthens our faith that God alone is our savior.
And it rightly warns us to put away sin and things which offend God.
And that means that this segment should also produce in the church repentance and a desire for atonement.
If you can study 11 chapters of God’s judgment of sinners and not be motivated to repent of your sin, the wrath of God will rightly fall upon you.
If you can study 11 chapter of God’s judgment of sinners and not be motivated to run to Christ for forgiveness and atonement, the wrath of God will rightly fall upon you.
That’s just the fact.
So this segment is extremely beneficial to the church even so far as the gospel is concerned for it drives men to Jesus that we might escape the wrath of God.
Romans 5:9 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
That’s another verse I’ll gladly cling to as I study God’s judgment poured out upon the earth.
That Jesus saves us from such wrath.
Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
That’s wonderful news that I’ll hold to while studying God’s just judgment of sinners.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”
As we study God’s revealed wrath on sinners could there be any more encouraging words that, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ”?
That is certainly an encouragement.
So you see how this segment not only warns us to put away sin, but it also drives us to Jesus.
I’m not saying it won’t be a difficult study, but if we approach it the right way it can be so beneficial to the church.
So we can eagerly study it.
Now I know that’s been a really lengthy introduction, but let’s sort of dip our toes in the water here on this first oracle tonight.
And we’ll do so because this one seems to come with much confusion among commentators.
We start here in verse 1 with:
“The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.”
Now let me tell you why this one causes trouble.
Namely because depending on the exact time when Isaiah wrote this oracle Babylon is still at least 50 years away from their rise to power and at least 75 years away from their siege of Jerusalem.
During Isaiah’s life, they aren’t really the problem.
They do get introduced.
We’ll get there later but you may remember how Hezekiah developed a sickness and God told him he was going to die.
But Hezekiah prayed to God and God extended his life by 15 years.
And after his recovery men from Chaldea (Babylon) came to congratulate him.
Hezekiah took them in and showed them all his storeroom.
Isaiah responded to this decision by saying:
Isaiah 39:5-8 “Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says the LORD. ‘And some of your sons who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD which you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “For there will be peace and truth in my days.”
And the point is that Babylon will certainly be a threat, but they aren’t today.
If you want to start a segment out revealing the day God judges your enemies, you probably (in Isaiah’s day) don’t start with Babylon.
Who do you start with?
Who is the bully of the day?
Assyria
Now, this has led some to believe that what you are reading in chapters 13 and 14 is actually about Assyria and not Babylon.
They will tell you that the reference to Babylon here is not a reference to Babylon the future world power, but rather a reference to Babylon the present day city.
They will tell you how the city of Babylon was under Assyrian control.
They will also tell you how the city of Babylon, with the help of the Medes, would rebel against Assyria and in 689BC Assyria would crush them.
And so the desire is to see this oracle as really an oracle against Assyria.
They will even tell you that the “king of Babylon” mentioned in chapter 14 is actually Sennacharib because the Assyrian kings referred to themselves by this title.
And, I’ll be honest, they might be right.
I studied for several days this week to try and come to a definitive understanding, and couldn’t.
I don’t think they are right, but they might be and I’m giving you that option.
The problem with that view in my simple mind is obvious. If Isaiah is talking about Assyria why doesn’t he say “Assyria”. And if he is talking about the king of Assyria why doesn’t he call him “the king of Assyria”.
Certainly Isaiah knows who they are.
It just seems to me that you have to do a lot of dancing to shift these 2 chapters from Babylon to Assyria.
Another view is that Isaiah is talking about the nation of Babylon who would in about 100 years come and destroy Jerusalem and lead God’s people into captivity.
Certainly God will judge that nation and He will use the Medes to do it as verse 17 seems to indicate.
But as I said, the problem here is that Isaiah would start with them since they aren’t really even a threat yet.
If you were trying to preach a sermon about God’s judgment on your enemies you would certainly have started with Assyria or at least Aram or Israel, but not Babylon.
It just feels out of place.
So I’m going to give you my take on why Babylon and why Isaiah starts here.
First, of all the nations Isaiah will mention in his oracles, he will mention Babylon twice. He comes back to them in chapter 21.
And that, incidentally, is a much more logical position to deal with them since their affliction is further down the road.
The reason, I think, you see Babylon twice is because this first time Isaiah speaks of Babylon in the symbolic sense.
Babylon is often used in Scripture as symbolic for the world in general.
Before Isaiah gets specific to talk about God’s judgments on specific nations, first we talk about God’s judgment on the world universally.
In fact, only this oracle references the popular phrase, “the day of the LORD”, and Isaiah references it twice (13:6, 13:9).
We’re talking in chapters 13 and 14 about when God judges the evil world system, the global Babylon.
Certainly the nation is seen as a reference point, and yes some historical accuracy is found here too, but the point is to God’s judgment of the sinful world.
I know we are out of time here, but let me just give you some points to chew on and we’ll come back to them next Sunday morning when we’ve got more time to deal with them.
False religion actually began in Babylon.
It was the tower of Babel where false religion began. (Genesis 11)
Babylon is figuratively seen in Scripture as the protector of worldly deception.
We’ve studied Zechariah 5 about how wickedness was preserved and carried to Shinar to be put on a pedestal. Shinar is Babylon.
What is more, Babylon is where false religion ultimately culminates.
If you read Revelation 17 you see the great harlot who called, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
Even in Revelation 18 you see that Babylon is the center for all worldly greed and fleshly lusts.
The point is that when you see “The oracle concerning Babylon” here in verse 1 understand that this is a judgment poured out on the world.
This is not just some historical event that took place at the hands of the Medes and the Persians.
What we’re going to read in Isaiah 13-14 is a promise of God of what is coming some day on the whole earth.
And let me close tonight with just a preview.
Isaiah 13:9-11 “Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. 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. 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.”
There is coming a day when God will wipe sinners off the planet.
“He will exterminate its sinners from it”
God will “punish the world for its evil”
This is not just some historical regional judgment.
This day is coming.
God will put His foot down once and for all.
The patience of God will be finished.
God’s wrath will break forth and sinners will be exterminated.
And to further reinforce my point:
Isaiah 14:26-27 “This is the plan devised against the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. “For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
So there’s our introduction, we’ll get more into it next Sunday.
