ISAIAH 10 - The spirit of Antichrist- The latter-day Assyrian
ISAIAH 10
The Latter-Day Assyrian – the spirit of Antichrist
September 3, 2013, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
This chapter is the 13th prophecy in Isaiah. The Assyrian mentioned in this chapter refers to the king of Assyria who was used as a rod of chastening on both houses of Israel in the days of Isaiah; and to the latter-day Assyrian, the antichrist, who will lead the nations at Armageddon.
Isa. 10: 5-6: “O Assyrian, the rod of my anger, and the staff in their hand is my indignation. I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.”
Isa. 10: 1-2 list six “Woes (grief) unto them”.
- Decreeing unrighteous decrees.
- Writing grievousness---making oppressive laws.
- Turning the needy aside from judgment.
- Taking away the rights of the poor.
- Preying on widows.
- Robbing the orphans.
10: 3-4: “What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which shall come from far? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory? Without me they shall bow down under the prisoners and they shall fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”
The day of visitation in this case was the coming judgments of God upon both Ephraim and Judah for their sins. Judgment came to Judah by Syria and Ephraim within a few years from Assyria. God will leave them and they shall bow low among the captives and fall down slain.
The Assyrian was charged by God to destroy Ephraim (now parts of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan) (vs. 6) and this was literally fulfilled in 2 Ki. 17. He was not charged to destroy Judah, though he presumed to do so because of being so successful in defeating many other nations; but God had promised to defend Judah and did so.
No nation should attack another nation unless they are charged by God to do so.
The Assyrian, God’s instrument of judgment shall in turn be judged. Because of her pride in the accomplishment of Israel’s defeat, she would be destroyed by the Lord.
10:7-11: “However he (the Assyrian) means not so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. For he says, ‘Are not my princes altogether kings’? Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus? My hand has found the kingdoms of the idols and whose grave images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria. Shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols? Do also to Jerusalem and her idols?”
The Lord prophesied through Isaiah that he gave the Assyrian a charge, but he is exalted and means to go beyond what God have charged him to do, so the Lord will destroy him. Note this is a prophecy that Damascus will be conquered.
10: 11-12: “It shall come to pass, that when the Lord has performed His whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, ‘I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria; and the glory of his high looks.”
Here are 8 boasts of the King of Assyria (Vs. 13-14):
- By my strength I have done it.
- By my wisdom I have been victor, for I am prudent.
- I have removed the boundaries of many people.
- I have robbed their treasuries.
- I have put down the inhabitants of many countries like a valiant man.
- My hand has found, as a nest, the riches of the people.
- I have gathered the riches of the earth like one would gather eggs left in the nest.
- No man dared lift up a wing, open his mouth or peep.
In verse 15, God pictures the Assyrian king as a mere tool used by Him to chasten Judah. Shall the ax, the saw, the staff or any tool exalt itself above the one who uses it?
In verses 16-19, there is a 6-fold destruction of the King of Assyria:
- The Lord shall send leanness to those who were made fat by his spoils (the ones made rich by the conquest and spoils of the King of Assyria).
- He shall kindle a fire of judgment under his glory.
- His thorns and briers shall be burned in one day.
- The glory of his army shall also be destroyed in one day.
- His mighty men shall be like a standard-bearer when he faints.
- The rest of the army shall be like the trees left after a forest fire---so few in number that a child may count them.
Under the glory of the Lord of Hosts, the light of Israel (Jesus) shall be for a fire and his Holy One a flame and shall consume the glory of his (the Assyrian) forest (army) and they (the mighty men of his army) shall faint as when a standard-bearer faints. The remainder of the army shall be so few that a child can count them.
The Angel of the Lord smote 185,000 of the Assyrian army in one night and few were left.
2 Kings 19:35: “It came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians 185,000; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
All this happens as prophesied here and then recorded in Isa. 37: 36-38.
The verses through the end of the chapter prophecy of the future Assyrian, the Antichrist.
10:2021: “It shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall not more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the Mighty God.”
(The house of Jacob refers to Christians and the redeemed of the Jewish nation. See teaching on website, “The Blessings of the House of Jacob”, by: Carolyn Sissom, 1/4/92, the Year of Our Lord. - page 6 on Sermon notes.)
This is another blessing of the house of Jacob that we shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. It is the Holy Spirit of truth (the anointing) that will keep us in that day.
“In that day” here is referring to the time of the final fulfillment of the prophecy in the day of the Lord, when the latter-day Assyrian king, (one with the spirit of anti-Christ), will seek to destroy all Judah and Jerusalem, but will be defeated and destroyed by Christ.
10:27: “”It shall come to pass in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off your shoulder, his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.”
“In that day”---the day of the Lord, the yoke and burden Antichrist will have on Israel and Christians will be broken and destroyed because of the anointing. Jesus Christ is here spoken of as the anointing. The Holy Spirit indwelling the church are God’s anointed. The anointing of the church in concert with Jesus Christ and the Hosts of Heaven will destroy the yoke of the Latter-Day Assyrian (all that is opposed to Christ and leader or leaders).
The phrase “in that day”, as we have had dramatically brought to our attention, generally refers to the day of the Lord through visitation and intervention into the affairs of mankind. However, it is clear here that it refers to a latter-day fulfillment for certain predictions in verses 20-34 were not fulfilled in Isaiah’s time and are still unfulfilled.
The anointing (the Messiah) will break the Assyrian’s yoke. This has never been done as yet.
10:22-23: “For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts shall make consumption, even determined in the midst of the land.”
Consumption here means to end; to cease; finish; perish; consume; destroy; accomplish; fail; failing. The consumption decreed seems to refer to the end of the age and finish of God’s dealings with Israel in sin; their rebellion; and the end of all things that bring to completion the times of the Gentiles. Through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, Israel will be restored in eternal and overflowing righteousness. This can only be through accepting the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus Christ. The Savior is revealed in chapter 11.
10: 24-26: “Therefore says the Lord God of hosts, ‘O my people that dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite you with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against you, after the manner of Egypt. For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and my anger in their destruction. The Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Orb; and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.’”
“The manner of Egypt” refers to the time of Moses when Egypt sought to destroy the nation. The Assyrian king of the latter days will attempt to destroy Israel in the same way. The tribulation of those days will be very short in duration. The Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge. Just as God supernaturally parted the waters of the Red Sea to preserve Israel and destroyed Pharaoh in the midst of the sea, so He will supernaturally destroy the Latte-day Assyrian and his armies.
10: 28-30: The Assyrian king of the latter days will pass through all these places described in verses 28-30. (Vs. 32) “Yet shall he remain at Nob that day; he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.”
Nob is a high place a few miles north of Jerusalem known as the city of priests. It seems this will be the headquarters of antichrist while he is seeking to take Jerusalem from the Jews.
10:33-34: “Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror; and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one.”
I noted that the Lord will use “terror” against the Latter Day Assyrian. In the 21st century, the Islamic Jihadists have an army of terrorist. The Lord will fight terror with terror.
The armies of the Latter Day Assyrian are pictured as “thickets of the forest” because of there being so many with him from the nations under the Antichrist.
There are 5 classes in the Army of Antichrist 10:33:
- The bough --- the Assyrian or antichrist himself as leader of the army. The Lord shall lop the Antichrist with terror.
- The high ones ---Used only one other time in Isaiah and then of the angelic forces. So, we can conclude the high ones here are demonic powers, principalities, and their demonic armies.
- The haughty---The exalted leaders of mankind under antichrist.
- The thickets of the forest, the common soldiers.
The metaphor of Lebanon here means the high cedars (leaders) of Lebanon who shall fall, and refers to the great ones under antichrist who shall be defeated by a Mighty One. Who He is, is not stated, but no doubt the reference is to Jesus Christ because of the continued use of trees as metaphors to describe men.
Isaiah uses the metaphors of “trees left after a forest fire”, “bough”, thickets of the forest, i.e. trees to describe the Antichrist and his army. Chapter 11 continues with the same metaphor describing Jesus as a Branch (tender twig) which shall grow out of the stem of Jesse. Isaiah sees the latter-day spirit of anti-christ, but he is also shown the glory of the power and ministry of the Lord who will totally destroy all demonic powers and principalities who are enemies of the Kingdom of God.
The Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of our Lord.
I know whose army I am in. Lord help me to walk circumspect with you each day of my life. These are serious days and a time to make a decision of which army we are in. I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back. There is no defeat in Jesus.
Carolyn Sissom Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. – I entered into the labors of Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible. Comments and conclusions are my own.
See – Sermon Notes – The Blessings of the House of Jacob – Pastor Carolyn Sissom --www.eastgateministries.com