ISAIAH - Chapter 14 - A Song of Triumph
While teaching this, the Holy Spirit fell in the sanctuary and gave a powerful witness to Isa. 14: 21-32. In August 2000, I received the Word of the Lord as a prophetic burden concerning Isa. 14: 28-32. At which time the Lord told me to "write it down and put it in a book. I am presently studying, pondering and praying over that word before completing the study of this chapter.
ISAIAH – Chapter 14
A Song of Triumph
Tuesday Morning Bible Study
October 22, 2013, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Isaiah 14: 24: “The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and I have purposed, so shall it stand.”
This chapter is a prophetic song of triumph over the enemies of not only Israel but also of Christians who together through the Blood of Jesus comprise the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.
Isa. 14: 1-3: “The Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cling to the house of Jacob. The people shall take them, and bring them to their place. The House of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids. They shall take them captives, whose captives they were. They shall rule over their oppressors. It shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear, and from the hard bondage wherein you were made to serve.”
This chapter is described literally as a “song”, “pictorial taunt”, a “parody of a lament”. The song moves in five distinct strophes:
In the first (14: 4-8), the overthrow of Babylon brings deliverance to the whole earth. The golden city whether literal Babylon or Mystery Babylon has been the seat of widespread oppression. By the action of Jehovah, it is destroyed. Without a doubt, we can throw the debacle of the Obama health-care system into the mix of that oppression.
In the second (14: 9-11), the consternation of the departed spirits of Sheol at the fall of Babylon is described. All the great dead one are astonished that at last even Babylon has become weak.
In the third (14: 12-15), the sin which had culminated in such destruction is revealed. The sin was that rebellion against God, the ambition which attempted to thwart God’s purposes and contest with God the right of empire.
In the fourth (14: 16-19) describes the completeness of Babylon’s destruction. While other kings sleep in glory, the king of Babylon is to be flung out unburied as utterly evil.
In the fifth strophe (14: 2-21), Isaiah prophesies of the utter extermination of Babylon, even to its name and remnant.
The prophecy ends with a summary of the sentence which affirms the act of Jehovah and the consequent doom of Babylon.
In a deeply sarcastic vein, the prophet pretends to feel sorrow for the dead king, and to treat seriously the claims to divine status.
14: 4-9: “You shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, how has the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers. He who smote the people in anger with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and no one hinders. The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing. Yes, the fir trees rejoice at you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,’ Since you are laid down, no feller (tree cutter) come up against us. Hell from beneath is moved for you to meet you at your coming; it stir up the dead for you, even all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.’”
It is note worthy that this past week a “tree cutter” cut down the beautiful, giant oak which has been a land mark on the LH7 ranch. The tree was probably several hundred years old and a living thing of beauty. All of creation praises the Lord continuously. It is surely a sin for the “tree-cutter” who ordered that tree to be cut down.
Even the fir trees and the cedars of Lebanon join with the oppressed inhabitants of the earth in rejoicing at the fall of the king of Babylon which is the spirit of the anti-christ in any ruler who is in opposition to Christ and His Kingdom.
As one would expect, these verses and the following verses concerning Lucifer are highly controversial scriptures. I have chosen for this study to teach from the obvious interpretation that Lucifer is Satan unless the Holy Spirit reveals to me otherwise. Some of you may not agree, but my approach to the Holy Bible is simple. I am a simple person.
It is my simple conclusion that Isaiah is prophesying both of a human king or kings of Babylon who are made the subject of a double reference with Lucifer (Satan, the spirit of Anti-Christ and/or the Anti-Christ personified in a man). A man is the subject of verses 9-11, but a fallen angel is referred to in verses 12-15.
Before going deeper into this, first let us address verse 9. I have chosen to enter into the conclusions drawn by Finis J. Dake for this verse only.
The word for Hell here is Sheol. This is not the grave, but the unseen world of departed spirits. October is the month when our children are encouraged to dress up like demons and play as demonic beings. This is not a game to be trifled with. Fall floral decorations are lovely, but Halloween decorations attract demonic spirits.
The Greek Hades is equivalent to Sheol of the Old Testament and is always in contrast with the seen world, or place of bodies at death. "Mnemeion", means the grave and is never translated as hell. Hades is translated as hell ten times in the New Testament and grave one time.
This is a study unto itself. I don’t like to spend a lot of time teaching on the devil. I like to preach and teach on Jesus, His Kingdom and His Glory.
However, according to the word of God, those in Sheol have consciousness. Verses 9 Those in Sheol are moved to meet others as they arrive. The dead and the chief ones are stirred up to meet new comers. Sheol has raised up all the kings of the nations from their thrones and received them at death.
Isa. 14: 10: “They shall speak and say unto you, Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us?
Conversations are carried on in Sheol (Luke 16: 19-31).
Sheol makes even the most mighty of earth weak and helpless.
Isa. 14:11: “Your pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of your viols (lutes); the worm is spread under you, and the worms cover you.”
Viols are stringed instruments of the Renaissance and baroque period. Pomp, pride and godless music are brought to nothing in Sheol.
Worms make the bed and cover of those in Sheol. Worms are spoken of in a figurative sense here of the never-dying consciousness of men in hell.
I didn’t write these verses. I am just the messenger.
Isa. 14: 12-15: “How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations! For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”
It is my persuasion that this passage is descriptive of Satan. From my viewpoint, Satan, the ruler of this world system (Eph. 2:2), is the organizer of the world’s confusion and cause of the distress and perplexity of nations (Lk. 21: 25-28). I conclude that verses 12-15 describe the fall of Satan from his attempt to exalt himself to equality with God, and the spirit which dominates and energizes ungodly world rulers, namely, satan-inspired lust for power; coupled with a desire for the homage of men due only to God.
One of the alternate doctrines to this view is the king represents the carnal mind, or the Adam nature.
Personally because I am a simple person, I don’t see that as a contradiction. Satan lives loves and has his being in the carnal mind of man. He can only eat dust.
The five “I will’s” here are the five faces of the wild ass (Ishmael) nature of the carnal mind and of Satan’s agenda:
- I will ascend in to heaven (Climb higher, socially or religiously).
- I will exalt my throne above the stars of God (Desire to compete).
- I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation (Mt. Zion) - (to be recognized and seen by men—to get attention).
- I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.
- I will be like the Most High---to be recognized as God (I am God; I am right all the time; My word is greater than His”) (Lk. 22:42; Jn. 5:30).
Isaiah 16: 16-19: “They that see you shall narrowly look upon you, and consider you, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But you are cast out of your grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.”
Obviously a human man does not have this kind of power. This is a supernatural demonic empowerment. Whether it is the anti-christ who will be embodied in a man, or anti-christ kings through the ages, they will be humiliated and judged by God. He will not be buried and sleep in honor in his own tomb. He will not be buried in a grave, but will be cast out like the common dead. Without a doubt, this will be the demise of the future man in whom Satan will embody, the Anti-Christ. However, this same judgment is the lot and portion of every evil and wicked King.
There are three things the evil King is compared to:
- An abominable branch (a scion that is despised).
- Raiment of those that have been thrust through with a sword, and that are defiled and cast away. he shall not have the honor of a common burial.
- A carcass trodden under feet and not fit for burial because of sin.
Just as there were five operations of Satan in verses 16-17, there are five separate pronouncements of judgment upon him in verse 19.
Isaiah 16:20: “You shall not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, and slain your people; the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.”
The posterity of the wicked is not to be celebrated and honored.
Isaiah 14: 21-23: “Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them, says the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon, the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, says the Lord of Hosts. I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, says the Lord of hosts.”
When I read the above scripture today at Bible Study, the Holy Spirit anointing fell upon me and the Word of God became a prophetic word under the unction of the Holy Spirit. I was unable to go forward with the teaching on this scripture or the closing verses of 14: 25-27. Due to this, the below section in parenthesis was not taught today. The anointing fell upon the preaching of the Word. Again, I did not preach this word, the Word of God preached me.
(This is a 10-fold desolation of Babylon whether literal or Mystery Babylon.
Bittern is a bird with solitary habits that frequents ruins and other desolate places. It has long legs and neck and stalks among the reeds feeding on fish. It has a deep, hoarse cry.
Besom – Heb. “matate” means a broom. Here it means that God will utterly destroy Babylon like sweeping with a broom.)
Isa. 14: 24: “The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed so shall it stand.”
The thoughts and purposes of God cannot be thwarted by any power in Heaven and earth. Even the thoughts of God are sovereign.
Isa. 14: 25-27: “I will break the Assyrian in my land and upon my mountains tread him under foot; then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth; and this the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts has purposed and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
(There have been multiple Assyrian kings with formidable armies come into the land of Judah, but there God broke every one of them. The breaking of the power of the Assyrian would be the breaking of the yoke from off the neck of god’s people This prophecy is here ratified and confirmed by an oath. The Lord of hosts has sworn. It is still true and will eve be so. God will be an enemy to his people’s enemies. All the powers on earth are defied to change God’s plan. Assurance is likewise given of the destruction of the Philistines and their power.)
Isa. 14: 28-32: “In the year that king Ahaz died was this burden. ‘Rejoice not you, whole Palestina, because the rod of Him that smote you is broken; for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and its fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. The firstborn of the poor shall feed, a and the needy shall lie down in safety; and I will kill your root with famine, and he shall slay your remnant. How, O gate cry, O city; you, whole Palestina, are dissolved; for there shall come from the north a smoke, and none shall be alone in its appointed times. What shall one then answer the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion, and the poor of His people shall trust in it.’”
(The Philistines had been defeated by Uzziah over 30 years before, so during the time of weakness and defeat of Ahaz by Syrian and Ephraim, they made war on Judah, and helped bring her low. (2 Chr. 28: 16-21).
Ahaz was pro-Assyrian in his policies, but his predecessor, Hezekiah was not.
The rod that smote Philistia was Uzziah, the grandfather of Ahaz. During the more than 30 years since their defeat Philistia had been seeking vengeance. Now they were rejoicing over the death of all these kings of Judah who had caused them trouble. They considered them serpents; but the prophet warned them that out of the serpent’s root should come forth a cockatrice that would punish them still further and destroy their nation.
Soon after the death of Ahaz, the Philistines sent an envoy to try to enlist Judah’s support in a confederacy against the Assyrians. The prophet warns that future Assyrian kings and armies---described in a kaleidoscopic series of images---will be even harsher in their treatment of Philistia.)
The implication is that Judah must avoid any involvement in the Philistine politics. Once again we find Isaiah counseling faith in God and warning of political alliances. The King of Babylon shall be totally cut off, and his seed.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V.