Isaiah 13:11, 15-16, 18 NLT
“I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty.
Anyone who is captured will be cut down— run through with a sword. Their little children will be dashed to death before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked, and their wives will be raped.
The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for children.”
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You are not going to like this one bit! But it's true and is serious. The Day of the Lord is coming. It is a terrible day. The Day of the Lord is a day of judgement. It is a day of handing out sentences. You need to think from the viewpoint of the victim. You need to feel the injustice of the oppressed, the pain of the wronged.
Now you must accept that God is the victim. But also, God is judge. Far, far worse than some supposed innocent child being violently harmed is the gross injustice of mocking the kindness of God. You really must understand that God has every right to get back at humankind for the terrible atrocities they've committed against God's holy name. The rapist or the paedophile is really no worse than a joking fibber in comparison. Crimes against humanity, such as genocide, sound heinous to our ear. In reality, crimes against God are the most abominable. So then you may have some insight when you read the verse below and hear God take credit for the atrocities you've read about above.
Now you must accept that God is the victim. But also, God is judge. Far, far worse than some supposed innocent child being violently harmed is the gross injustice of mocking the kindness of God. You really must understand that God has every right to get back at humankind for the terrible atrocities they've committed against God's holy name. The rapist or the paedophile is really no worse than a joking fibber in comparison. Crimes against humanity, such as genocide, sound heinous to our ear. In reality, crimes against God are the most abominable. So then you may have some insight when you read the verse below and hear God take credit for the atrocities you've read about above.
Isaiah 13:3 NLT
I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.”
I don't think you'll like what I am about to suggest. But could it be that in the terrible Day of the Lord, people like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Osama Bin Laden and Sadam Hussain are claimed by God as his instruments of judgment on sin?
Recently a friend of mine was taking with her neighbour about believing in God. My friend's neighbour said they could not believe in God because of the problems of evil and suffering in the world. My friend said that only leaves you with the world and the problem without God. It seems that you are worse off. Surely we are not better off in our world of suffering and evil alone and with only ourselves to blame and only ourselves for help.
Consider for a moment there is a God. Now consider that offences against Him are really the most terrible injustice ever committed. Doesn't he have every right to get revenge? He will.
You may not like it but the only alternatives are that we act like there is no God or you are God. But no matter what we act like or think, the facts remain. There is a God, and he says here that he is going to judge sinners. And he says it will be terrible.
You may not like it but the only alternatives are that we act like there is no God or you are God. But no matter what we act like or think, the facts remain. There is a God, and he says here that he is going to judge sinners. And he says it will be terrible.
Are you ready? Do you feel sorry for God the victim? You should! You really want to be on his side.
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Isaiah 13:1-22 NLT
Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon: “Raise a signal flag on a bare hilltop. Call up an army against Babylon. Wave your hand to encourage them as they march into the palaces of the high and mighty. I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.” Hear the noise on the mountains! Listen, as the vast armies march! It is the noise and shouting of many nations. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has called this army together. They come from distant countries, from beyond the farthest horizons. They are the Lord’s weapons to carry out his anger. With them he will destroy the whole land. Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived— the time for the Almighty to destroy. Every arm is paralyzed with fear. Every heart melts, and people are terrified. Pangs of anguish grip them, like those of a woman in labor. They look helplessly at one another, their faces aflame with fear. For see, the day of the Lord is coming— the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be made desolate, and all the sinners destroyed with it. The heavens will be black above them; the stars will give no light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will provide no light. “I, the Lord , will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty. I will make people scarcer than gold— more rare than the fine gold of Ophir. For I will shake the heavens. The earth will move from its place when the Lord of Heaven’s Armies displays his wrath in the day of his fierce anger.” Everyone in Babylon will run about like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd. They will try to find their own people and flee to their own land. Anyone who is captured will be cut down— run through with a sword. Their little children will be dashed to death before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked, and their wives will be raped. “Look, I will stir up the Medes against Babylon. They cannot be tempted by silver or bribed with gold. The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for children.” Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean pride, will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them. Babylon will never be inhabited again. It will remain empty for generation after generation. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not bed down their sheep. Desert animals will move into the ruined city, and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Owls will live among the ruins, and wild goats will go there to dance. Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces. Babylon’s days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive.
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