Isaiah’s prophetic predictions were near and far reaching in their fulfillment, even to the end of history. In these two chapters he tells the future concerning the doom of the Babylonia empire, the end of people of Edom as a race and the future of the Arabs. He also tells of Jerusalem’s fall. Finally he addressed the chief servant in King Hezekiah’s court, Shebna by name, his pride, his demotion and his fate. All this as though looking through a telescope into the future.

Isaiah continues prophesying about the future, even into the Kingdom Age of Christ. He does this by singling out nations involved with Judah in his day. This time it is Ethiopia, Egypt, Assyria (modern-day Iraq) and Philistia (no longer a people). It is Ethiopia, Egypt, and Iraq, that are most remarkable here. While Isaiah is telling that element in Judah who want an alliance with Ethiopia and Egypt to thwart the Assyrian aggression, God does not want it, and will instead judge them also. But Isaiah says, “in that day,” the day of Messiah’s reign on earth – the Millennial Age, these who were once enemies, will come to Jerusalem to worship Christ together.

 

God had things to say to the surrounding nations of Israel in Isaiah’s day. First up was Moab, the people of King David’s great grandmother, Ruth. The arrogance of the Moabite people became intolerable to God and Isaiah announces that in three years they would be judged. However, the territory were Moab was, which is in modern day Jordan’s kingdom, will be a place of refuge for Jews fleeing the genocide pogrom of Antichrist. Finally, the fate and doom of Damascus and the Northern kingdom of Israel are announced.

 

In Isaiah’s lifetime ancient Babylon was not the world power it would come to be in the days of the prophet Jeremiah, a hundred years later. This makes Isaiah’s prophecies about Babylon even more remarkable. In this chapter he prophesies and allegorizes the death of Babylon’s last king, King Belshazzar. Within these prophecies of Belshazzar’s death are parallel revelations about Lucifer, that arch angel who came to be known as that dragon of old, the Devil, and Satan. By verse twelve Isaiah intensifies his revelations about Lucifer, making it obvious to most that no mortal can fit the descriptions; it all corresponds to Ezekiel 28.