Introduction:

This week's Sabbath School Lessons deals with the prophetic events that will occur ahead of us. We have studied the previous lessons which also deals with the prophecies that has significant import to the last day events. Let's conscientiously study and pray for God's Spirit to guide us in understanding the relevant revelation in the lessons we're studying.

Inspiration says, "We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession Every element of power is about to be set to work. Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God's people on every side. Intensity is taking hold of the human family. It is permeating everything upon the earth." -- {GH, May 14, 1902 par. 5} Testimonies to Ministers, p. 116.

Let's follow the following topics of consideration:

A. Doom of the Nation: Isaiah 13-23

B. The Fate of Babylon is foretold: Isaiah 13

C. The Star that Wanted to Become God: Isaiah 14:12-14

D. The End of Babylon: Isaiah 14:15-23

E. Final Triumph: Isaiah 24-27

This Lesson was not taught as an history perse but as a prophecy foretold for our preparation and assurance as well.

See it, as it is fulfilling in our very own eyes! Seek the Lord! while, He may be found and be ready to share in the Sabbath School Class.

Memory Verse:

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. {Isaiah 25:9}

Prayer Thought:

“The prophecies which the great I AM has given in His word, uniting link after link in the chain of events, from eternity in the past to eternity in the future, tell us where we are today in the procession of the ages and what may be expected in the time to come. All that prophecy has foretold as coming to pass, until the present time, has been traced on the pages of history, and we may be assured that all which is yet to come will be fulfilled in its order.” {PK 536.3}

"That which God purposed to do for the world through Israel, the chosen nation, He will finally accomplish through His church on earth today. He has "let out His vineyard unto other husbandmen," even to His covenant-keeping people, who faithfully "render Him the fruits in their seasons." Never has the Lord been without true representatives on this earth who have made His interests their own. These witnesses for God are NUMBERED among the spiritual Israel, and to them will be fulfilled all the covenant promises made by Jehovah to His ancient people. {PK 713.1}

Herewith is the prophetic declaration by God's prophet concerning the NUMBERED company form the SPIRITUAL ISRAEL - The Seventh-Day Adventist - the Israel of TODAY - {9T 164}

Please click this link for that specific study:
1. https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/2-the-144000?authuser=0

2. https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/1-the-eleventh-hour-call?authuser=0

A. Doom of the Nation: Isaiah 13-23

“This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.” (Isaiah 14:26)

1. Doom of Jewish Nation

Christ would have averted the doom of the Jewish nation if the people had received Him. But envy and jealousy made them implacable. They determined that they would not receive Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. They rejected the Light of the world, and henceforth their lives were surrounded with darkness as the darkness of midnight. The doom foretold came upon the Jewish nation. Their own fierce passions, uncontrolled, wrought their ruin. In their blind rage they destroyed one another. Their rebellious, stubborn pride brought upon them the wrath of their Roman conquerors. Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple laid in ruins, and its site plowed like a field. The children of Judah perished by the most horrible forms of death. Millions were sold to serve as bondmen in heathen lands. {PK 712.3}

Note the following:

God condemned the nations that were [or would be] in contact with His people:

— Babylon (Is. 13:1-14:23; 21:1-17); Assyria (Is. 14:24-27); Philistia (Is. 14:28-32); Moab (Is. 15:1-6:14); Syria (Is. 17:1-14); Ethiopia (Is. 18:1-7); Egypt (Is. 19:1-20:6); Jerusalem (Is. 22:1-25); Tyre (Is. 23:1-18).

• Some of them got a hopeful message that punishment would be alleviated (Is. 19:16-25). Others would suffer all the consequences of their acts.

2. Babylon (Is. 13:1-14:23; 21:1-17)

The Fall of Babylon denotes the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire after it was conquered by the Achaemenid Empire in 539 BCE.

Nabonidus (Nabû-na'id, 556–539 BCE), son of the Assyrian priestess Adda-Guppi,^[1] came to the throne in 556 BCE, after overthrowing the young king Labashi-Marduk. For long periods he entrusted rule to his son, prince and coregent Belshazzar, who was a capable soldier, but a poor politician. All of this left him somewhat unpopular with many of his subjects, particularly the priesthood and the military class.^[2] To the east, the Achaemenid Empire had been growing in strength. In 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great invaded Babylonia, turning it into a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. Cyrus then claimed to be the legitimate successor of the ancient Babylonian kings and became popular in Babylon itself, in contrast to Nabonidus.

3. Assyria (Isa. 14:24-27)

The fall of Nineveh led to the destruction of the Neo-Assyrian Empire over the next three years as the dominant state in the Ancient Near East. The Battle of Nineveh is conventionally dated between 613 and 611 BC, with 612 BC being the most supported date. ..

The Neo-Assyrian Empire emerged in the 10th century BC and peaked in the 8th and 7th centuries BC, succeeding the Middle Assyrian Empire (1366–1074 BC) as the largest empire the world had yet seen. By the reign of Ashurbanipal, it controlled or held in vassalage most of the nations and city-states from the Caucasus Mountains (modern Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan) in the north to Egypt, Arabia and Nubia in the south, and central Iran/Persia in the east to Cyprus and the Hellenic and Phoenician Mediterranean coasts of Anatolia and the Levant in the west.

However, after the death of King Ashurbanipal in 627 BC, the once mighty empire was becoming increasingly volatile, with Assyria proper erupting into a series of internal civil wars. This led many of the subject states, many of which had their own political dynasties, to become restive, whereas neighboring states and groups, such as the Medes, Persians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Scythians, Cimmerians became increasingly hostile under the Assyrian hegemony.

4. Philistia (Isa. 14:28-32)

The Philistines disappear from written history during the 6th century B.C. when the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (reign ca. 605 BC – c. 562 BC) conquered the region and destroyed several cities, including Ashkelon .

In the Book of Genesis, the Philistines are said to descend from the Casluhites, an Egyptian people.^[18] However, according to rabbinic sources, these Philistines were different from those described in the Deuteronomistic history.^[19] Deuteronomist sources describe the "Five Lords of the Philistines"^[e] as based in five city-states of the southwestern Levant: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, from Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north. This description portrays them at one period of time as among the Kingdom of Israel's most dangerous enemies.^[15] In contrast, the Septuagint uses the term allophuloi (Greek: ἀλλόφυλοι) instead of "Philistines," which means simply 'other nations'.

• The Battle of Shephelah (2 Chronicles 28:18).

• Israelites defeated at the Battle of Aphek, Philistines capture the Ark (1 Samuel 4:1–10).

• Philistines defeated at the Battle of Eben-Ezer (1 Samuel 7:3–14).

• Some Philistine military success must have taken place subsequently, allowing the Philistines to subject the Israelites to a localised disarmament regime (1 Samuel 13:19–21 states that no Israelite blacksmiths were permitted and they had to go to the Philistines to sharpen their agricultural implements).

• Battle of Michmash, Philistines routed by Jonathan and his men (1 Samuel 14).

• Near the Valley of Elah, David defeats Goliath in single combat (1 Samuel 17).

• The Philistines defeat Israelites on Mount Gilboa, killing King Saul and his three sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malkishua (1 Samuel 31).

• Hezekiah defeats the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory (2 Kings 18:5–8).

5. Moab (Isa. 15:1-6:14)

Moab had become a tributary of Assyria by the late 8th century bc and was conquered by the Babylonians in 582 BC, upon which the Moabites disappeared from history. Their territory was resettled by the Nabataeans in the 4th–3rd century BC.

6. Syria (Isa. 17:1-14)

Overall, about a third of homes in Syria were thought to have been damaged or destroyed by 2017. In 2018, the UN estimated the cost of material destruction in Syria at $120 billion. By 2019, 12 million people – half Syria's pre-war population – were displaced.

7. Ethiopia (Isa. 18:1-7)

Forests in Ethiopia play a big role in protecting erosion, as tree roots protect against washouts. Trees also help to keep water in the soil and reduce global warming by uptake of carbon dioxide. Because there are not enough trees, the Blue Nile is carrying all the soil and nutrients in the water to the neighboring countries of Sudan and Egypt. Earth trends estimated that in 2000 Ethiopia had 43,440,000 km² of natural forest area, which is 4% of its total land area.^[4] Compared to other East African countries Ethiopia's deforestation rate is about average.^[5] However, the deforestation rates in East Africa are second highest of the continent. Moreover, it has the smallest fraction of its forest area designated primarily for conservation. Apart from Northern Africa, East African countries show the second highest decline rates of conservation forests in the continent.

8. Egypt (Isa. 19:1-20:6)

Fall of Egypt: In the waning years of the Empire, Egypt fell to the Sasanian Persian army in the Sasanian conquest of Egypt (618–628). It was then recaptured by the Roman Emperor Heraclius (629–639), and was finally captured by Muslim Rashidun army in 639–641, ending Roman rule.

9. Jerusalem (Isa. 22:1-25)

In 589 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II laid siege to Jerusalem, culminating in the destruction of the city and its temple in the summer of 587 or 586 BC.

Following the siege of 597 BC, the Neo-Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar installed Zedekiah as vassal king of Judah, at the age of 21. However, Zedekiah revolted against Babylon, and entered into an alliance with Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar responded by invading Judah (2 Kings 25:1).

10. Tyre (Isa. 23:1-18).

The Siege of Tyre was orchestrated by Alexander the Great in 332 BC during his campaigns against the Persians. The Macedonian army was unable to capture the city, which was a strategic coastal base on the Mediterranean Sea, through conventional means because it was on an island and had walls right up to the sea. Alexander responded to this problem by first blockading and besieging Tyre for seven months, and then by building a causeway that allowed him to breach the fortifications.

It is said that Alexander was so enraged at the Tyrians' defence of their city and the loss of his men that he destroyed half the city. According to Arrian, 8,000 Tyrian civilians were massacred after the city fell. Alexander granted pardon to all who had sought sanctuary in the temple, including Azemilcus and his family, as well as many nobles. 30,000 residents and foreigners, mainly women and children, were sold into slavery.

B. The Fate of Babylon is foretold: Isaiah 13

“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who will not regard silver; and as for gold, they will not delight in it.” (Isaiah 13:17)

Let's consider this chapter verse by verse:

Isa. 13:1,2

In presenting the burden of Babylon, God first commissions His Own people to lift up a banner, meaning that they are to make known what they have. They are to exalt the voice or message by letting it do for them what it ought to do. God's people, the 144,000, are to do this for those in Babylon who will constitute the great multitude of Revelation 7:9, "that they may go into the gates of the nobles." The Bible declares that it is at Mt. Zion where the nobles will be. "Gates" and "nobles" would indicate territory and rulers, showing that God's Kingdom at that time is in existence and it is this Kingdom that the sincere will go when they leave Babylon -- the world, in the time of the image of the beast. {12SC 1.11}

Isa. 13:3

Two groups are here mentioned: (1) His "sanctified ones" -- His sanctified ministry; and (2) His "mighty ones" -- the unfallen angels. In other words, He is here telling us that He is recruiting His church and His angels for His anger.

Isa. 13:4

Joel, speaking of this event, says that the heathen will be brought to the Valley of Jehoshaphat where the Lord is afterward to judge them. When this happens it is the great day of the Lord.

Isa. 13:5

The Lord also comes.

We have seen in these first five verses of this chapter the description of God's army which is to "destroy the whole land."

Isa. 13:6

The day of the Lord is at hand. And the Lord is telling you and me to howl even now because of it. People can know only what they are told; therefore the command comes to howl, for certain destruction is coming. It is at hand.

Isa. 13:7, 8

A great and sudden surprise is coming to the nations, and all who are unbelievers shall faint, for the great day of God shall suddenly bring trouble and destruction that they are not expecting.

Isa. 13:9

The day of the Lord is at hand to lay the land desolate and to destroy sinners out of it.

Isa. 13:10

This verse gives the signs that are to precede the final great day of the Lord.

Isa. 13;11, 12

At this time God's people will be without guile and perfect in His sight, and therefore more precious than fine gold.

Isa. 13:13, 14

Every man turning to his own people and fleeing into his own land does not mean that they will migrate to their native land. It shows a separation in which every man must choose whether he will go to the land of the righteous and be with righteous people, or whether he will choose to dwell in Babylon where, according to Zephaniah 5, all wickedness is to be carried.

Isa. 13:15

It will indeed be a terrible, a cruel day for those in Babylon.

Isa. 13:16

This is the work of wicked men and happens when finally the ten horns of Revelation 17:16 shall destroy Babylon the Great.

Isa. 13:17

What happened to ancient Babylon is a type of what is to happen to modern Babylon. The "horns" or heathen nations will destroy her. Her gold and silver will be of no consequence to them. {12SC 1.15}

Isa. 13:18, 19

Babylon will never rise again.

Isa. 13:20

If Babylon (the "woman on the beast" of Revelation 17) is to extend over much of the earth, and at her fall is to be left with no inhabitant, it would suggest the period of the millennium. It is true that when the millennium begins the whole world goes down, but that is not in the period of Babylon. The millennium comes after the falling of the plagues, the wrath of God. The verse we are now studying is talking about Babylon. The ancient capital city of Babylon fell in the type and is not in existence today. Therefore, in the antitype whatever modern Babylon is, her capital city is likewise to come down.

Isa. 13:21, 22

Elsewhere in the message it teaches that Babylon will rule but one hour, and this verse says that her time will not be prolonged.

We have come to the end of the thirteenth chapter, and the next verse starts with the word "for," indicating that it is a continuation of the thirteenth chapter.

• God was in control of those events, but He let the men involved do their own will (v. 15-18).

• Babylon became one of the capital cities of the Medo-Persian Empire. When Alexander the Great entered Babylon, it already was in a deteriorated state. It gradually sank into the oblivion and abandonment (v. 20).

• Modern Babylon is expected to rise up in the last days

• For more studies regarding this please visit this link below:
  https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/17-the-scarlet-colored-beast-rev-17?authuser=0

C. The Star that Wanted to Become God: Isaiah 14:12-14

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12)

God is doing this all because of His mercies on Jacob. Of the two kingdoms -- the Kingdom of God and the kingdom Babylon, God of course will destroy the latter and save the former forever.

God will have mercy on Jacob and Israel and set them in their own land -- Palestine. Heaven could not be their own land yet, for Jacob and Israel have never been there. Moreover, if this were speaking of the period on the other side of the millennium, it could not speak only of the house of Jacob, for that would exclude Abraham and all the righteous who lived before him. And what "strangers" could be joined to the house of Jacob after the millennium? -- None. It is clearly evident from all these facts, therefore, that this verse applies before the millennium, before the close of probation, and that the "strangers" that are to join the house of Jacob could be only the Gentiles which will constitute the great multitude of Revelation 7:9 and Isaiah 66:20. {12SC 1.17}

Verse 2 of Isa. 14 hardly needs explanation, for it plainly tells us that those who will then be taken as captives will be under the rulership of those over whom they formerly ruled.

In the day that Jacob's bondage under the Gentiles is ended, in the day that "strangers" have joined themselves to Jacob, in that day Jacob will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon.

The antitypical king of Babylon is called Lucifer because Babylon is an institution of the Devil.

Babylon's expectations of what they will do will fail and reverse the destruction upon themselves just as Haman's gallows at last was the instrument of his own destruction. {12SC 1.20}

Notice the following statements:

• The king of Babylon is described as proud and self-sufficient. Many Babylonian kings were like this (see Daniel 2:5; 3:7; 4:30; 5:2).

• However, this section of Isaiah is quite poetic and allegorical. It is showing the actual root of the problem, the true king of Babylon: Lucifer, “that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan.” (Revelation 12:9)

• Lucifer wanted to be “like the Most High,” (v. 14) and stated: “I am a god.” (Ezekiel 28:2). His attitude contrasts God's because God “humbled Himself” (Philippians 2:8).

D. The End of Babylon: Isaiah 14:15-23

“Let the offspring of the wicked never be mentioned again.” (Isaiah 14:20 NIV)

Why is Assyria brought in at this point when all through the chapter it has been talking about Babylon? For the reason, let us read the next verse (26)

God is here telling us that what He will do with Assyria He will also do to Babylon. He declares that He will surely do it and we must not doubt it. Just as God was able to lead His people into their land of promise anciently so He can now also today lead His people back and take from them their yoke and make of them a nation that shall never be given to other people, but which will stand forever. {12SC 1.21}

v. 27 - Who is able to tear down His purpose? His hand already is stretched out to do it, and none has power to turn it back -- no one can stop it now.

v. 28 - This gives the time Isaiah saw this burden.

v. 29 - Here the subject again changes, this time to Palestina, the promised land. Anciently the rod that smote Palestina was Israel who came into the land and became a nation of its own. But because of her disobedience Israel was broken down and scattered and has remained so to this day. This verse tells Palestina, however, not to rejoice over Israel's broken condition, because something worse is coming upon Palestina, for we read this in v. 30.

It is the firstborn of the poor that shall feed and live in safety in Palestina, and God says that He will kill with famine the root of the heathen that are now planted there, and the remnant will He slay. He is utterly to clean out the land of all the heathen that are there and give it to His people.

Palestina is to be completely dissolved. Through our study of the Bible we have come to expect the heathen to be dissolved out of Palestina in the Assyrian period. "Whole Palestina art dissolved: for there shall come from the north a smoke." Smoke does not creep along the surface of the ground, but travels through the air, and as the smoke comes from the north, the phrase suggests that aerial attack will be waged against her from the north and pass on to the south. It will mean that those who now possess Palestina will lose out. The last phrase, "and none shall be alone in his appointed times," means that they will not be alone, for others will be with it "in his appointed times."

v. 32 - This tells how Zion is going to be founded: the Lord is to accomplish it.

From all appearances it looks as though we are very, very close to the fulfillment of these prophecies. Only one thing hinders it and that is that we have not finished our work. Had we taken the message of warning to the church, this could all have been finished by now, for the nations are all ready. God will hold it until we get our work done. Another thing that is certain is that it is for our good whatever happens and whoever wins, if we are followers of God in Spirit and in Truth. {12SC 1.24}

• The fate of this "king" of Babylon is foretold in Isaiah 14:18-20: Destruction and everlasting oblivion. The fate of those who humbly serve God will be very different.

• Nevertheless, Babylon has not disappeared yet. It is still working through proud and ruthless powers that oppress God's people (see Revelation 17).

• Babylon means “confusion,” but it could also mean “Gate of gods” in Chaldean language. It is the wide gate that leads to destruction, an attempt to achieve salvation on one's own merit.

• The Bible encourages us to choose the “Gate of Heaven”, Bethel. Those who follow Jesus and accept Him as their personal Savior by faith will enter this gate.

• 
  

E. Final Triumph 1: Isaiah 24-27

“Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants.” (Isaiah 24:1)

1. Closing Work of God in the Earth

In the closing work of God in the earth,the standard of His law will be again exalted. False religion may prevail, iniquity may abound, the love of many may wax cold, the cross ofCalvary may be lost sight o, and darkness, like the pall of death, may spread over the world; the whole force of the popular current may be turned against the truth; plot after plot may be formed to voerthrow the people of God; but in the hour of greatest peril the God of Elijah will raise up human instrumentalities to bear a message that will not be silenced. In the populous cities of the land, and in the places where men have gone to the greatest lengths in speaking against the Morst High, the voice of stern rebuke will be heard..Boldly will men of God's appointment denounce the union of the church with the world. Earnestly will they call upon men and women to turn from the observance of a man made institution to the observance of the true Sabbath. "Fear God and give glory toHim," they will proclaim to every nation; "for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven,and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters... If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out mixture into the cup of His indignation." Rev. 14:7-10. PK 186.3

2. A Separation at A Glance - Joel 2:31, 32, 3:1, 2

"The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for My people and for My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted My land." Joel 2:31, 32; 3:1, 2.

From these verses it is to be seen at a glance that the separation (Judgment) takes place not only in the house of God but in the whole world as well. The Lord very emphatically says, "I will also gather all nations,...and will plead with them there for My people...." Joel 3:2. {GCS 26}

3. In the Spirit of Elijah - Mal. 4:5

Here the Scriptures point out that someone in the spirit and power of Elijah the prophet is first to appear, and will not only prepare the way, but will also restore all things. Plainly, the message of Elijah shall restore all things in the great and dreadful day of the Lord, the day of restitution, the day the Lord comes to His temple, the Church. The spirit of Elijah was a spirit against idolatry, and his power was a power to destroy those who led in idolatry, and to bring about purity.

Additional Studies:

1. https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/11-the-golden-bowl-zec-4?authuser=0

2. https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/11-1-the-universal-dairy?authuser=0

3. https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/13-the-grains-of-ezekiel-4?authuser=0

• God will put an end to this world, and He will tell some people: “Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise.” And He will tell the rest of the people: “They are dead, they will not live; they are deceased, they will not rise.” (Isaiah 26:19, 14)

• The day God will come to set His people free, the redeemed will express their triumphal joy: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.” Then “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.” (Isaiah 25:8-9)

• Before God ends "His unusual act" and renews the Earth, it will remain ravaged for some time (Isaiah 24; Revelation 20; Isaiah 28:21).

From the Pen of Inspiration:

“Those who take Christ at His word, and surrender their souls to His keeping, their lives to His ordering, will find peace and quietude… The Lord says, ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.’ (Isaiah 26:3). Our lives may seem a tangle; but as we commit ourselves to the wise Master Worker, He will bring out the pattern of life and character that will be to His own glory. And that character which expresses the glory—character—of Christ will be received into the Paradise of God. A renovated race shall walk with Him in white, for they are worthy.” E.G.W. (The Desire of Ages, cp. 34, p. 331