Sabbath School Lesson for January 30-February 5, 2021
Overview of Lesson 6 (Isaiah 13, 14, 24-27)
For daily videos about the lesson, see https://www.youtube.com/teresathompson
- Sunday: “Doom on the Nations”–Babylon eventually becomes the great superpower (Isaiah 13)
- Monday: “The Late Great City of Babylon”–Even Babylon’s power is replaced by another empire (Isaiah 13)
- Tuesday: “Fall of the Mountain King”–The king of Babylon is related figuratively to Satan (Isaiah 14)
- Wednesday: “Heaven’s Gate”–“The gate of heaven” at Bethel, compared to “the gate of god(s)” at Babylon (Isaiah 13, 14)
- Thursday: “Final Triumph of Zion”–The defeat of all God’s enemies and the deliverance of His people (Isaiah 24-27)
All of us in one way or another have found ourselves “playing God”. We assume we understand Him well enough to be judge and jury to many of those who rub us the wrong way. We overestimate our worth and largely underestimate our brothers and sisters. In reality, we fail to see our true place in the universe and God’s vastly greater power to do good.
The ancient kingdoms, and monarchs who ruled them, are the subject of Isaiah’s prophecies in chapter 13, 14, and 24-27. The ultimate defeat the prophet describes will help us see Satan’s future on “the day of the Lord”. We see in stages what Satan has to look forward to.
It will be an “unusual (foreign) act” on the part of God (Isaiah 28:21), but one that will cleanse the earth from the wickedness Satan has introduced here. Our planet is headed for self-destruction, and at some point, God will no longer be able to prevent its utter desolation.
Memory Text: ” ‘Behold, 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 NKJV
It’s so important to keep our eyes on God, not on the proud and arrogantly selfish people who make up today’s leaders and populations. God is our only salvation. We can only temporarily make a difference in the world today. But we know how the story will finally end for those who choose Satan’s way, rather than the way of our loving Father.
Sunday: Doom on the Nations (Isaiah 13)
Isaiah once again introduced himself as the author of these prophecies, as he did at the beginning of his book. He mostly focused on the Babylonian Empire in chapter 13. Babylon was just beginning to become a threat to Isaiah’s people in Judah, but, true to Isaiah’s predictions, its power would not survive the threat of another world empire that would replace it–the Medes and Persians.
Babylon seems to play a big part in these prophecies. They were the military force that would first destroy Jerusalem most fully and lead to almost all the country becoming exiles for an extended period of time.
As we see in the book of Revelation, the term “Babylon” was used to represent forces that would rise in power in the latter days too. So, it’s important to grasp all the meaning we can from these ancient prophecies.
Bible Verses to Share:
Isaiah 13:1, 1:1, 2:1
- Why do you think Isaiah felt compelled to introduce himself again in the prophecies that follow?
Isaiah 13:17-19 and Revelation 14:8
- Why was Babylon an important world power for Isaiah to include in these prophecies?
- Why must “Babylon” in Revelation be a spiritual one?
Monday: The Late Great City of Babylon (Isaiah 13)
It was 539 B.C. when Cyrus the Persian captured the city of Babylon. Daniel 5 tells about the handwriting on the wall at Belshazzar’s indulgent, irreverent feast, when this occurred so rapidly and unexpectedly.
Although the city wasn’t fully destroyed at that time, it proved to be the beginning of the end for the Babylonian Empire. Other empires followed, but there seems to be many lessons to learn from Babylon’s experience.
Chapter 13 dwells on the defeat of Babylon, with striking similarities with later prophecies that describe the “day of the Lord”. It even mentioned the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars in verse 10, and a shaking of the earth in verse 13 (Matthew 24:29). Understanding what happened to the city of Babylon will help us understand the final, divine judgment of the world.
Bible Verses to Read and Discuss:
Isaiah 13:6, 9
- Why is “the day of the Lord” mentioned in this description of Babylon’s fall?
Isaiah 13:10, 13 and Matthew 24:29
- Why are “darkening” and “shaking” appropriate terms to describe what happens just before the Second Coming?
- When have you felt like your own world had darkened and was shaken by events in your life?
- What helped you survive those times?
Tuesday: Fall of the Mountain “King” (Isaiah 14)
Although the fall of the Babylonians led to a release of God’s exiled people, chapter 14 emphasized the pride and arrogant behavior of the leaders of both Babylon and, figuratively, Satan. The oppressor no longer had power to enslave and terrorize lesser nations. Their persecution was at least temporarily halted with the king’s defeat.
In the case of Babylon’s monarch, the first part of chapter 14 graphically pictured him in the lowest place possible. His pomp was “brought down to Sheol”, or hell, the place of the dead (Isaiah 14:11). The words describing his condition there were poetic and not to be taken literal. Maggots and worms were not his actual bedding, for instance. It was just a dramatic way of telling how low was the king’s defeat.
In the middle of the chapter, the narrative shifts to another proud prince, referred to as Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12). Theologians have identified this heavenly being as the one who later became known as Satan. Revelation 12:7-9 describes the downfall of this angelic being when his pride and rebellious actions caused war in heaven.
Bible Verses to Read and Discuss:
Isaiah 14:11 and Daniel 5:22, 23
- How did the kings of Babylon show their pride?
Isaiah 14:12-14, Matthew 11:29, and John 13:5
- How did Jesus show us a better, more humble way to treat people?
Wednesday: Heaven’s Gate (Isaiah 13, 14)
Isaiah focused on Babylon in these chapters. Its name means “the gate of god(s)”. The term “Babylon” appears in other places later in Scripture.
Peter called Rome “Babylon” in 1 Peter 5:13. Of course, it was the Romans who tried to execute Jesus by killing all the baby boys in Bethlehem. See Matthew 2. The Jews never forgot the lengthy exile they experienced at the hands of the Babylonians. And they must have had similar feelings about their Roman oppressors during the time of Jesus.
The “Babylon” that appears in the book of Revelation was also a persecuting force (Revelation 17:5, 6). And there are other similarities between these three powers:
- the Babylonian Empire,
- ancient Rome, and
- spiritual Babylon in the book of Revelation.
Their pride, persecuting actions against God’s people, and the speed of their downfall are features that connect these three power systems.
The “gate of god(s)” has its rival. The name Bethel means “gate of heaven”, where Jacob had a vision of a ladder connecting heaven and earth (Genesis 28:17). This ladder came down from heaven, and God spoke to Jacob from it.
On the other hand, the tower of Babel (from where we get the name Babylon) was based on a human effort to keep them from another destructive flood. This tower originated from the earth and tried to reach up to heaven. See Genesis 11.
The symbolism here is striking. We can base our religion on the humble, Bethel model that is based on God’s grace from above–or the proud, Babylon model, which is based on our own human efforts (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
Both legalism and secular humanism are false religions simply because they are based on human efforts to make our lives better.
Bible Verses to Read and Discuss:
Isaiah 13:19, 1 Peter 5:13, and Revelation 17:5, 6
- In what ways was the Babylonian Empire connected with Rome and spiritual Babylon referred to in Revelation?
Genesis 28:15-17 and Ephesians 2:8
- How does the doctrine of grace and faith keep us from falling prey to false religions?
Thursday: Final Triumph of Zion (Isaiah 24-27)
“The day of the Lord” is mentioned in Isaiah 13:9, and among other places in the prophecies of Isaiah. Chapters 24-27 focus on this final judgment and allow us to sense the urgency and significance of the doomed nations during the time of Isaiah. They pointed forward to a final reckoning and eternal deliverance for God’s people in the last days.
After a tumultuous time on earth before this final judgment occurs, the earth will be left desolate during the thousand years described in Revelation 20:2, 3. Only Satan is left to roam the empty destruction left behind.
After the millennium (the thousand years), there will be a severe and final punishment for Satan and his followers. This is the foreign, unusual act of God (Isaiah 28:21)–the final punishment of eternal fire that rains down from heaven (Revelation 20:9, 14).
This ends with the restoration of Israel and the New Jerusalem being established on this planet (Revelation 21:2). See Isaiah 27. Praise seems to be an ongoing activity in this heavenly scene. God’s whole universe is eternally grateful for the victory that secures peace of the universe for all time.
Bible Verses to Read and Discuss:
Isaiah 25:8 and Revelation 21:4
- Besides no more death, what other reasons will crying stop when we get to heaven?
Isaiah 21:9, Jeremiah 51:8, and Revelation 14:8
- Why was the fall of Babylon so important in prophetic literature?
- What traits do spiritual Babylon share with the literal empire that collapsed so suddenly in Daniel’s time?
Isaiah 28:21, Revelation 20:9, 15, 2 Peter 3:9, and Lamentations 3:33
- Why is God’s final punishment considered His “strange”, “mysterious”, “foreign” act?
Friday: Final Thoughts
There are many of us who “play God”, ever since Lucifer’s pride gave us the blueprint for how to do it. See Isaiah 14:12-14. Paul later described Lucifer in even starker terms, calling him the son of perdition, “who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). It’s true that Lucifer wanted to be more than “like God”; he wanted to BE God!
Pride, like all sin, starts out small, but has the potential to grow far beyond what we could have guessed or desired. But there is a way to get rid of pride, or any kind of sinful, harmful thoughts or actions (Isaiah 26:3, 4).
Instead of dwelling on the negative aspects of our experience, just trust God and allow Him to be your strength and shield (Ephesians 6:16).
Besides our memory text this week (Isaiah 25:9), we might add another one. It would be good to memorize Isaiah 26:3, 4.
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” Isaiah 26:3, 4 NKJV
Next Week: Sabbath: Defeat of the Assyrians (Isaiah 36-39)
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