Friday, March 22, 2024

OUR FATHER WHO JUDGES THE WICKED ANGELS

The book of Isaiah chapter 14 verse 9 says this;

The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you— all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones— all those who were kings over the nations.

In revisiting this passage, having looked at two aspects of the descent of the king of Babylon into the realm of the dead namely;

  • The contrast between the heights to which he aspired to ascend and the depths of the pit into which he fell
  • The failure of the hope that the kings of the earth had in him when they saw that he was now as feeble as they themselves were
We will now look at the descent itself and the conditions that brought about the fall of the king of Babylon.

The king of Babylon, an Anti-Christ figure, also called 'the Assyrian', having gained dominance over the nations of the earth,  is judged for the wickedness, cruelty and devastation that he brought to the whole world.

This judgement broke the authority that was being wielded as verse 5 and 6 say;

The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression.

Defeated by the Lord, the king of Babylon is relegated to the realm of the dead and so, as verse 12 says;

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

Having 'fallen' and been 'cast down', the Assyrian is then 'brought down' to the 'depths' of the pit as verse 15 says;

But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.

Then, having reached the depths of the pit, he is brought down further and covered over in worms as verse 11 says;

All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you.

And he is also covered with the bodies of those who had been slain as verse 19 says;

But you are cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch; you are covered with the slain, with those pierced by the sword, those who descend to the stones of the pit.

As he falls, the deceased kings who inhabit the realm of the dead ponder his fate as they gaze upon him as he descends.

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