“What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine. For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground.”
Isaiah 28:1-2 NLT
We leave the “Isaiah Apocalypse” and move on to Isaiah’s oracle concerning Samaria, which was the principal city of Israel in those days, the Northern Kingdom. Samaria was once a beautiful, sophisticated city overlooking a fruitful, productive valley. Isaiah describes it as the crown or pride of Israel’s drunkards. The leaders of Israel were apparently known for their drunkenness, and in their alcohol-induced fog, they failed to lead Israel in God’s ways. Thus, Isaiah declares that the beauty of Samaria and its valley is fading as quickly as the beauty of a wreath of flowers fades. The wreath does not last long, and neither will once-lovely Samaria.
The Lord’s judgment was about to fall upon Samaria, and there was an army waiting in the wings, able and willing to be the executors of God’s punishment for Israel’s wickedness. This mighty army was described as being like “a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain“, and Isaiah’s graphical eloquence described its demise – it would be “smash[ed] to the ground“. The Assyrian army brought death and destruction, and through them the remainder of the inhabitants of Israel were exiled in 722 BC. That God would use a foreign and evil army to do His bidding seemed inexplicable to His people, but the Assyrians would suffer their own judgment in the not too distant future.
Does God bring judgment on evil nations today? There is no consensus about this, but some believers think God still punishes nations for great evil. They believe societies face a national breakdown when they reject basic moral laws. They view major crises, such as the fall of corrupt regimes or severe national disasters, as warnings or God’s discipline. So in this context, where is the Third Reich today? Or the Soviet Union, for that matter. There are also other more recent local world events such as the fall of Assad’s Syria. And the world news this morning records the death of the Bosnian Serb commander who was nicknamed the “Butcher of Bosnia”. What will he say when he stands before God, I wonder? But do these events point to God’s hand in judging evil nations and people? Other believers say God does not judge nations in a direct, supernatural way right now. They believe God’s final judgment will happen at the end of time, not through specific earthly disasters today, and so they view modern wars, poverty, and political collapse as the results of human free will and a broken and evil world rather than direct divine punishment. But regardless of how we view world events today, God will indeed judge the peoples one day.
I had a conversation yesterday with a man who is very pro-Palestine and anti-Israel, and he used quite violent language to vent his feelings of hatred and frustration against Israel, its leaders, and the Israeli army. But I advised caution in his views because Israel is still God’s chosen people. The covenant that God made with them is still valid. He said to Abraham, “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:7). The key word in this verses is “everlasting”, that is, it will last forever. The next verse in Genesis 17 warns all those who say Israel is wrong about the land it has and needs. “And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God”. Derek Prince calculated that in 1948, the Jews only received 10% of the land that God promised to Abraham. But I did explain to the man I spoke with yesterday that Israel and its people will still face judgment. In Romans 2:9 we read, “There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile”. Sadly, in my conversation yesterday, I found that the man was an atheist, with no time for any talk about God, and he walked away, frustrated and a bit angry, because someone didn’t agree with his point of view.
What I have written today is all very well, but how does it affect us pilgrims today? We need to work backwards from the last verse of Revelation 20, where we read, “And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire“. The Great White Throne passage is frightening reading, especially for those who do evil and have rejected God in their lives. But having said that, we must not be afraid of the final Day of the Lord because God has provided a remedy for our sins. People ensure their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life by placing their faith in Jesus Christ and accepting His gift of salvation. Jesus came to this world with one specific mission, which we can read at the end of the Zaccheus account: “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). To Nicodemus, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). Peter said in his Day of Pentecost sermon, “ … Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38), and Paul wrote, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10). By embracing these verses and all they mean (that’s the significant part), we will be assured of two things: our salvation and eternal life with God, and the entry of our name into the Lamb’s Book of Life. We pilgrims have nothing to fear from the Great White Throne, but we know many who do, and for their sake we must be always looking for an opportunity to share our testimonies about God’s saving grace.
Dear Wonderful and Amazing Lord Jesus. It is only through You that we can hear the words of eternal life, and I pray today for a fresh infilling of Your Spirit to empower and resource us for the day ahead. Please write our names in Your Book in indelible ink so that we can be assured of our salvation when You return to this world. In Your precious name. Amen.
