The second major section of the book of Isaiah (chapters 13-27) focuses on the nations. The prophet’s words are not delivered to the nations directly. They are pronounced against the nations, but in the ears of the people of Judah. Ray Ortlund writes, “In these dramatic chapters, Isaiah looks beyond ‘Judah and Jerusalem’ (1:1) and sees the sovereignty of God over the whole world throughout history. God is not a local, tribal deity; He is the King of all the nations. The tyrannies and tragedies of history never defeat His purposes. Therefore, we should never panic amid the upheavals of this world. The LORD is moving His kingdom forward through time and into eternity.” Isaiah 13 introduces us to an important Biblical expression: “the day of the LORD.” The first occurrence (v 6) refers to an event which was on the not-too-distant horizon: the invasion of Babylon, some 150 years away. But the second instance (v 9-13) is quite different, as Isaiah looks far ahead to something at the very end of history, when the consequences are of an eternal magnitude. Bible prophecy often does this, placing events side-by-side, though they are actually separated by lengthy intervals. The perspective is similar to what we experience when looking at two objects from a long distance away: they appear close together when in fact there is large gap separating them. In short, “the day of the Lord” is any occasion in history, scheduled by God, when He disrupts the evil human plans formed against Him. But the ultimate day of the LORD will be the second coming of Christ. God’s judgments within history display a repeated pattern of His active wrath, such as what happened at Sodom and Gomorrah (v 19; Genesis 19:24-25). Yet these events also serve as a foreshadowing of the final judgment of this whole world, when the Lord Jesus will return to vindicate His people and punish the wicked. In Isaiah’s time, the primary military threat was Assyria, not Babylon. Yet Babylon was already a rising power on the world stage, and Isaiah foresees the day when they would take Judah into captivity (587 BC). God calls them “My consecrated ones” (v 3), not because they are morally pure, but because He has set them apart to accomplish His purpose. Yet the proud and pompous nation of Babylon will themselves be overthrown by the Medes (v 17, 539 BC). It seems that God not only allows war, but brings it about (v 4). He is sovereign above all political ego and expansionist ambition. It is “the LORD of hosts” who commands all the armies of the world, executing His judgments according to His own righteous decrees—a foretaste of what is to come on the last day. For further meditation: