30:1 Woe to you, rebellious sons, says the Lord, for drawing up plans, but not by me, for making alliances without my approval, only adding sin to sin! Another wo, "wo to you rebellious sons, for drawing up plans, but not by me, for making alliances without my approval, only adding sin to sin!" Sons implies a vassalship to the Lord, so these are people who have a covenant relationship with the Lord but they are like rebellious vassals or rebellious sons literally, like teenage sons that rebel in a family, but technically the term means a vassal relationship with the Lord, so a covenant relationship. How do they rebel, they draw up plans, they make alliances, this is more of the political relationship of but they are like rebellious vassals what is going on, chapters 28 and 29 or more into the spiritual aspect of wickedness among the Lord's people, here it kind of lets you know what is going on in the political scene. For drawing up plans but not by me, you can draw up plans or even agree among yourselves, but it has to be of God. It has to be with his approval, but here it without his approval it says, "only adding sin to sin", The first sin is to fall away from the Lord, and the second sin is to replace His will with your own will, or his plans with your own plans, or his alliances with your own alliances. All of these are substitutes or counterfeit [word??] of God. 30:2 They are bent on going down to Egypt—but have not inquired at my mouth—on seeking protection in Pharaoh's forces, on taking shelter in Egypt's shadow. When the Assyrian destruction and invasion is looming these people turn to Egypt's chariots and horsemen for protection. They go to Billy Clinton and say, "help us out now Billy." They are bent in going down to Egypt but have not inquired of my mouth— on seeking in pharaoh's forces on taking shelter in Egypt's shadow. Where should they get protection from, from the Lord. He says over and over, I will protect you. Where do they get shelter from? The word shelter is used in Chapter 4:5-6 in connection with a cloud of glory that covers the Lord's people as a shelter and shade from the heat of the day and from the downpour and rain, from the storm in other words, which is the Assyrian destruction. The Lord is the shadow or shade for his people. And here we have a substitute pharaoh. The pharaoh's protection shall turn to your shelter and Egypt's shadow to embarrassment. So relying on the arm of flesh on pharaoh for protection, king of Egypt. Egypt was the only power sufficiently strong anciently to counter Assyria's military might. But relying on that will turn to embarrassment, will come to naught. Because Egypt itself will be overrun by the Assyrians. In a modern rerun of that scenario, a modern Assyria will conquer the world and overrun modern Egypt also. Not Egypt in the middle east but the great superpower of the world like Egypt was anciently then. 30:3 But Pharaoh's protection shall turn to your shame, shelter in Egypt's shadow to embarrassment. 30:4–5 For all their officials at Zoan, and their envoys' travels to Hanes, they shall be utterly disgusted with a people who will avail them nothing; they shall be of no help or benefit, but a humiliation and disgrace. The political capital Zoan as we saw in chapter 19, traveling back and forth from Washington DC, or wherever. So relying on the Egyptians is not going to help. You can send all the embassies you want to Washington or anywhere. But relying upon the Egyptians will not help. It is the arm of flesh, it is not God's way. That's not the kind of protection that he provides in that day. Protection comes through keeping covenants with God and the protection clause in his covenant with his people. And he will help and deliver them as a result of their keeping covenant with him. There is no other way. 30:6 An oracle concerning the Beasts of Negeb: Through a land of hardship and vicissitude, of lions and the roaring king of beasts, of vipers and the fiery flying serpent, they carry their wealth on the backs of young asses, their riches on the humps of camels, to a people who cannot profit them. 30:7 Egypt's help shall be futile and vain; therefore I refer to her as an idle boast. She is the boast of the world, she is the most civilized nation upon the face of the earth. The greatest worlds power, but relying upon Egypt for help will be futile and vain. People will come from all over, in modern vehicles no doubt, the equivalent of asses and camels, and carrying whatever they have accumulated in life, seeking refuge here. When that day of judgment looms eminent. And yet it's an oppressive land, a land of hardship and vicissitude, of lions and roaring beasts of vipers and of flying fiery serpents. I wonder if these things couldn't refer to modern means of transportation. Like airplanes, semi's and modern vehicles. All through the book of Isaiah the animals are used in an allegorical sense to describe people in other allegorical ways. 30:8 Go now, write on tablets concerning them; record it in a book for the last day, as a testimony forever. There's that word tablets, or tables again. It's the same word we saw in chapter twenty-eight. "Go now, write on tablets concerning them; record it in a book for the last day, as a testimony forever." And this goes back to what we read in chapter twenty-nine, where their voice speaks out of the ground, from the dust, like that of a medium. That's the words of the sealed book, because some among the people of the righteous prophets and scribes record in books the history of God's people. And they are meant as a testimony forever, especially for the last days so that people can learn the lessons of the past and not repeat the mistakes of the past. And it also shows how God, in spite of his destructions, anciently, also provides a deliverance at any time. There's always deliverance of the righteous. And the people at the last day, or at the end of the world can profit from that and learn how God delivers the righteous, that they may be delivered in that day. And those ancient lessons of history are not only lessons, they are also actually types of things to come. History can repeat itself, both for good or for evil. And also it's God's way to record things. Records should be kept, especially of God's dealings with his people as a whole, or individually, because we should build upon the past. We should built upon what we learn, upon how God's people have progressed. It's from how they've regressed that we should take notice, so we'll not repeat their mistakes. 30:9 They are a rebellious people, sons who break faith, children unwilling to obey the law of the Lord, Again, the covenant idea. They have a covenant relationship but they disobey the law of the covenant. That goes right back to chapter one: " If you're willing and obey, you shall eat the good of the land. If you're unwilling, and disobey, you shall be eaten by the sword." 30:10 who say to the seers, See not! and to those with visions, Predict not what is right for us: flatter us; foresee a farce! So they're again into deception, lies, and unreality. They don't want the Seers to see reality, to see truth, to see that they must repent in order to be accepted of God in order to be blessed, in order to be saved in that day. They want to go on living in their unreality. "Flatter us; foresee a farce! Just say all is well in Zion; we're just fine. We're the good guys." 30:11 Get out of the way; move aside, off the path! Cease confronting us with the Holy One of Israel! Meaning that the Lord's going to provide Seers and visionaries. There are going to be those who will be Seers and visionaries who will be seeing things. But they're going to be persecuted, just like they stoned the prophets, anciently. So they tell them to get out of the road, get out of their path, cease confronting us with the Holy One of Israel. The fact that they are confronting, means that the Lord is sending prophets to them, to call them to repentance, holding up the Holy One of Israel as an example, or model, of holiness that they should follow. 30:12–13 Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you have rejected this word, and rely on manipulation and double dealing, and on them are dependent, this iniquity will be to you as a perilous breach exposed in a high wall which suddenly and unexpectedly collapses. Their rejection of this word, meaning the word of God—j is just like it says in chapter twenty-eight, verses fourteen: "Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who preside over this people." The Lord's mouth is speaking. The Lord's Servant is speaking, or his voice is speaking and they reject him. In rejecting him they reject the word of God, because he's the one through whom the Lord is giving his word. "And rely on manipulation and double-dealing," which is the order of the day, "and on them are dependent." That's their lifestyle that's become their source of sustenance. "This iniquity will be to you as a perilous breach exposed in a high wall. A high wall is intended as a protection, and when the wall collapses there's no protection. "It suddenly and unexpectedly collapses." When? In the day of judgment. "It shall shatter with a crash, like an earthenware vessel, ruthlessly smashed." The wall can be several things. It, first of all, implies human institutions, as we saw in chapter two, where the day of the Lord comes suddenly against geophysical objects. It think "tall towers and reinforced walls" are spoken of, there, chapter two, verse fifteen, which is cross-referenced. 30:14 It shall shatter with a crash like an earthenware vessel ruthlessly smashed, among whose fragments shall not be found a shard with which to scoop lit embers from a fireplace, or dip water from a tank. First of all implies human institutions, but could also be things like Wall Street. Wall Street could suddenly come crashing down and never pick up again. Or anything else that exemplifies human institutions: human society, the social/economic structure of the society, the political structure. Something collapses unexpectedly and suddenly, over-night. And the results of that crash are so bad that the masses of people are reduced to a state of deprivation. To where not one shard will be able to scoop lit embers from a fireplace or dip water from a tank. As if they are relying on such extreme methods to sustain themselves. You don't usually take a pot shard to dip water from a tank. Usually you take a cup or a vessel or a large vessel. Or you turn on the tap. But this implies a situation of almost destitution. When that crash happens people will be in that destitute condition, at that time. 30:15 For thus says my Lord the Lord, the Holy One of Israel: By a calm response triumph; with quiet confidence gain the victory. But you would have none of it. That is when the Assyrian threat looms, instead of turning to Pharaoh and rejecting Gods word, "Be quiet, be still and know that I Am," the Lord says. By a calm response triumph; with quiet confidence gain the victory. He prophesied that a remnant of Ephraim in Chapter 28 would repulse the Assyrian attack at the gates. But these people act as if they have none of that. They don't want to do it the Lord's way. 30:16 For you thought, Not so; we will flee on horses! Therefore shall you flee indeed. We will ride on swift mounts! Therefore shall your pursuers be swifter. So, if you take that course, you will be run down, by the very people that you are trying to flee from. You will flee by the thousand at the threat of one, by thousands at the threat of five, till you are left as a flagstaff on a mountaintop, an ensign on a hill. Now you can see with modern weaponry how masses of people could be put to flight by just one or two people. In an airplane or in a tank or something like that. And while they are being destroyed, some remain. Who are they? 30:17 You will flee by the thousand at the threat of one, by thousands at the threat of five, till you are left as a flagstaff on a mountaintop, an ensign on a hill. Till you are left as a flagstaff on a mountaintop. That word left, always alludes to the remnant that is preserved. As there is always a remnant left. Chapter 11 for example. We have seen that word several times have you not? And there shall be a pathway out of Assyria for the remnant of his people who shall be left, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt. Chapter 11 verse 16. To reclaim the remnant of his people, those who shall be left. Chapter 11 verse 11. Other places too. The flagstaff on the mountaintop, the ensign on a hill, that is Mt. Zion or Jerusalem. That is where the righteous remnant of the Lord's people are. The ensign is a metaphor describing the Lord's Servant and so is the flagstaff. It's like He's their ensign that rallies the righteous remnant of the Lord's people to Zion and they return from exile to the place Zion where the Lord protects them. That is the hill of Zion or the hill of Jerusalem. That's where there is protection. So here we have destruction of the wicked, deliverance of the righteous at the mention of a Davidic Servant, the ensign or the flagstaff on the mountaintop. Again, two places, not necessarily synonymous, perhaps complimentary places. 30:18 Then will the Lord delay his coming, that he may favor you; out of mercy toward you he will remain aloof. For the Lord is the God of justice; blessed are all who wait for him. What does that mean? Why would he delay his coming? He delays his coming to divide his people: to divide the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, the elect from the wicked. The wicked will go one way in that day because they failed the test and the righteous will go another direction because they cleave to the Lord and they pass the test. For the Lord is the God of justice; blessed are all who wait for him. That's the motif of waiting that's so common in the book of Isaiah: that to those who wait, the Lord comes as deliverer. We see that over and over. Favor and mercy are covenant terms implying the Lord's faithfulness to his covenant, towards those who keep covenant with him. He's just going hang off for awhile to see what you'll do under pressure. Are you going to respond like the masses and cleave to false religious observance? Or rely upon the arm of flesh? Or live in unreality and delusions? Or rely upon double dealing and manipulation in your dealings with your fellow man? Or are you going to wait for God? Wait it out. That's the test. That's a great test. That is The test of that time, of that period of time. And he'll keep covenant with you when you do that. 30:19 O people of Zion, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall have no cause to weep. He will graciously respond at the cry of your voice; he will answer you as soon as he hears it. that is: that particular category of people above the Israel Jacob category. you shall have no cause to weep. Meaning they are weeping now, or they will weep at some point, there will be agonies, there will be separations, there will be calamities and some will not make it, and some will fail the test who are near and dear to them perhaps. But like Abraham they will come out and leave their kindred behind. Come out in an exodus. you shall have no cause to weep. He will graciously respond at the cry of your voice; he will answer you as soon as he hears it. So, at some point, in the hour of salvation, on the day of salvation, the Lord will come to their aid and deliver them. He will hear their cry. Also means that they are crying to him. That they are wailing and weeping in a sense, asking for deliverance and eventually he comes to the rescue, after the wicked have been weeded out. The voice is also metaphor describing the Lord's Servant. Who intercede with the Lord on behalf of his people as Moses did in the Sinai wilderness. Or any prophet of God. Or as Hezekiah did when the Assyrians besieged Jerusalem. 30:20 Though my Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall your Teacher remain hidden no longer, but your eyes shall see the Master. For a time, for a time you will have adversity and affliction; that's the test. That's actually God's love at work, lifting you higher. You will grow from that experience. That is God bringing you to a higher level of holiness and valor, becoming more like God, seeing through the tests. Bread of adversity, water of affliction, implies there is bread and water also, you do have enough. He does provide for you. Has several levels of meaning. yet shall your teacher remain hidden no longer, but your eyes shall see the Master. Teacher and the Master are parallel. That is the Lord himself. Your eyes will see him. As Moses saw him. As the elders upon the mount saw him. Eventually he will come, to you. He will come as Redeemer to Zion, to those of Jacob who repent of transgression. Chapter 59 verse 20. See your Salvation comes, his reward with him, his work preceding him. Chapter 62 verse 11. And in Chapter 40 verse 5: For the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh see it at once. And also Chapter 40 verse 9: Make yourself heard, be not afraid; proclaim to the cities of Judah; Behold your God! The Lord comes with power, his arm presides for him. When the Lord comes you will see him. It's not an illusion. And he is the great teacher because he lives, he exemplifies, he is the exemplar of those divine attributes that we seek to emulate. That as we acquire them, we become like him. He doesn't teach the rote method. He teaches by divine revelation and inspiration. 30:21 Your ears shall hear words from behind you saying, This is the way; walk in it! should you turn left or right. That's revelation. That's inspiration. The Spirit of God will open your ears, open your eyes. 30:22 You will discard as unclean your graven idols plated with silver, your cast idols gilded in gold; you will eject them as a menstruous woman her impurity and say, Away with you! Idolatry in the book of Isaiah is what leads to blindness and deafness. We'll be getting an earful of that later on. The discarding of the idols means that the people were idolatrous now they hear and they see and they cast those things away, those material objects, the works of men's hands, upon which they set their hearts, material possessions. It's a materialistic society that we've lived in. You will eject them as a menstruous women her impurity and say, Away with them! or, Away with you! That's final, you don't go back to them. 30:23–24 Then will he water with rain the seed you sow in the ground, that the land's increase of food may be rich and abundant. In that day your cattle shall graze in ample pasture lands, and the oxen and asses that till the soil eat grain silage winnowed with shovel and fork. Covenant blessing. Means you will inherit the land, you will have an inheritance of land. It will be a rural economy. Oxen and asses, it doesn't say you eat them, but they are around. They till the soil for you. And they, themselves, eat grain silage, which is the ultimate cattle fodder, winnowed with shovel and fork. So they themselves are also well cared for. Covenant blessing. He sends the rain, and the land gives its increase. 30:25 On all mountain heights and prominent hills shall appear streams of running water, on the day of mass murder when the towers fall. Covenant blessing and productivity in a land of promise: a land of inheritance for the righteous, but also a great slaughter, or great destruction for the wicked, in the day when the towers fall. The great slaughter is mentioned in other places as in Chapter 34 it talks about a great slaughter of those who sell their birthright for a mess of pottage, of entire nations. Many nations and people are slaughtered in a great day of slaughter, that's the Day of Judgment. When the towers fall, is part of the destruction. In that very time, there is a reversal of circumstances as we saw earlier the land that is now civilized and fertile, will turn to bush. And the land that has been desert area, in that land will appear streams of running water. And that land will become fertile. And there will become inhabited areas of the world. Also, all mountain heights and prominent hills alludes to nations in general. So, this could be a universal phenomenon. 30:26 The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun increase sevenfold; as the light of seven days shall it be, in the day the Lord binds up the fracture of his people and heals their open wound. So, as the earth also, we saw earlier, goes out of orbit and assumes a new orbit, so also the light of the sun will be seven times as more intense. It will be a time of greater light then it is now. We'll be able to endure more light, because we will be living or existing on a higher level or higher frequency than we are now. As we become more righteous we are changed. We are changed in the twinkling of an eye, as Paul would say. In our resurrected or translated state, we will be different and our environment will be different. in the day the Lord binds up the fracture of his people and heals their open wound. That is again, the Day of Judgment. The healing alludes to those who repent or are saved, healing being synonymous with salvation. The fracture of the people, not only their, their lost and fallen, or exiled state or captive state or their blind and deaf state, it's also the division of his people; the division between Ephraim and Judah; between the Northern kingdom and the Southern kingdom. And all the other many divisions that have continued down the generations to today. There are Jews, there are Christians and there are the Ten Tribes, and there are people scattered of Israel, whether known as ethnic Israel or not, those that have assimilated among the gentiles. Right now, they are all scattered and in kind of a disseminated condition. They will all be brought back together into one people again, that day. 30:27 Behold, the Lord Omnipotent coming from afar! His wrath is kindled, heavy is his grievance; his lips flow with indignation, his tongue is like a devouring fire. Going back to the Day of Judgment imagery, whether it's healing and binding up, deliverance for the one group, there is also destruction for the other. It is the Day of the Coming of the Lord, The Lord Omnipotent coming from afar. Who comes from afar, the Assyrians do. His coming is like a thief in the night, Jesus said. Well, the thief in the night is the King of Assyria. So, the coming of the Lord from afar may be literally the Lord's coming, himself, but is preceded by the coming of the King of Assyria, who comes from afar, from beyond the horizon. That whole alliance of nations comes from afar, from beyond the horizon as we saw earlier. Chapter 13: They come from a distant land beyond the horizon--the Lord and the instruments of his wrath. That's a word link to many other parts of the book of Isaiah. As are the words wrath, grievance, lips, indignation, tongue and fire. All of those are metaphors describing the King of Assyria. He personifies God's wrath. He's kindled. Heavy is his grievance. He is the Lord's grievance. He is a person that always has a grievance against the Lord's people and against God too. And he lets everybody know that. He personifies God's indignation. He's the tongue. He's the fire; the devouring fire. So, the coming of the Lord, part and parcel of his coming is that coming or that great day of power of the King of Assyria, when the Lord destroys the wicked, just before his actual physical coming himself. In other words, they get the false Christ. They get the Anti-Christ. The wicked get the Anti-Christ, and the righteous get the Christ. The wicked never actually see the coming of Christ. Because, by that time they are just destroyed from the face of the earth by the false Christ, or the Anti-Christ, The King of Assyria. 30:28 His breath is like a raging torrent that severs at the neck. He comes to sift the nations in the sieve of falsehood; with an erring bridle on their jaws he will try the peoples. That's again, the flood imagery, the King of Assyria, he's the breath, he's the torrent. Severs at the neck, He conquers the entire world and goes right up to the neck as we saw in Chapter 8 verse 8, leaving the head or the remnant of the Lord's people in Zion or Jerusalem. He comes to sift the nations in the sieve of falsehood; That is, the Lord comes to sift the nations to see where their allegiance lies. Does it lie to God, their maker? Or does it lie with the King of Assyria? Or with other representations of falsehood? False philosophies, false ideas, false systems, false institutions? With an erring bridle on their jaws he will try the peoples. The King of Assyria is that sieve or that test. His one of the tests of the Lord's people. He personifies falsehood himself. Everything that he says is false. He is the deceiver. He's a liar. Just as Satan is a liar from the beginning, so the King of Assyria mirrors or emulates that. He is falsehood personified. He is also the bridle on their jaws. The King of Assyria in the first part of the book of Isaiah provides a great test of the Lord's people. Will they buy into his false peace? Will they believe that? If they are wicked, they will believe it. If they are righteous, they won't. In the middle part of the book of Isaiah, the great test of the Lord's people are the idolaters and the idolatry; the worship of the works of mans hands. And the last part of the book of Isaiah the tests are the false brethren; political and religious. In this first part of the book, this test, keeps reiterating itself. The King of Assyria's test of the Lord's people. 30:29 But for you there shall be singing, as on the night when a festival commences, and rejoicing of heart, as when men march with flutes [and drums and lyres] on their way to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. So again we have that dichotomy of the King of Assyria coming upon the wicked like a raging torrent, destroying them. But for the righteous; there is an exodus and that exodus resembles the pilgrimage to Zion anciently. When they went anciently, to Jerusalem or to the Temple, they didn't just walk all by themselves. Some people walk by themselves. They all went as a village, in droves, in companies. And they didn't just walk with their heads down, eyes looking on the ground, they were happy. It was a joyful occasion and the musicians played music to which they marched, and they danced. So will be that exodus of the Lord's people from captivity and from dispersion from scattering around the world back to Zion in that day under protection of the Lord's cloud of glory. It will be a joyous occasion it will be like a pilgrimage to Zion anciently. And it will be a pilgrimage this time also. On their way to the mountain of the Lord to the Rock of Israel. The Rock provides protection. The Rock is steadfast. The mountain also plies the nation of the Lord. And in Chapter 2 we saw people of all nations coming to Zion in the latter days where the Lord provides that protection and where the law and word of the Lord go forth. Pilgrimages anciently design included temple worship at that time and offerings at the temple. And instructions that they received from the prophet and the priests. People came to be taught. And so it will be again. 30:30 The Lord will cause his voice to resound, and make visible his arm descending in furious rage, with flashes of devouring fire, explosive discharges and pounding hail. This is again, upon the wicked, we'll go back and forth hear, indicating the dichotomy between the righteous and the wicked, one scenario for the righteous and one scenario for the wicked. The Lord will cause his voice to resound. and make visible his arm descending in furious rage, with flashes of devouring fire, explosive discharges and pounding hail. That's the unfriendly scenario. The hail and the devouring fire is judgment imagery the Day of Judgment. The fire is the King of Assyria himself who causes that hail of fire and brimstone. He is also the rage. The arm, alludes to the Lord's Servant here and possibly the voice does also. Or it could be a two-fold scenario. The Lord will cause his voice to resound as he did on Mt. Sinai when the people of Israel ran away from the mount and were afraid to come near. And make visible his arm descending in furious rage alludes to the Lord's intervention and through his arm, that is, through his Servant, in that day of judgment, descending in furious rage, could be of the Servant exercising power over the King of Assyria which personifies God's rage. That is on the metaphorical or allegorical level if you read that. Flashes of devouring fire and explosive discharges and pounding hail, that is the King of Assyria's destruction of the wicked. 30:31 At the voice of the Lord the Assyrians will be terror-stricken, they who used to strike with the rod. Through the Servant's agency, as the Assyrian's did to others, so will be done to the Assyrian's themselves. As they destroyed others in flashes of devouring fire and explosive discharges and pounding hail so they, themselves, shall be destroyed. At the voice of the Lord, the Assyrian's will be terror-stricken, they who used to strike the rod - the rod was the King of Assyria exercising authority over God's people as the Egyptian's exercised authority over them. At the voice of the Lord, that is, through the agency of the Lord's Servant, when he utters his voice, like Moses spoke and the plagues came upon the Egyptian's. Or as Moses stretched forth his staff, then the Israelites won the battle against the Canaanites. 30:32 At every sweep of the staff of authority, when the Lord lowers it upon them, they will be fought in mortal combat. The armies of Israel in that day, through the agency of the Lord's Servant, who will fulfill the role of Moses, at that time, will have power over the Assyrian's to destroy the Assyrian's. So there are several levels in which we can read this verse. First of all alluding to the Assyrian destruction and then they themselves being destroyed. at the time when the Lord's Servant leads the armies of Israel against the Assyrians. 30:33 For Tophet has been prepared of old, a hearth indeed, made ready for rulers; broad and deep is its fire pit and ample its pyre; the Lord's breath burns within it like a lava flow. The Lord's breath is the King of Assyria, and the river too is the King of Assyria, it's one of his names, He and the river, and he burns in hell. In other words, Tophet is the symbol of hell or the underworld. It was anciently a place where they sacrificed children to the god Moloch, and threw them into the fire as a sacrifice to that false god. And so, here, the King of Assyria meets that fate. But perhaps more on the eternal level than on a temple level. In this chapter the Assyrians are fought to the death in mortal combat as it says in verse 32. In the next chapter, the Assyrians are also destroyed by a sword not of man more or less by direct intervention they are fought to the death. There they perish as they did when they besieged Jerusalem in the days of King Hezekiah. Alluding to the idea that there are two armies of Assyria, two grand armies. One that is fought to the death, probably by the remnant of the children of Ephraim, and that we read about in chapter 28 who repulsed the attack at the gates, that implies mortal combat. And another army of Assyria is destroyed directly through the word of God as it were, through a sword not of man, at the end of chapter 31 and that is similar to what happened when the Assyrians laid siege to Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah, an angel of the Lord came and smote the Assyrian horde with a plague in one night. A hundred and eighty-five Assyrians died, that was a type. So we have two great destructions of Assyria and basically those two great destructions of the Assyrian armies caused the downfall of Assyria. When those two huge armies are destroyed that will be the end of the Assyrian power, from then on, it will just be a mopping-up scenario a re-conquering the world on behalf of the Lord as Cyrus did in his day, almost effortlessly, because the main body of soldiers will have been destroyed.