ISAIAH PROPHESIED the fall of Babylon before it had risen. At the time of the prophesies we read this week, Assyria was still the dominant power in the ancient Near East, but the phrase, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon,” was revealed to the prophet anyway.Continue Reading

ALREADY BUT not yet. That’s a phrase we use often when discussing Bible prophecy, and it’s appropriate again this week. We discuss the destruction of the northern kingdom, Israel, by the Assyrians as punishment for abandoning the LORD. Then we look at two chapters of the fascinating Book of Isaiah.Continue Reading

THE DIVINE COUNCIL in action and prophecy is the focus of this week’s Old Testament study. Psalm 82 depicts a courtroom scene in the divine council with Yahweh declaring judgment on the lesser gods who “judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked.” Incredibly, the psalm prophesies a day when the small-G gods die “like men,” which may have something to do with their bad attitude.Continue Reading

GOD HAS a council that carries out His commands, and this week we get one of the few glimpses into its workings recorded in the Bible. It’s the story of Ahab’s demise in battle against the Syrians at Ramoth-Gilead, where the king of Israel is enticed by lying spirits to go to his doom.Continue Reading