Alas, Babylon!–As to Unfaithful Ariel of Ancient Past–Done

““Woe to Arʹi·el,* Arʹi·el,
the city where David encamped!”—

Possibly meaning “The Altar Hearth of God,”
apparently referring to Jerusalem—of old.

Foretold against her distress, mourning, lamentation
from horror’s reaped upon her by enemies, heretofore,
against her unheard

to shamefully unfold;

anger lit, ignited, by a Husband’s anger
for adulteries committed scandalous to behold.

So: “Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion,
Like a woman giving birth,

For now you will go from the city and reside in the field.
You will go as far as to Babylon,” and: “Who will sympathize with you?
Destruction and devastation, hunger and sword! Who will comfort you?

“The roads to Zion” mourned, “because no one” came “to the festival.”
All her gates were desolate; her priests sighed.
Her virgins or young women grieved, as she was in bitter anguish.

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah says:

‘So it will be when I send my four punishments—sword, famine, vicious wild animal, and pestilence—against Jerusalem to cut off man and animal from it.”

“They have incited me to fury with what is not a god;
They have offended me with their worthless idols.
So I will incite them to jealousy with what is not a people;
I will offend them with a foolish nation.”… “I will say to those not my people: “You are my people,” And they will say: “You are my God.”’”

But in time, promised: “there you will be rescued;
There Jehovah will buy you back from the hand of your enemies.”
“I will rescue you from the hand of the wicked
And redeem you from the palm of the ruthless.”

“I will turn my attention to Bel in Babylon,
And I will take out of his mouth what he has swallowed.
To him nations will stream no more,
And the wall of Babylon will fall.”

“Therefore look!
the days are coming,” declares Jehovah,
“When I will turn my attention to her graven images,
And throughout all her land the wounded will groan.”

“Many nations will join themselves to Jehovah in that day, and they will become my people; and I will reside in your midst.”

For: “This is what Jehovah of armies says,

‘In those days ten men out of all the languages of the nations will take hold, yes, they will take firm hold of the robe of a Jew, saying: “We want to go with you, for we have heard that God is with you people.”’”

“People of the nations, although not pursuing righteousness, attained righteousness, the righteousness that results from faith”. As Jesus himself stated: “This is why I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruits.”… A ‘spiritual Israel’ truly dedicated; gathered with these spiritual Jews.

“In anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
On the nations that have not obeyed.”

“Come, Zion!

Make your escape,
you who are dwelling with the daughter of Babylon.

For this is what Jehovah of armies says, who after being glorified has sent me to the nations that were plundering you:

‘Whoever touches you touches the pupil of my eye.

For now I will wave my hand against them, and they will become plunder for their own slaves.’ And you will certainly know that Jehovah of armies has sent me.

“Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion; for I am coming, and I will reside in your midst,” declares Jehovah.

Because: “She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen,
she who made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality!”

Yes! “these two things will come upon you (Babylon) suddenly,
in one day:

Loss of children and widowhood.
In full measure they will come upon you
Because of your many sorceries and all your powerful spells.”

“Look at what is coming:
Men in a war chariot with a team of horses!”

Then he spoke up and said:
“She has fallen! Babylon has fallen!

All the graven images of her gods
he has shattered to the ground!”

“And the earth will quake and tremble,
For the thoughts of Jehovah against Babylon will be carried out

To make the land of Babylon an object of horror,
without an inhabitant.” Because: “by your spiritistic practices
all the nations were misled.

“Declare it among the nations and proclaim it.
Raise a signal and proclaim it.

Do not hide anything!

Say, ‘Babylon has been captured.
Bel has been put to shame.
Merʹo·dach has become terrified.
Her images have been put to shame.
Her disgusting idols have become terrified.’”

“For here I am raising up and bringing against Babylon
An assembly of great nations from the land of the north.

They will come against her in battle formation;
From there she will be captured.

Their arrows are like those of a warrior
Causing bereavement of children;

They do not come back without results.”

Therefore: “Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and if you do not want to receive part of her plagues.

Yes: “Be glad, you nations, with his people,
For he will avenge the blood of his servants,
And he will repay vengeance to his adversaries
And will make atonement for the land of his people.””

“For you were once not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not been shown mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Isaiah Chapter 29; Deuteronomy Chapter 32; Hosea 2:23 Romans 9:30; Matt:21:43; Zech. 8:23; 2:7-11; Isa. 21:9: 47:9; 51:19; 21:9; Ezek. 14:21; Lam. 1:4; Micah 5:15; 1 Pet. 2:10; Jer. 15:21; 50:9; 51:29, 44; Rev. 14:8;

Ariel

3. A cryptic name applied to Jerusalem in Isaiah 29:1, 2, 7. Jerusalem was the location of God’s temple that had within its precincts the sacrificial altar. Because of this the city was, in effect, God’s altar hearth. It was also supposed to be the center of Jehovah’s pure worship. However, the message in Isaiah 29:1-4 is ominous in content and predicts the destruction due to come to Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians in 607 B.C.E., when she would become an “altar hearth” in a different sense: as a city running with shed blood and consumed by fire and filled with the bodies of victims of the fiery destruction. The underlying causes for this calamity are stated in verses 9 to 16. Isaiah 29:7, 8, however, shows that the nations wreaking such destruction on Jerusalem would fail in their ultimate purpose or goal. PHOTO CREDIT: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/08/new-religions/533745/ © 14 minutes ago, Lucretia McCloud    death • pain • sad • society • spiritual • teen