Is Isaiah 14 fulfilled?

Will there be slaves in heaven or the kingdom?

Is Isaiah 14 an unfulfilled prophecy where gentiles will be slaves to Israelites in Christ's kingdom and reign?

Answer: no

Is Isaiah 14 fulfilled?

Answer: yes

Before even unpacking Isaiah 14 as an already fulfilled prophecy, let's get straight to the number one concern with this belief.

If this is true and remains to be fulfilled then Jesus, Peter, Paul, James, John, mark, luke, or Matthew should have mentioned at least one one time in the midsts of their gospels and epistles. But they don't. In fact, they all paint a clearly different outcome of eschetology.

Let's start with Jesus.

Matthew, Mark and Luke record Jesus teaching that the worldly authorities of kingdoms rule over gentiles but then said that it would not be so for those who follow him. Instead those who serve will be the greatest. Then Jesus takes the position of a servant to give his life for many. Lastly, Luke's account shows Jesus rewarding the disciples not with gentile servants in the life to come, but instead gives them thrones to judge the 12 tribes of Israel.

Mat 20:25-28 LEB 25 But Jesus called them to himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions exercise authority over them. 26 It will not be like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be most prominent among you must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Mar 10:42-45 LEB 42 And Jesus called them to himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their people in high positions exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not like this among you! But whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be most prominent among you must be the slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Luk 22:25-30 LEB 25 So he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like this! But the one who is greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am in your midst as the one who serves. 28 “And you are the ones who have remained with me in my trials, 29 and I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred on me, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Paul

Paul makes the case even more clear for the gentiles when he tells them in 1 Corinthians 6:3 that they will judge angels. Not serving Israelites.

1Co 6:3 LEB Do you not know that we will judge angels, not to mention ordinary matters?

When Paul had given his testimony to the edomite king Agrippa, the king was moved. But Paul's response was the opposite of any future notion of Agrippa being his servant:

Act 26:27-29 LEB 27 Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.” 28 But Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” 29 And Paul replied, “I pray to God, whether in a short time or in a long time, not only you but also all those who are listening to me today may become such people as I also am, except for these bonds(Chains)!”

Paul prays to God that the king and all listening would become like him as a people EXCEPT the chains he bears. This goes directly against the Jewish fable of gentiles being servants to Israelites. Especially disregarding the chains he bears.

Peter

Peter had the perfect opportunity to assert to Cornelius the eschetalogical belief that gentiles would serve him and bow to him. Yet Peter says no such thing, but the opposite.

Act 10:25-26 LEB 25 So it happened that when Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him. 26 But Peter helped him up, saying, “Get up! I myself am also a man!”

5 chapters later he testifies at the council of Jerusalem that the gentiles heard the gospel by him and that they would both receive the same holy spirit and salvation the same way. And that Jews and gentiles in Christ possess no separate destiny whatsoever.

Act 15:7-9 LEB 7 And after there was much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Men and brothers, you know that in the early days God chose among you through my mouth that the Gentiles should hear the message of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us. 9 And he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

Act 15:11 LEB But we believe we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way those also are.”

James

At the council of jerusalem, James quotes the Septuagint greek old Testament of amos 9:11-12 instead of any Hebrew version. This is key because the Hebrew states "and they shall possess the remnant of edom and ail the heathen".. This is the exact opposite of the greek version, but this "possessing language is somewhat similar to Isaiah 14 concerning the gentiles. Yet James doesn't bring up the supposed eschatological destiny of the gentiles at all. Verse 19 of chapter 15 he complained about the gentiles being hindered in turning to God. He could have so easily pointed out that if they do not turn to God then they would have no servants in the kingdom to come. But again he made no such attempt to express such a falsehood.

Act 15:13-19 LEB 13 And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Men and brothers, listen to me! 14 Simeon has described how God first concerned himself to take from among the Gentiles a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 16 ‘After these things I will return and build up again the tent of David that has fallen, and the parts of it that had been torn down I will build up again and will restore it, 17 so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’ 19 Therefore I conclude we should not cause difficulty for those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,

The passage of Isaiah 14

In the Black Hebrew Israelite movement there is a false doctrine which sprang from the more extremist One west groups that hold to an escheton(end of the age) where gentiles would serve the hebrews as slaves in Christ's kingdom.

Origins:

Does the following quote sound familiar?

Be'ota sha'a mavchik Hakadosh Baruch Hu oro shel Melech Hamashiach veshel Yisrael

Ve-holchim kulam le'oro shel Melech Hamashiach veshel Yisrael ve-halchu goyim le'orech, um'lachim le-noga zarchech

U-va'im um'lachachim afar tachat raglav shel Melech Hamashiach. Shene-emar: 'va-afar raglaich yelachechu. U-va'im kulam ve-noflim al p'neihem lifnei Mashiach ve-lifnei Yisrael. Nihyeh lecha u-leYisrael la-avadim. Ve-chol echad miYisrael alpayim u-shmone me'ot avadim yih'yu lo Shene-emar: 'Bayamim ha-hema, asher yachaziku asarah anashim mikol leshonot ha-goyim, Ve-hecheziku bich'naf ish Yehudi, lemor: 'nelcha imachem, ki shamanu Elokim imachem.

TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH

In that hour the Holy One, Blessed be He will brighten the light of the King Messiah and of Israel And all of them will walk in the light of the King Messiah and of Israel. As it is said: 'And the nations will walk in Your light, and kings at the brightness of your rising. And they shall come and lick the dust that is under the feet of the King Messiah. As it is said: '[the inhabitants of the islands shall come] and will lick the dust of his feet. And they all shall come and fall before the Messiah and before Israel. Saying: 'We will be slaves to you and to Israel. And each and every one from Israel will have two thousand and eight-hundred slaves, As it is said: 'In those days it shall come to pass that ten men from all the languages of the nations shall come, and will take hold of the corner (of the garment) of a Jew, Saying: 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.

Midrash known as "Pesikta Rabbati," (composed around 845 AD) chapter 36, paragraph 8

This belief was developed by Zionist Jews who rejected their messiah. Their bitterness has bled over into the Black Hebrew Israelite cult movement.

Before we get to Isaiah 14, let us hear a few more voices of the past.

Simeon Haddarsen, fol. 56-D: "When the Messiah comes every Jew will have 2800 slaves."

Seph. Jp., 92, 1: "God has given the Jews power over the possessions and blood of all nations."

Those quotes were from the talmud. More could be shown on this matter but let us press on to the passage at hand.

Isaiah was written in 740 B.C.

PROOFS that Isaiah 14 was fulfilled during the return of the Jews from Babylon in 536 B.C.

1. Time frames and figures.

Verse 1 of isaiah 14 is not a beginning point of his prophecy but a continuation of where the prophecy began, being chapter 13. Both chapters are being exclusively specific of the judgments made only for King Nebuchadnezzar to receive. There's no disputing this fact.

Isaiah 13 summary Overview

Isa 13:1, God musters the armies of his wrath;

Isa 13:6, He threatens to destroy Babylon by the Medes;

Isa 13:19, The desolation of Babylon.

Isaiah 14 summary overview

Overview

Isa 14:1, God's merciful restoration of Israel;

Isa 14:3, Their triumphant exultation over Babel;

- TSKe

The last verse in isaiah 13 fixes the time not to the end of the age but to antiquity.

22 and satyrs shall dwell there; and hedgehogs shall make their nests in their houses. It will come soon, and will not tarry. - Septuagint 250 B.C.

"It will come soon, and will not tarry." - masoretic Hebrew 9th century

The destruction of Babylon by the Persians is directly linked to the restoration of Israel via their return and the building of the 2nd temple.

2. Ezra and Nehemiah Fulfill Isaiah 14

Verse 1

1 The LORD will certainly have compassion on Jacob; he will again choose Israel as his special people and restore them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family of Jacob.

FULFILLED

Ezra 6:21

21 The Israelites who were returning from the exile ate it[The Passover see verse 20], along with all those who had joined them in separating themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to seek the LORD God of Israel.

Notice in Isaiah 14:1 that strangers/foreigners will "join/attach" themselves with the family of Jacob. That is a straight forward expression of proselytizing.

The Hebrew word for "join/attach" is "nilwā"...

--the strangers ] the sojourner, or protected guest; here used, as in later Hebrew, with the sense of “proselyte”: ch. Isa 56:3-7; Zec 2:11; Zec 8:21-23-- --Cambridge commentery

The Jews themselves interpret their own scriptures from The Aramaic Targum. A paraphrase translation of the old Testament. Notice what word they use to describe strangers.

1 For the Lord will have compassion upon the house of Jacob, and will delight again in Israel, and shall make them to dwell in their land; and PROSELYTES shall be joined unto them, and they shall be united unto the house of Jacob. - Isaiah 14:1 Aramaic Targum

Targum Jonathan Ben Uziel: The Chaldee Paraphrase on The Prophet Isaiah Translated by Rev. C. W. H. Pauli 1871

In other words isaiah in verse one is stating that the foreigners who leave with the Jews will become Jews themselves. Esther 8:17 further confirms proselytizing gentiles to becoming jews.

Observe the Hebrew and greek translations of the verse.

"Became Jews" - Hebrew masoretic

"Were circumcised and became Jews" - Greek septuagint

rather, the stranger shall join himself to them. On the return from the Captivity, there would be an influx of proselytes from the nations, who would voluntarily join themselves to those whom they saw favored both by God and man (comp. Est 8:17). Though the Jews did not commonly seek proselytes, they readily received such as offered themselves. - Pulpit Commentary

This prediction is so correct, as appears from the books of Nehemiah and Ezra, that no man can doubt the truth of prophecy; and its literal accomplishment demonstrates the truth of divine revelation. - Sutcliffe

Proselytes in Babylon to the true religion. In like manner, from Est 8:17, we learn that “many of the people of the land became Jews,” as the effect of evidences that God had mercy on them and chose them. Many probably accompanied them back to their land. - Whedon

Notice in Ezra 6:21 that two groups are eating the Passover.

1. Jews

2. THOSE WHO JOINED/ATTACHED TO THEM

Just like in isaiah 14:1. Also notice they were described as SEEKING The Lord.

The hebrew word for seek here is "dârash". It means:

seek deity in prayer and worship:

  a. the true God - Ezra 6:21 - Unabridged Brown Driver Briggs Hebrew Lexicon

IT CITES EZRA 6:21!!!

1b1) to allow oneself to be enquired of, consulted (only of God) - Tyndale Brief Lexicon

This seeking applies accurately to the strangers who joined Israel in the return as proselyte converts and became Jews. Exodus 12:48, truly the entire chapter confirms gentiles undergoing circumcision, and becoming Jews. The Septuagint version has the word "proselyte" in reference to gentiles becoming Jews to partake of the Passover and describes them as "as one born in the land" after undergoing circumcision. The same process an 8 day old jewish child goes through. Therefore, Isaiah 14:1 is clearly seen being fulfilled in Ezra 6:21.

VERSE 2

2 Nations will take them and bring them back to their own place. Then the family of Jacob will make foreigners their servants as they settle in the LORD’s land. They will make their captors captives and rule over the ones who oppressed them. - NET

KJV - 2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.

FULFILLED

Ezra 1

2 “Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: “‘The LORD God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has instructed me to build a temple for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3 Anyone from his people among you (may his God be with him!) may go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and may build the temple of the LORD God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem.

4 Anyone who survives in any of those places where he is a resident foreigner must be helped by his neighbors with silver, gold, equipment, and animals, along with voluntary offerings for the temple of God which is in Jerusalem.’”

... 6 All their neighbors assisted them with silver utensils, gold, equipment, animals, and expensive gifts, not to mention all the voluntary offerings.

Ezra 2

1 These are the people of the province who were going up, from the captives of the exile whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile in Babylon. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own city.

... 65 not counting their male and female servants, who numbered 7,337. They also had 200 male and female singers

Nehemiah 7 [Ezra's Contemporary]

6 These are the people of the province who returned from the captivity of the exiles, whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had forced into exile. They returned to Jerusalem and to Judah, each to his own city.

... 67 not counting their 7,337 male and female servants. They also had 245 male and female singers.

Notice the servants and handmaids would fulfill their roles IN THE LAND... This alone proves such a prophecy fits the return from Babylon instead of Christ's Kingdom in the escheton. Why do i say this? Because there is no way that Isaiah had in mind scattered Jews from North america and beyond ALL returning from around the world to Jerusalem with servants and handmaids because the land is only about the size of new Jersey. The Land could not contain such a worldwide number and thus could not be promised by God to professing hebrews today and the future. This prophecy was spoken with the intent to be fulfilled in ancient times. Hence, Israelites took them for servants and handmaids who rebuilt the temple of Jerusalem and celebrated the Passover with them after it was finished, being prozelyted to the covenant.

Nehemiah 3:2

2 The men of JERICHO built adjacent to it, and Zaccur son of Imri built adjacent to them.

Peoples who once oppressed the Jews will now help them rebuild their ruined nation (14:1-2). - Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

VERSES 3 - 8

3 When the LORD gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, and from the hard labor which you were made to perform,

4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: “Look how the oppressor has met his end! Hostility has ceased!

5 The LORD has broken the club of the wicked, the scepter of rulers.

6 It furiously struck down nations with unceasing blows. It angrily ruled over nations, oppressing them without restraint.

7 The whole earth rests and is quiet; they break into song.

8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, ‘Since you fell asleep, no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’

FULFILLED

Despite Israel's unfaithfulness, God was STILL faithful in fulfilling the prophecies spoke through Isaiah. In this case Isaiah 14. Notice the issues Nehemiah and Ezra point out yet they both acknowledge God's fulfilment and goodness in their midst.

Ezra 9

7 From the days of our fathers until this very day our guilt has been great. Because of our iniquities we, along with our kings and priests, have been delivered over by the local kings to sword, captivity, plunder, and embarrassment – right up to the present time.

8 “But now briefly we have received mercy from the LORD our God, in that he has left us a remnant and has given us a secure position in his holy place. Thus our God has enlightened our eyes and has given us a little relief in our time of servitude.

9 Although we are slaves, our God has not abandoned us in our servitude. He has extended kindness to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, in that he has revived us to restore the temple of our God and to raise up its ruins and to give us a protective wall in Judah and Jerusalem.

... 13 “Everything that has happened to us has come about because of our wicked actions and our great guilt. Even so, our God, you have exercised restraint toward our iniquities and have given us a remnant such as this.

Nehemiah 9 [OVERVIEW]

a time of confession and worship led by the Levites (9:1-5). The prayer began by exalting God as the great Creator, and by praising him for choosing Abraham and making his covenant with him (6-8). God was faithful to his people through all their trials, whether in Egypt or in the wilderness (9-15). Even when they rebelled against him, he forgave them and brought them into the promised land (16-25). Still the people were rebellious and still God forgave them. But they continued in their disobedience. In the end, after many defeats and much oppression, they were taken captive into foreign lands, so that God might humble them and bring them to repentance (26-31). Though they were now back in their land, they were still under the rule of foreigners. They confessed that this was a just reward for their sins, for they had been disobedient to the covenant (32-37). Having confessed their failures, the people made a fresh covenant promise to be faithful to God. They confirmed their promise with a written oath signed by their leaders on their behalf (38). Nehemiah was the first to sign (10:1), followed by the priests (2-8), Levites (9-13) and civil leaders (14-27). All the people were bound by the covenant document to be obedient to God’s law (28-29). - Bridgeway commentery

Notice in verse 3 of isaiah 14 that God gives them rest. Ezra says God gave them relief and grace. And both acknowledge this And their unfaithfulness that resulted in the surrounding issues after their return. And this was stated AFTER they returned to the land from babylon, rebuilt the temple and now renewing their covenant vows. Nehemiah does the same thing.

Now for VERSE 7

Isaiah 14:7 - The whole earth is at rest they break forth into singing!!!

FULFILLED

And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers. And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the directions of David king of Israel. And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, "For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel." And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people's weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away. (Ezra 3:9-13 ESV)

So both choirs of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God, and I and half of the officials with me; and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; and Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malchijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader. And they offered great sacrifices that day and rejoiced, for God had made them rejoice with great joy; the women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard far away. (Nehemiah 12:40-43 ESV)

At the finishing of The rebuilding of the second Temple the Israelites and their converts(servants and handmaids) sang so loud that they could be heard greatly from afar, and those hearing could not tell whether they were rejoicing or crying out.

The whole earth specifically speaks of the nations that Nebuchadnezzar enslaved who were later freed by the Persian king Cyrus. The famous cylinder of Cyrus names the very nations that he freed from the Babylonian king.

Zechariah speaks of rest also.

Zec 1:8-11 LEB 8 I had a vision in the night, and look, a man riding on a red horse. And he was standing between the myrtle shrubs that were in the ravine, and behind him were red, reddish-brown, and white horses. 9 And I asked, “What are these, my lord?” And the angel who was talking with me said, “I will show you what these are.” 10 And the man standing between the myrtle shrubs answered and said, “These are those whom Yahweh has sent to patrol the earth.” 11 And they answered the angel of Yahweh who was standing between the myrtle shrubs, and they said, “We have patrolled the earth, and look, all the earth is dwelling in peace[at rest KJV].”

Again this confirms Isaiah 14:7 - The whole earth is at rest they break forth into singing(Nehemiah 12, Ezra 3)!!!

Time and setting of zechariah is also post Babylonian:

Zechariah was contemporary with Haggai. With him he shared the task of encouraging the returned remnant to rebuild the temple.. His grandfather, Iddo, had been among the first to return from Babylon under Zerubbabel. The prophet himself may well have been born in Babylon. (Zec. 2:4)... As was Haggai’s, so was Zechariah’s purpose the motivation of the people to build the temple. His approach is strikingly different. Whereas Haggai’s message was simple and plainly written, the younger prophet, Zechariah, writes poetically and with flights of fancy which sometimes make his writing almost indecipherable to the twentieth century reader. He goes even beyond Isaiah in the use of symbolic and figurative language, establishing his book as distinctly apocalyptic. - college press commentery

Summary:

We can clearly see from the passages of Isaiah chapters 13 and 14 that such events spoken up where indeed fulfilled. The end verse in chapter 13 proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that such a prophecy why is soon to take place. From the outlines a both chapters it is also clearly seen that the figures, places, and events, all centered around the Assyrian and Babylonian kingdoms that plagued Israel. Babylon Assyria is real and King Nebuchadnezzar we're all spoken of as literal. Servants and handmaid's what predicted by Isaiah and shown in the writings of both Ezra and Nehemiah. Strangers and foreigners also attached themselves to Israel as both Isaiah and Ezra speakers in their writings. The historical, cultural, and biblical context of attaching oneself to the nation of Israel all point to conversion, that is, Gentiles becoming Jews. Hence the word "proselyte" confirms this reality. The strangers who went with the Israelites back to babylon under king Cyrus the Persian Mede were both recorded by Ezra in chapter 2 and Nehemiah in chapter 7 as "servants and maids" which confirms the Isaiah 14:3 prophecy was fulfilled in ancient times.