You Cannot Serve both Jerusalem & Babylon

Isaiah 52 is a prophetic passage foretelling the end of the exile of God’s people in Babylon. Remember, because they were unfaithful to their covenant with God, his presence had departed from the temple in Jerusalem. Shortly after this, the Babylonian army invaded, destroyed the city and the temple, and carried God’s people away into exile in the East. Through the prophets, however, the Lord told them the exile would not be permanent. Instead, a day was coming when God would rescue his people, erect a new and more glorious temple, and once again dwell among them. And through this new temple, all the nations would come to know and worship Israel’s God.