Paradoxically, Jerusalem has not been a city of peace, but a magnet for conflict, a situation which will not end until Christ returns.

Israel's harlotry and rejection of God's covenant gave Jerusalem an increasingly unsavory association, calling for its impending judgment and destruction.

Isaiah's apocalypse resembles Exodus, as both begin with a narration of God's judgment on sinners and then move to a description of God's continuing work.