Assyria

Based in modern-day Iraq, Assyria was one of the most powerful and brutal empires in the ancient world. God used Assyria as a tool of judgment against the northern kingdom of Israel, scattering the ten tribes across the empire. The prophet Jonah was sent to Nineveh, Assyria's capital. Isaiah prophesied that Assyria itself would eventually face God's judgment — which it did when Babylon rose to power.