ISAIAH - Chapter 24 - The Day of the Lord
ISAIAH – Chapter 24
Tuesday Morning Bible Study
February 3, 2014, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Chapters 13-23 conclude Isaiah’s words to the nations surrounding Israel. He had prophesied mainly the destruction of those nations who had been hostile to God’s people. Now in chapters 24-27, he begins to flow in another emphasis.
Chapter 24: 1-20 specifically describes the judgments of the Lord upon the world in the end time. This judgment is upon those who were instrumental in producing the great wickedness that brought the world to disaster. We are watching government leaders of this nation in covenant with other wicked leaders who are instruments with the intent of bringing the world to disaster. This is the 29th prophesy in Isaiah and unfulfilled. The time reference is the future.
The prophecy describes the downfall of all that is hostile to God; the blessings in store for God’s own people; and His ultimate purposes for Jerusalem. These predominant themes give both comfort and assurance to His faithful people in times of political hardship or disaster. The Lord of Hosts is presented as in full control of the whole world and the whole of time.
In the midst of this (vs. 23) is described the glorious reign of Christ. This is followed in chapters 25-26:19 with the song of Israel’s praise for restoration. In Chapter 26: 20-21, God’s people are called to withdraw into Him during a time of judgment.
Col 3: 1-3: “If you are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Chapter 24 deals with the Day of the Lord. The Lord will judge the earth and all classes of the Christ-rejecting society will be affected. God’s judgments on specific nations and/or natures moves to the universal---His judgment on the whole world and everyone in it! But His purpose is not to condemn. Chapter 24 is on judgment and is followed by the next three chapters of His glorious salvation and deliverance!
In these chapters, the prophet takes a wider outlook. He sees how all the world is under the government (kingdom) of God!
“Behold the Lord makes the earth empty, and makes it waste, and turns it upside down, and scatters abroad the inhabitants thereof. It shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.”
This is twelve governmental categories which includes every class of society. Hosea prophesied a generation or two earlier than Isaiah had mourned over the chaotic moral condition of the northern kingdom, and predicted the utter ruin of the land (Hos. 4: 1-10). The imperial powers like Assyria must one day suffer God’s punishment; while the small nations like Judah were already suffering His punishments inflicted by means of the Assyrians.
24:3-5: “The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled; for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.”
Three causes of judgment:
- They have transgressed the laws.
- Changed the ordinance
- Broken the everlasting covenant.
All of this has been done by the present Executive Administration of the government of the United States.
When I was in Washington D. C. for the National Day of Prayer in 2013, the Lord spoke to me that I could not trust any branch of the government of the United States.
The earth itself is to mourn and fade away, devoured by a curse, while all mirth ceases. The city is desolate. As the prophet looks out on this terrible scene, he seems to hear some note of hope. Some where the voices of singers are heard. The prophecy of world-wide judgment ends with the declaration that it will be the act of Jehovah, and will issue in His perfect victory!
The apocalyptic desolations are described:
- The new wine mourns. The vine languishes and all merry hearted do sigh!
- The mirth of tabrets ceases. The noise of them that rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases.
- They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
- The city of confusion is broken down; every house is shut up, that no man may come in.
- There is crying for wine in the streets. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone.
- The city is left desolate. The gate is smitten with destruction.
The lack of wine typifies the failure of all vegetation as well as the loss of every source of joy. Every city is abandoned to ruins as the citizens search hopelessly for food in the country side. (Flint, Michigan)
When all this happens, there will be only a remnant left. It will be like a few olives and grapes after the harvest. The remnant shall turn to God and sing praise and cry aloud from the sea coasts.
The prophet hears the song of the Remnant rejoicing in their deliverance in a time of trouble.
24: 13-16b: “When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. They shall lift up their voice; they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify you the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous…”
The prophet hears the songs of joy in the Spirit coming from the remnant from all over the world. The isles of the sea would include the Americas as well as the uttermost part of the earth. The time reference of this vision is in the future from Isaiah’s time. The Lord allows him to hear the praises of the saints from all over the world before these continents were discovered or evangelized.
The Song of the Redeemed: Psa. 91; Ex. 15; Deut. 32; Rev. 14.
In verses 16b-20, we hear the despair of the prophet. “…But I said, my leanness, my leanness, woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.
Treacherous dealers refers to foreign nations and rulers that break covenants, particularly to the Anti-christ and the spirit of antichrist who break covenant with the Jews, drive them out of their land, and rule from Jerusalem.
We are seeing this prophesy transpire before our eyes with the treachery of John Kerry to break covenant with Israel and try to force them to give a portion of Jerusalem to the Palestinians.
The ten kings of the last two world kingdoms will deal treacherously with Israel. This administration has unequivocally dealt treacherously with Israel on multiple fronts.
Vs 17-21: “Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. It shall come to pass, that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare; for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.”
The future downfall of the earth’s unrighteous, godless systems will not result in a spiritual vacuum. Idolatry will perish with those who practice it. One of the commentaries interpreted “the host of the high ones that are on high” as those who worship the stars. Since the phrase is identified with the kings of the earth, I am persuaded this means the demonic rulers. Every demonic king has a demonic ruling prince affecting his government, i.e. the Prince of Persia, etc. According to this verse, there is a “host” of demonic ruling princes. Of course, “host” can also refer to the sun, moon and stars.
These demonic hosts and the kings of the earth who they control will ultimately bow down to the Lord Almighty. The Lord of Hosts is the name of God which emphasizes His control of all powers of the universe. At this point the cosmic picture is put aside, for the Lord has chosen to reign gloriously in Jerusalem, (New Jerusalem). In the New Testament both Jerusalem and Mt. Zion refer to the Heavenly Jerusalem.
Hebrews 12:22-26: “You are come to mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel. See that you refuse not Him that speaks. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaks from heaven; whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.”
Isa. 24: 22-23: “They shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall rein in mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously.”
The ancients probably refer to the Old Testament saints such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, David, etc. We can also liken this to the elders of Rev. 4:4. The apostles and others of New Testament times will reign as kings and priests with Christ.
Heb. 12: 28-29: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. I entered into the labors of Principles of Present Truth, Isaiah by: Kelly Varner; F. F. Bruce Bible Commentary and Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those who I entered into their labors.