Isaiah 24 - Printer Friendly

What does Isaiah 24 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

Following oracles about the Lord's judgment on various nations (Isaiah 23) comes this prophecy about the end times. Isaiah looks toward the Lord's final judgment of the entire earth for human sinfulness in the last days. It is a terrifying vision of what is to come.

First is a cataclysmic event which will leave the surface of earth deformed, ruined, and practically deserted. Few details are given, so there is no hint as to what this catastrophe might be. Other end-times prophecies, such as the book of Revelation, include events which are often interpreted as environmental disasters. (Isaiah 24:1).

Whatever this event is, nobody will escape it due to power, position, wealth, or privilege. Castes and classes will become meaningless. Slaves and masters, borrowers and lenders, religious leaders and laymen; all will suffer the same way under the Lord's judgment during that time (Isaiah 24:1–2).

Isaiah paints a picture of earth, after this calamity, as almost uninhabited, with all its resources used up. Some of humanity will survive, but the land becomes "empty" in that cannot support life as it once did. Whatever is left will be sickly, weak, worn down, and decaying. No one will be thriving in this time. This is happening because humanity has defiled the earth. They have sinned and violated their eternal agreement with the Lord. Human sin has brought this curse upon the world. Fewer and fewer will survive; those who do are dried out and beaten down like something left out under a hot sun and drought (Isaiah 24:3–6).

The "city" here is simply a metaphor for the inhabited world of mankind. Civilization will be in ruins with people isolated and locked behind their doors. Happiness will seem like a long-forgotten thing of the past. Those left alive will be as few and as fortunate as the scattered bits missed during a harvest. One example is the impact of the failed grape crops. This crop was crucial to life in the Near East during Isaiah's time. Without the grape harvest, there would be no wine. Without this harvest, there will be none of the music and celebration that came with that time. There will be no partying for even temporary relief from the Lord's judgment (Isaiah 24:7–13).

In a sudden shift, Isaiah reveals that there is joyful celebration somewhere on earth. Apparently, even in those dark times, some will come to the Lord in faith. These new believers join to sing out praise to the Righteous One from the ends of the earth despite the desolation surrounding them. Even with that good news, Isaiah expresses despair; traitors continue to betray the Lord. He turns to describe the final judgment. (Isaiah 24:14–15).

Those who remain alive at the very end will experience terror, the pit, and the snare. The terror brings with it a sound that causes people to scatter and fall into the pit. Those who escape this pit are caught in the snare. There is no final escape (Isaiah 24:16–18).

Finally, the earth is destroyed by massive earthquakes which shake the planet to the core. This is an event from which the planet will never recover (Isaiah 24:19–20).

The Lord then gathers all who have stood against Him, including the kings of the earth and the supernatural powers of heaven. He puts them together into a prison to await the final punishment after many days. Then the Lord of hosts begins His reign over the earth from Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Isaiah 24:21–23).

Isaiah 24:1–13 describes the Lord's judgment of all humanity during the end times. This destruction comes in response to human sinfulness. God will bring a calamity on earth that will tear the people from their homes. All will suffer equally. Everything will wither, and the few survivors will be scorched. Music, wine, and joy will end: what's left of civilization will be like the olives missed by workers at harvest.

Isaiah 24:14–16 proves that even during an end-times global catastrophe, God can still reach people with the gospel. While most of surviving humanity is huddled in misery, some sing praise to the Lord. Isaiah, however, grieves that his own generation is spiritually traitorous.

Isaiah 24:17–23 clarifies that nobody will escape the terror of God's judgment in the end times. Massive earthquakes will bring an end to it all. The Lord will gather all who stood against Him and lock them up before beginning His rule as king on earth.

Chapter Summary:

Isaiah describes terrible judgment the Lord will bring on the earth during the final days. The Lord will twist the surface of the earth, scattering the people. All will suffer equally regardless of status, and the earth will be fully emptied. Everything will wither and languish. The Lord will do this because of human sinfulness against Him. Few will survive, and there will be no wine, music, or gladness. The only exception to this will be the singing of those who praise the Lord. Massive earthquakes will destroy the earth, and the Lord will lock up all who stood against Him before beginning His reign as king.

Chapter Context:

Chapter 24 follows the oracles of Isaiah against the nations in chapters 13–23. However, this prophecy is against the entire earth. Here, we find the description of the judgment of the Lord on all humanity during the last days. God will destroy the world in response to human sinfulness. He will ruin the face of the earth, causing people to scatter. Few will survive. Wine, music, and gladness will disappear. Earthquakes will destroy the earth. The Lord will gather the powers from heaven and earth and lock them up together before beginning His reign on earth.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).

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