Isaiah 24:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.

NIV: They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days.

NASB: They will be gathered together Like prisoners in the dungeon, And will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished.

CSB: They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished.

NLT: They will be rounded up and put in prison. They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished.

KJV: And 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.

NKJV: They will be gathered together, As prisoners are gathered in the pit, And will be shut up in the prison; After many days they will be punished.

The end has come for planet earth: destroyed by God as part of His judgment humanity's sin and refusal to receive grace through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 24:18–20). Now that the battle, such as it was, is over, the Lord will now gather two groups of prisoners. Isaiah identified them as the "host" of heaven and the kings of the earth (Isaiah 24:21).

The host of heaven includes fallen angels, also known as demons: those who followed the original fallen angel, Satan (Revelation 12:4). The kings on the earth are likely the human rulers, political systems, and philosophies which led humanity to stand against the Lord's and reject Jesus. Both groups will be punished, but their punishment will not come just yet. First, God collects them, as one might house prisoners in a hollowed-out hole.

Peter's writing appears to mention this prison, using the Greek word Tartarus (2 Peter 2:4). In Greek thinking, Tartarus was the lowest level of the underworld, reserved for the most evil people. This corresponds to Israel's reference to a burning waste dump: Gehenna (Matthew 5:22, 29). These are often translated using the term "hell." Fallen angels are kept awaiting the Lord's judgment.

John also describes this moment in the book of Revelation: "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while" (Revelation 20:1–3).

While those powers and the rebel kings of the earth are held in the pit, the Lord Messiah will establish His kingdom on earth. He will reign over all the earth from His throne in Jerusalem, as Isaiah describes in the final verse in this chapter (Isaiah 24:23).

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 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).