Isaiah 24:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.

NIV: The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken.

NASB: The earth is broken apart, The earth is split through, The earth is shaken violently.

CSB: The earth is completely devastated; the earth is split open; the earth is violently shaken.

NLT: The earth has broken up. It has utterly collapsed; it is violently shaken.

KJV: The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

NKJV: The earth is violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken exceedingly.

The Lord's final judgment against those the few survivors on the earth (Isaiah 24:6–11) comes in some unspecified form. Isaiah referred to a terror, a pit, and a snare. These aren't likely to be literal noise, holes, and nooses. Rather, this seems to imply that people will flee from a perceived threat, only to be caught in something worse. Those who manage to escape will only fall into another disaster. There will be no escape: this is the end (Isaiah 24:17–18).

In addition, massive earthquakes will be splitting the land apart. Without solid ground to cling to, those who refused to place their hope in the Lord by obeying Him will find nothing left to hope in the earth. Revelation 6:12–17 describes a similar scene, which may even be the same as Isaiah saw:

"When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?'"

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).