End of the World
Isaiah 24-27
In the chapters that preceded
those we will look at today, we saw that God is sovereign over nations. He
judges each nation in history. Each nation rises and falls, which
shows us that man is incapable of building anything that endures. In the end,
every system of man resists God, which means their inevitable decline to and
final demise.
The cycle of nations rising
and falling shows us two biblical truths. The first is that man needs
government and leadership. It is a gift from God. But soon the second truth
becomes obvious. Man has an evil heart (Jeremiah 17:9[PW1] ).
Power gives opportunity for corrupt hearts to express what already lies within.
We quote that phrase “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,”
but in reality power
simply gives the corrupt heart of man opportunity to expose itself. How
many times have we seen leaders think they were above the boundaries placed on
them by their government’s own rules? It happens in the church too. That is why
equal and accountable eldership is so important, and why multiple branches of
government are important. These checks and balances limit the opportunity for
man to get away with his selfish tendencies.
Our chapters today do not
speak of specific nations, but of the end of the reign of man, or as we saw in
previous chapters, the fall of Babylon. This is a parallel to Daniel chapter
two when the stone cut out of the mountain smashes the image of man and becomes
a mountain that fills the whole earth (Daniel 2:44-45[PW2] ).
Isaiah is seeing the grand conclusion of man’s kingdoms.
1 Behold,
the LORD willempty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its
surface and scatter its inhabitants. 2 And it shall be, as with the
people, so with the priest; as with the slave, 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 creditor, so with the debtor.
Isaiah 24:1-2We saw a little twisting
of the earth during our recent earthquake. I’ve seen the ground roll like
waves, but this sounds like all the plates of the earth shifting at once. The
book of Revelation mentions an earthquake in six passages (Revelation 6:13[PW3] ; 8:5[PW4] ; 11:13[PW5] , 19[PW6] ; 16:18[PW7] ). The last reference is mentioned in
conjunction with the fall of Babylon.
Towards the end of this chapter in Isaiah God makes it clear that this is
a physical earthquake. 19 The earth is
utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.
Isaiah 24:19The result is the end of man’s classifications and a great
equalization. This great equalizing of men is something socialism and communism
has tried to bring about, only to find their efforts resulted in loss of
individual initiative. The only time this equality can be realized is in a body
of Christ followers. Even then, we find weeds among the wheat (Matthew
13:24-25[PW8] ). Only the reign of Christ on earth will
bring about true equality that maintains individual enthusiasm. That is because
God will justlyreward godly effort. While our heavenly rewards will vary, our
standing before God is equal because we are all recipients of the righteousness
of God (2
Peter 1:1[PW9] ).
The destruction will be so complete that few men will be left.5 The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for
they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting
covenant.
6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.Isaiah 24:5-6 The Bible teaches us that God has nature respond to the sin of man (Numbers 35:33[PW10] ; Psalm 106:38[PW11] ). We are always looking for the empirical explanation for every natural disaster, but rarely do we do as the ancients and look for a spiritual cause. While pagans used natural disasters as an excuse to punish those they opposed, Christians have seen disasters as being allowed by God to bring us to repentance. There will be no doubt in the days of God’s wrath on the earth that it is from the hand of God. Again we find a parallel in Revelation in the fourth bowl of wrath. 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.Revelation 16:8-9
6 Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.Isaiah 24:5-6 The Bible teaches us that God has nature respond to the sin of man (Numbers 35:33[PW10] ; Psalm 106:38[PW11] ). We are always looking for the empirical explanation for every natural disaster, but rarely do we do as the ancients and look for a spiritual cause. While pagans used natural disasters as an excuse to punish those they opposed, Christians have seen disasters as being allowed by God to bring us to repentance. There will be no doubt in the days of God’s wrath on the earth that it is from the hand of God. Again we find a parallel in Revelation in the fourth bowl of wrath. 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.Revelation 16:8-9
Our chapter in Isaiah goes on to speak of the end of all the things that
man delights in. All the things the carnal person lives for will be taken away.
But strangely in the midst of all this devastation there are songs of praise rising
from the earth. 14 They lift up
their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the LORD they shout from
the west. 15 Therefore in the east give glory to the LORD; in the
coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the LORD, the God of Israel. 16a From
the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.
Isaiah 24:14-16 These who are praising God are the great number who have turned
to the Lord and recognized that this judgment on the earth is the end of
Babylon the great (Revelation
7:9[PW12] , 13-14[PW13] ).
That means Christ is coming to reign and righteousness and justice will
prevail. The devastating results of sin will be removed for a thousand years.
The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord (Isaiah 11:9[PW14] ).
21 On that day the LORD will
punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.
22 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. Isaiah 24:21-22 Revelation chapters nineteen
and twenty tell of the details of this event. The kings who lead the nations in
the battle of Armageddon are killed. Hebrew people referred to the grave as the
pit, because they kept the bones of ancestors in a pitfor the day of
resurrection (Psalm
28:1[PW15] ). Thus
gathered in a pit means to die, but also may mean a place of confinement. Satan
will be bound for a thousand years after which time the dead will be judged and
punished. That is the “many days” referred to in verse twenty-two.
23 Then the moon will be
confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and
in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders. Isaiah 24:23The glory of the sun and moon
will be nothing compared to the glory of the Lord reigning on Mount Zion (Revelation
21:23[PW16] ).
Again we see the parallel in Revelation where the twenty-four elders are
described as being around the throne (Revelation 4:4[PW17] ).
This is the climactic end of man’s governments and the beginning of the eternal
reign of Jesus on the throne of David (Isaiah 9:7[PW18] ).
While Isaiah will go on to prophecy to nations and tell of Jesus’ suffering, he
has already given us a glimpse of where it is all headed.
Chapter twenty-five begins with Isaiah joining the redeemed in praising
God. 1 O
LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have
done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
Isaiah 25:1 Isaiah can see that this end of man’s kingdoms means the end of
suffering and oppression. But He also sees that this was God’s plan all along.
God allowed man to see how depraved and helpless he is to bring about any good.
How many thousands of years have we been striving for the perfect government.
Even when we plan for checks and balances there is abuse and corruption and the
real needs of the people are neglected.
God allowed man to try everything his imagination could conjure, and yet
we refuse to learn from our experiences. We need God. That is the message of
history. We need a Savior. We
need a holy Leader who will reign in righteousness. The wonderful,
faithful, sure, and ancient plans of God will come to pass. Man will reach the
end of himself, as in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37[PW19] ).
Then Christ will come and put an end to our suffering and receive His own. That
is why Isaiah is praising God in the midst of all the destruction he envisions.
Before he was crying at the fall of nations (Isaiah 15:5a[PW20] ),
but that is not the case at this final judgment. We cry when we see others
reject the chance to turn to God. But during the pouring out of God’s wrath,
the choice will be so clear that we will know that those who face His wrath
would never turn from evil. (See Revelation 16:9 on page 2.)
Isaiah foresees the feast of the Word that God will prepare for all those
are willing to come into His presence.6 On this
mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a
feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well
refined.Isaiah 25:6The rabbis saw in the prophecy to Judah that the
Messiah’s kingdom would have an abundance of wine (Genesis 49:11[PW21] ).
That is why Jesus’ first sign was turning water into wine (John 2:11[PW22] ).
If you can make water into fine wine, you certainly could have an abundance of
it. But the spiritual significance is the joy that wine represents. Isaiah will
speak again of the wine and food that is rich, meaning joy in the Holy Spirit
and spiritual nourishment (Isaiah 55:1-2[PW23] ; Psalm 22:26[PW24] ).
We taste it now when we come to know Jesus as our Lord and feast on His Word,
but our present experience is just the appetizer for what is to come(Revelation
19:9[PW25] ).
8 He will swallow up death
forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach
of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:8The Victor over death has taken
away the power of our greatest fear. That means He conquered the one who had
the power over death. That is why Christians have such hope. We don’t mourn for
our loved ones like the world does, because we know in a short time we will see
them again (1
Thessalonians 4:13[PW26] ).
Sorrow and crying will be no more. Don’t you long for the hands of Jesus to
wipe away forever the tears from your eyes? Every hurt will be gone. Every scar
healed over (Revelation
7:17[PW27] ).
Death is the result of sin, and sin will be no more!
The verse also speaks of the reproach of His people. The Jews have been
and are still a reproach in the eyes of much of the world. Christians, in many
countries such as Pakistan,are only allowed to have the most menial of
occupations. In our own country, Christians are increasingly insulted and marginalized.
We are mocked by the entertainment industry, but we haven’t seen anything like that
which many of our brothers and sisters around the world face. We will
increasingly find we are the reproach of this world until Jesus reigns.
9 It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This
is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his
salvation.” Isaiah 25:9 The
intermediate fulfillment of this verse came when Jesus was incarnated. The
ultimate fulfillment will come when we meet Him in the air (1
Thessalonians 4:17[PW28] ).
Everything we have longed for as believers will be realized. Every promise of
God will be fulfilled. Those promises we did not receive in this life will be
ours then. We will be like Him for we will see Him as He is (1John 3:2[PW29] ).
That is our reason to be glad and rejoice with super-abounding joy.
The prophecy turns next to the old enemy of Israel, Moab.11b but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together
with the skill of his hands. Isaiah
25:11b Those same gentle hands that wiped the tears from our eyes will
powerfully lay low the pompous prideful ones who resist Him. This is what we
have been reading about to this point in Isaiah. The prideful nations and
individuals that have rejected the Lord, those who refuse to listen to His
invitation to come to Him and find peace, will be brought low.
Chapter twenty-six is a song that will be sung in Zion. It welcomes the
righteous nations that bring their tribute into the city (Isaiah 18:7[PW30] ; Revelation
21:24-27[PW31] ). The
song also has a number of proverbs. Verse three is one everyone should
memorize. 3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed
on you, because he trusts in you.Isaiah 26:3This has been a refuge
for me personally. We will face times of difficulty when our mind is whirling
with all the possible outcomes of a situation. That can bring on a lot of
anxiety. But this promise is the antidote for all anxiety. Instead of worrying,
we should fix our mind on the Lord, on all He has done for us, on how much He
loves us, and on how we can trust Him. When our mind is on Jesus, the peace
comes in like a warm blanket. We’ll be tempted to shift our thoughts to the
worries, but that is why the verse says our minds must stay there. This is not
just any peace that is promised. It is perfect peace. To know God is
all-powerful and more than sufficient to see you through anything is the source
of this perfect peace. This peace puts an end to fear and worry. Whenever you
start to be anxious again, you can know your mind needs to be pulled back to
Jesus.
One reason for that perfect peace is found in the next verse. 4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an
everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:4Our God is strong, secure, and eternal.
He will never change. Everything else will change. The governments of man will
come and go, but His reign will endure forever.
8 In the path of your
judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of
our soul.Isaiah 26:8The path
of the Lord’s judgments is not only His punishment of evil, but walking in His
will. Weshould live in a way that is
pleasing to God while we wait for Him to fulfill His promises. His name is the
sum of His attributes. Remembering His great deeds and help in the past, along
with reminding ourselves of His character, should be the desire of our soul (Psalm 73:25[PW32] ).
What does your soul desire? If your first answer is anything other than a
deeper walk with Jesus, you’ll have a difficult time being at peace.
19 Your dead shall live;
their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For
your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.Isaiah 26:19Many theologians tell us that the
Old Testament did not teach of an afterlife. I’m not sure which Bible they are
reading. Mine sure teaches it (Daniel 12:2[PW33] ; Hosea 13:14[PW34] )!
Keep in mind how this fits in with previous chapter. Isaiah is still speaking
of the end of the systems of man and the reign of Christ on the earth. Death is
not the end. For us it is graduation day.
Chapter twenty-seven again speaks of Israel as God’s choice vineyard (Isaiah 5:7[PW35] ).
God tells of His faithful care of it, and how He would contend with nations
that would come against it (thorns and briars). God would rather those nations
laid hold of Him for their protection. He would rather they made peace with
Him. His love and favor is not only for Israel, but for all, as we often see
throughout Isaiah.
This chapter tells of how God will deal with Israel through captivity and
how they would respond by destroying their idols. We have an amazing promise in
verse 6.
6 In days to come Jacob
shall take root, Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole
world with fruit.Isaiah 27:6This
is obviously speaking of physical descendants as well as spiritual fruit.
However, it has been literally fulfilled as well. Israel has indeed been taken
root again a second time. They are now the largest source of citrus fruit for
all of Europe. If you go to Israel today you can see the large banana, orange,
and grapefruit groves all over the land. In another sense, the entire world
uses medicine manufactured in Israel. But the greater fulfillment is yet to
come.
In these four chapters we’ve seen the end of the governments of man that
comes about through the wrath of God on the earth. We’ve seen the great
multitude that are saved during that period, and the eternal reign of Christ.
We’ve been invited to God’s great banquet, seen the end of death and how all
tears will be wiped from our eyes. We learned that peace comes from keeping our
mind on Jesus and trusting Him. He is the desire of our soul. And this last
chapter showed us that God would indeed take Israel through captivity, but
would restore them as a people purged of idolatry.
This is real life. We know that trials purge us of worldly distractions.
We know God has good plans for us and desires for us to be fruitful. We experience
His peace when we keep our mind on our unshakable Rock. We rest in the promise
of resurrection, knowing that Jesus is the Victor over death and has a victory
meal prepared for us. I’m going! Are you?
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