Isaiah 24:1-23

Isaiah 24:1-12  à the Earth in the Aftermath of the 2nd Advent War

Evidently, according to Isaiah 24:1-12, this prophecy is a forewarning of immense catastrophe… the only question is, upon whom? What nation or people, or land, shall suffer the likes of these unthinkable divine woes?

Isaiah 24:1-12 repeatedly pinpoints the region in the crosshairs of divine judgment so that there would be no mistaking those whom the LORD is targeting. Evidently, these waters of judgment overflow all national borders. Evidently, these fires of tribulation engulf the world. Repeatedly, the LORD speaks of “the earth” (Isa. 24:1, 5, 6) and “the world” (Isa. 24:4), and “the land” thereof (Isa. 24:3), because of divine anger against “the inhabitants of the earth” (Isa. 24:6). Thus, this prophecy is not against any particular people, but against all peoples; and, when speaking of “the city” in Isa. 24:10 & 24:12, the LORD is not speaking against any particular city but against all cities. Moreover, according to Isaiah 24:19-20, this divine judgment far surpasses anything that has ever taken place, in that, “the earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly”, and, fearfully, “the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall remove like a cottage…and it shall fall, and not rise again” (Isa. 24:19-20)! How this affects the inhabitants of the earth is clearly stated in Isaiah 24:6, stating, “Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.” (Isa. 24:6).

Isaiah 24:13-16  à Christians and Jews during the Great Tribulation

Notably, this prophecy does not reduce all peoples into a wasted estate of utter destruction. Though lean (Isa. 24:16), or hardly alive, a remnant will “glorify” the LORD “in the fires” of these unfathomable and seemingly unsurvivable judgments (Isa. 24:15)! In other words, amidst these engulfing calamities the LORD will accomplish a redemptive purpose. Signifying this, the LORD said, “When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people…” (Isa. 24:13). What? When utter destruction is unfurled on every side, God says,

“…there shall be as the shaking of an Olive Tree, and as the Gleaning Grapes when the Vintage is done.” – Isa. 24:13

This speaks of an in-gathering of a remnant in terms already set forth in the Book of Isaiah. Just as Assyria’s “glory” was reduced to wit God turned his fatness into leanness (Isa. 10:16) insomuch that only a “few” Assyrians remained in the aftermath of God’s judgment through Babylon (Isa. 10:19); or, just as Jacob’s “glory” was reduced to wit God made his “fatness” wax “thin” & “lean” (Isa. 17:4) insomuch that only a few (a number comparable to “Gleaning Grapes” or “the shaking of an Olive Tree” – Isa. 17:6) remained in the aftermath of God’s judgment through Assyria; even so, “the inhabitants of the earth are burned” insomuch that only “few” men are left (Isa. 24:6), and, the lean-in-body remnant of God’s people (Isa. 24:16) is comparable to “the shaking of an Olive Tree, and as the Gleaning Grapes when the Vintage is done” (Isa. 24:13).

In arriving to Isaiah 24, the Spirit of Prophecy directs the reader to behold things of futurity that are seemingly wild and incontrollable. The readers would feel they are looking into a stormy tempest of divine wrath wherein redemption is simply inconceivable or even impossible. However, because God has forged doctrines in history and then applied them to the foretold situation of futurity, the interpreter can be sure of God’s mind in the matter. Namely, because the divine punishment of ancient Assyria through historical Babylon in harmonious terms (Isa. 10:16, 19) was for a redemptive purpose that will result in an ingathered remnant (Isa. 19:23-25); and, because the divine punishment of ancient Israel through historical Assyria in harmonious terms (Isa. 17:4, 6) was for a redemptive purpose that will result in an ingathered remnant (Isa. 10:20-22); even so, behold how lively and worshipful this Last Days remnant shall be, in that,

“They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the Majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Wherefore glorify ye 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…” – Isa. 24:14-16

This is truly a staggering testimony! Namely, that “the LORD God of Israel” is being glorified “in the isles of the sea” and “from the uttermost part of the earth” (Isa. 24:14-16)! How?

Isaiah 24:17-18  à Babylon’s Rise to Worldwide Power by War & Conquest + the Great Tribulation

Well, the Israelites will be scattered worldwide in the divine judgment of future Babylon in accordance with Isaiah 24:16-18. Just as the nightmare of historical Babylon was a “grievous vision” insomuch that “the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth” (Isa. 21:2); even so, the Jews of the Last Days will be made to lament, saying, “My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!”, statedly because, “the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously” (Isa. 24:16), all of this being the brutal reality of the most grievous nightmare brought about by the diabolical rampage of future Babylon (Zech. 13:8-14:7). In other words, the Jews of the Last Days will be scattered in the captivity of future Babylon and then regathered in the aftermath of the 2nd Advent War of Christ & the Armies of Heaven. So, there will be a time of sorrow and leanness (“But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!” – Isa. 24:16) and then a time of rejoicing and restoration (“they shall sing for the Majesty of the LORD” – Isa. 24:14).

The Jews will be punished before they will praise because they need the likes of future Babylon to humble them before the LORD. The confession, “the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously” (Isa. 24:16), indicates that future Babylon will go on a destructive rampage worldwide as a divine instrument in the hand of God just like Assyria was wielded as a hewing axe and a rod of anger (Isa. 10:5-7, 15), and of course the Jews will be the foremost target.

However, because these events will take place at the glorious fruition of the New Covenant in the End of the World (Dan. 9:27), many Jews will exist within the vast diversity of the inhabitants of the earth rather than within the borders of the state of Israel. Why? The most profound answer is in the fact that Gentiles worldwide will be saved by Christ and therein will have become spiritual Jews in the sight of God; and, furthermore, because of the backslidings of the Gentile Church Age, they too will deserve the likes of future Babylon as a punishment. So, when future Babylon will target the Jews it will effectively target both Christians and racial Israelites. The Christians will be purified & perfected through and within the tribulation brought about by future Babylon and then they will be raptured at the 7th Trumpet, which means that they will be praising God amidst the 3 ½ year Great Tribulation in fulfillment of Isaiah 24:14-16, and meanwhile the Jews will be uttering the awful lamentation, “But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!” (Isa. 24:16). My reader, no Jew will escape the divine judgment of future Babylon.

“Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh 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.” – Isa. 24:17-18

Isaiah 24:17-18 describes the treacherous dealings of future Babylon in how NONE will escape. In other words, the judgments are inescapable except by divine pardon. The same message is expounded further in Isaiah 30:16-17 and echoed by a contemporary prophet, Amos (5:18-20, 9:1-10), illustrating exactly how these historical scenarios serve as typology for futurity in Isaiah 24:17-18. Meaning, the LORD foresaw how the Jews would try to flee God’s judgment upon Israel and Judah through Assyria, and in the attempt the LORD said he would miraculously empower the heathen to hunt the Jews down so that escaping was impossible without divine pardon. I repeat, this is communicated in the Book of Isaiah (Isa. 24:17-18, 30:16-17) & the Book of Amos (Amos 5:18-20, 9:1-10), both of whom testified of God’s judgment through Assyria, but the doctrine is exceedingly enlarged in the Book of Jeremiah & the Book of Ezekiel describing God’s judgment through historical & future Babylon.

The importance of this doctrine for Tribulation Saints simply cannot be underestimated. For a thorough study of this doctrine, I urge you to read The Doctrine of the Majesty of the LORD and The Gospel Message: the Majesty of the LORD in every detail of the Tribulation to discover what is to majestic, miraculous, celestial, & meticulous about what God did through historical Babylon; and, afterwards, you will be enabled to fully realize how these doctrines will be fulfilled in future Babylon as declared by the 5th Trumpet of Revelation 9. The realization of this doctrine being expounded by the prophets is, simply put, a realization of The Majesty of the LORD; and, of course, this is why the saints are foreseen to be singing and praising “for the Majesty of the LORD” in Isaiah 24:14!

Isaiah 24:19-23  à Divine retaliation to Babylon via the 2nd Advent War of Christ to wit the Jews are restored to Zion

However, it is important to see the full scope of Isaiah 24. Namely, how the vast majority of the scenery described is in the aftermath of the 2nd Advent War. In other words, this is what the world will look like in the aftermath of God’s victory over future Babylon. In the process both heaven and earth will be destroyed (Lk. 21:33)! Specifically speaking, the destruction of the earth and all nations therein will commence during the outpouring of the Vials – a series of events wherein Heaven besieges Earth resulting in the Gathering of Babylon’s Armies (6th Vial) with the outbreak of war beginning at the Shaking (7th Vial) & the Winepress and ending in the Armies of Heaven in Worldwide Battle, thus concluding the 2nd Advent War on Day 1,290. Then, in the next 45 days the Jews will be regathered and restored to Zion in glory, as described in Isaiah 24:23, thus consummating the 3rd Restoration Generation of the Jews on Day 1,335.