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Isaiah 24:1 - 24:23
The
previous Isaiah Chapter covered the historical destruction of the island rock Tyre by
God's direction. Those "merchants" of Tyre would then escape from Tyre
and setup their operations elsewhere, giving Isaiah 23 a yet final, and future
fulfillment. That final fulfillment will be the second coming of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ (Rev.11:15; Rev.19).
This Isaiah 24 Chapter will further explain that final
destruction upon the future ten king "beast" system of Babylon and
Tyrus, not by man's hand, but directly by our Father and His Son Jesus Christ. This
Chapter relates directly to Revelation 6 through 19, i.e. the major events of the
Apocalypse (Revelation). Then in Isaiah 25, those who love The LORD are given a special
comforting by our Heavenly Father during this event. We are to know that this destruction
upon future Tyrus is not against God's People who love Him through His Son. That's also
why God has revealed these events to us here, because He loves us, and wants us to
understand these events so His will not be afraid of the times, and remain in Him.
As we begin this study, we ask a Word of Wisdom from our
Father in Christ Jesus' Name, Amen.
Isa
24:1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste,
and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
This Hebrew word for "empty" is very important. It is 'baqaq'
in the Hebrew, and means 'to pour out, make empty', such as what one would do by
turning a bottle upside down and pouring out its contents (Strong's no. 1238). This is
also a Hebrew figure of speech, as that bottle makes a certain sound when it's poured out.
The Companion Bible margin spells this Hebrew phrase as 'hibok' 'tibok',
imitating the sound of bottle's contents being emptied.1
This analogy from our Heavenly Father is also just like
scrubbing a dish to make it clean. Our Father even used that dish scrub analogy in 2 Kings
21:13 against Manasseh, a king of Judah which led Jerusalem and the 'house of Judah' into
many abominations. It referred to the 'king of Babylon' coming upon Jerusalem then, and as
a future 'type', it will apply again with a fake messiah sitting in Jerusalem (2 Thess.2;
Matt.24). When our Lord Christ Jesus gets here, His get to help in scrubbing the dish of
this old earth, wiping away all filthiness and abomination (see Rev.20:4). So this Isaiah
24 event parallels that 'Day of The LORD', when Christ will begin His Eternal reign on
earth.
Isa
24:2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with
the servant, 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 taker of
usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
God
is no respecter of persons (1 Pet.1:17; Acts 10:34; Rom.2:10; Eph.6:9; Colossians 3 for
the good works we should be doing). He will judge all of us accordingly by our works. And
for those in Christ, accepting our Lord Jesus as Savior, by repentance through Him,
having a change of heart and trying to do right, our slate is wiped clean with our good
works remaining. Those who refuse The Father through Christ Jesus are going to suffer
wrath because they have denied God's Authority. Accepting a false messiah instead of
waiting on The True Messiah Jesus Christ to appear, is the main danger for the future
tribulation period. I need not explain what the wicked are doing against Christ today.
It's not that difficult for one to see who opens up God's Word for themselves in study.
The globalist leaders who believe in a world government kingdom of the flesh do not want
us to think of, nor teach of this coming scrubbing upon the world by God's Hand. Instead,
they want us to believe upon 'them', and 'their' king messiah, who will be false.
I want to help The LORD wash dishes; how about you? This
means those 'in Christ' welcome the coming of this event by our Father's Hand, because it
will be for the better. Every time
we experience evil at the hand of those against our Lord
today, we should remind ourselves of this coming event, and proclaim it openly, and
boldly!
Oh how the followers of God The Rock through His Son yearn for true righteousness and
justice upon the earth. Be patient yet a little while sisters and brothers in Christ; we
don't have much longer to wait in my opinion.
Isa
24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the
LORD hath spoken this word.
4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth
away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
The
earth is not going to be destroyed, but cleansed of all the evil off of it. That's what
this "fadeth away" really means (see Isa.65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13
with the "new heavens and earth" using your Strong's).
That Hebrew word 'baqaq' appears here again with "shall
be utterly emptied". These who "languisheth" (mourn) this
event of God's cleansing of all evil off the earth are "haughty" and
rebellious against The Lord. Those who set themselves up in place of God would just rather
He would go away somewhere, and His Name never mentioned. That's Satan's sin of self-pride
and self exaltation. It matters not where they are on earth during this event. It can be
any person who refuses God through The Savior. For today, the "haughty"
are those who seek to setup and follow a one-world government under their 'own' authority,
disregarding God The Father and The Son. There will be only One Authority setup after this
event of God shaking the Heavens and the earth. The Perfect Government will upon The Son's
Shoulder, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isa.9:6). Don't put your faith in
anything else, or you will 'shake' with the "haughty".
Recall a prior destruction upon this ancient earth from
the following verses in Genesis and Jeremiah:
Gen
1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness
was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters.
Jer 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and
void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills
moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all
the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all
the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by His fierce
anger.
27 For thus hath the LORD said, "The whole land shall be desolate;
yet will I not make a full end."
Those Scriptures mark the destruction of that time 'of old', when Satan drew a third of
the sons of God into rebellion (Rev.12:3-4). GOD put this ancient earth through a dish
scrubbing then by water to end that first earth age, in preparation for this flesh age we
are now in (see 2 Peter 3 also, or the Genesis studies). For
this flesh age, His Promise is the offer of Salvation unto Eternal Life through His Son
Jesus Christ Who died upon the cross for the remission of sins (Isaiah 7; 9:6; 61;
Zech.13; Matt.26:26-29; Matt.1:23; Matt.11). That Promise of The Lord Christ being born of
a virgin and sacrificing Himself upon the cross for us was fulfilled as per God's prophets
(Gen.3:15; Psalms 22; Micah 5:2; Zech.13). Yet once more God will shake not only the
earth, but heaven also, so that the evil will be scrubbed away, leaving those things that
can't be shaken. Our Lord's Righteousness, Truth, and His People who love Him, and believe
on Him through His Son, will not be shaken (Heb.12:22-29). Those 'in Christ' look forward
to this event of the wicked and evil scrubbed away off the earth. To properly understand
this event for believers on Christ Jesus, also means to know that our Father is not angry
with those who seek and follow Him through The Son.
Isa
24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because
they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken
the everlasting covenant.
The
subject so far in this Isaiah 24 Chapter is that of God cleansing the evil off His earth.
That's yet future to us. Therefore, don't misplace this verse outside this subject of
God's future cleansing. This means we are given here the reason 'why' this earth "is
defiled under the inhabitants thereof". It is because of the transgression of
God's Law of Commandments, Judgments, and Statutes.
For us today, God's Law is applied from our Lord Jesus
Christ's New Testament Commandments, of Which, much given through Moses still remains in
place. The Levitical blood sacrificial ordinances and ritual statutes and ordinances are
gone. Our Lord Jesus nailed those to the cross (Eph.2; Col.2). Our Lord Jesus did not do
away with God's Law against worshiping fake gods and idols, nor against taking The Lord's
Name in vain, nor against murder, nor against adultery and fornications, nor of not
honoring our mother and father, nor against stealing, nor against bearing false witness
against someone, nor of coveting, etc. (Exod.20; Matt.19).
Our Lord Christ Jesus did not do away with God's Laws
which govern righteous Judgments among His People, nor of His health laws, nor of His laws
for the land, nor of His Law against witchcraft, divinations, necromancy, sorcery, incest,
sodomy, and bestiality, etc. (Romans 1; Galatians
5).
I'm going to digress a bit here, so please allow me to
explain more about this "everlasting covenant".
Heb
13:20 Now the God of peace, That brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, That great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant,
When do you think this "everlasting covenant" of Jesus Christ first
began? Did "the everlasting covenant" began through Christ's Blood only
'after' He was sacrificed upon the cross? Recall what God promised to all the inhabitants
of the earth through Noah:
Gen
9:14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth,
that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and
every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy
all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I
may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of
all flesh that is upon the earth.
Some deeper students have remarked about some of God's Law being given from the days of
the man Adam all the way down to the time of Moses (see Appendix 15 if you have a Companion
Bible). Jesus Christ is The Word of God, and He was and is with The Father
everlasting. And through The Word Jesus Christ, all things were made (John 1). This is why
God's Perfect Law and Government rests upon Christ's Shoulders, for no government can
operate very long without righteous laws. Man's moral code just won't work. Hebrews 10
also reveals that with The New Covenant Jesus Christ He would write His Laws in the hearts
and minds of believers on our Lord and Savior. Moreover, let's look at how God's New
Testament Word defines 'sin' in relation to God's Law:
1 Jn
3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin
is the transgression of the law.
Every time we sin, including those 'in Christ' who are still living in this flesh, we break
one of God's Laws. It's as simple as that, for that's what sin is, i.e. the breaking of
God's Laws. And what is more simple, is that this is a New Testament teaching.
I've been in lengthy discussions with some brethren while
they were trying to 'define' what sin is. The only problem was, they didn't really want to
define what 'sin' is, but instead sought justifications of why they still sin, so
they could appear somewhat righteous. The conversation kind of sounded like Job and his
three friends trying to justify their own form of righteousness, against God's Law (Job
32:1; 34:5; Job 40:6 forward). Am I being harsh by saying that about some of our brethren?
It's not meant to be. It's meant to declare GOD The Father and The Son over all, including
over any thoughts of self-righteousness we may have. Some Ministers today are preaching
that 'all' of God's Law was nailed to the cross by our Lord Jesus. Where's that false
attitude coming from, which makes some want to deny the true nature of sin, which is the
transgression of God's Laws? (see what our Lord said about His Law in Matt.5:17-20).
I know you've heard me say this before, and I'll say it
again. Our United States Constitution came from God's Laws within His Word. Today, many
lawmakers doctor our U.S. Constitution with precepts of men, treating it like a piece of
paper meant to be revised, re-written, and changed every year to suit them. Possibly now
you understand why false prophets today also do the same with God's Written Word, by
denying our Lord's teaching of God's Laws in Matthew 19 and other New Testament Scripture?
(Romans).
If you've never read through the Books of Deuteronomy and
Leviticus, discovering many of God's health laws, and laws pertaining to care of the land,
and especially our responsibility to our neighbor, then I suggest you do it. You'll
discover laws for planting crops, laws on bodily cleanliness, i.e. many very practical and
wonderful laws which God gave us so we would prosper and be happy. You might even discover
that you've been naturally following many of them anyway, especially for those 'in Christ'
given The Holy Spirit as Guide.
So this is not some vain attempt at trying to bring back
Old Covenant animal sacrifice priestly rituals and such; it is to put our Lord Christ's
and His Apostle's coverage of God's Laws in proper perspective, as taught in The New
Testament. Our freedom from bondage to God's Law is that we have forgiveness of our sins
through The Blood of Christ Jesus when we repent after breaking God's Law. The earth is in
such a sad state because of our sins. We 'all' are guilty of sin, and each must seek
repentance from our Father through our Lord Jesus.
Isa
24:6 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 left.
This "curse" involves the curses our Father warned us of in Deuteronomy
28:15 forward. Those curses were promised for turning away from Him and following false
worship and the worship of things made by our hands. Do you see any of those curses taking
place in today's world, and on a huge scale in some nations on the earth? What type of
events have happened to America when we as a nation have turned away from God and His Son?
For one example, our LORD said we would be smitten before our enemies (Deut.28:25).
This "curse" is also speaking of the
'abomination of desolation' which will sit in the Temple of God, thinking himself to be
God (2 Thess.2). Because of following that abomination many will be devoured (Rev.9), and
the "curse" will fall upon them. Turn to Malachi 4 with me:
Mal
4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn
them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness
arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the
soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Those in Christ have no need to worry of this coming event. As I said before, those true
to our Lord welcome this coming event spoken of here in Isaiah 24, and in Malachi 4.
Continuing back in Isaiah 24...
Isa
24:7 The new wine mourneth, the vine
languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.
8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth,
the joy of the harp ceaseth.
9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to
them that drink it.
10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is
shut up, that no man may come in.
11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy
is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is
smitten with destruction.
This "new wine" analogy is about the result of Israel going into false
worship of old, i.e. spiritual harlotry. Hosea 9 speaks of that "new wine"
failing the 'house of Israel' (ten tribes) which was taken captive by Assyria (2 Kings
15-18). Those ten tribes of Israel are now represented by the Western Christian Nations.
Joel 1 also speaks of this "new wine"
analogy. The 'new wine' and the whole 'vine' is "dried up"
(Joel 1:10-12). The "husbandmen" are the caretakers of the spiritual
vineyard, and because of turning away from God in His Word, their vineyard is a waste. The
True Vine is our Lord Jesus Christ, and the vineyard He setup are His People. The
husbandmen are the priests with the responsibility of teaching the people God's Word.
Recall back in Isaiah 5 about God setting up a vineyard, clearing away the stones
(Kenites), and hedging a protective fence around it, and then setting up a watchtower over
it.
These Isaiah 24:7-12 verses cover the future desolation of
a false messiah coming to sit in Jerusalem. The True Vine Jesus Christ will not be
accepted any longer by the majority at that future event, for many will stop taking Holy
Communion with Christ Jesus (see Daniel 9:27 also, as the "oblation"
and "sacrifice" ritual is now replaced by our love to The Father
through Jesus Christ in Holy Communion). This future event is what Joel 1:13 is speaking
of when Holy Communion is cutoff from the House of God. Why would many believers on Christ
Jesus allow that to happen when false messiah arrives? Because those will believe that
false messiah is The Christ, and will think to no longer have need of Holy Communion. But
instead... their 'vine', which will be the false vine of "a pseudo messiah",
is a dried up and withered vine; not The True Vine Jesus Christ.
This "city of confusion" (tohuw),
refers to Jerusalem where the final Babylon harlot will take place when false messiah
arrives, prior to our Lord Christ Jesus' return. The Hebrew word 'tohuw' for
"confusion" is used here to link back to what God did in Genesis 1:2,
in destroying the first earth age because of Satan's rebellion. For the latter days, this
is where the "great whore" of Revelation 18:1 will sit. That harlot is
drunken with the blood of many saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus
(Rev.18:6).
So putting all these analogies together, this Isaiah 24
Chapter is definitely speaking of a prophecy for our near future of the great tribulation.
Our Father is bringing many important symbols and analogies together right here in this
Chapter. At the same time, He is comparing that false worship system of old, when Satan
setup a false world kingdom with "seven crowns", which was his
rebellion back in the first earth age (Rev.12:3-4). The seven head, ten horn, and "ten
crowns" beast of Revelation 13 is this final system to cover all nations of
today. That old false system caused the "without form, and void" state
of this ancient earth long ago (Hebrew 'tohuw va bohuw'; see Gen.1:2 and Jeremiah 4:23).
Those who follow the 'dried up vine' disregard that first attempt by Satan to setup his
version of a perfect kingdom on the earth during the first earth age. As Peter referred to
this in 2 Peter 3, those are "willfully ignorant" of that time of old
when Satan rebelled during the first earth age.
Isa 24:13
When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there
shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage
is done.
14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of
the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.
15 "Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the
name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.
When this "confusion" is upon many who accept the antichrist, i.e.
false messiah, in Jerusalem, there will be a remnant which is not deceived by that event.
This "olive tree" and "gleaning grapes" represent
those who stay true to Christ Jesus and His Word, and refuse false messiah. They will "sing"
the "song of Moses", per Revelation 15:3. That "song of
Moses" begins in Deuteronomy 31:30 and ends in Deuteronomy 32:44. Have you read
it? Its Message is a summary of God's Whole Plan for this flesh age, from the establishing
of the sons of Adam to the second coming of Christ Jesus.
The phrase "glorify ye the LORD in the
fires" refers to God as "a consuming fire" per Hebrews 12:29 and
Deuteronomy 4:24. That "consuming fire" is a warmth of God's Spirit in
His children who stay true to Him. For the wicked, they are correct to have fear of It.
God gave us the example of the fiery furnace of Daniel 3
as a comfort to those in Christ. The king of Babylon threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
into the hot fiery furnace, but it didn't even singe their clothes, nor cause their
clothing to even smell of smoke. Our Lord Jesus Christ was in that fiery
furnace with
them, protecting them. Therefore, if you really have trust in The LORD, then you will not
fear this coming event upon the earth, because it is part of the cleansing away of all
evil and wickedness from off the earth (see about the "elements" in 2 Peter
3:10-12).
Isa 24:16
From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even
glory to the righteous." But I said, "My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the
treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very
treacherously."
17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O
inhabitant of the earth.
Glory to The Righteous One, The Father through The Son Jesus Christ.
Then Isaiah shows a vexing of his heart with "My
leaness, my leaness,...". The hearts of God's election are vexed because many
who love The LORD are devoured by Satan's servants (treacherous dealers) in their
midst, like evil 'beasts' devouring their souls as lions and wolves tearing at a prey
(Rev.9:8; 9:17; Matt.10:16; 17:15; Acts 20:29). If you've understood our Lord's Message in
His Word about the false one setting himself up as messiah for our future, then help those
with this Message who are seeking Christ and His Word. We have that duty for these latter
days, and not to be silent on these events.
Isa 24:17
Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant
of the earth.
18 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.
Our
Lord Christ Jesus spoke of this event in Luke 21:35:
Luke 21:35
For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the
whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Escaping these things coming upon "the face of the whole earth" does
not mean a "secret rapture" out before the antichrist comes. It means to be under God's
protection during the time of deception by false messiah. Per Isaiah 28, which we will
soon cover, the snare and being taken is to "fall into the pit" of deception at
these coming events. The wicked and deceived will be snared because they listen to man and
his many 'traditions', and not God's Word, Chapter by Chapter, verse by verse, and line by
line (see Isaiah 28).
Isa 24:19
The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the
earth is moved exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed
like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall,
and not rise again.
God
shook this old earth once before, at Satan's overthrow (katabole). It's going to shake
again (see Heb.12). The "transgression" of the evil one and his
servants, will not rise up again after they're cast into the "lake of fire"
(Rev.20). Our Lord Christ will then have delivered up The Kingdom to The Father (1
Cor.15).
Isa 24:21
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall
punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth
upon the earth.
22 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.
It
should be very clear now that this Isaiah 24 Chapter still holds future prophetical events
that are yet to take place. Those who follow Satan today will go into the "prison"
of "the pit" with him for that "thousand years" of
our Lord Christ's reign (Rev.20). And then "after many days", i.e.
after that "thousand years", Satan will be released to go and tempt the
nations. Then those shall surely be "visited" by our Father in final
Judgment. These two verses are confirmation that the "thousand years"
reign by our Lord Christ and His elect is a literal period of a "thousand
years", and certainly no metaphor.
Isa 24:23
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD
of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously.
Then our Father will put this ancient earth back in its former glory, with a new heavens
and a new earth (2 Peter 3; Rev.21-22). GOD Himself will be with us on earth, in a new
Zion, a spiritual Zion, not one of flesh.
The moon being confounded, and the sun ashamed, refers to
the putting back of the perfect atmosphere this earth once had, and how our LORD's
Glorious Light will shine forth, for we are the children of the day (1 Thess.5:5). There
will be no darkness, only Light.
Peace to you in Christ
Jesus,
Dave Ramey.
Footnotes:
1 The
Companion Bible, (Kregel Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI., 1990), p.959.
All references to
"Strong's nos." are from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, PC Study Bible,
Biblesoft, 1993-1996.
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