Isaiah 24:1-3, 5-11, 14-23 NIV
See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word.
The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. The new wine dries up and the vine withers; all the merrymakers groan. The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent. No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers. The ruined city lies desolate; the entrance to every house is barred. In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom, all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord ’s majesty. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.”
But I said, “I waste away, I waste away! Woe to me! The treacherous betray! With treachery the treacherous betray!” Terror and pit and snare await you, people of the earth. Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again.
In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days. The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And now after proclaiming God's wrath coming to Israel, Judah and the nations sounding them, Isaiah delivers a prophecy of doom for the whole earth. Let us remember that the purpose for such a message is to say that God is sovereign over the earth and all people, spirits and celestial beings are accountable to their creator. God will be honored as King of the Universe, with Jerusalem as His throne.
Why is this terrible day of the Lord coming? Because the earth is defiled by the people who disobey God's righteous laws. The earth is burdened with the weight of our sins. Just as God warned Israel that the promised land would vomit them out if they failed to keep faithful to His laws and commands, so the whole earth and even the heavens above will convulse and writhe, shattering the people for their sins.
The partying will stop. There won't be any wine makers, beer brewers, or booze distillers to supply the earth's revelers. There won't be any musicians to make the people merry. All celebration will come to an end. Utter destruction will completely consume us all. No one will escape. The annihilation of the earth and its inhabitants will be total. Even the powers of heaven will be shaken. God will gather the kings of the earth and the powers above and bring them to judgment.
But there is a sound rising from the ashes in the aftermath. It's the sound of joyous shouts of praise coming from the west. Then the east joins in the joyous celebration. All the whole earth rejoices in the majesty of the Lord. The few survivors enjoy the renewed earth, now shaken free of filthy sinners and bloodshed. And the Lord reigns on Mt. Zion. Holy community will resume unimpeded in Jerusalem.
This vision of world wide destruction coming from the wrath of God is repeated throughout the prophets and in the New Testament. Jesus Himself spoke of such a day.
Mark 13:7-8, 12-13, 18-19 NIV
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.
After the perilous day of the Lord, there will be an everlasting separation of those who obey God and those who rebel. And the kingdom of God will enjoy everlasting peace and life.
Were it not for the mercy of God, no one could stand that day. But thanks be to God for His great love shown to us in Jesus Christ. For though I have rebelled, He has forgive my every sin and filled me with the spirit of holiness. He empowers me to live in His right ways. All who trust in Christ may enjoy this transformation and join in celebration.
See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants— it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word.
The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left. The new wine dries up and the vine withers; all the merrymakers groan. The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent. No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers. The ruined city lies desolate; the entrance to every house is barred. In the streets they cry out for wine; all joy turns to gloom, all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.
They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord ’s majesty. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; exalt the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.”
But I said, “I waste away, I waste away! Woe to me! The treacherous betray! With treachery the treacherous betray!” Terror and pit and snare await you, people of the earth. Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again.
In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days. The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And now after proclaiming God's wrath coming to Israel, Judah and the nations sounding them, Isaiah delivers a prophecy of doom for the whole earth. Let us remember that the purpose for such a message is to say that God is sovereign over the earth and all people, spirits and celestial beings are accountable to their creator. God will be honored as King of the Universe, with Jerusalem as His throne.
Why is this terrible day of the Lord coming? Because the earth is defiled by the people who disobey God's righteous laws. The earth is burdened with the weight of our sins. Just as God warned Israel that the promised land would vomit them out if they failed to keep faithful to His laws and commands, so the whole earth and even the heavens above will convulse and writhe, shattering the people for their sins.
The partying will stop. There won't be any wine makers, beer brewers, or booze distillers to supply the earth's revelers. There won't be any musicians to make the people merry. All celebration will come to an end. Utter destruction will completely consume us all. No one will escape. The annihilation of the earth and its inhabitants will be total. Even the powers of heaven will be shaken. God will gather the kings of the earth and the powers above and bring them to judgment.
But there is a sound rising from the ashes in the aftermath. It's the sound of joyous shouts of praise coming from the west. Then the east joins in the joyous celebration. All the whole earth rejoices in the majesty of the Lord. The few survivors enjoy the renewed earth, now shaken free of filthy sinners and bloodshed. And the Lord reigns on Mt. Zion. Holy community will resume unimpeded in Jerusalem.
This vision of world wide destruction coming from the wrath of God is repeated throughout the prophets and in the New Testament. Jesus Himself spoke of such a day.
Mark 13:7-8, 12-13, 18-19 NIV
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.
After the perilous day of the Lord, there will be an everlasting separation of those who obey God and those who rebel. And the kingdom of God will enjoy everlasting peace and life.
Were it not for the mercy of God, no one could stand that day. But thanks be to God for His great love shown to us in Jesus Christ. For though I have rebelled, He has forgive my every sin and filled me with the spirit of holiness. He empowers me to live in His right ways. All who trust in Christ may enjoy this transformation and join in celebration.
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