Much of what Isaiah foretold has already happened. Destruction was promised, and has come to…
- — BABYLON (Chapter 13)
- — ASSYRIA (Chapter 14)
- — ETHIOPIA and EGYPT (Chapter 18-20)
- — ARABIA (Chapter 21)
- — PHOENICIA (Chapter 23)
But Chapter 24 is about a time yet to come.
Other chapters prophesy “laying waste” ancient named places, but Chapter 24 is not limited to any one place[1]—it is about the world in general.
“Behold, the Lord will lay waste the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. 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. The earth shall be utterly laid waste and utterly despoiled; for the Lord has spoken this word.” (v. 1-3).
The only time these words have been completely fulfilled is in the world-shattering flood of Noah’s time. And in fact verse 18 uses words which could describe the flood… “For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble”. Compare this with the record of the flood in Genesis (7:11-12) “… on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”
But Isaiah wrote over 1,000 years AFTER the flood! So he was talking of a judgmental catastrophe of the proportions of the flood… and he was using the flood as a guide to future events. How does this line up with the rest of the Bible?
Peter follows exactly the same formula. Writing about 60 A.D. long after Isaiah, he says.
“… if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of nether gloom to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven other persons, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example to those who were to be ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the wicked (for by what that righteous man saw and heard as he lived among them, he was vexed in his righteous soul day after day with their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.” (2 Peter 2:4-10).
We may safely conclude that God has in store for this earth a time of judgment which will at least equal the Flood in devastation.[2]
Verses 5 and 6 of Isa. 24 give the reasons for this threatened judgment … and they are consistent with God’s way of doing things. God asks for, pleads for and finally demands obedience to his laws — and if obedience is not forthcoming then swift judgment follows. This is how it was when the flood destroyed civilisation.[3] This is how it happened when Sodom and Gomorrah angered a righteous God and were destroyed by fire.[4] Israel crucified Jesus Christ — their promised Messiah —and paid the penalty when desecrated by the Romans in A.D. 70 and A.D. 135.[5] The verses read —
“The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. 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.”
Is our world of the 20th Century “polluted under its inhabitants”? Have we transgressed His laws and broken the covenant?
Although we wouldn’t press the point, it is interesting that the prophet speaks of “pollution”. Undoubtedly he is speaking of MORAL pollution — but the catch-cry of our day is physical pollution of our environment. But have we considered that pollution — desecration of God’s creation — IS a moral issue? Maybe the pollution scare is a sign that this prophecy is about to be fulfilled! And there are plenty of positive signs to back up this conclusion — THAT WE ARE NEAR THE END of the world as we know it!
Fire!
Notice again those words “therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched”… Is this judgment to be of fire? Like the FIRE and BRIMSTONE which wiped out ancient SODOM and GOMORRAH when God was angry? Let us look again at 2 Peter, this time chapter 3 verses 10-12.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire!”
No question of it! Literal fire. And it’s significant that when Jesus speaks of this coming judgment he brings in Sodom and Gomorrah (Luke 17:28-30).
“Likewise as it was in the days of Lot — they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom fire and brimstone rained from heaven and destroyed them all — so will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed.”
And remember that story!
“Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the valley… and lo, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.” (Genesis 19:24-28).
But does the prophecy in Isaiah give any clue as to how this fire may come? Notice again the words.
“For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is violently shaken.” (Isaiah 24:18-19).
The foundation of the earth trembling obviously speaks of earthquakes and volcanic action. We already know there is fire beneath the earth’s crust. So it only needs God’s hand to release it.
Now what of the “windows of heaven”? In the book “The Genesis Flood” [6]an excellent case is presented, suggesting that before Noah’s time the earth’s atmosphere was loaded with water vapour. This acted as a “window”, allowing sunlight in, but not allowing heat to escape. Thus the earth was a warmer place than it is now. This reasoning accords with geological and scientific findings and facts.
At the time of the flood there was a sudden release of this water as rain, which, together with subterranean water, flooded the world in a judgment from God.
Windows Of Heaven
If you have been watching the T.V. News, or following the daily press, you will already guess what comes next. In OUR TIMES, the WINDOWS OF HEAVEN have become news again! It has been found that there are several components in the atmosphere and in the upper atmosphere which act as “windows” to shield us from Solar and Cosmic Radiation, and which prevent loss of heat. Three of these are
- Water Vapour, the critical factor in Noah’s day.
- Ozone, the factor which has been the cause of much debate over whether we ought to fly supersonic jet-liners. Will they destroy the Ozone layer which helps protect us? Will we no longer be shielded from Solar Flares? Will we be as vulnerable as those men on the moon who had to be ready to head for protection if a flare was sighted? Will we be open to the constant barrage of billion-volt Cosmic Radiation? Nobody can predict the results.
- Carbon Dioxide. Again, a critical factor in the atmosphere, and it has been stated that if we continue to “over-burn” petroleum products at the present rate (cars & planes) we will increase the level of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide with profound effects on world climate.
In other words, it could be through factors of which we are already aware that God will bring the judgment of fire or “scorching”. It is therefore likely that God’s hand will not be recognised in the judgments when they come.
When the Flood came, most people would still not have believed what Noah had been saying for so many years. They had been warned but they were drowning in ordinary drinking water! God’s hand was not to be seen, and was probably not recognised by most people.
When Sodom and Gomorrah were burning, couldn’t it just be said that this was a volcano blowing its top? Maybe they had seen it quietly steaming for some time before the final blow? Was this seen as God’s work or nature’s?
When God’s judgments arrive in our time will they be unrecognised? Will they be put down to an upset in atmospheric balance? Will it be said that the sudden increase in radiation and heat was due to supersonic travel and pollution? We think so! Remember again the words of Jesus when prophesying these things…
“But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have been awake and would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:39-40).
And again in 2 Peter 3:10
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.”
And again in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4
“For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them… and there will be no escape.”
The Scripture even prophesies correctly that we live in times when men will ridicule these possibilities and will refuse to acknowledge God’s hand at work.
“First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.’ They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and earth formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3:3-7).
War — Self-Judgement
This is really another subject, but it is relevant briefly here. It seems very likely — in the light of Bible Prophecy — that a large part of the coming fiery judgements will be as the result of war… probably atomic war. These two passages will be sufficient to describe unprecedented destruction and probably atomic radiation.
“Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war, stir up the mighty men. Let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, ‘I am a warrior’… Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. And the Lord roars from Zion, and utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth shake.” (Joel 3:9-16).
“And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will smite all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh shall rot while they are still on their feet, their eyes shall rot in their sockets, and their tongues shall rot in their mouths. And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will lay hold on the hand of his fellow, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other” (Zechariah 14:12-13).
It will not be accepted as a judgement from God — but that’s what it WILL BE. Only as the magnitude of the event unfolds will it be seen for what it is… by those who survive!
What About You??
The prophet Isaiah has something to say as we face these coming judgments —
“Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; Hide yourselves for a little while until the wrath is past.” (Isa. 26:20).
Noah and family escaped judgement in an ark. Lot and his family were removed from Sodom and Gomorrah at the last moment. We can avoid the coming flood of fire only one way —through Jesus Christ.
At the crucifixion of Christ the Saviour there were two kinds of people. On the one hand there were the wicked — “a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet” (Psalm 22:16). On the other hand there were a few friends who stood quietly at the foot of the cross watching their friend die.
The Cross continues to divide all the world into these two camps. One camp:
- doesn’t care for Him
- His name is a convenient blasphemy
- His commands are “out of date”
- His love is never responded to
- His coming again only to be feared.
A few — only a few — are:
- on His side now
- Honouring Him and praying to and through Him
- Baptised into His death and resurrection and way of living
- Watching eagerly for Him to come and join His servants and set this world right.
Where do we stand? Paul, in 2 Thess. 1:5-12, speaking prophetically, brings all the threads together. He speaks of
— FIERY JUDGMENT
— JESUS COMING AGAIN
— OUR PEACE AND SAFETY
“… to grant rest with us to you who are afflicted, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes on that day to be glorified in His saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed” (2 Thess. 1:7-10).
And finally the exhortation of Jesus Himself, to those who aim to be with Him in His Kingdom, in a purified and restored earth:-
“But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21: 34-36).
Footnotes
[1] Though one could rightly look for a preliminary fulfilment in the land of Israel around Isaiah’s time.
[2] See also Ezek 38:22-23, Joel 3:9-16
[3] Genesis 6:11-13
[4] Genesis 19:15-28
[5] Matt 23:37-39, 24:1-2
[6] “The Genesis Flood” by WHITCOMB AND MORRIS (1963). Chapter 6. “A scriptural framework for historical Geology”.
Daniel The Prophet – (Part 3)