Isaiah: Glory to the Righteous One

Isaiah 24

The term secular can describe a society in which the government does not endorse any specific religious faith. It can also refer to a secular age that emphasizes the present moment, without any notion of eternity. Additionally, it can pertain to a secular individual who is uncertain about the existence of God or whether there is any spiritual realm beyond the natural world.[1]

This raises the question: Can you profess faith and practice secularism? We’ll return to that later.

Up to this point in our study of Isaiah, the prophet has prophesied that Judah will be judged for living like secular people, even though God brought them into existence for his purposes (Isa. 1-12). Moreover, all the nations with which Judah sought alignment will also face punishment (Isa. 13-23). Isaiah describes God’s eventual judgment of the world in the following four chapters. Isaiah 24-27 is often called “Isaiah’s Apocalypse.” Due to sin, we exist in a secular world that will one day face final consequences for rejecting God. This section outlines the destruction, the suffering during the tribulation, and the abundant blessings to come in the millennial kingdom.

One day, Isaiah explains, the entire earth will be destroyed. The word “earth” appears sixteen times in this chapter. The “Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate” (Isa. 24:1). The earth “shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered” (Isa. 24:3). No person will be exempt (Isa. 24:2). People who are proud of their wealth and power will be rendered powerless as “the highest people of the earth languish” (Isa. 24:4).

Here is the reason for the forthcoming judgment:

Isaiah 24:5
The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.

The “everlasting covenant” doesn’t refer to the Abrahamic or Mosaic Covenant; rather, it signifies God’s desire for his creation to know and follow him (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-6; cf. Hosea 6:7). Inevitable consequences arise when we reject God by rebelling against him.

Isaiah 24:6-13
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... The wasted city is broken down; every house is shut up so that none canenter... all joy has grown dark; the gladness of the earth is banished. Desolation is left in the city; the gates are battered into ruins….

But…even in the desolation, God always has a people! This passage will be our Anchor Point.

Isaiah 24:14-16a
They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west. 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. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.

One day, God will judge the whole earth. There will be no escape. Pay attention to the unsettling phrases used to describe this judgment. The world will be “utterly broken,” “split apart,” and “violently shaken” (Isa. 24:18-19). The collective transgressions “[lie] heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again” (Isa. 24:20).

Isaiah moves back and forth between warnings and prophecies regarding that day and the future kingdom that God will establish on earth. While not everyone may agree with me, I believe that the devastation depicted in this chapter refers to the tribulation period from which Christians will be removed (raptured; see 1 Thess. 4:13-17). In the final verses of this chapter (Isa. 24:21-23), I would argue that Isaiah transitions to reveal God’s final deliverance of his people at the end of the millennial kingdom (the one-thousand-year reign of Christ on earth), followed by the great white throne judgment, after which a new heaven and a new earth will be ushered in (Rev. 21:2).

Isaiah says that the “host of heaven” (the spiritual forces that oppose God) and the “kings of the earth” will be gathered and “shut up in prison” during the millennial kingdom. The great white throne judgment will follow (Rev. 20:11-15). Isaiah prophesies that the “moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed” (Isa. 24:23). This may refer to the new heaven and new earth, where “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev. 21:23). The Lord of Heaven’s Armies will reign forever in “the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God…” (Rev. 21:10b-11a). Our future is secure. One day we will live in heaven with God forever!

Let’s conclude with our question: Can you profess faith and practice secularism?

The answer is, “Yes!” In fact, that was Judah’s issue. They knew about God and were going through the religious motions, but they depended on other gods and nations for their security. Finally, God told them to cut the pretense of religion and get right with him. He instructed them to “bring no more vain offerings” (Isa. 1:13). Instead, God promised, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isa. 1:18).

Some in Isaiah’s day didn’t heed his warnings. They continued to ignore God, persisted in disobedience, and ultimately rejected him until it was too late. Let’s not allow that to characterize our lives. Through Jesus, pursue the forgiveness and renewal that only he can provide!

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Time in the Word: Read and reflect on Isaiah 24. Focus on our Anchor Point: Isaiah 24:14-16a. Evaluate if you have allowed secularism to influence your faith.

Talking to God: Lift your voice and sing joyfully to the LORD!

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Every day is a day of spiritual renewal as we follow hard after Jesus.