Isaiah 24 27 The Little Apocalypse Or A Tale of Two Cities September 26, 2012 Introduction: These chapters have often been called Isaiah s Apocalypse or The Little Apocalypse. Though the chapters are not truly representative of the genre of apocalyptic literature, they have gained the title because they focus on God s future judgment of the earth. Various parallels can be seen to the book of Revelation. Following Charles Dickens, a better title might be A Tale of Two Cities for there are two cities presented in these chapters. The first is called the ruined or destroyed city, which stands as a symbol for the wicked throughout the earth. The other city, though not called by name, stands for the New Jerusalem, the center of God s future reign. Isaiah records in these chapters the certainty of the Lord s judgment against the entire earth. He will bring devastation to the planet because the earth has become morally polluted by its inhabitants who have broken the eternal covenant that the Lord established through Noah. As certain as the Lord will judge His enemies on earth, He will also judge the rebellious powers of heaven, the chief of which is Satan, presented in chapter 27 as Leviathan the gliding serpent. Following the themes presented in the first main section of the book (1 39), Isaiah speaks not only of God s future judgment, but also His rescue and salvation of the remnant of Israel and a surviving remnant from the nations. There are perhaps no clearer chapters in Isaiah that picture God s judgments both of heaven and earth, while proclaiming salvation for His people Jew and Gentile. I. (24:1 13) The Lord will devastate both heavens and earth in judgment. (It s the end of the world as we know it.) A. (24:1 4) The entire earth will be destroyed. 1. The earth itself will be destroyed. 2. The inhabitants great and small will be destroyed. Page 1
B. (24:5 9) The earth is defiled by its people who have transgressed God s covenant. 1. They have polluted the land. (Num 35:33 34 / ESV) 33 You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel." 2. This section reflects a general background of the Flood narrative in Gen. 6 9. Further elements of the integrity of this poem are detailed below, but first its general background in the flood narrative (Gn. 6-9) should be noted. Both have references to the windows [NIV, floodgates ] of the heavens being opened (cf. verse 18c and Gn. 7:11); both refer to the everlasting covenant (cf. verse 5 and Gn. 9:16); and in verse 6 the curse, in the context of the wine/vine theme of verse 7, links with Noah the vine-dresser and the imposition of the curse in the post-diluvium world (Gn. 9:20,25). 1 3. (vs. 5) They have disobeyed, violated, and broken, the everlasting covenant. a) While Isaiah does not specifically delineate which covenant in particular, he is most likely referring to the Noahic covenant, which was made between God and the entire earth. (Genesis 9:1 17 / ESV) 1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 1 J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah : An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993) p. 197. Page 2
6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it." 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 "Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." 12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." 17 God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth." b) This covenant stipulates that man will be held accountable for the shedding of blood (murder), which represents the most extreme sin committed against the image of God. c) Two interesting NT parallels occur: (1) Matthew 5 in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus shows that murder is the most extreme form of a sin against God that begins being angry at a brother or even with calling him fool. (Mat 5:21 22 / ESV) 21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. (2) Acts 15 where the Gentile Christians are not commanded to obey the Mosaic covenant, but only the Noahic covenant. Page 3
(Act 15:13 21 / ESV) 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 "'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.' 19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues." d) So in essence, God is judging the people of the earth not simply for acts of murder, but for sin, the most extreme form of rebellion against God being manifested as murder explicitly condemned by the Noahic covenant. C. (24:10 16a) Introducing the ruined city and the gleanings 1. These two cities in Isaiah 24 27 personify and profile the wicked rebellion against God and the righteous kingdom of God. a) The city will be left in ruins. b) In other words, God s judgment on earth will be total. 2. (vs. 13 16a) On the other hand, the gleanings that are left among the earth are those few, who like the remnant in Israel, will be saved from God s judgment. a) The verbs change here from the prophetic perfect to the imperfect, which indicates the future is now in view. b) These are the remnant of the earth those saved by God. c) In the NT, we see this remnant of the earth as the Gentiles found in the church (c.f. Romans 9 11). D. (24:16b 23) Cataclysmic universal judgment of heaven and earth comes like the flood. 1. The remnant from the earth rejoices, but Isaiah the prophet is nonetheless overwhelmed with the total devastation of the earth. Page 4
2. The imagery here in the Hebrew is very vivid and recalls God destroying the world with a Flood (Genesis 7). a) (vs. 18) the floodgates = windows are opened (hb'rua] cf. Genesis 7:11) b) The very foundations of the earth are shaken. 3. (vs. 21 23) This judgment is both on the denizens of earth and of heaven. a) Once again, heaven and earth are intertwined in Isaiah s prophecies of latter judgment (n.b. in that day ). b) This judgment will be on demons as well as on the kings of the earth. c) They will be led into prison. (Mat 25:41 / ESV) 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (1Pe 3:18 20 / ESV) 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. (Rev 20:1 8 / ESV) 1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. 4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Page 5
6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. d) The judgment affects the earth, moon, and sun, as it does in the book of Revelation. 4. (vs. 23) Note also the reference to God s reign on Mount Zion before its elders. (Rev 4:4 / ESV) 4 Around the throne were twenty four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. (Rev 7:11-12 / ESV) 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." II. (25:1 12) In the future, the Lord will reign over all the nations from Mount Zion. (You have done great things!) A. (vs. 1 5) Isaiah praises the Lord because He has accomplished His plans. 1. He has overthrown the ruined city (wicked kingdom). 2. (vs. 3) Strong nations will revere Him. 3. (vs. 4) God rescues the poor. B. (vs. 6 12) In this future reign, the Lord will provide for His people from His holy mountain (Mount Zion). 1. He will prepare a rich feast. 2. He will free the nations by swallowing up death. Page 6
(1Co 15:54 55 / ESV) 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 3. (vs. 9) People will proclaim their salvation has come by faith. 4. (vs. 10) The self sufficient and proud (as represented by Moab) will be trampled. III. (26:1 21) Judah s Song of Victory (We are the champions!) A. (26:1 19) The future song of salvation will be sung that proclaims God s mighty deeds. B. (26:20 21) God comforts His people in the meantime with the promise of the soon coming future. IV. (27:1 13) In that day, the Lord will settle all family business. (The devil went down to Hades.) A. (vs. 1) Satan, represented as Leviathan (c.f. Rahab ), the gliding serpent, will be slain. (Job 26:6 14 / ESV) 6 Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering. 7 He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing. 8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them. 9 He covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud. 10 He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness. 11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke. 12 By his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he shattered Rahab. 13 By his wind the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. 14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?" (Psa 74:12 16 / ESV) 12 Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13 You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. Page 7
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. 15 You split open springs and brooks; you dried up ever flowing streams. 16 Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. (Psa 89:5 11 / ESV) 5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! 6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, 7 a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? 8 O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you? 9 You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. 10 You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. 11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them. B. (vs. 2 8) Israel will be reunited and restored. 1. The Lord will tend Israel as a vineyard. 2. He will no longer be angry. 3. Israel will bear fruit throughout the world. 4. Israel s sin will be removed. C. (vs. 10 13) The fortified city (the wicked kingdoms of earth) will be judged. 1. (vs. 10 11) The Lord will show no compassion on Israel s wicked enemies. 2. (vs. 12 13) The remnant from Israel will be gathered from the nations. Page 8