The sermon text provided below is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

Friends, please remain standing for the reading of God’s holy word. We continue our consideration
of Isaiah chapter 24, and this morning we’re going to focus on verses 14 through 23, although
I’m going to begin reading at verse 13, because verse 13 is sort of a transitional verse that
leads us to the subject that is covered in verse 14. So let us hear God’s holy word.
You’ll find this on page 695 in your pew Bible, Isaiah 24, and I’ll read verses 13 through 23.
For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth, among the nations, as when an olive tree is
beaten, as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done. They lift up their voices,
and 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. But I say, I waste away, I waste away, woe is me! For the traders have
betrayed, with betrayal the traders have betrayed. Terror and the pit and the snare are upon
you, O inhabitant of the earth. He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into
the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows
of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly
broken. The earth is split apart. The earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like
a drunken man. It sways like a hut. Its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls and will
not rise again. On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven in heaven, and the
kings of the earth on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit.
They will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished. Then the
moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed. For the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion
and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders. The grass withers, the flower
fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Let s pray for the Lord to bless the proclamation
of his word. Heavenly Father, we would ask that by your spirit you would open our minds
and our hearts, that we might behold wondrous things from your word. We pray, O God, that
the soil of our hearts would be broken up, that it might receive the seed of your word,
and that by your spirit s blessing your word would bear much spiritual fruit in our lives.
spiritual fruit unto conversion and sanctification and for your glory. Lord, once again we ask
that you would set a guard over my lips, that I might speak only that which is faithful
to your word. We pray these things in Jesus name and all of God s people said, Amen. You
may be seated. Once again, there are sermon outlines available for you in the foyer. If
you haven t grabbed one, you re welcome to grab one. And you ll notice if you re following
along in your sermon outline that there are five words that I would encourage especially
the young people to be listening for in my sermon today, and those words are praise,
remnant, terror, judgment, and reign. Well, my God would never punish anyone for their
And he certainly would never doom anyone to suffer everlasting punishment in hell, no
matter how evil they might have been during their lifetime. After all, my God is a loving
God. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, have you ever heard anyone say something like
that in a conversation? Have you ever found yourself in a conversation with someone with
whom you re trying to share the Gospel who has raised this type of objection to the Bible’s
teaching about God s righteous judgment and holy wrath against human sin and rebellion?
My suspicion is that many of us have probably heard this very objection, perhaps not in
those exact words, but we ve heard these kinds of objections raised against God s sovereign
holy wrath against sin, and thus our desperate need as sinners for Christ s saving atonement.
After all, the message of the cross is still an offense today to those who are perishing,
just as it has always been an offense to those who are perishing in their sins. But let’s
be honest, friends. When we think about what God is actually like in terms of his personal
divine character qualities, what the theologians like to call his attributes, when we think
about God s attributes, we all have a tendency to focus on those attributes of God and to
gravitate towards those attributes of God with which we most resonate in our own souls.
So as an example of this, imagine that you are a Christian who is suffering grave injustice
and persecution to such believers, and there are many of them throughout the world today,
to such believers, the attribute of God s justice and holiness and righteousness would
be a great comfort in such circumstances, as those who suffer persecution are assured
that one day God is going to right all wrong, all injustices will be done away with, and
the Lord will vindicate his suffering people. On the other hand, I would imagine many of
us, myself included, tend to gravitate towards attributes of God such as his grace and his
love and his mercy. One of the reasons I personally gravitate towards those attributes of God,
not that I deny the other ones, but I know that in my heart of hearts I’m just a dirty
rotten sinner, and my only hope of salvation is in the grace and mercy of God, that grace
and mercy that sent Jesus to die for my sins and to rise again, that I might have the gift
of eternal life. And so we all tend to gravitate towards those attributes of God that we resonate
with the most, but the other, the opposite is also true. On the other hand, we likewise
have a tendency to either ignore or downplay or sideline or even outright deny those attributes
of God which we find to be uncomfortable or confusing. Think, for example, of the attribute
of God’s absolute sovereignty. Many Christians are willing, of course, to recognize God’s
general sovereignty, but when it comes to God’s absolute sovereignty over everything,
that’s confusing to many Christians. How do we fit that together with what the Bible teaches
about human responsibility? And so there’s a tendency to kind of downplay such attributes.
Now certainly the word of God is filled to the brim with comforting truths about our
glorious triune God. But friends, the Bible also contains uncomfortable truths, truths
that prick our consciences, truths that convict our hearts and souls, truths that drive us
to the dust in humility before our infinitely holy creator and Lord, truths that drive us
outside of ourselves to flee to the Lord Jesus Christ as our one and only hope of salvation.
And that is why when it comes to thinking about the attributes of God, the scriptures
require us to hold together two equally biblical truths. Namely, on the one hand, the truth
is indeed infinitely loving and merciful and gracious as he has supremely demonstrated
in the person and saving work of his eternal son, our incarnate Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
And on the other hand, he is infinitely superlatively holy and righteous and just as he supremely
demonstrates by pouring out his righteous wrath against the unrepentant wicked who persist
in their sin and rebellion against the Lord. Now at this point you may be wondering, you
may be thinking to yourself, well pastor, what does all of this have to do with our
passage for this Lord’s Day morning? Well I’m glad you asked. See dear ones, if you’re
familiar with the writings of the biblical prophets, like the prophet Isaiah, if you’ve
been through the prophets, one of the things that you probably have noticed is that the
writings of the prophets often go back and forth between recording on the one hand oracles
of divine judgment, we have many of those oracles in the book of Isaiah, and on the
other hand, oracles of divine mercy and hope and restoration. Both types of oracles, as
important to understand, that both types of oracles are equally inspired by God the Holy
Spirit. And we see in our passage for this Lord’s Day morning, we see an example of this
kind of back and forth dynamic. Now this chapter, Isaiah chapter 24, as we learned on the last
Lord’s Day, this particular chapter is indeed overall a judgment oracle. And it’s a judgment
oracle that is universal, even cosmic in its scope. Indeed, this is an oracle that
will ultimately be fulfilled in the second coming of Christ and in the final judgment.
And yet, yet, it is a universal judgment oracle that is interspersed with a profound note
of hope and even a note of joyful praise. A note of hope and praise that anticipates
worldwide praise on the part of an elect, godly remnant. A remnant gathered not merely
from amongst the exiles of Israel, but a remnant gathered from all the nations. A remnant who
are saved by God’s sovereign grace and grace alone. So here in our passage for today, dear
ones, we have the theme of worldwide praise and cosmic judgment. And to our natural minds,
these two themes may seem to be in opposition to each other, in contradiction to each other,
but as we will see, I hope, these two themes blend well together. They hold hands and walk
together in perfect harmony. So as we turn our attention to our text for today, let’s
first of all focus on verses 14 through 16 as we consider the praise of the godly remnant.
We read these words beginning in verse 14. They lift up their voices, they sing for joy.
And what do they lift up their voices and sing for joy about? Over the majesty of the
Lord they shout from the west. Now, as you read that verse, if you were to read it just
by itself, what kind of a question should come to your mind first of all? The first
question that should come to your mind is, who are the they that is being referred to
here? Who is the they referred to here by Isaiah? Well, given the context, given the
cosmic universal context of this passage, this probably is referring to the godly remnant
that is alluded to back in verse 13, since verse 13, and it’s connected with verse 14.
What does it say in verse 13? Well, it gives sort of an agricultural picture. It says,
for thus the earth, thus it shall be in the midst of the earth among the nations, there’s
the worldwide focus, as when an olive tree is beaten and as at the gleaning when the
grape harvest is done. After the grape harvest is done being gleaned, there are still a few
grapes here and there that haven’t been picked, and the same thing with the olive tree that
has been beaten. So this is a picture of a remnant, a godly remnant that is preserved
by God’s mercy. Even through this judgment, there will be a remnant preserved in mercy.
This also is this theme of the godly remnant, which is a common theme in the book of Isaiah,
is also referenced back in verse 5. If you look back at verse 5, it says, the earth lies
defiled under its inhabitants, for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes,
broken the everlasting covenant, and it speaks of in verse 6, I’m sorry, verse 6, 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. It doesn’t say nobody’s left, it says
few men are left. Again, we have hints at this hope for a godly remnant. But this is
not simply a reference to the godly remnant of faithful Jews who would return from the
Babylonian exile, although that event would certainly be an initial fulfillment of passages
like the one we are considering today. But since the scope of this passage is worldwide,
even cosmic, this godly remnant is an elect faithful remnant from among all of the nations
of humanity. So Isaiah, in his prophetic vision, he looks down the corridor of time, he looks
at the long-term perspective, and he sees in the Messianic age that there will be an
ingathering of Gentiles into the kingdom and covenant people of God. And it is from amongst
the nations that this godly remnant is called into the kingdom, and it is from this godly
remnant that the praise is lifted up before the Lord. And so therefore, friends, in these
verses Isaiah, by the Spirit’s inspiration, he has a prophetic vision of the ingathering
of the Gentiles, which the Old Testament scriptures anticipated would occur when? When the promised
Messiah would come to this earth. And we know that the promised Messiah has come. His name
is Jesus of Nazareth, and He is Son of God, Son of Man. He is the true and living God
incarnate. He is the Savior of sinners. He is the promised Messiah. And so, friends,
this prophecy is initially fulfilled, at least, with the coming of Christ in His incarnation,
with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost and the Gentile mission of the church
as it fulfills the Lord’s great commission, which is to make disciples not just from among
the Jews, but disciples from all of the nations of humanity. And so it is from this godly
remnant called into the kingdom through the spread of the gospel in the Messianic age.
It is these who are the they who lift up their voices and sing for joy over the majesty of
the Lord. And the fact that this is referring to the Gentiles is found in the use of language
that Isaiah uses here. He says, over the majesty of the Lord, verse 14, they shout from the
west, from the west beyond the boundaries of Israel. Therefore in the east, where the
sun rises, 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. Here’s an imperative. Here Isaiah
is calling upon the nations, including the nations of the coastlands, to praise the Lord,
to give praise and thanks to the Lord. And this language of in the east and in the coastlands
of the sea, again, this shows the worldwide scope of this praise. Yahweh, the Lord, the
covenant redeemer Lord of Israel, He would be praised by a godly remnant, which would
include converts from outside the boundaries of Israel. Here the spirit through Isaiah
summons the ends of the earth to praise the Lord, who has graciously delivered them from
the judgment to come. And then in verse 16 it goes on to say, this theme of praise continues,
from the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the righteous one. Now
let me pause there. In some of your translations, if you’re following the King James or New
King James version, for example, instead of saying the righteous one referring to God,
it’s translated as the righteous, meaning believers who are in the right with God, believers
who are righteous, not by their works, of course, but by God’s grace. And John Calvin
holds this latter view. And so translators and commentators differ over whether this
is a reference to God or to those who are in union with God, true believers who are
described here as the righteous. After all, the Lord Himself, He is indeed the righteous
one. And we believers are righteous again, not in ourselves or by our own merits, but
because of our spiritual and saving union with the Lord, which is given to us as a gift
and which leads to our ultimate glorification. So there’s not, whatever way it’s translated,
it doesn’t impact the foundational essential thrust and truth that is communicated in this
passage. So the ends of the earth are called to sing praises to God, and yet there’s a
sudden shift. It’s almost like Isaiah reaches out from the text and gives you a slap in
the face, as all of a sudden he turns from a note of praise to one of woe and lamentation.
Right after he says in verse 16a, from the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise
of glory to the righteous or to the righteous one. But I say, I waste away. The picture
is wasting away as one who has a disease. I waste away. I waste away. He repeats himself
for emphasis. Then he says, woe is me. How does he do that? How does he go from this
note of exuberant praise? All of a sudden he shifts gears and he’s back to a note of
lamentation. He says, for the traitors have betrayed. With betrayal, the traitors have
betrayed. While Isaiah is given this prophetic vision of the future worldwide praise of the
godly remnants, worldwide praise that would arrive with the promised Messiah and as a
result of the worldwide missionary and evangelistic endeavors of the church in this new covenant
messianic era, this era of redemptive history in which we now live. Though that is the case
at the same time, this glorious prophetic vision of future worldwide praise, this glorious
vision does not alter the present reality that Isaiah and his contemporaries faced.
He sees prophetically the long term horizon, which is worldwide praise and ultimately the
sovereign reign of Yahweh over all of the nations. But then he also sees the near term
horizon. In the near term horizon, he sees treachery. Indeed, he sees a reality characterized
by treachery or as some commentators translated by plunder. Dr. E.J. Young in his commentary
suggests that this may be literally translated as follows. Plunderers plunder. Even with
plunder do plunderers plunder. That kind of drives it home, doesn’t it? When we think
of plunderers, what does a plunderer imply? It implies warfare. It implies invasion. It
implies attack. And certainly the sinning people of God were to experience in their
immediate horizon, they were to experience the plunder that would come as a result of
the Babylonian exile. In the distant horizon of his prophetic vision, Isaiah by the Spirit
sees the worldwide praise of the redeemed. But in the near horizon, he sees the judgment
that the Lord was sending upon the earth. And so we have a note of hope and restoration
and joy, but we also have a note of judgment and lamentation. Now what are some of the
takeaways, some of the things that we can learn from this passage, at least these opening
verses here? Well, many things we can learn, but I would suggest to you, beloved, that
in the midst of the distresses of this present evil age, the worship and praise of God give
us a foretaste of the world to come. In the trials and tribulations and distresses of
the present, take time to engage in the practice of praise. As I was reflecting upon this passage
and preparing my sermon for today, one passage from Paul’s writings came to mind, Philippians
4 verse 4. And that was written by Paul. Philippians was written from jail. Paul’s circumstances,
his outward circumstances were not very comfortable for him at that particular time. And yet what
does Paul exhort his readers to do? What does the Holy Spirit through Paul exhort us to
do? Rejoice in the Lord when? You know the answer. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again,
I will say rejoice. Rejoice in the Lord always, not because the present distresses aren’t
real or aren’t serious. Indeed, often times these present distresses are very real, very
pressing, very serious. But we rejoice in the Lord always, not because everything’s
going our way. We rejoice in the Lord always because we can be confident that our Lord
is with us through these distresses. He walks with us. He journeys with us in this pilgrim
journey to glory. And he promises in his word, brothers and sisters, that he will never leave
you nor forsake you. No matter what you’re going through, no matter what sorrow you bear,
whatever, no matter what distresses face you in your immediate horizon, you need to adopt
Isaiah’s far horizon viewpoint and see the worldwide praise that is coming with the new
heavens and the new earth wherein righteousness dwells. We rejoice in the Lord always, not
because God’s word calls us to put on a phony smile, to plaster a phony smile on our faces
and pretend that things are better than in fact they are. No. That’s not what God’s word
calls us to do. It’s okay for Christians to grieve too. Christians lament. Christians
grieve too, just as Isaiah laments in this passage. But we lament with hope because we
know where we’re going. We know to whom we belong. We know that the Lord is with us through
thick and thin. Do you know that about the Lord? Do you know the Lord as your savior,
your redeemer, your everlasting hope? Another lesson I think we learn from this is that
the practice of praise, it’s not meant to blind us to the realities of our present distresses.
It certainly did not blind Isaiah to the immediate realities and distresses that he faced and
that he predicted would come upon God’s people in their immediate future. But we live in
this period that the theologians call the already and the not yet. We’re already saved
but we’re not yet finally glorified. We’re saved in the ultimate sense. We’re already
in Christ but we’re not yet in glory. We’re already in but we’re not in as we will be
when Christ returns for us. In the already not yet dynamic of this present age, both
praise and lamentation blend together in perfect harmony and both are appropriate. Sometimes
both lamentation and praise are appropriate at one and the same time. You might scratch
your head and say, well, I can’t think of a time. When would praise and lamentation
be appropriate at one and the same time? Well, let me give you an example and some of you
have experienced this in your own lives. Let’s say that you are attending a funeral service
for a beloved fellow believer, someone that was a great friend to you, that loved the
Lord and let’s say this individual is suddenly taken from you. And there’s great sadness
in that. There’s great grief and loss. And again, it’s okay to grieve. The scriptures
are filled with lamentation. The scriptures endorse and permit Christians and believers
grieving but we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We grieve as those who know
that there is hope and promise beyond the grave. At such events, such a funeral for
example for a beloved friend who’s gone home to be with the Lord suddenly, indeed at such
events lamentation and grief are present in a powerful and palpable way. And yet there
is also joy and praise because we know that that one who has been taken from us is now
rejoicing in the presence of the Lord Jesus. And so again, we also rejoice and praise God
for his work of grace in the heart and life of this individual who’s been taken from us
and we rejoice in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection. And so friends, again
we see the praise of the godly remnant and we see that praise in the far horizon but
we also see that we can praise the Lord even in our present distresses for he will bring
us through. But on the other hand, in terms of the ungodly, in terms of those who persist
in their impenitence and unbelief, we read next of inescapable terror for a godless world.
As we consider verses 17-20 briefly, we consider next inescapable terror for a godless world.
Isaiah writes this in verse 17, terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant
of the earth. And sometimes in this passage, Isaiah personifies the earth, meaning the
inhabitants of the earth, but the earth itself is sometimes personified as experiencing
the unstabilizing wrath of God. The terror and the pit and snare are upon you, O inhabitant
of the earth. And then he gives this kind of imagery of God as the divine hunter who
hunts those who rebel against him in their wickedness. He who flees at the sound of the
terror shall fall into the pit and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the
snare for the windows of heaven are opened and the foundations of the earth tremble.
In these verses, we see God’s judgment against earth’s wicked inhabitants. We see that that
judgment is inescapable. Apart from repentance and faith in the gospel, that judgment is
inescapable. There will be no ultimate escape for the wicked who continue on in their sin
and unbelief. Now again, as I pointed out from verse 18, the language of this verse
appears to portray God as a divine hunter whose judgment catches his prey, in other
words, the unrepentant wicked. And this language underscores the fact that the efforts of the
wicked to avoid God’s judgment while continuing on in their sin, such efforts will ultimately
prove to be futile. And as I was reflecting on this, I think what a contrast to the sheep
of Christ. Christ is the good shepherd who goes after his lost and wandering sheep. And
we’re all lost and wandering sheep to one extent or another. And praise God, beloved,
in Christ that when we wander astray, we can be assured that Christ the good shepherd comes
after us to bring us back safely to his fold. But in the case of the unrepentant wicked,
the wicked reprobate, God is not a good shepherd but a divine hunter who hunts them down and
who will bring them to justice in the end. The imagery, again, is of a divine hunter.
But later on in this verse, verse 18, we read of the windows of heaven being opened and
the foundations of the earth trembling. Where have you seen this kind of imagery before?
Well here, Isaiah is alluding to imagery that harkens back to the devastating flood judgment
in the days of Noah. You see this same kind of language used, for example, in Genesis
chapter 7 verse 11. Isaiah’s use of this language indicates that just as the flood judgment
in Noah’s day was devastating and universal in its destruction of humanity, so by implication
will be the final judgment. But even more so, as we will see, not only will wicked humanity
be judged but even the wicked angels, the fallen angels, the hosts of heaven who rebelled
against the Lord will be judged as well. Verse 19, it says the earth is utterly broken, the
earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. What comes to mind when you hear this
kind of language? Well, this is earthquake imagery. This is the language of an earthquake
and I’ve never, you know, I don’t know if you’ve ever been in an area when a serious
earthquake hits. I remember one time in college there was a mild earthquake and I remember
sitting in the dining hall and the table felt like it was shaking and it felt kind of weird
but it was very subtle. But those who’ve been through serious earthquakes, I mean, when
the ground under you is giving way, that can be a terrifying experience. Well here’s,
this is the kind of language that Isaiah employs here as he describes God’s judgment against
the wicked inhabitants of the earth. There will be total destabilization taking place.
The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken,
the earth staggers like a drunken man. What a picture. You’ve all seen either on TV or
you’ve seen in real life the staggering of a drunken person. That’s how the earth is
depicted here by Isaiah. He uses these powerful images and the earth we’re told sways like
a hut. The idea is a hut that sways by the violent wind. This points to and pictures
total instability, total upheaval. And then notice how in verse 20 the earth is described.
It says its transgression lies heavy upon it and it falls and will not rise again. Its
transgression lies heavy upon it like a heavy weight. Sin is like a heavy weight. It’s a
ball and chain that entraps you, that imprisons you and it’s heavy. And only Christ can lift
that weight. The transgressions of earth’s wicked inhabitants is pictured as lying heavy
upon the earth. And in the final judgment earth’s wicked inhabitants will fall, never
again to rise up to a secure state. They will fall under God’s judgment. They will be raised
at the resurrection of the last day but raised unto judgment, not raised unto life. In light
of these verses, brothers and sisters, in light of these verses, dear listener, if you
are here today, dear listener, and are apart from a saving relationship with Jesus Christ,
if you do not know Christ as your Lord and Savior, understand that you’re in a very dangerous
position. Understand that there will be no escape for the unrepentant wicked on the day
of final judgment. Judgment is coming. But there’s good news. There’s hope. The Bible
says today is the day of salvation. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the time to flee
from the wrath to come. And you say, how do I flee from the wrath that is coming on the
final judgment day? You flee by faith into the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ,
the God man who was crucified for the forgiveness of sins, who paid the penalty for sin by his
atoning death on the cross and who rose from the dead so that all who trust in him, all
who believe in him might not perish but have everlasting life. Now is the time to flee
into the arms of Jesus. And through the gospel, dear sinner, his arms are open wide to you
and to me. Turn to him in faith and repentance today. And may God in his sovereign mercy
effectually call you by sovereign grace out of your sin and into the arms of Jesus. Receive
and rest upon Christ and Christ alone for your salvation this day. And the word of God
promises that you will be saved. But finally, beloved, in this final section of chapter
24 in verses 21 to 23, we see the darkness of cosmic judgment and the brightness of Yahweh’s
reign, the darkness of cosmic judgment and the brightness of the Lord’s reign. Says in
verse 21, on that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven in heaven and the kings
of the earth on the earth. Now that’s kind of curious. What does he mean by the Lord
will punish the host of heaven? Sometimes that terminology of the host of heaven, sometimes
the host of heaven refers to the stars, to the heavenly bodies, what you see when you
look out onto a dark night sky. But other times the host of heaven refers to the angelic
realm, the angels. And I believe that what Isaiah is referring to here when he talks
about God’s judgment against the host of heaven, he’s talking about the Lord’s judgment that
will be brought against Satan and his demonic hosts. This is talking about the fallen angels.
The Lord will, on that final day, judge sinful mankind and will judge the fallen angels as
well. And these fallen angels, Satan and his demonic hosts, we learn in the scriptures
that these demonic hosts exercise great influence over the kings of the earth. And that’s why
in these contrasts here, Isaiah contrasts the host of heaven, the angels, with the kings
of the earth. Why doesn’t he say the inhabitants of the earth? Why does he mention in particular
the kings of the earth? Well, you can make the point that kings would represent their
people. So this is essentially saying the inhabitants of the earth. But perhaps also
the kings are mentioned because these demonic hosts often influence the kings of the earth.
And we’ve seen that throughout the history of humanity as tyrants with satanic and demonic
influence have wrought havoc upon the earth. And so on that day, the Lord will punish the
host of heaven in heaven and the kings of the earth on the earth. And then verse 22,
they will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit. They will be shut up in a prison.
And after many days, they will be punished. What’s this pit that Isaiah is referring to
here? Well, here’s where we need to compare scripture with scripture. I believe, friends,
that ultimately this pit, this prison, ultimately points to the confinement of wicked men and
fallen angels in hell to await the punishment of the final judgment when they will be judged
by King Jesus and cast into the everlasting lake of fire. This is implied in passages
like, well, let’s just take a look at a few. 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 4. 2 Peter chapter
2 verse 4, we read these words. Speaking of these angels, it says, for if God did not
spare angels when they sinned, it’s talking about the fallen angels, Satan and his demons,
but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until
the judgment. That’s an imprisonment there that is awaiting the final judgment. We also
see this referenced in Jude verse 6. Jude is right before the book of Revelation. Jude
verse 6, it says this, and the angels who did not stay within their own position of
authority but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy
darkness until the judgment of the great day and so forth. So this is pretty gloomy,
this passage here, but this shows the cosmic scope of this passage. But what’s the conclusion
of the passage? Well, again, just as there were notes of hope in the midst of this judgment
oracle, this judgment oracle ends with a note of hope as well. In verse 25, I’m sorry,
verse 23, it says, then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed for the Lord
of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and his glory will be before the elders.
With the wicked judged and taken out of the way in the final judgment, Yahweh’s universal
cosmic reign on the heavenly Mount Zion and in the New Jerusalem will be brightly displayed.
Indeed, the moon and the sun, which God at creation had appointed as earth’s light bearers,
the moon and the sun are here personified as being confounded, being ashamed when compared
to the brightness of Yahweh’s reign in the ultimate Mount Zion and the New Jerusalem.
And that should renew hope within the heart, within the breast of the believer because
we know that that everlasting worldwide cosmic praise that is coming and it’s coming soon
in God’s timetable. And so, friends, as we close our time in the word today, this passage
reminds us of what is written in the book of Revelation. I would close by reading Revelation
21, verses 22 through 27. Revelation 21, beginning at verse 22, it says this,
and here the Apostle John has this vision of heavenly glory. It says,
The kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut
by day, and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the
honor of the nations, but nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what
is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Beloved believer in Christ, during the dark days of this present evil age, let us be
comforted by the bright future that lies ahead of us, the future that Isaiah speaks of in
verse 23 of this passage, the future that is spoken of in the book of Revelation. For
Jesus, the light of the world, will be the light in the city of God, and we will walk
in his light forever. Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, sovereign and eternal God, we praise
you and thank you that you have delivered us from the judgment to come through Christ,
our Savior, who died for our sins and rose again to secure for us the gift of everlasting
life. We thank you that in Christ we are justified and adopted. We thank you that in him we are
being sanctified and conformed more and more into his image as we grow in the knowledge
and love of Jesus. We thank you that in Christ one day we will be glorified, never to sin
ever again. We pray, Heavenly Father, that you would help us as we journey in the midst
of this present distress, give us grace to know that you are with us and that you are
leading us as pilgrims to the eternal city. We ask all these things in Jesus’ name and
all of God’s people said. Amen. As we close our time today, let’s rise and we’ll sing
as our closing hymn, Jerusalem the Golden, number 468.