Isaiah Chapter 24 – The Lord’s Judgment on the Whole Earth
Isaiah Chapter 24 marks a dramatic shift from localized prophecies to a cosmic view. This chapter speaks not merely of one nation, but of the entire earth under judgment. The cause? A broken everlasting covenant, defiled lands, and joy turned to desolation. Yet even in this dark vision, a faithful remnant lifts their voice in praise, foreshadowing ultimate redemption and reign.
Universal Judgment, Unshakable Hope
✔ The earth mourns and withers under sin’s curse.
✔ The pride of man is brought low.
✔ Joy and festivity are silenced.
✔ God judges because His covenant was broken.
✔A faithful remnant glorifies God amidst destruction.
📖 Isaiah 24:5 – “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.”
🔎 The root of judgment is spiritual rebellion—mankind forsaking God’s eternal law.
Isaiah Chapter 24 - Overview
Isaiah 24:1–13 – Earth Laid Waste
📖 Isaiah 24:1 – “Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste…”
🔎 God’s judgment is universal—touching every class and corner. None are exempt. The earth’s systems are dismantled, and its inhabitants scattered.
📖 Isaiah 24:3–4 – “The land shall be utterly emptied… The earth mourneth and fadeth away…”
🔎 This is more than physical destruction—it is spiritual unraveling. The very fabric of human joy and prosperity dissolves.
📖 Isaiah 24:5–6 – “They have transgressed the laws… broken the everlasting covenant…”
🔎 At the heart of this global collapse is moral rebellion. God’s law was rejected. The everlasting covenant—undeniably pointing to His moral law, including the Ten Commandments—was treated as void.
📖 Isaiah 24:7–9 – “The new wine mourneth… all joy is darkened…”
🔎 Earthly pleasures cannot withstand divine wrath. Music, drink, and celebration are silenced.
📖 Isaiah 24:10–13 – “The city of confusion is broken down…”
🔎 The “city of confusion” mirrors Babel—mankind’s collective pride. It crumbles under God’s hand. Only a few olives—remnants—remain after the shaking.
➡️ Global judgment is rooted in spiritual betrayal. Only the remnant endures.
Isaiah 24:14–23 – The Praise of the Remnant and the Reign of the Lord
📖 Isaiah 24:14–16 – “They shall lift up their voice… glorify the Lord in the fires…”
🔎 Amid devastation, a remnant rises with praise. They see through the judgment to the righteousness of God.
📖 Isaiah 24:17–18 – “Fear, and the pit, and the snare… he that fleeth… shall fall…”
🔎 There is no escape from judgment without repentance. All paths outside of God lead to ruin.
📖 Isaiah 24:19–20 – “The earth is utterly broken down… it shall fall, and not rise again.”
🔎 The current world system will not recover. This foreshadows the total shaking in Revelation (Revelation 6:12–17; Hebrews 12:26–27).
📖 Isaiah 24:21–22 – “The Lord shall punish the host of the high ones… and the kings of the earth…”
🔎 Both spiritual and earthly powers are judged. Demonic forces and earthly rulers alike face divine justice.
📖 Isaiah 24:23 – “Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed… the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion…”
🔎 A powerful closing—heavenly lights are dimmed before the brightness of God’s reign. Zion emerges as the place of true government, ruled in righteousness by the Lord.
➡️ God will reign. Pride will fall. The remnant will rejoice.
Isaiah Chapter 24 - Deeper Study
Overview: From Ruin to Reign
🔹 Timeframe: End-time vision, applicable across ages but climaxes in the Day of the Lord.
🔹 Setting: The whole earth—nations, cities, and heavenly realms.
🔹 Theme: Global judgment and the rise of God’s eternal kingdom.
🔹 Connection to Christ: The true King who will reign from Zion—Revelation 11:15.
Earth Shaken, Kingdom Unshaken
Isaiah 24 warns that human rebellion has global consequences. The pride of nations, the comforts of life, and the systems we trust will all be shaken. But it also assures us—God reigns.
🔹 The earth is defiled by lawlessness.
🔹 Idolatry and self-will provoke judgment.
🔹 The faithful remnant glorifies God amid collapse.
🔹 Spiritual and political rulers will be judged.
🔹 Zion stands when all else falls.
➡️ When the world crumbles, the Kingdom of Christ rises. Prepare to stand with Him.
Key Takeaways
🔑 Global judgment is real and rooted in rebellion.
🔑 God’s everlasting covenant was broken by man.
🔑 Joy is replaced by mourning for the unrepentant.
🔑 A remnant always remains to glorify God.
🔑 Christ will reign from Zion when the earth is restored.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Echoes the language of Revelation 6, 16, and 18.
🔮 The fall of the earth mirrors the fall of Babylon.
🔮 The remnant theme connects to Revelation 7 and 14.
🔮 The final reign from Zion previews the Millennium (Isaiah 2:2–4, Revelation 20).
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Ancient covenants shaped national blessing—but Israel and the nations defied God’s law.
📜 Zion represented God’s dwelling, but had been ignored.
📜 The chapter zooms out to a final global reckoning.
📜 Earthquakes, silence, and cosmic signs were all known symbols of divine wrath.
Present-Day Reflection: The Shaking to Come
Isaiah 24 speaks loudly to today’s world. We live in a time of moral rebellion, global systems in tension, and hearts far from God. The shaking has already begun. Are we part of the remnant or the rubble?
🔹 Comfort without covenant will not endure.
🔹 Celebration without repentance invites collapse.
🔹 Prophecy prepares, not paralyzes.
🔹 The remnant praises—even in the fire.
🔹 Christ’s reign will bring true justice.
➡️ Now is the time to stand firm. All that can be shaken will be—but God’s kingdom cannot.
💡 Final Reflection: When the World Falls, Will You Stand?
The world systems will collapse. Entertainment will go silent. Pride will fall. But the Lord will still reign. The faithful will still sing. And Mount Zion will still stand.
📌 Are you rooted in a kingdom that cannot be moved?
📌 Have you broken covenant—or returned to it?
📌 Will you be among the remnant that glorifies God?
📖 Isaiah 24:23 – “The Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.”
🔥 Let the nations fall—our King is coming to reign.
Judgment on the Whole Earth
Isa 24:1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
Isa 24:2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, 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 taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
Isa 24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.
Isa 24:4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
Isa 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
Isa 24:6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
Isa 24:7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.
Isa 24:8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
Isa 24:9 They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
Isa 24:10 The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.
Isa 24:11 There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
Isa 24:12 In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.
Isa 24:13 When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.
Isa 24:14 They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.
Isa 24:15 Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.
Isa 24:16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.
Isa 24:17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
Isa 24:18 And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
Isa 24:19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.
Isa 24:20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
Isa 24:21 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
Isa 24:22 And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
Isa 24:23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
Date Written
740–700 BC
Written By
The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz
Language
Hebrew
Verses
23