WTW 2021
February 24
Isaiah 24
They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim Yahweh’s majesty. Therefore in the east give glory to Yahweh; exalt the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” Isaiah 24:14-16a
”He Reigns’‘
It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
Let it rise about the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this
And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word
When all God’s children sing out
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
All God’s people singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
And then we continue reading Isaiah:
But I said, “I waste away, I waste away! Woe to me! The treacherous betray! With treachery the treacherous betray!”
Terror and pit and snare await you, people of the earth. Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake. The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again. In that day Yahweh will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days. The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for Yahweh Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory.
Isaiah 24:16b-23
Wisdom in the WORD 
Isaiah 24.
Now judgment extends to the whole earth. All that was pleasant is now useless and of no comfort. The people polluted the earth by their sin, so a curse devours it and the people are found guilty (5-6).
At 14 we see an entirely different perspective, one in which the majesty of God is proclaimed. And yet some say (16) “woe is me.” Fear reigns over many because of an awareness of the coming judgment (1 John 4:18).
I see a parallel between Isaiah 24 (and into 25) and Revelation 19 and 20. Notice the announcements in Revelation 19:1-7 and how those compare to Isaiah 24:14-16. In Isaiah we read how the sound comes from the east and west, “from the ends of the earth… Glory to the Righteous One”, just like you might expect when the angels cry out in unison “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”
And yet, “that day” will not be pleasant for all. We see starting in Isaiah 24:17 the attempts to escape, but the people are caught.
They will be gathered together Like prisoners in the dungeon, And will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished. Isaiah 24:22
This is like Revelation 20:11-15.
And just like the host of heaven is punished in Isaiah 24:21, in Revelation 20:10 we see the devil and his helpers thrown into the lake of fire forever.
I’m struck by how pervasive and consistent these truths are throughout Scripture. Not that I ever doubted it; but to see it anew like this is sobering and encouraging about the path we’re on.
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