God's Purpose in Judgment (God's Judgment on the Land)

 

SURFING WITH JESUS

Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr.

Site: Http://surfingwithjesus.blogspot.com #116501262021

God’s Purpose in Judgment (God’s Judgment on the Land)

Read with me Isaiah 24: 1-23

 Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

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.

³ The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.

⁴ The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

⁵ The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

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.

⁷ The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

⁸ The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

⁹ They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

¹⁰ The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

¹¹ There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

¹² In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

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.

¹⁴ They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from th¹⁵ Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

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.

¹⁷ Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

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.

¹⁹ The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Isaiah 24-27 is often called “Isaiah’s Apocalypse.”They discuss God’s judgment on the entire world for its sin. Isaiah’s prophecies were first directed to Judah, then to Israel, then to the surrounding nations, and finally to the whole world. These chapters describe the last days when God will judge the whole world. Then he will finally and permanently remove evil.

24:4, 5 Not only the people suffered from their sins, even the land suffered with bad crops and crime. Today we see the results of sin in our own land---pollution, crime, poverty. Sin affects every aspect of society so extensively that even those faithful to God suffer. We cannot blame God for these conditions, because human sin has brought them about. The more that we who are believers renounce sin and share God’s word with others, the more we slow our society’s deterioration. We must not give up; sin is rampant, but we can make a difference.

24:14-16The believers that are left behind after God judges Judah will sing to the glory of God’s righteousness. Israel grieved because of his world’s condition. We too can become depressed by the evil all around us. At those times we need to hold on to God’s promises for the future and look forward to singing praises to him when he restores heaven and earth.

24:21 “The hosts of the high ones” refers to spiritual forces that are opposed to God. Nobody, not ever the fallen angels, will escape due punishment.  (LAB KJV Tyndale pages 1181, 1182 notes)

Wow! I’m still excited about the day we are living in and await His return.

REMEMBER “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1John 1:9. Join Surfing with Jesus mailing list: genedash@yahoo.com. Send prayer request to: genedash@yahoo.com