ISAIAH CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR COMMENTARY
Contents
II. Isaiah Chapter Twenty-four Commentary Verses
24:1-12- The Great Tribulation
24:13-16a- The Tribulation Saints
24:16b-18a- Terror, and the Pit, and a Snare unto Ye Defiant Ones
24:18b-20- Down for the Count, Unable to Rise
24:21-22- Punitive Compensations
24:23- Yea One, One Alone, Ever Shines in Exceeding Glory
Figure 1. Stark Reality
I. Introduction
Long before John the Apostle was given a vision of the Terrible End in the first-century AD, Isaiah the Prophet was shown the same in detail some eight centuries earlier[1][1][1][1]. That vision of Isaiah is the subject of this chapter. And what Isaiah saw and relates to us here is exceeding grim, as was John’s vision of the same exceeding grim. It cannot be overstated that one does want to find oneself in the thick of this Tribulation when it unfolds (Isaiah 13:6)-as destruction from whom? From [El] Shaddai, the Almighty. There is, a way out, provided by the very LORD of that terrible day of the LORD, even Jehovah God, that we shall address along the way.
What we have before us from the lips of God through the lips of His servant-prophet Isaiah is heads-up concerning the Great Tribulation that will engulf and roil fallen planet earth and its fallen inhabitants just prior to the long-awaited second advent of Messiah Jesus.
We strongly recommend that the reader take a look at our commentaries on Matthew chapter twenty-four and Revelation chapter thirteen (or other such commentaries from other folks) before engaging this one; at minimum please read these chapters of the Christian Bible (Matthew 24, Revelation 13) as a preparatory introduction to what follows, because before what follows unfolds certain things must happen first which we cannot expound on in this commentary, but have at length in these other commentaries. This commentary is in no small part a commentary on the Great Tribulation and a lot of the important peripheral causals and spiritual benchmarks are assumed by the underlying text. When the Holy Spirit spoke these words to Isaiah, He knew precisely why this Tribulation must come, and these other chapters mentioned fill in some of the “why, and what, and when” gaps.
We will follow this format:
Verse of Scripture utilizing the YLT text followed by an NASB mouse over of that verse. Key words in the YLT text will be footnoted with a link to a word study based on the Hebrew text, and/or a general discussion relative to the given word (we are not biblical Greek or Hebrew scholars, please consider our grammatical constructions with a critical eye).
Commentary We shall always be commenting on this passage keeping before us the crucial fact that every jot and every tittle comprising these verses came forth under the inspiration of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray that He, by His grace, helps us along the way.
II. Isaiah Chapter Twenty-four Commentary Verses
24:1-12- The Great Tribulation
YLT TEXT: Lo, Jehovah[2][2][2][2] is emptying[3][3][3][3] the land[4][4][4][4], and is making it waste[5][5][5][5], and hath overturned[6][6][6][6] it on its face, and hath scattered[7][7][7][7] its inhabitants. And it hath been -- as a people so a priest, as the servant so his master, as the maid-servant so her mistress, as the buyer so the seller, as the lender so the borrower, as the usurer so he who is lifting it on himself. Utterly emptied is the land, and utterly spoiled, for Jehovah hath spoken this word[8][8][8][8]. Mourned[9][9][9][9], faded[10][10][10][10] hath the land, languished[11][11][11][11], faded hath the world, languished have they -- the high place of the people of the land[12][12][12][12]. And the land hath been defiled[13][13][13][13] under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed laws[14][14][14][14], they have changed a statute[15][15][15][15], they have made void a covenant age-during[16][16][16][16]. Therefore a curse[17][17][17][17] hath consumed[18][18][18][18] the land, and the inhabitants in it are become desolate[19][19][19][19], therefore consumed[20][20][20][20]have been inhabitants of the land, and few men have been left. Mourned hath the new wine[21][21][21][21], languished the vine, sighed have all the joyful of heart. Ceased hath the joy of tabrets[22][22][22][22], ceased hath the noise of exulting ones, ceased hath the joy of a harp[23][23][23][23]. With a song they drink not wine, bitter is strong drink to those drinking it. It was broken down -- a city of emptiness[24][24][24][24], shut hath been every house from entrance. A cry over the wine is in out-places, darkened hath been all joy, removed hath been the joy of the land. Left in the city is desolation[25][25][25][25], and with wasting[26][26][26][26] is the gate smitten. (Isaiah 24:1-12, Isaiah 24:1-12, NLT)
COMMENTARY: Long millennia have passed since Adam’s telling footprints impressed upon Eden a wayward walk; toes once pointed in the right direction in lockstep with Jehovah God at last were pleased to get out of step with God and point in the wrong direction. Footprints in the sand betray a lonely walk thence until very Jehovah in the person of Jesus Christ restored blessed fellowship. Deep, deep footprints in the sand now betray a Savior’s Burden lovingly slung across His shoulders. But as in the days before His Visitation, many a maverick footprints still litter the landscape, shallow, headed here and there, scurrying to and fro, alike delighted to point in the wrong direction, willfully pointed in the wrong direction, wreaking havoc in and on Jehovah’s good earth. But nay, no more; no more footprints in the sand willfully headed in the wrong direction wreaking havoc, for we learn here from the Word of God that the hourglass is empty, the time of reckoning has come:
Lo, Jehovah is emptying the land, and is making it waste, and hath overturned it on its face, and hath scattered its inhabitants.
Let us not be shocked for we are here as elsewhere in the Word of God forewarned of what is coming—God intends to depopulate this (Tribulation-period) earth brazen in its fallenness (Revelation 6-9 [first 3 ½ years], Revelation 15:7-16:21 [last 3/1/2 years, the Great Tribulation]). Depopulation, laying the earth waste, turning it upside down—all of this is coming upon the Tribulation-period earth.
None who find themselves caught up in this tribulation will escape; person, privilege, rank, wealth, all worthless, nothing can stave off the “hell” that will visit the inhabitants of the earth at this time:
And it hath been -- as a people so a priest, as the servant so his master, as the maid-servant so her mistress, as the buyer so the seller, as the lender so the borrower, as the usurer so he who is lifting it on himself. Utterly emptied is the land, and utterly spoiled, for Jehovah hath spoken this word (cf. Hosea 4:8-9).
And why? Why is all this “hell” coming? Here is why:
Mourned, faded hath the land, languished, faded hath the world, languished have they -- the high place of the people of the land. And the land hath been defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed laws, they have changed a statute, they have made void a covenant age-during.
The New Testament brings clarity and four specific offenses are related: Murders, sorceries, immorality, and thefts (Revelation 9:21). These run unabated across the centuries and defile the earth and its inhabitants. Sin defiles a land, a people. Let us look at the offenses one at a time. Murders. These begin with that first murderer named Cain (Genesis 4:8; Satan is the first murderer [John 8:44], Cain is the first human murderer). In modern times, all we need to point to is abortion—this is ongoing murder by the millions across the earth. The motivations are different perhaps than Cain’s, but the end is the same—murder. Please notice that blood pollutes (defiles) a given peoples’ land (Numbers 35:33). Sorceries. These too run unabated across the centuries; in our day we mention foremost idolatry, outright devil worship, the occult, trusting “lady luck,” infatuation with so-called aliens, worship of the sciences and technology. Immorality. Well, this one is so ubiquitous that nothing more need be said; the immorality in our day is surely unprecedented. Thefts. This one happens all the time by all people whether it is outright stealing, or scheming hijacks, stealing God’s due glory, and on it goes here too; this one too is quite ubiquitous. And concerning the earth proper we defer immediately to modern times, times rife for all this tribulation. Our earth mourns under the abuse levied on it by its inhabitants—unprecedented pollutions, resource depletion, over-farming of the land, abuse of the animals, and again on it goes here too. These things have brought “a curse upon a curse.” Precisely for these unabated[27][27][27][27] things the earth is cursed even on top of its Genesis curse (Genesis 3:17, Leviticus 18:25-28). Please notice:
Therefore a curse hath consumed the land, and the inhabitants in it are become desolate, therefore consumed have been inhabitants of the land, and few men have been left.
We must take care to avoid anachronism—we have arrived at the Great Tribulation in these verses and what is related by the Word of God is how it will be for the doomed ones living on the earth at that time. And what we learn is that this Tribulation will be so intense as to depopulate the earth near completely. This is a sobering, a staggering prophecy given over seven billion souls living on the earth at the time of this writing, a number projected to grow exponentially as it approaches the time of the Tribulation (exponential growth on a starting base of over seven billion is immense, and that is probably an understatement). War, famine, pestilences, unprecedented disturbances in the weather and in the heavens are the means to the horrific end here prophesied of (Revelation 6-9, Revelation 15:7-16:21). Concerning this depopulation, the Word of God says:
And few men have been left.
Martin Heidegger and Rudolf Bultmann talked a lot about “authentic living,” a negative aspect of it being that some folks like to fill up their minds with every prop under the sun to avoid engaging reality, thus living “inauthentically.” Props like mind-consuming entertainment, alcohol and/or drugs, constructing wild mental fantasies, and so forth. There will be no such props (escapes) come the Tribulation relates our text. And why? This reality is so exceedingly stark it is inescapable even via head-games is the short answer. It is suffusing, and exceeding stark:
Mourned hath the new wine, languished the vine, sighed have all the joyful of heart. Ceased hath the joy of tabrets, ceased hath the noise of exulting ones, ceased hath the joy of a harp. With a song they drink not wine, bitter is strong drink to those drinking it.
Suffusing desolation here, not least some sorts of sickness that force quarantine and isolation is in the text—emptiness, a wasting away; heretofore social defaults like congregating and proximity disallowed; no parties, no ballgames, no concerts, no whatever. The city gate—a place of congregation—is smitten and cannot serve its purpose, houses shuttered from entrance, no fun and games, no more props, all clearly discernible in the text:
It was broken down -- a city of emptiness, shut hath been every house from entrance. A cry over the wine is in out-places, darkened hath been all joy, removed hath been the joy of the land. Left in the city is desolation, and with wasting is the gate smitten.
24:13-16a- The Tribulation Saints
YLT TEXT: When thus it is in the heart of the land, In the midst of the peoples, as the compassing[28][28][28][28] of the olive, as gleanings[29][29][29][29] when harvest hath been finished, they -- they lift up their voice, they sing of the excellency[30][30][30][30] of Jehovah, they have cried aloud from the sea. Therefore in prosperity[31][31][31][31] honour ye Jehovah, in isles of the sea[32][32][32][32], the name of Jehovah, God of Israel. From the skirt[33][33][33][33] of the earth we heard songs, the desire of the righteous. (Isaiah 24:13-16, Isaiah 24:13-16, NLT)
COMMENTARY: One would think that the people whom this tribulation visits would flock to God; it is a statement of the highest degree of arrogance and defiance that they do not. Even against the backdrop of a dwindling world population the ratio of God-fearers to the proud profane is meager:
When thus it is in the heart of the land, In the midst of the peoples, as the compassing of the olive, as gleanings when harvest hath been finished.
Like unto shaking off a few olives from an olive tree or the meager gleanings after the harvest so number the God-fearers in the face of all this calamity. It is a remnant, that is all. What a testimony to the resolute defiance and arrogance of self-deified humankind at this time. (They are content to “go down with the ship,” that ship being their darling sciences and technology which they think will save them; antiChrist will have had a key role here, hoodwinking, smoke and mirrors that seems to work for the moment and so on.) But there is another testimony resounding in these few verses and that is the praise resounding from the tribulation saints[34][34][34][34] in the face of all this tribulation—they are not grumbling, feeling sorry for themselves, not angry with God, rather they sing His praises whilst the pall of death is all about and no doubt they are greatly suffering here along with the rest:
They – they lift up their voice, they sing of the excellency of Jehovah, they have cried aloud from the sea. Therefore in prosperity honour ye Jehovah, in isles of the sea, the name of Jehovah, God of Israel. From the skirt of the earth we heard songs, the desire of the righteous.
Notice please—they sing of Jehovah’s excellency, He, who has turned the earth upside-down right here, who has depopulated the earth to the extent that “few men are left.” Yet they sing of His excellency. Here are truly converted saints of God.
We know from John’s Revelation that a multitude of saints come out of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:9-14), no doubt owing to the preaching of the one-hundred-forty-four-thousand witnesses (these are Jewish preachers/witnesses, converted Jews here praise God, Revelation 7:2-8, Joel 2:32), and what we probably learn here from Isaiah is that those preachers/witnesses found in the meager but exceedingly enthusiastic-for-God tribulation saints just the right base from which could grow such a multitude. God’s pattern is consistent here in that by comparison the contemporary Church it is estimated consists of a couple of billion souls stemming from quite meager beginnings at Pentecost. So, the world having been near depopulated, gets a new start; it is a fresh spiritual start, a refreshing new start for the Gospel, and the right folks are doing the preaching, and the right folks are listening and yea hearkening and singing praises and coming to Salvation (=reserving a white robe and a palm branch to be dispensed by God by His exceeding grace [Revelation 7:9-11—notice that they are still singing, now in happier environs—they just cannot get enough of that singing unto God to their credit]). Our God’s plans and outworking are a thing to behold; a thing of beauty and elegance and excellence and loveliness and blessed holiness praised be His wonderful Name.
24:16b-18a- Terror, and the Pit, and a Snare unto Ye Defiant Ones
YLT TEXT: And I say, 'Leanness [35][35][35][35]is to me, leanness is to me, wo is to me.' Treacherous[36][36][36][36] dealers dealt treacherously, yea, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously. Fear[37][37][37][37], and the pit[38][38][38][38], and a snare[39][39][39][39], are on thee, O inhabitant of the land. 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. (Isaiah 24:16-18, Isaiah 24:16-18, NLT)
COMMENTARY: Let us add treachery to the murders, and sorceries, and immorality, and thefts mentioned earlier. These are the fruits of the defiant, unGodly that characterize this Tribulation-generation:
And I say, leanness is to me, leanness is to me, wo is to me. Treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, yea, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.
Notice brother Isaiah’s redundancy, he repeats the status quo and places emphasis on the prevailing treachery. What is treachery? A secular dictionary would define it so: betrayal of trust, deceptive action, or nature (see also). Nothing new here on the face of the earth. Dearest reader, do you see the connection to the prince of this world currently, Satan? Satan is the father of lies, and this Tribulation-generation is the culmination of his millennia-long grooming of humankind toward that end, an end that bespeaks his nature, an end that “glorifies” him and his ways. This generation, these times, are exceedingly satanic ones. That is why Isaiah withers away here and cries “woe.” He is given a vision of the pigsty of hell on earth that flourishes and prevails at this time—namely, the “norms” (for that generation) of treachery, murders, sorceries, immorality, and thefts, aplenty, and everywhere. Given the state of affairs in the world in our day, it is not very hard to figure out that humankind is barreling near head over heels precisely toward the satanic end here prophesied of and O how that unclean thing Satan must love it.
God is going to let this Tribulation-generation choke in its anti-Godliness and its self-deification lusts. He is going to let the Godless evil of its ways fold back on it. It will find itself in freefall with nary a Net below to catch it. Fear and the pit, and a snare, will fold back on it:
Fear, and the pit, and a snare, are on thee, O inhabitant of the land. 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.
Fear, and the pit, and a snare, what does that mean? Fear is obvious, we all understand it. A pit in ancient and not so ancient times was covered over with earthen debris to disguise it and when an unsuspecting prey walked across the disguise it fell into the pit. And a snare is a trap which one cannot shake off or escape from. This Tribulation-generation will be stricken with great fear and an attendant heightened anxiety, the latter because it will realize that it cannot save itself from the suffusing devastation. Fear and anxiety will grow and grow as the one feeds the other and vice versa. The world will have no answers for the impending devastation and fear and anxiety will be “off the charts” as the saying goes. One manmade “fix” after another will fail. No cures for the pestilences, no way to stop the disturbances in the heavens, no way to stop the disturbances in the weather, no way to stop the earth from shaking and teetering like a drunkard:
For the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.
Our largely eased-back and secure generation (thanks to the Restrainer) simply cannot appreciate the horror that these Tribulation-generation folks will face. And they will do what any of us would do—look for cures, look for a solution, look for a way out. But what our verses are telling us is that cures are not going to be cures, solutions are not going to be solutions, and fixes for this and that are not going to be fixes, rather, all alike a pit, and reworking things to get it right the second time like trying to climb out of the pit only to be caught in a snare (Ecclesiastes 9:12). We can imagine, for example, the search for medical cures being done in haste given the urgency of the moment only to prove even more fatal and/or debilitating than the pestilence. We can imagine great international collaboration under antiChrist to fight the devastation leading to exploitation, marginalization, and high personal cost since a human life is less than meaningless to that satanic wretch. And again, the mindboggling thing about this to us is that this Tribulation-period population continues to be defiant and will not turn to God but rather to its own might and wits and of course to the sweet morsels it is being fed from antiChrist. The latter is the Big Snare to which the former (largely self-deification) makes this generation so thoroughly vulnerable. It is particularly mindboggling to us because this Tribulation-period generation will be able to read the same prophecy that you dear reader and I are reading right now. It must surely be that antiChrist’s lies are very convincing. (Jehovah God will not allow antiChrist to tamper with His Word but lie about it and present it just so he antiChrist can, even as Satan has spun it negatively down the centuries through his flesh and blood cronies.)
24:18b-20- Down for the Count, Unable to Rise
YLT TEXT: For windows[40][40][40][40] on high have been opened, and shaken are foundations[41][41][41][41] of the land. Utterly broken down hath been the land, utterly broken hath been the land, utterly moved hath been the land. Stagger greatly doth the land as a drunkard, and it hath been moved as a lodge[42][42][42][42], and heavy on it hath been its transgression[43][43][43][43], and it hath fallen, and addeth not to rise. (Isaiah 24:18-20, Isaiah 24:18-20, NLT)
COMMENTARY: We are in the midst of a Covid-19 pandemic crisis at the time of this writing and there are no answers and remedies on the horizon at least for now and the point is Covid-19 is a mild problem compared to the utter devastation of the earth related in these verses. If entire nations both on their own and collectively with others cannot straightaway fix a relatively “little” problem like Covid-19 without great loss of life (as there has been already, not to mention the gross disruptions of daily life) before a solution is finally derived there is no hope, none whatsoever, for them to figure their way out of what is coming at them in the Tribulation, and yet they laugh at God’s Word here for the most part. When will folks wake up and humble themselves before Jehovah God and plead for His mercy, which He would gladly extend to them in Jesus Christ (“A Letter of Invitation”)? But that is precisely what is prophesied here—they will not, and so sore Tribulation will visit these sorts when God’s hourglass gives up its last grain of sand, and all of them will perish physically and spiritually, the latter being the great tragedy here.
What could cause the gross shaking of the earth here spoken of:
For windows on high have been opened, and shaken are foundations of the land. Utterly broken down hath been the land, utterly broken hath been the land, utterly moved hath been the land. Stagger greatly doth the land as a drunkard, and it hath been moved as a lodge.
It is almost as though a massive heavenly object of some sort crashes into the earth. Such an event would cause a nuclear winter in addition to the violent shaking of the earth. In such a scenario the earth would experience a prolonged period of darkness and attendant famine let alone the other eventualities brought on by such a cataclysmic event. Imagine living in a world of darkness (only the faintest of sunlight, as though looking at the sun through a thick, smoky-dark fog [Joel 2:31, Revelation 6:12]), no food, with the earth teetering beneath your feet, mass chaos. Or perhaps it is a violent earthquake/s, a gross shifting of the tectonic plates upon which our oceans and continents rest[44][44][44][44], such that the earth’s surface becomes unstable and outright collapses in an unprecedented manner in some places (=disruption of the negative feedback mechanism of isostacy, a mechanism that seeks to equilibrate geological loading of the earth’s crust).
It is hard to miss the redundancy in this text; there is such a redundancy in this text, the point of the “breaking down of the land,” its “movement/staggering,” is repeatedly driven home. Given this redundancy In God’s Word here we are certain that something cataclysmic and very dreadful is going to happen to our earth at this (Tribulation-period) time. Notwithstanding, humankind will not repent of their treachery, their murders, their sorceries, their immorality, their thefts; humankind will not “bow the knee” to Jehovah God and plead for mercy, no way; humankind with its thoroughly self-deified mindset at this time will rather do things their way, or antiChrist’s way, without Jehovah God in the mix. It is not much different already today; Jehovah God has been cast far away from secular society; it will not take much effort by Satan and his antiChrist crony to bring society to the frame of mind that attends antiChrist’s ascendancy onto the world’s stage and that ultimately pervades the deadly and horrific Tribulation period we are reading about in this sacred text.
Once this Great Tribulation begins, the earth will not be able to pull out of it in any remedial way we are told yet again; the earth will fall, never to rise under its own power:
and heavy on it hath been its transgression, and it hath fallen, and addeth not to rise.
There we have it—the earth’s transgression, as discussed above, the weight of that, like a millstone about its neck, drags it down to its knees and ultimately lays it out flat on its back, down for the count. And the earth per se mourns, it mourns because of its inhabitants. Treachery, murders, sorceries, immorality, thefts; abuse of the land, the animals, even inner space is slowly being polluted along with a thoroughly polluted mother earth. Wherever humankind goes it takes its pollution and bloodletting with it. Hardly a Jubilee Planet this Tribulation-period earth. Such is the situation down here in the land of sin and sorrow when Tribulation comes thanks to millennia-long transgressions by the earth’s inhabitants. No additional amount of time is going to remediate that; we had our chances aplenty, and have demonstrated a pattern that confirms our fallen nature; humankind is sinful, and will always be sinful in its unregenerate state (without rebirth of spirit (“John Chapter Three Commentary”); no amount of extra time will change that; we had our chances, but we hands-down blew it. We have wasted Jehovah’s good earth and we have killed and maimed each other and lied to each other since the beginning, and we even dared to kill God, and we certainly lie to Him too constantly. The upshot? The earth will never again rise to such a state, Jehovah will not allow it is what He is telling us here (notwithstanding there is a final deception and falling away permitted to come involving the tribulation-saints’ seed, for that seed will carry humankind forward for a time, it is Satan’s final hurrah [(Revelation 20:7-10]). He Jehovah is going to demolish this diseased planet we have created and lay waste its diseased, defiant, and Godless inhabitants along with it, and then He will reconstitute this earth and give it to a reconstituted people, stewards, whom He knows He can trust going forward and who love Him and His ways, starting with the ever-singing and praising tribulation saints mentioned above (not necessarily so with their seed). So dear reader, friend, if you are one of the defiant ones in this contemporary generation, we urge you hustle on over to the foot of the Cross and embrace the Savior Jesus Christ, for who knows for sure when God’s hourglass is down to its last few grains. He will forgive you, redeem you, and save you for Himself for eternity. And by the way, you are not doing God any favors by coming to Him, but He is ready and waiting to do you a big favor (“A Letter of Invitation”).
24:21-22- Punitive Compensations
YLT TEXT: And it hath come to pass, in that day, Jehovah layeth a charge[45][45][45][45] on the host of the high[46][46][46][46] place in the high place, and on the kings of the land on the land[47][47][47][47]. And they have been gathered[48][48][48][48] -- a gathering of bound ones in a pit, and shut up they have been in a prison[49][49][49][49], and after a multitude of days are inspected[50][50][50][50].
COMMENTARY: So far, the focus in this chapter has been on fallen humankind and our transgressions against God and our judgment by Him, and on our transgressions against God’s earth and its judgment thanks to these transgressions, now the focus shifts profoundly to the spiritual causals and perturbations that aggravate and oftentimes seed our transgressions (“Have You considered My Servant Job?”). It is Satan and his cronies here referred to:
And it hath come to pass, in that day, Jehovah layeth a charge on the host of the high place in the high place, and on the kings of the land on the land.
What is the charge? What is it specifically that Jehovah God charges Satan and by association his cronies of? Treachery (Isaiah 14:12-14, John 8:44), murder (John 8:44), sorcery (by default), Immorality (Jude 1:6), thefts (Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:13-17).
There is an inference perhaps that Satan is in league with certain of the kings of the earth (rulers, political leaders of nations). How better for him to realize his goals on a global scale than to influence the earth’s leaders. In the Book of Daniel for example we are told of his demonic captains and generals having certain territorial dominion of sorts (Daniel 10:12-13, 20, cf. Ephesians 6:12). The extent to which these leaders would be cognizant of being used by Satan probably differs on an individual basis. Anyway, that is probably why they both are “handcuffed” and “rounded up” together and alike put into God’s special prison and after a time punished (cf. Jude 1:6, 2Pe 2:4, Revelation 20:10, 11-13):
And they have been gathered -- a gathering of bound ones in a pit, and shut up they have been in a prison, and after a multitude of days are inspected.
24:23- Yea One, One Alone, Ever Shines in Exceeding Glory
YLT TEXT: And confounded[51][51][51][51] hath been the moon, and ashamed[52][52][52][52] hath been the sun, for reigned[53][53][53][53] hath Jehovah of Hosts[54][54][54][54] In mount Zion[55][55][55][55], and in Jerusalem[56][56][56][56], and over-against His elders[57][57][57][57] -- honour[58][58][58][58]! (Isaiah 24:23, Isaiah 24:23, NLT)
COMMENTARY: . Jehovah’s reign is exceeding worthy, not least of admiration and praise; indeed, it is for this Reigning One a Name, even Glorious—such is the manner and quality and person of this Reigning One. And in this context that admiration comes from weighty, time-tested, and worthy attesters, namely mount Zion (the spiritual aspect and attestation), and Jerusalem (the political aspect and attestation), and the learned, holy ancients (the practical aspect and attestation); and the moon and the sun, yea those luminaries, they no less “cover their face” in shame before the Regnal Light of that (singularly) worthy and consummate Reigning One, whose Name is Jehovah, Jehovah of Hosts, even the Jehovah whom we believers know and met personally by way of His condescension, blessed Yeshua, Jesus our very own precious Lord of Hosts, the King of Glory, the Lord of Salvation (“Psalms twenty-four Commentary”). Yea He, before whom our soul and spirit and person “cover their face” in shame.
Surpassing Glory is in thy face my Lord, thou who reigns in my heart (2Corinthians 4:6). Praised be thy precious Name, even Glorious. Amen.
III. Illustrations and Tables
Figure 1. Stark Reality.
Works Cited and References
“A Letter of Invitation.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/aletterofinvitation.html >
“God’s Covid-19 Warning.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/thecovid19warning.html >
“Have You Considered my Servant Job?”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/myservantjob.html >
Henry, Matthew.
Commentary on Isaiah Chapter Twenty-four.
“Isostacy.”
Wikipedia.
< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isostasy >
“John Chapter Three Commentary.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/commentaryjohn3.html >
“Lithosphere.”
Wikipedia.
< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithosphere >
“Matthew Chapter Twenty-Four Commentary.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/commentarymat24.html >
McGee, J.V.
Commentary on Isaiah Chapter Tenty-Four.
“Nuclear Winter.”
Wikipedia.
< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter >
“Plate Tectonics.”
Wikipedia.
< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics >
“Psalms Twenty-Four Commentary.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/commentarypsa24.html >
“Revelation Chapter Thirteen Commentary.”
Jesus, Amen.
< http://jesusamen.org/commentaryrev13.html >
“World Population.”
Wikipedia.
< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population >
The YLT is in the public domain.