Isaiah 24

14–20 Suddenly the scene changes. They—the remnant, the very few that re main (verse 6)—will shout for joy (verse 14). They will give God glory from the west to the east (verse 15); they will come from the ends of the earth (see Mark 13:26–27).

Inverse 16, Isaiah says: “I waste a way.” He is speaking as a representative of the godly few who will be spared; they too will suffer right up to the end. But the ungodly people of the earth will not be spared; they will not escape God’s judgment (verses 17–18).

In verses 18–20, Isaiah describes the “shaking apart” of the earth. Not only will the earth’s inhabitants be burned up (verse 6), but the earth itself will be destroyed (see 2 Peter 3:7,10; Revelation 6:12–14).

21–23 God’s judgment will even extend beyond the earth; He will punish the powers in the heavens above (verse 21)—Satan and the spiritual powers under his control (see Ephesians 6:11–12). Once the powers of evil are subdued and the earth is destroyed, a new heaven and new earth will take the place of the old (2 Peter 3:11–13; Revelation 21:1). There the LORD Almighty will reign (verse 23)—in the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2–5). In this new holy city God’s light will be so bright that the sun and moon will not be needed (Revelation 21:22–24); they will be abashed and ashamed in the light of God Himself (verse 23). God’s reign on the new Mount Zion will be glorious, even as Isaiah has prophesied earlier (Isaiah 2:2–4).