“… But my heart is heavy with grief. Weep for me, for I wither away. Deceit still prevails, and treachery is everywhere. Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, you people of the earth. Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare. Destruction falls like rain from the heavens; the foundations of the earth shake. The earth has broken up. It has utterly collapsed; it is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunk. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for the guilt of its rebellion is very heavy. In that day the Lord will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. They will be rounded up and put in prison. They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished. Then the glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will fade, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion. He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people.”
Isaiah 24:16-23 NLT
I can remember finding a snare in a wood in Argyll, on the West coast of Scotland. Someone had made a wire loop and fixed the other end to a stout wooden peg firmly driven into the ground. It was obviously installed by someone knowledgeable of the wildlife, particularly deer, in that part of the world, and the intention was that an animal’s leg would become trapped by the loop, rendering it unable to escape. Traps are also commonplace, with a variety of designs that can lure an animal into a place where it cannot escape. But in our verses today, Isaiah is distressed by the deceit and treachery everywhere. The people remaining on the earth, those who have not returned to God, will be filled with terror, and they will try to run from God’s judgment, but end up being caught in traps and snares. But are these traps and snares real or a metaphor for something else?
Imagine the scene. God’s judgment is being poured out on the people of the earth. We read earlier in this chapter, “even the greatest people on earth waste away”, and “its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire”. Faced with such terror, the people remaining are fleeing away from it, but it is not possible to flee away from God’s judgment. Those who managed to outrun one disaster fell into a “trap” or “pit”, and if they escaped that, then there was a “snare” waiting for them. No one could escape from God. No one could hide from God’s global reckoning.
Reading on in our verses today, we find that the earth will experience a massive global earthquake, shaken to its foundations. We read, “The earth has broken up. It has utterly collapsed; it is violently shaken”. And this is to be final, because the earth “falls and will not rise again”. How do we pilgrims consider the world in which we live? It is an amazing, creative work of God, because its design is such that life can thrive, and has done so for millennia. And in our world, God has provided all the resources we need to sustain the life he has designed for us. Unfortunately, we take so much for granted: the air we breathe, the gravity that keeps our feet on the ground, the food supply, and so on. But one day it will all disappear. Revelation 21 commences, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone”. The good news is that God will create a new earth, but the news gets better. Revelation 21:3-4, “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever””. God’s new earth will be so wonderful that He will come to live with us, His redeemed people. So, for all those people who think that they will die and go to spend eternity in Heaven, there will come a time when they will return to the new earth to be with God.
The writer to the Hebrews wrote, “When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain” (Hebrews 12:26-27). We have to realise that all we see around us is temporary and can be removed at God’s command. Most people build their lives upon their careers, wealth, reputation, health and possessions, but all can and probably will disappear one day. At the point of crossing the Great Divide, all possessions and everything else will have to be left behind. As a thought, are we pilgrims hanging tightly onto something that is precious to us? Well, don’t hang on too tightly, because one day it will be left behind. And on that day, when the massive earthquake destroys the earth, no possessions will remain.
The last part of the earth’s demise concerns the rulers and other ”gods”. We read from today’s verses, “In that day the Lord will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. They will be rounded up and put in prison. They will be shut up in prison and will finally be punished”. Paul reminded believers that Christ has triumphed over all rulers and those in authority. “In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross” (Colossians 2:15). It will not matter how powerful the leaders claim to be, because evil and its apparent victory are only temporary. As we know, God’s victory is eternal.
Isaiah 24 is a chapter of apocalyptic visions. Not easy reading, but a message that needs to fill us with a sense of urgency to tell those who otherwise will be caught up in the eternal destruction.
Dear Heavenly Father. Please lead us to those with open ears, those ready to hear and act upon Your wonderful message of hope through Jesus. There is no other way to escape the judgment to come. Amen.
