Isaiah 24‐27 “The Little Apocalypse” Or “A Tale of Two Cities” September 26, 2012 Introduction: These chapters have often been called “Isaiah’s Apocalypse” or “The Little Apocalypse.” Though the chapters are not truly representative of the genre of apocalyptic literature, they have gained the title because they focus on God’s future judgment of the earth. Various parallels can be seen to the book of Revelation. Following Charles Dickens, a better title might be “A Tale of Two Cities” for there are two cities presented in these chapters. The first is called the “ruined” or “destroyed” city, which stands as a symbol for the wicked throughout the earth. The other city, though not called by name, stands for the New Jerusalem, the center of God’s future reign. Isaiah records in these chapters the certainty of the Lord’s judgment against the entire earth. He will bring devastation to the planet because the earth has become morally polluted by its inhabitants who have broken the eternal covenant that the Lord established through Noah. As certain as the Lord will judge His enemies on earth, He will also judge the rebellious powers of heaven, the chief of which is Satan, presented in chapter 27 as Leviathan the gliding serpent. Following the themes presented in the first main section of the book (1‐39), Isaiah speaks not only of God’s future judgment, but also His rescue and salvation of the remnant of Israel and a surviving remnant from the nations. There are perhaps no clearer chapters in Isaiah that picture God’s judgments both of heaven and earth, while proclaiming salvation for His people—Jew and Gentile. I. (24:1‐13) The Lord will devastate both heavens and earth in judgment. (It’s the end of the world as we know it.) A. (24:1‐4) The entire earth will be destroyed. 1. The earth itself will be destroyed. 2. The inhabitants great and small will be destroyed. Page | 1 B. (24:5‐9) The earth is defiled by its people who have transgressed God’s covenant. 1. They have “polluted” the land. (Num 35:33‐34 / ESV) 33 You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. 34 You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel." 2. This section reflects a general background of the Flood narrative in Gen. 6‐9. “Further elements of the integrity of this poem are detailed below, but first its general background in the flood narrative (Gn. 6-9) should be noted. Both have references to the ‘windows [NIV, ‘floodgates’] of the heavens’ being ‘opened’ (cf. verse 18c and Gn. 7:11); both refer to the ‘everlasting covenant’ (cf. verse 5 and Gn. 9:16); and in verse 6 the ‘curse’, in the context of the wine/vine theme of verse 7, links with Noah the vine-dresser and the imposition of the curse in the post-diluvium world (Gn. 9:20,25).”1 3. (vs. 5) They have disobeyed, violated, and broken, the “everlasting covenant.” a) While Isaiah does not specifically delineate which covenant in particular, he is most likely referring to the Noahic covenant, which was made between God and the entire earth. (Genesis 9:1‐17 / ESV) 1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 1 J. A. Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah : An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1993) p. 197. Page | 2 6 "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it." 8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 "Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." 12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." 17 God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth." b) This covenant stipulates that man will be held accountable for the shedding of blood (murder), which represents the most extreme sin committed against the image of God. c) Two interesting NT parallels occur: (1) Matthew 5 in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus shows that murder is the most extreme form of a sin against God that begins being angry at a brother or even with calling him “fool.” (Mat 5:21‐22 / ESV) 21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire. (2) Acts 15 where the Gentile Christians are not commanded to obey the Mosaic covenant, but only the Noahic covenant. Page | 3 (Act 15:13‐21 / ESV) 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, 16 "'After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.' 19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues." d) So in essence, God is judging the people of the earth not simply for acts of murder, but for sin, the most extreme form of rebellion against God being manifested as murder—explicitly condemned by the Noahic covenant. C. (24:10‐16a) Introducing the “ruined city” and the “gleanings” 1. These two cities in Isaiah 24‐27 personify and profile the wicked rebellion against God and the righteous kingdom of God. a) The city will be left in ruins. b) In other words, God’s judgment on earth will be total. 2. (vs. 13‐16a) On the other hand, the “gleanings” that are left among the earth are those few, who like the remnant in Israel, will be saved from God’s judgment. a) The verbs change here from the prophetic perfect to the imperfect, which indicates the future is now in view. b) These are the remnant of the earth—those saved by God. c) In the NT, we see this remnant of the earth as the Gentiles found in the church (c.f. Romans 9‐11). D. (24:16b‐23) Cataclysmic universal judgment of heaven and earth comes like the flood. 1. The remnant from the earth rejoices, but Isaiah the prophet is nonetheless overwhelmed with the total devastation of the earth. Page | 4 2.