The Lord Maketh the Earth Empty Is. 24: 1- 23 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
When Jesus returns, the devastation in the earth is going to be beyond comprehension. As the Bible says, the Lord maketh the earth empty. This chapter describes in detail what is going to happen to the earth and its inhabitants.
The Earth will be:
Empty – v.1 – right now the earth is full of the Lord’s goodness [Ps 33:5], the Lord’s riches [Ps 104:24], and the Lord’s mercy [Ps 119:64] – when he returns, it will be full of his glory [Is 6:3], his knowledge [Is 11:9] and his praise [Hab 3:3] – but during the Tribulation, right before his return, it will be empty [v.3]!
Waste – v.1 – it will be like the waste howling wilderness of Deut 32:10.
Upside Down – v.1 – this will be more than a polar shift, which involves changing the magnetic charges of the poles; this is a total “flip” where the south pole ends up on “top,” [2 Ki 21:13].
Faded Away – v.4 – the earth will mourn, languish and fade away [Rom 8:22] – these are ultimately the result of the curse, which is exacerbated by the fact that men transgress the laws and change the ordinances [v.5].
Defiled – v.5 – the Lord gave the laws, ordinances and everlasting covenant to keep the earth from being defiled – men have transgressed, changed and broken these – thus the earth will be totally defiled – for example, the blood of murder defiles the land and it can only be cleansed by the blood of the murderer [capital punishment, Num 35:30-34] – sexual sins defile the land [Lev 18:22- 28] – idolatry defiles the land [Jer 3:9, 16:18, etc.].
Devoured – v.6 – the curse ends up devouring the earth – men die from wars, starvation, pestilence, disease, animals attacks, and natural disasters [Rev 6:8, Matt 24:7].
Shaken – v.18 – the worst earthquakes to ever shake the earth are yet to come [Rev 16:18].
Broken Down – v.19 – among other things, mountains will fall [Rev 8:8; Is 68:8].
Dissolved – v.19 – when the Lord returns, the valleys are filled, the mountains and hills are brought down, the crooked is made straight and the rough places are made plain [Is 40:4] – this process involves melting the earth and refashioning it [Ps 46:6, 97:5; Is 64:1-3].
Moved – v.19-20 – the earth will spin out of orbit and reel to and fro like a drunkard.
The inhabitants will be:
Scattered – v.1-2 – they will be running for their lives [Rev 6:15-17] – and it doesn’t make any difference what their status is in life – rich and poor will be running alike [v.4].
Burned – v.6 – this is literal fire that destroys them until there just a few men left [Rev 9:18, Zech 14:12; 2 Thes 1:7-9].
Hopeless – v.7-12 – the merry hearted sigh, the mirth and joy cease, drinking is bitter, yet they are crying for wine in the streets like winos, their gate is destroyed and their city is smitten.
Afraid and Snared – v.16-18 – the treacherous dealers come in and thoroughly exterminate them – those who run for fear fall into the pit and those who climb out of the pit are taken in the snare.
Only a remnant will glorify the Lord upon his return – v.13-15 – the remnant of Is 1:9 will sing for the majesty of the Lord [Is 35:10] and will glorify the Lord in the fires [Is 30:27-33].
And there will be celestial phenomena as well:
The host of the high ones will be punished – v.21 – these are principalities that are above the kings of the earth (who will also be punished) – they are found in Eph 6:11, 12; Dan 10:12-13, 20; Ezek 28:2-5, 13-14; Jn 12:31; Rev 12:3, 7-9; Job 41:1, 34; Is 27:1 – they are adversarial supernatural beings who work in cooperation with the devil.
They will be imprisoned and judged – v.22 – they are reserved in chains of darkness awaiting their judgment, 2 Pet 2:1-4, 1 Cor 6:3.
The sun and the moon will be darkened – v.23 – see Matt 24:29 – when the Lord reigns in mount Zion, there won’t be any need for the light from the sun and the moon, Is 60:19-20.
The windows on high will be opened – v.18 – see Gen 7:11 – we will be returning with the Lord as his armies [Rev 19:14].