“The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be.” With these famous words, the late astronomer Carl Sagan stated his firm conclusion. Later, when he was dying of cancer, Christian believers wrote to let him know they were praying for him. Sagan responded kindly, thanking them for their concern, but still insisting that there is nothing and no one beyond the physical universe. The truth of Isaiah 24 flies squarely in the face of what Carl Sagan was so sure that he knew. The eternal God who made the universe and everything in it will hold each of His image-bearers to personal account. After the long section announcing judgment on particular nations, chapters 24-27 now focus on a coming devastation of the whole earth. The word “earth” occurs no less than sixteen times in this chapter alone. It is the LORD who will “empty the earth and make it desolate.” The judgment is universal: everyone will be subject to it, and no one will be exempt, regardless of social rank or function (v 1-3). Though we cannot see Him with our physical eyes, God is the sovereign actor on the stage of history. He created time, and He will bring it to an end. Since these four chapters focus so much on the end of time, they are sometimes known as “The Isaiah Apocalypse.” This section may lack the mysterious imagery typical of apocalyptic literature, but it does contain shocking images to highlight the sheer terror and thoroughness of the Day of Judgment. Few chapters in Scripture underline the seriousness of what Christianity is all about more clearly than Isaiah 24. The message is not, “Smile, God loves you,” but, “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Here we find desolate cities (v 10), fruitless vineyards (v 13), and traps everywhere (v 17-18a), as the false joys of the world have run their course. From severe drought (v 4) to cataclysmic floods (v 18b-19), earth’s inhabitants suffer— not because they are unlucky, but guilty. They have transgressed God’s laws, violated His statutes, and broken His covenant with Noah. As a result, they have attracted His just curse; worldwide judgment is upon them (v 4-5, 20). Yet twice the gloom of this chapter is interrupted by the people of God who are rejoicing in His glorious presence. Coming together from all across the globe, they are acclaiming His majesty, raising their voices in praise and giving glory to the Righteous One (v 14-16a). At the final climax of history, when all of God’s enemies are defeated, the glory of the LORD will outshine the moon and sun, as He reigns forever among His people, who delight in Him (v 21-23). For further meditation: