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All right, so it's up to Isaiah 24, and this is another one of these chapters in Isaiah that is just clearly, like, clearly about the end times. You know, to be honest with you, before I go into it, I'm a little bit end times fatigued, because I'm going for the Book of Revelation at New Life Baptist Church, and, you know, it takes a lot of thought and meditation as you prepare and study. And then a lot of Isaiah has been about the end times, either directly, like Isaiah 24 is directly about the end times, or even indirectly, where God is dealing with Israel or Assyria, you know, the Assyrian kingdom or the Babylonian kingdom, and yet God is using that as a metaphor for the end times as well. And every now and again, I kind of get fatigued over certain subjects, okay? And so I'm going to do my best to preach from God's Word. You know, just another one, when I was first ordained as a pastor, I had Trinity fatigued. Like, I just didn't want to talk about the Trinity anymore. I mean, some of you guys don't know my history of being ordained in the oneness versus the Trinitarian position. I was like, the last thing I want to talk about is the Trinity. And so, like, as, you know, when you're just absorbed in one area, it does get a little bit tiring. And I was just thinking about this chapter, and I want you to think about it, because look at Isaiah 24. Look at the last verse, Isaiah 24, verse 23. It says, Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. So you can very clearly see that this is about the millennial reign of Christ. At least that last verse is about the millennial reign of Christ. When Christ is going to reign in Mount Zion, he's going to reign in Jerusalem, okay? That's definitely about the end times. Now, when I start to get end times fatigue and things like this, because, you know, we're talking about future events, and, you know, it's not clear for us. Like, we still look at things, and we don't fully understand how everything is going to develop. And then, you know, we also sometimes say, look, this might not even happen in our lifetime. Like, what's the point of thinking about the end times and the millennial reign of Christ? And let me draw your attention to this, because, you know, quite often when we preach a sermon, I do want you to walk away with something that is applicable for your life, something that you can, not just wisdom, not just, oh, that's new, that's something new for me to gain some knowledge, that's going to help me in my Bible study, and that's good, but I want you to be able to walk away with something that you can apply in your life. And, you know, when we talk about the end times, when we talk about the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and his millennial reign, this is one thing that you can definitely walk away from, okay? Is that one day, you know, Christ is going to reign on the earth. Like, you know, this world frustrates us. You know, the wickedness of the world frustrates us. The governments of the world frustrate us. Like, the removing of our liberties and our, you know, our decision-making on certain things. And, you know, quite often when I talk to brethren, whether it's this church or church up there in Queensland, people get frustrated at the government, and people are often thinking about, you know, maybe the end times are just around the corner. We're getting close, and we are getting close. Every day we're getting close, but we don't know if we're going to live in those end times events. But my point being is that we don't need to fret ourselves, right? You know, what we can be doing is, and when we see the corruption in our governments and those in authority, we can remind ourselves, look, there's coming a time when Christ is going to wipe out these wicked, and he's going to reign on this earth, and I'm going to reign with him, and look, I get, what, 70, 80, 90 years potentially if you live a full life in this earth being frustrated, but I'm going to live a thousand years with Christ Jesus, you know, reigning righteously, you know, judging the wicked, and I'm finally going to see righteousness upon the earth, and I'm going to play a significant role reigning with Jesus Christ. So, you know, if there's anything that you can walk away from this, is look, this is just a short period of time that we live. Just do your best to just, you know, be at peace, do your best to just take your frustrations to God in prayer, and remind yourself that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming to rule, and that will give you a lot of joy, a lot of peace, a lot of satisfaction, knowing full well that this is the time that God has given us to work for him, to labor for him, to win souls, to live righteously, that he may reward us when he comes back so we can rule with him with places of authority. But let's start there in verse number 1. Isaiah 24, verse number 1, I didn't give you the title for the sermon. The title for the sermon comes from that last verse. The Lord of hosts shall reign. The Lord of hosts shall reign is the title for the sermon tonight. Verse number 1. I believe this is talking about when the Lord Jesus Christ begins to pour out his wrath on the earth. He's going to make the earth empty. There's going to be destruction. There's going to be warfare. There's going to be famines. There's going to be all kinds of judgments that fall upon the earth. There's going to be destruction, and cities are going to fall down. And so we see this introduction that the earth is going to be emptied by the wrath of God. And then verse number 2, it says this. So those that live during this time, it doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter what your position is, whether you're just a regular person or you're someone with a position of authority. It says, Again, it doesn't matter if you're an employee or an employer, those that live during the time of God's wrath is going to face this judgment. So the giver of usury, today we would say that's the banks. We go to banks, we borrow, we take it alone. We're paying interest on that loan. It doesn't matter if you're the one receiving the loan and you become servant to the lender, or whether it's the lender, the one that has authority, all people of the earth are going to face this terrible time when the Lord God makes the earth empty. And what verse number 2 reminds me of, you don't need to turn there, but in Revelation chapter 6, verse number 15, it says, And so the rich men, the powerful men, the people of positions are saying, who's going to be able to stand before the wrath of God? And Isaiah 24 is essentially saying the same thing. When the Lord comes to make the earth empty, it doesn't matter what your position is in life, you're all going to suffer during this time of God's wrath. Thank God that the rapture is before God pulls out his wrath, okay? So if we are people that live during this time, we're going to be raptured to be with Christ in the air and we're going to not be on the earth while God makes the earth empty, all right? Verse number 3, Now we saw the land has been utterly emptied. He already said it's the earth that has been emptied. So we see that in verse number 3, the land has been utterly emptied is the entire earth. Now, we're in Isaiah 24. What's the 24th book of the Bible? No, Jeremiah. Jeremiah, very good. So if you can, Jeremiah is just the next book after Isaiah. Come with me to Jeremiah 51, please. Come with me to Jeremiah 51. Now, I've been doing the best I can as I've been going chapter by chapter for Isaiah. I've been doing the best I can to show you parallels with other books of the Bible. I don't know if sometimes I've stretched it a little bit, but so far I believe you can find the teachings, you know, in these other books chapter by chapter. Now, when it comes to Isaiah 24 and Jeremiah, there are clear parallels. Like, as I was reading Isaiah 24 and preparing for it, I just saw so many things that reminded me of the book of Jeremiah, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's more than I... I probably missed some, okay? I wouldn't be surprised if you go through your... in your own time, go through Isaiah 24. You might find other references to Jeremiah. But Jeremiah 51 and verse number 2, please. Jeremiah 51 and verse number 2. And I will send unto Babylon fanners that shall fan her. Look at this. And shall empty her land, for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about. Now, the book of Jeremiah is a book where Jeremiah's been called by God to be a prophet unto the nations. Not just to Judah, but to other nations such as Babylon. And in many of the chapters, not only is he preaching against Judah, but he's preaching against the surrounding nations. And what we see... So, in Jeremiah, we're going to see a lot of parallels with what Isaiah says in Isaiah 24 and in Jeremiah, but this is the difference. In Jeremiah 51, we know that's about Babylon, okay? The Lord's going to send fanners to Babylon. It's going to blow this wind, as it were. And it says, and shall empty her land. So, we know in Jeremiah, it's speaking locally of Babylon. Okay? Locally of Babylon. But when we read Isaiah 24, the land shall be utterly emptied, we know that in Isaiah, it's of a greater measure. It's referring to the entire earth. So, in Jeremiah, you have like these local issues. Then Jeremiah takes the same word in. You're going to see the phraseology. It's going to be very similar in other verses. But God takes what is local in Jeremiah and applies it to the entire earth, okay? In the end times with Isaiah. And you'll find... Please keep a finger in Jeremiah, and I'm going to show you some other parallels. Look at verse number 4 in Isaiah 24. Isaiah 24, verse number 4, it says... It says in verse number 4, The earth mourneth and fadeth away. The world languisheth and fadeth away. The haughty people of the earth do languish. So, now it's in verse number 4, it says the earth mourneth, okay? So, the earth is going to mourn as God is pouring out his wrath on the earth. Now, you should have a finger in Jeremiah. Come with me to Jeremiah chapter 4. Come with me to Jeremiah chapter 4, verse number 28. Jeremiah chapter 4, verse number 28. Jeremiah chapter 4, verse number 28. The Bible says, For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black, because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. So, once again we see the parallel there in Jeremiah 4. The Bible says in Jeremiah 4 that the earth shall mourn. For this shall the earth mourn. And in Isaiah 24, it said that the earth mourneth and fadeth away. We're going to see some other parallels. Come back with me to Isaiah 24 and verse number 5. Isaiah 24 and verse number 5. It says, The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed the laws. So, the earth is being defiled because of the wickedness of the people on the earth, right? They have transgressed the laws. People are breaking the laws of God. And then it says, Changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. That's an interesting phrase. Broken the everlasting covenant. Now, if you go through your Bibles, you're going to notice that the everlasting covenant gets brought up a few times, such as when God flooded the earth, you know, with Noah's ark, and we have the rainbow in the sky, God says that this is an everlasting covenant, the rainbow, as a reminder that God will not destroy the earth by water once again. All right? But, come with me to Jeremiah. Come with me to Jeremiah 32. Jeremiah 32. We're comparing this book with Isaiah 24 and I want to show you what the everlasting covenant is in Jeremiah 32. Jeremiah 32, verse number 40. Jeremiah 32, verse number 40. It says, And I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Let me stop there for a moment. Do you see how in Jeremiah 32, verse 40, it says, And I will make an everlasting covenant. Does that mean the everlasting covenant is in place when it was written there in Jeremiah 32? No. It's about something future. Okay? I will make an everlasting covenant, and if you know where I'm going with this, you know we're talking about the New Testament. Okay? And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me. One thing that's wonderful about the New Covenant, if you're saved, you're part of the New Testament, is that the Lord God will never leave us nor forsake us. Now, under the Old Covenant, if you were the people of God under the Old Covenant, it was just about a physical nation. If they turned against the Lord, if they did not keep his laws, God would turn away from them. God would judge them. What's wonderful about being under the New Covenant is that we're not in fellowship with God based on our righteousness but on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. And so, positionally before God, as a saved person, God says that he will never leave us nor forsake us. In fact, we have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of us, and you can't get away from God if you're saved under the New Covenant. And so, we can see that this is an everlasting covenant that God will establish with the people. Now, I'm going to quickly read to you, if you don't need to turn there, from Hebrews 13 verse number 20, which says, So, what is the everlasting covenant? It's the blood of Jesus Christ, right? When he died, he brought in the New Testament, the New Covenant, and so, we know that the everlasting covenant that's been referred to in Isaiah 24, especially because it's referring to the end times, must be the gospel message. Now, the question gets asked, right? Well, how then? These people that are on the earth, facing the wrath of God, how is it that they can break the everlasting covenant? I think that would be the next natural question. And obviously, they can't stop the grace of God, okay? You can't do that. But one thing that I've, you know, I sort of noticed, I didn't notice until I really started preaching for the book of Revelation, is, I mean, this is probably obvious to some of you guys, but, you know, sometimes you don't give it a focus or attention. Is that when God is pouring out His wrath, and the Bible says that the people still do not repent from their deeds and their worship of idols and all this, it's because the people are reprobate. Like, they're being given over to a reprobate mind, okay? And so, even though God is judging and pouring out His wrath, they're not going to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, okay? So, in many ways, the covenant is broken from their perspective, okay? Because they can't enter into that covenant being people that will never put their faith on the finished work of Christ. Also, in the end times, we know that they, those that take the mark of the beast, right? That their part is removed from the book of life. Their name will be removed from the book of life, and so, of course, if the name is not found in the book of life, then God's going to judge them into everlasting fire in the lake of fire. So, definitely, there is one way that they can essentially break the covenant for themselves, is they can't enter in because of their unbelief. But also, what I was thinking about this is, in Matthew, I'll just read it to you, don't need to turn there. Matthew 23, verse 113, Jesus Christ is preaching against the scribes and the Pharisees, and he says, So, Jesus Christ speaks of certain religious leaders that will not enter the kingdom of God. Not only is it shut for them, but it's trying to shut from other people entering in, right? You know, there are people that actually want to get saved. There are people that want to get right with God, but they've gone to the wrong religious leader, right? They've gone to the church that have never taught them on salvation. And so, of course, these religious leaders are going to say, well, you've got to do your works, right? You've got to keep the commandments, you've got to get baptized, you've got to take the mass, you've got to confess your sins to the priest, and what have you. And, of course, they're not going to be able to enter in into the everlasting covenant with that kind of teaching. And so, not only do we have false preachers, false teachers in the midst, but also don't forget in these end times, there's going to be the Antichrist, who lifts himself up and calls himself God. You know, he says that he's the God above all gods. And so, those that take the mark of the beast, who are they going to worship? The God of the Bible? No. They're going to worship the Antichrist, those that take the mark of the beast. Now, come back with me to Isaiah 24, and verse number 6. Isaiah 24 and verse number 6. It says, Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth. I believe this song will get the judgments of God, the wrath of God, being referred to as a curse that's fallen upon the earth. And they that dwell therein are desolate. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. We know that some of the judgment of God is a fire that falls on the earth during the end times. But as we look at this phrase, them that are dwell therein are desolate, I believe this is going to lead up to mystery Babylon, as we keep going verse by verse. But I want to bring your attention to verse number 7 first. It says, The new wine mourneth. Now, let's stop there for a moment. What is new wine? Do you think that's alcoholic wine or non-alcoholic wine? Non-alcoholic. Non-alcoholic. It's new. Okay, so it's freshly squeezed. It's brand new wine. Even the wine, why does the wine mourn? It says, The vine languishes. So there's not much growing off the vine, right? And then it says, this is what I want you to focus on. All the merry-hearted do sigh. So people that want to be happy, you know, have a party or something like that, sigh in, why? Because there's not enough new wine. Okay, now, why is that important? I'll tell you why. We have a passage in the Bible such as Ecclesiastes 9-7. I don't know if I have the other reference, I do. Two passages in the book of Ecclesiastes. Those that teach that alcohol is fine for the believer to drink. They'll turn to these passages and I'll read to you Ecclesiastes 9-7, which says, Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy. Okay, eat bread with joy. Yeah, that's happy. And drink thy wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth thy works. So those that want to teach that alcohol is, God's fine with you drinking alcohol, they'll turn to that. The Bible says to drink wine with a merry heart. God accepts it. Now, when they say merry heart, you know what they're thinking? Getting tipsy. Getting a bit drunk. You know, and they're like, well, you know, this can't just be regular grape juice. Non-alcoholic grape juice. God must be accepting the fact that getting a little bit tipsy, a little bit carried away, woo-hoo, party time, we're happy, blah, blah, blah, and God's okay with that. And they'll use that verse, okay? Another verse that they'll use is in Ecclesiastes 10-19. It says, A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry. Like, joyful. But money answereth all things. Wine maketh merry. See, pastor? Alcohol's fine. God's fine with it. But what I wanted to just point out to you there in Isaiah, when it says all the merry hearted do sigh, what are they sighing for? Because they don't have new wine. Okay, non-alcoholic wine. You know why? Because even regular wine makes you happy. It's joyful. Like, my daughter, for example, you know, she sees the grape juice that I buy for church for the Lord's Supper, and she's like, Dad, can I have a bottle? I really enjoy drinking that. I mean, me too. I get tempted when I buy the grape juice for church. I'm like, man, maybe I should just drink some of that myself. Because it's delicious. It's sweet, beautiful, nice, goes down well. It's good for your health. You know, I mean, it's crazy to me to think that people think that God is saying, Oh, you want to get merry? You want to be happy? You want to be joyful? Drink some alcohol. But if they use those verses with you next time, just remember, Well, hold on, pastor said Isaiah, so let me have a look at that again. Oh, merry hearted, new wine. Even new wine can make you merry hearted. That's the Bible's position. But that's a bit of a side thing. I just wanted to show you that verse to me just stood out because I've heard that argument said a few times in the past. Verse number 8 in Isaiah 24, verse number 8. The mirth of tabrets ceaseth. The noise of them that rejoice endeth. The joy of the harp ceaseth. So music is coming to an end. No one's celebrating. No one's having a good time. Say, why, pastor? Because God's wrath is falling on the earth. That's why. Okay, who's going to be rejoicing during that time? Now, come with me. I hope you kept the finger on Jeremiah. Come with me to Jeremiah chapter 7. Jeremiah chapter 7, verse number 34, please. Jeremiah chapter 7 and verse number 34. Now, remember, in Jeremiah, God is speaking about local judgments of local nations. But then in Isaiah, God uses the same terminology and he's speaking about the entire earth. Okay, in Jeremiah chapter 7, verse number 34, it says, Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth. Okay, so we saw in Isaiah 24, 8, the mirth of the tabrets ceaseth. Okay, so it's saying here that God's going to cause Judah to cease from the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall be desolate. So in Jeremiah, we see about Judah locally, a local nation, of course, Judah, that there's coming a time when Babylon's going to come and destroy that nation and so there's not going to be joy on the land. There's not going to be celebrations. There's not going to be weddings, right? There's not going to be having parties and celebrations. He's going to cause the mirth to cease. And same thing that happens in Isaiah 24, but for the entire earth. The entire earth is going to stop celebrating, having fun, because they're dealing with God's wrath for those three and a half years. Back to Isaiah 24, verse number 9. Isaiah 24, verse number 9. And like I said, I believe these verses are leading us up to Mystery Babylon that we read about in Revelation. I hope this sermon's not going over your head. It's almost like you need to understand the book of Revelation. You need to understand the end times to fully understand what these verses are referring to. And, you know, if you have time, feel free to go through the Revelation series that I'm going through at New Life Baptist Church. But in verse number 9, it says, they shall not drink wine with a song. Notice it says here, strong drink. Now with strong drink, this can be a reference to alcohol. It can also be a reference to vinegar. I believe it's a reference to alcohol here, okay? But strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it, okay? So even the alcohol's not tasting good anymore. It's not causing any kind of joy on the earth while God's pouring out His wrath. It says in verse number 10, the city of confusion is broken down. Now I believe that city is speaking of Mystery Babylon City in the book of Revelation, okay? The city of confusion is broken down. Every house is shut up that no man may come in. There is a crying for wine in the streets. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone. The city is left desolation and the gate is smitten with destruction. I believe a lot of the references that we read there of people kind of essentially crying and mourning for the city is very similar to what we see in the book of Revelation. The fact that the city's left desolation, again, the Bible says about Mystery Babylon that he'll be left desolate within one hour and that the Mystery Babylon is going to be destroyed by fire, okay? So I do believe strongly, again, I want to be, look, could it be about Jerusalem? I guess it's possible. It could be about Jerusalem, but I think more likely it's about Mystery Babylon. In verse number 13, it says, when thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done. Let's take that illustration of the shaking of an olive tree. So if you've got an olive tree, you've got olives on the leaves, right, and you shake it, what's going to happen? Some of the olives that are more ripe are going to fall off the tree, right? And some is going to remain on the tree, but some of it's going to fall off. Now, what is it referring to? What is these olive trees that are coming off the tree? Well, when we look at this in 14 and 15, I believe these olives that have been shaken off the tree are believers, okay? So even though God is pouring out His wrath in the end times, we know that there are still going to be two witnesses, I believe probably, probably, can't be 100% sure, probably Moses and Elijah, okay, and 144 Israelites. What are they doing exactly? I'm not sure, but it appears that they might be preaching the gospel. There are definitely, during that last three and a half years, even while God is pouring out His wrath, most definitely people are still getting saved. Most definitely. If you look at Revelation, it's very clear. People are still getting saved, okay? And even within Mystery Babylon, there would be people in this wicked city that are getting saved. And I believe these olives coming off the olive tree, or the gleaning of the grapes, as it says later on, is a picture of God's people coming out of that city before God gives it a final destruction by the hand of the Antichrist. I'll quickly read to you from Revelation 18, verse number 4, which says, And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins. And that ye receive not of her plagues. You see, before God destroys Mystery Babylon, God says, Come out of her, my people. There are people getting saved in Mystery Babylon, right? And they're like, Well, this is our home, this is our city, we'll stay for now. But then God warns them, as He's about to destroy the city, it's time for you to leave. And I believe the illustration is the shaking of the olive tree, right? The olive tree being that city, and the olives that come off it are the believers that escape another city before it is destroyed by God. You're there in Isaiah 24, aren't you? Look at verse number 14. This is why I believe they're believers. Because it says in verse number 14, and it's clear, right? Verse number 14. That's obviously not unbelievers, that's believers, right? Praising the Lord, lifting up their voice, singing to the majesty of the Lord. Verse number 15 says, and this is important, Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires. Mystery Babylon is destroyed by fire in an hour. Okay, so they leave the city, God's people. They see Mystery Babylon being wiped out. I guess it's similar to when God removed Lot out of Sodom, and the city's just on fire, right? You know what? They're glorifying God, you know? They're praising God. God, you've judged such a wicked city, and they're singing him praises. It says, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea. So even people of other places are rejoicing. Other believers are rejoicing that God has wiped out Mystery Babylon. If you want to, come with me to Revelation 19. Revelation 19. Revelation 19. Revelation 19. I wish I could expand on this a little bit more about Mystery Babylon and what it represents. We'll just get too far down another rabbit hole. I don't want to go there right now. Sorry, guys. But when this final city is destroyed, we see some rejoicing, we see some celebration in Revelation 19. But what we see in Revelation 19 is happening in heaven. So Revelation 19, verse number 1. And after these things, so after the destruction of Mystery Babylon, after these things, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Alleluia! Alleluia means praise the Lord! Salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his judgments. For he have judged for great horror. That's Mystery Babylon. Which God did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and have avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia! And her smoke, they rejoiced in the fires, well, the smoke of Babylon, and her smoke rose up forever and ever. So you can see in heaven, in Revelation 19, they're praising God at the destruction of Mystery Babylon. And the smoke of the fire keeps raising up forever and ever. Now I don't think that means for eternity, you know, God creates a new heaven in the earth, I don't think it's there anymore. You know, but just symbolically, like they're just rejoicing at the celebration that God has judged such a wicked city. But what we see in Isaiah 24, not only are people rejoicing in heaven, we see that God's people that got saved on the earth are also rejoicing at the destruction of this city. Alright, back to Isaiah 24 and verse number 16. I've only got one more reference in Jeremiah, and then I've got a few references in Revelation, if you want to keep a finger there. Well, it doesn't take long to get to Revelation anyway. But, verse number 16, Isaiah 24, verse number 16. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanest, my leanest, woe unto me, The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, Yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously. So, what's quite interesting is that there is rejoicing, but I said, I think Isaiah is saying this, again, I've been showing you this many times throughout the book of Isaiah, that when Isaiah is preaching destruction of God, even though it's righteous and true and all that, and Isaiah is not denying that, but he can see that it wearies him. Like, it's tiring, it's exhaustion to preach on destruction, on judgment, all the time. You know, like I told you, I'm kind of like end times fatigued. And, you know, when you talk about the end times, God's wrath being poured out, people being destroyed, you know, and usually maybe the average church member is like, woo hoo, rejoice, yeah. But see, if you're receiving just a one hour sermon a week, that's okay, but this preacher has to prepare that sermon for five, six hours, you know, focusing, meditating on destruction of God, it gets weary, it causes leanness, like it's, you know, I mean, you know, who in their right mind just wants to see people destroyed? Like, as God's people, we want to see them saved. We don't want to see people come to reprobation or get to a point where they can't receive Christ as Savior. We want to see people saved. Why? Because God was merciful to us. Because we know we deserve hell. We know his mercy is full of, we know he was long suffering toward us. And so our heart goes out to our fellow man Right? I mean, we all come from the same mother and father, Adam and Eve, and then Noah. You know, we're all related, believe it or not, no matter what color of skin you are, we're all related, Christ has died for all, and we want just as much. You know, God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. If that's God's attitude, that ought to be our attitude. And so for Isaiah, it's like, man, this is so burdensome. You know, preaching, this destruction of the Lord. I mean, I don't know what he's saying, I don't know if he's getting like a vision, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, you read in your own time, it's overbearing for him to preach destruction and judgment over and over again. For years and years and years and years, it wears you down. Okay? But it must be preached. We must understand all the sides, like all about God, like all of his nature. We need to know his love, we need to know his hatred, we need to know his mercy, we need to know his anger. And we also must acknowledge that his judgments are always righteous. Even though it might be a little bit taxing on us as we speak of these situations, on these matters. Now, Isaiah 24, verse number 17. It says, Fear, fear and the pit. I believe the pit is a reference to hell there, I'll show you soon why. Fear and the pit and the snare, that's a trap, are upon thee, O inhabitants of the earth. Okay? So, obviously people are fearful, God's wrath is coming down. Okay? When they die, they go into the pit, they go into hell. All right? And, you know, this is happening to those that inhabit the earth. All right. I hope you still got a finger in Jeremiah. Look at Jeremiah 48, Jeremiah 48. Now, this one's about Moab. This is about the nation of Moab. In Jeremiah 48, verse number 43, remember something that is local for Moab. But then God is using that in Isaiah 24 to speak of the whole earth. Okay? Jeremiah 48, verse number 43, it says, Fear and the pit and the snare shall be upon thee, O inhabitants of Moab, saith the Lord. It's essentially the same phrase. Fear and the pit and the snare. What does it say in Isaiah 24? Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee. Who? Moab? No. O inhabitants of the earth. The entire earth is being affected by God's judgment. Okay? Now, that pit is quite interesting. You're back in Isaiah 24. Look at verse number 18. And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit. So if people are trying to run from God's, like, judgment, they're still going to fall in the pit. They're still going to die. Okay? It doesn't matter which, what option you take when God's pouring out his wrath, you're likely going to fall and die. And those that don't believe in Christ, of course, will fall into the pit. Now, this is what's really interesting as it continues. And he, and he that cometh out, sorry, cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare. Isn't that interesting? Well, if you come out of the pit, you'll be taken in the snare. For the windows from on high are open and the fountains of the earth do shake. Refer into verse number 18. Yeah? Well, it's hell right now. I believe the pit here is a bottomless pit that we read out in the book of Revelation, the bottomless pit, before the lake of fire, before people are thrown into the lake of fire. Who comes out of the bottomless pit? Wow. You guys need to go and watch my Revelation series. The Antichrist. Do you guys remember that? Come with me to Revelation. I'll show you quickly. Revelation 17. Revelation 17, please. Revelation 17, verse number 8. Revelation 17 and verse number 8. The Bible reads, the beast, the beast of the Antichrist here. The beast that thou sawest was, so he was alive and is not because he died, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition. Perdition means damnation. So the Antichrist, for the first three and a half years, is a regular human being doing whatever he needs to do to gain power. Then at the midst of the week, he actually dies. Okay? And he dies and goes to the bottomless pit. He goes to hell. But then somehow, and don't tell me to explain this. I can't really explain it to you, right? Now God allows for the devil to take this man out of hell, okay? And the Bible says that the devil's going to give him power and authority and he's going to be mighty in this Antichrist during the next three and a half years. But notice when it says in Revelation 17 that even though he's going to come out of the bottomless pit, it says, and go into perdition. Perdition, damnation. He's still damned. It's not like he got out of hell. He's going, you know, he defeated hell. He's going to rule over the earth forever. No, no, no. He's going to go into perdition. He's actually going to get cast into the lake of fire when Christ comes back on his white horse with the armies from heaven. Same thing that has been said there, though, right? In Isaiah 24, verse 18, And he that cometh out of the midst of the pits shall be taken in the snare. So it's not like you come out of the pit and everything's going to be wonderful. No, no, no. You're going to be taken. You're going to be entrapped again. God's going to take you. The Antichrist's going to be taken and thrown into the lake of fire. All right. Hope that makes sense. That's why Isaiah 24. Isaiah 24, verse 19. Isaiah 24, verse 19. It says the earth is utterly broken down. The earth is clean dissolved. The earth is moved exceedingly. So the earth is being moved. We're talking about like a massive earthquake, right? The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard. I've never, look, there's one time, I was in Chile, and there was an earthquake. There's a lot of earthquakes in Chile. But I was having a shower at the time. So I come out of the shower, dry myself, and everyone in the house is like, did you feel the earthquake? I'm like, nah, because I really like it with water and I'm really kind of like a little bit unstable, right? And like, yeah, everything was shaking and moving, and I guess it kind of might feel like you're a bit drunk because you're like, whoa, you're feeling a bit dizzy, like everything's moving before you realize, I think this is an earthquake, before your mind realizes what's going on. And so the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, speaking of this great earthquake, and shall be removed like a cottage. So cottage like a, you know, buildings are falling down. And the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall and not rise again. Again, at the end of God's wrath, I'll quickly read to you from Revelation 16, 19. It says, and the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, okay? And all the cities of the nations are just falling, crumbling to pieces because of this great earthquake. I hope I can show you, like, as you go through as I turn four, can you see how much it's about the end times? Like, you can't, you know, I was trying to, as I was preparing, I was like, oh, I kind of want to teach something else here, but it's about the end times. I've got to teach you about the end times here. And verse number 21, and it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. So God's going to punish those in authority. When Christ comes back on his white horse, there are going to be kings that gather their armies together, make war against Jesus Christ, and Christ is just going to destroy them. It says in verse number 22, and they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Now, let me give you a little bit of thought about what that might be about. We know that when Christ comes back on the white horse, that he does take the Antichrist and the false prophet and cast them into the lake of fire. Could be referring to that, being like a prison. No, but that's eternity, though. But anyway, those that die when Christ comes back, obviously they're going to go to hell. And, you know, hell in the Bible, hell as we know it today, when someone dies without Christ and they go to hell, it's essentially a temporary holding place. It's still a place of fire and torment. They're going to be tormented day and night forever and ever. But at the end of the thousand years, after Christ rules on the earth, there's going to be a final judgment, the great white throne judgment. You can read about it in Revelation 20. And those that are dead, they'll come out of hell. They're going to stand before God in a resurrection of damnation, not a resurrection of life. They're going to be judged by the works. Their names are not going to be found in the book of life and they're going to be cast into the lake of fire. So, again, being visited after going to prison sounds to me being pulled out of hell, being brought before God, but their end is still destruction in the lake of fire forever and ever. Once Christ does that, once Christ reigns for a thousand years, or actually while he's reigning for a thousand years. So he comes on his white horse, destroys the Antichrist, then we know for a thousand years it's going to reign, and that's what verse number 23 is about. It says, Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed. Now, when you read those verses, you might be thinking, oh, that's when the sun goes dark and the moon turns to blood. No, that's the rapture, okay? This is not saying that the sun is actually going dark or the moon is turning to blood. It's just saying, like, the word confounded is very similar to the word being ashamed. So we know that the light of the moon, like, the light of the moon helps us at night. Like, when it's a full moon, it's quite clear at night. And of course, the sun, when the sun is shining, you know, we can see clearly, okay? But in comparison to the light of the sun or the moon, why are they being ashamed? Well, this is why. Because when the Lord of hosts, speaking of Jesus, shall reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before his ancients gloriously, so the glory of Christ in his thousand year reign will overshadow, will be greater than the light that comes from the moon and the sun. Okay? Now, I don't know if that's speaking literally or symbolically. You know, I know that the thousand years is going to be wonderful. Like, as wonderful as it is to see the sun come up and you can see clearly and it's daytime, you know? Yeah, okay, let's take it poetically or symbolically. Well, when Christ comes, you know, the world was in darkness. It was in a place of weakness and destruction. But when Christ comes, he's going to reign with righteousness. He's going to restore the earth. The people of the earth are going to be praising him, worshipping him. We're going to rule with Christ. We're going to serve him. We're going to see him face to face on the earth ruling, you know, majestically. And so I think just symbolically, just being in the presence of Jesus Christ ruling for a thousand years, the light, right, the glory, the beauty of seeing our Lord, you know, is, you know, significantly greater than the glory of the sun or the moon. And I think that's what that final verse is referring to. Like I said, the title for the sermon today was The Lord of Hosts Shall Reign, Isaiah 24. And like I said at the beginning, I say, Pastor, what do I do with this information? Okay, I know more about the end times, so what? All I'm saying to you, brethren, is that when Christ comes, it's going to be worth it. Like these few 70, 80, 90 years, if you live that long, you know, and the frustrations you go through, the troubles you go through are insignificant. I know it feels overwhelming. Like I know when you're going through difficulties, you feel like I can't handle it. It's overwhelming. You know what? When you feel that way, just stop. Remind yourself, you know what, this is nothing. Well, if I suffer all 70 years, 80 years of my life, what is that compared to a thousand years with Jesus Christ? I'm going to stop bothering myself, I'm going to stop fretting, I'm going to stop stressing about things, and I'm just going to keep focused on eternity, I'm going to keep focused on Jesus Christ, even though this earth gets worse and worse. All right, brethren, let's pray.