Scripture quotations on this page are from the World English Bible (public domain), shown in quotation marks; all commentary is written by Scripture Trove. Source: Isaiah 24 · Commentary
Isaiah chapter 24 is the opening of the "Little Apocalypse of Isaiah" (chapters 24-27). The preceding chapters 13-23 contained the prophet's oracles against ten nations (Babylon, Assyria, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Tyre, etc.); in chapter 24, the prophet's vision suddenly elevates, no longer targeting any single nation, but the entire world, the whole created order, and even the host of heaven. This shift from earthly nations directly to universal end-times makes chapters 24-27 one of the most intensely eschatological passages in the Old Testament, referred to by scholars as "the Little Apocalypse," and a root of the New Testament's Revelation in the Old Testament.
Book One: The Book of Judgment and Hope (Isaiah 1-39) · The Little Apocalypse (chapters 24-27)
Position of this chapter: The opening chapter of the four chapters of the Little Apocalypse. The prophet begins with "the earth is laid waste," elevating all previous judgments against single nations in the entire book of Isaiah to a universal level. God is not merely judging a particular empire; He is judging the entire old creation defiled by sin, and He will punish all rebellious spiritual forces in heaven. The end of this chapter concludes with the hopeful declaration, "Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion," laying the theological foundation for the great feast of "destroying death" in chapter 25.
This chapter can be divided into the following four sections:
Universal Judgment of Earth's Desolation (24:1-13) God overturns the earth and disturbs its inhabitants, without distinction of status or age; the earth is cursed because its inhabitants have transgressed the everlasting covenant.
Remnant's Song and Prophet's Sorrow (24:14-16) From the islands and the ends of the earth, praises ring out, "Glory to the Righteous One," but the prophet says, "I pine away, woe is me, woe is me": he sees that the judgment is not yet over.
Complete Collapse of the Old Creation (24:17-20) "Terror, pit, and snare" come upon the inhabitants of the earth; the earth sways like a drunkard, like a hut.
Host of Heaven and Kings of Earth Punished Together, Yahweh of Armies Reigns in Zion (24:21-23) On that day, God will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below; the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for Yahweh will reign in Zion.
The entire chapter is the prophet's eschatological vision, structurally moving from "judgment spread across the earth" (1-13) to "deep spiritual judgment" (21-23), expanding from visible mountains and fields to the invisible "host of heaven." In between are two contrasting segments: on one side, the praise of the remnant from the islands (14-16a), and on the other, the prophet's own lament (16b-20). This tension of "the prophet lamenting amidst sounds of praise" is a unique stylistic feature of chapter 24; the prophet sees further than the remnant, perceiving that the judgment has not yet reached its end. Ultimately, the entire chapter concludes with the dawn of the end-times new kingdom: the sun and moon retreat in shame, Yahweh of Armies reigns, and the elders see glory before Him.
Look up: what the prophet sees is not the destruction of one nation, but the closing of the entire old world. Sin is not merely an occasional personal fault; it has polluted the land beneath your feet, the sky above your head, and even fallen spiritual forces are swept into the judgment of the end. But amidst the earthquake-like sounds of collapse, do not miss that final quiet promise: "Yahweh of Armies will reign in Zion." The departure of the old creation is for the arrival of the new kingdom.
| Segment | Verse | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Call to Attention | 24:1 | "Behold": An opening of visionary scope |
| Accusation | 24:5 | The earth is defiled by its inhabitants, who have transgressed the everlasting covenant |
| Judgment 1: Earth's Desolation | 24:1-13 | The departure of the entire old creation: emptiness, sorrow, city broken down |
| Remnant's Hope (Prophet's Mid-Chapter Insertion) | 24:14-16a | Remnant from the islands sings for Yahweh's majesty |
| Prophet's Lament | 24:16b | "I pine away": The prophet sees further than the remnant |
| Judgment 2: Cosmic Collapse | 24:17-20 | Terror, pit, snare / Windows on high are opened / Earth like a drunkard |
| Judgment 3: Heaven and Earth Judged Together | 24:21-22 | Host of heaven + kings of earth gathered as prisoners |
| Kingdom Hope | 24:23 | Yahweh of Armies reigns in Zion, elders see glory |
Brothers and sisters, chapter 24 is an uncomfortable chapter. The prophet no longer targets a specific nation as in chapters 13-23; he looks up and sees the entire world being brought to a close. Reading this, you might ask, "What does this have to do with me? Isn't this just an end-times prophecy?"
But please slow down and listen carefully to verse 5. The prophet says the earth is defiled because people, not people of a certain nation, but all the people of the earth, "have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant." This "everlasting covenant" likely refers to the earliest covenant God made with all humanity, established from Adam, from Noah. This means that sin is not just a problem of a certain culture, a certain nation, or a certain era; it is a common transgression of all humanity. When you open the news today and see war, environmental degradation, broken marriages, and the collapse of social trust, you are not seeing the world suddenly turn bad; you are seeing chapter 24 unfolding before your eyes. The prophet long ago foretold the root of all this: humanity has violated God's everlasting covenant.
I know this sounds depressing. But please see verses 14-16, where amidst the universal collapse, people at the ends of the earth begin to sing. In a place where no one would expect praise, the prophet hears the song, "Glory to the Righteous One." This is the remnant. Even in the darkest times, God always has His people singing praises. When Jesus in the New Testament stood on the Mount of Olives prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem, He was also preparing a place for His disciples (John 14:1-3); both lines proceed simultaneously.
In the latter half of verse 16, the prophet suddenly says, "I pine away": he sees further than the remnant on the islands, and therefore bears more sorrow. If today, reading Scripture and watching the news, you feel weary in your heart, if the weakness of the church, the lostness of family, and the indifference of society make your heart ache, dear brothers and sisters, please know that this sorrow itself is prophetic. It is not weakness, but a heart made sensitive by the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah wept, Isaiah pined away, the Lord Jesus shed tears over Jerusalem; God never despises the tears of His prophets.
But most importantly, please do not let your gaze linger on the images of collapse in verses 1-20. The prophet does not let the entire chapter end with "the earth is utterly broken down" (24:20); he lets the entire chapter end with that quiet but powerful statement in verse 23, "Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem." The deepest gospel in the entire book of Isaiah is here: God overturns the old world not because He is cruel, but because He is preparing to ascend to reign. All this collapse is not the end; the end is God reigning.
So today, no matter what kind of collapse you are experiencing—in marriage, health, children, church, society—please remember: God is not idly watching the world destroy itself. He is removing false gods (24:23a: the moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed) so that you can clearly see the one true King. What you see before you may be "utter destruction," but on God's side, the stage is being "prepared for Yahweh of Armies to reign." The departure of the old creation is for the arrival of the new kingdom.
Section Positioning: In the sermon structure, this section is a "call to attention, accusation, and pronouncement" all in one. The prophet begins by declaring universal judgment with a captivating image, then provides the "why" (violation of the everlasting covenant), and finally presents the desolate scene of the earth.
24:1 "Behold, Yahweh makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants."
Isaiah 24:1（World English Bible）
"Behold": The Hebrew word הִנֵּה (hinneh) is the prophet's "raise your eyes command," telling the audience to immediately focus their attention. This chapter opens with this word, indicating that the prophet is about to present a scene of visionary magnitude, not just everyday exhortation.
"Earth": The Hebrew word אֶרֶץ (eretz) can refer to a specific piece of land (such as the "Promised Land") or the entire globe. This word appears 16+ times in this chapter, almost in every verse, making it the most crucial recurring word in chapter 24. In this chapter, eretz consistently means "the whole earth," "the entire globe": this is a key indicator of the shift from the "specific nation or place" writing style of the preceding chapters 13-23.
"Empty" and "waste": The Hebrew words are בּוֹקֵק (boqeq) and בּוֹלְקָהּ (bolqah), both derived from the root bqq (to empty, to clear out). The two words used together from the same root are a reinforcing rhetorical device in Hebrew poetry: "emptying completely." The sense of the word is like turning a cup upside down and completely emptying it, leaving not a single drop. The prophet uses two extremely simple words to present an image of the end times: God empties the entire old creation like a cup.
"Turns it upside down": The Hebrew verb עִוָּה (ivvah) means "to twist, to churn," and shares the same root as 1:4 "iniquity" (עָוֹן avon, "crookedness"). The prophet uses a profound word: sin twisted humanity, and now God also twists the earth: a spiritual reversal, treating others as they treat you. The earth is no longer a "very good" paradise, but a churned-up wasteland.
24:2 "It will be as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest."
Isaiah 24:2（World English Bible）
Six pairs of parallels in Hebrew poetry: people, priest, servant, master, maid, mistress, buyer, seller, creditor, debtor, usurer, him who lends on interest. Twelve types of identities paired up, covering the entire social spectrum: religious identity, family identity, commercial identity. The prophet's meaning is unequivocal: there is no class privilege in the end-time judgment.
Note that "priest" is listed first. In the Israeli religious context, priests were at the top of the social pyramid, theoretically "closest to God." But in the end-time judgment, priests are just like ordinary people. This ironically exposes all "religious identity insurance theories": the idea that reading the Bible more, attending services diligently, and giving generous offerings can grant exemption from judgment. The prophetic genre's consistent concern that "external identity cannot save a person" is declared in a shocking way in this verse.
24:3 "The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for Yahweh has spoken this word."
Isaiah 24:3（World English Bible）
The "empty, waste" of verse 1 echoes here; repetition is emphasis. "Utterly emptied" (הִבּוֹק תִּבּוֹק, hibboq tibboq) is a Hebrew rhetorical device called the "absolute infinitive," where the infinitive and conjugated form of the verb are used together, meaning "most certainly, absolutely thoroughly." Similarly, "utterly laid waste" (הִבּוֹז תִּבּוֹז, hibboz tibboz) is also an absolute infinitive. The prophet uses this strongest tone twice in one verse, a grammatical signature of the end-time declaration, that this will certainly happen and cannot be changed.
The final phrase "for Yahweh has spoken this word" is the "divine oracle seal formula" of the prophetic genre, following the same template as 1:20 / 22:25 and other verses. This is not the prophet's political pessimism, but Yahweh's own declaration.
24:4 "The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish."
Isaiah 24:4（World English Bible）
"Mourns and fades away": The verbs אָבְלָה (avlah, mourns) and נָבְלָה (navlah, fades away) rhyme. In Hebrew poetic meter, it sounds like "ah-vlah, nah-vlah," mournful and lingering. The earth is not just "destroyed," but mourns like a living creature. This is a typical personification of "creation's sorrow" in Hebrew poetry (also appearing in 33:9, Hosea 4:3, Joel 1:10). Romans 8:22 "For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now" is the New Testament fulfillment of this line.
"World": The Hebrew word תֵּבֵל (tevel) is another word for "world," synonymous with eretz but leaning more towards "the inhabited world" (cf. Psalm 24:1 "The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it."). The prophet alternates between the two words, making the "global" scale of the entire chapter clearer.
"Haughty people": The Hebrew מְרוֹם עַם הָאָרֶץ (merom am-ha'aretz) literally means "the high ones among the people of the earth." Judgment begins at the top: kings, nobles, officials. This echoes 24:21 "the kings of the earth."
24:5 "The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant."
Isaiah 24:5（World English Bible）
This is the theological key verse of the entire chapter: Why does God judge the whole earth? Because "the earth is polluted by its inhabitants." "Polluted" (חָנְפָה, chanfah) is a term for ritual defilement, in the same category as "unclean" in Leviticus, but this verse is not talking about blood or corpses, but about sin itself defiling the entire earth.
Next, three specific accusations are given:
"Everlasting covenant" is key. This does not refer to the Mosaic Sinai covenant (which was made with Israel), but to an earlier, more universal covenant, possibly the "rainbow covenant with all creation" that God made with Noah in Genesis 9:8-17, or perhaps more deeply, God's covenantal commands to all humanity at the beginning of creation (Genesis 1-2). Regardless of which it refers to, the prophet's logic is clear: all humanity has violated the universal covenant made with God, which is why judgment covers the entire earth, not limited to Israel and the nations.
Romans 1:18-32, Paul's argument that "the Gentiles are also without excuse," has its roots in Isaiah 24:5.
24:6 "Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left."
Isaiah 24:6（World English Bible）
"Therefore": עַל־כֵּן (al-ken), a rare clear logical connector. The prophet is not venting emotions but making a rigorous deduction: violation of covenant → curse → burning.
"Curse": אָלָה (alah), not a curse of swearing, but a covenant curse. In ancient Near Eastern suzerainty treaties, violating the covenant meant bearing the curses stipulated in the treaty (cf. the blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28). The prophet tells us: humanity violated God's "everlasting covenant," and so the "curses of the everlasting covenant" came upon the whole earth.
"Burned with fire": An extreme image. But please note: "few men left": in judgment, a remnant is left. This is the remnant theology that runs through Isaiah (1:9, 4:3, 10:20-22, 11:11, 37:31-32), and it remains true in the end-time vision. Judgment is never meant to clear everything out, but to leave a pure remnant.
24:7-9 "The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted sigh. The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases. They will not drink wine with a song. Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it."
Isaiah 24:7-9（World English Bible）
Three verses linked together, presenting a scene where "joy has died." The prophet does not write about corpses on the battlefield; he writes about the silence of the feast: this writing style is most devastating in Hebrew poetry, because grapes, wine, tambourines, harps, and singing are good things given by God to humanity (cf. Psalm 104:14-15), the joyful backdrop of daily life. When these "cease," "languish," "end," people truly lose the taste of living.
"New wine" (תִּירוֹשׁ, tirosh) "mourns": personification again. The vineyard, which should be a source of harvest joy, now "mourns." This is in the same tone as the Song of the Vineyard in 5:1-7 and Hosea 9:1-2; all the bounty given by God turns into "mournful wine" in the hands of sinners.
"Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it": What was once "happy water" now tastes bitter. This is a change in people's internal senses when the end times arrive; the same things can no longer bring the same joy. Sin deprives people of the ability to enjoy good things.
24:10-12 "The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come in. There is a crying in the streets because of the wine. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone. The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction."
Isaiah 24:10-12（World English Bible）
Three verses continue to describe the desolation of the city, a common writing style for "city lament" in prophetic literature (cf. Lamentations 1-2).
"The city of confusion": The Hebrew קִרְיַת תֹּהוּ (qiryat-tohu) literally means "city of emptiness." Here תֹּהוּ (tohu) is the same word as in Genesis 1:2 "the earth was waste (tohu) and void." The prophet is implying that the end-time judgment pushes the world back to the "tohu emptiness" state before creation: reverse creation. This is the deepest theological language in end-time visions: God, who could create the world from nothing, can also return the world to emptiness, and then create new heavens and a new earth.
"Every house is shut up": Residents hide indoors, afraid to come out. The city, once the center of community life, now becomes isolated islands.
"The mirth of the earth is gone" (גָּלָה מְשׂוֹשׂ הָאָרֶץ, galah mesos ha-aretz): "the joy of the earth has been exiled." The verb galah originally means "to be carried away captive" (cf. 39:6 "Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried to Babylon."). The prophet uses the poetic presentation of "joy being carried away captive" to show that judgment not only takes lives but also carries away people's capacity for joy.
"the city gate is broken down completely": The city gate was the center of law, commerce, and social life in ancient Near Eastern cities (cf. 1:21 "righteousness → murderers" for the legal situation). The destruction of the city gate meant the complete collapse of social order.
24:13 "For it will be so within the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done."
Isaiah 24:13（World English Bible）
This concludes the first section, returning to the theme of the "remnant." The remaining fruit after shaking olive trees and gleaning grapes is a common sight after the autumn harvest in the ancient Near East, an image of "almost completely gathered, with only a few remaining" (cf. 17:6 "Yet there will be left in it gleanings, as when an olive tree is beaten, two or three olives in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outermost branches of a fruitful tree": this chapter directly echoes chapter 17).
Characteristics of the end-time judgment: the vast majority are taken away, with only a very small remnant remaining. This is the realism that runs through the book of Isaiah; God's way of salvation is never "the whole nation rises up," but "a remnant is left." Jesus' echo of this in the New Testament: "For many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).
Section Positioning: In the sermon structure, this section is the first ray of light in the universal judgment, the praise of the remnant, but it immediately transitions to the prophet's own lament. This tension of "the prophet weeping amidst sounds of praise" is a unique literary device in chapter 24.
24:14 "These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of Yahweh. They cry aloud from the sea."
Isaiah 24:14（World English Bible）
"These": refers to the remaining olives and grapes from the previous verse: the remnant that is left. The prophet skillfully connects "remnant" with "praise": those who are left in judgment will inevitably become a praising group. This is a distinct feature of Isaiah's remnant theology; the remnant is not "those who narrowly escaped," but "those who know how to give glory to God."
"lift up their voice": The verb רָנַן (ranan) is commonly used in the Psalms for "singing joyfully, shouting praise" (e.g., Psalm 5:11, 95:1). After the judgment, the remnant's first reaction is not to lament their narrow escape, but to sing for the majesty of Yahweh. This is the mark of truly saved people.
"from the sea": refers to the direction of the Mediterranean Sea, praise coming from the ends of the earth. This foreshadows that the remnant is not only Israelites but also includes "the inhabitants of the ends of the earth" (cf. 24:15-16a), which is a continuation of Isaiah's theme of universal salvation (2:2-3, 19:23-25, 56:6-8, 60:1-3, 66:18-21).
24:15 "Therefore glorify Yahweh in the east, even the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea!"
Isaiah 24:15（World English Bible）
"in the east" (בָּאֻרִים, ba'urim, literally "in the lights, in the fires") and "in the islands of the sea" (אִיֵּי הַיָּם, iyei hayyam), one east and one west, present universal praise. The land of the sunrise and the islands of the sunset, both ends offer glory to the God of Israel.
"the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel": Note that this does not refer to some generic deity, but to the name of "the God of Israel." The object of universal praise is not an abstract deity, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is the mysterious intersection of Israel's holy election and the universal salvation of the nations. In the New Testament, Revelation 5:9-10 "You purchased people for God with your blood, from every tribe, language, people, and nation..." is the ultimate unfolding of this line.
24:16 "From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, “I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!” The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously."
Isaiah 24:16（World English Bible）
"uttermost part of the earth": again emphasizes universality. From the ends of the earth comes a song of praise: "Glory to the Righteous One" (צְבִי לַצַּדִּיק, tsevi la-tsadiq).
"Righteous One" (tsadiq), refers to the only Righteous One. In this end-time vision, all nations ultimately acknowledge not the victory of a certain country, nor the deeds of a certain hero, but the victory of "righteousness." This is consistent with Revelation 19 "He who sits on the white horse is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war."
24:16 "From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, “I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!” The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously."
Isaiah 24:16（World English Bible）
A sudden turn, amidst the remnant's songs of praise, the prophet falls into deep sorrow.
"My leanness": The Hebrew רָזִי־לִי (razi-li), literally "my leanness is mine!" This is a rare and intense lament in Hebrew poetry; the prophet describes himself as if emptied. The repetition twice strengthens the emphasis.
Why does the prophet lament when the remnant is praising? Because he sees further: the judgment is not yet over. Although the remnant at the ends of the earth has begun to praise, the "treacherous" (בֹּגְדִים, bogedim, "traitors") are still rampant on the earth. The prophet sees more deeply and further than the remnant; he sees that even among his beloved compatriots, there are still large groups of treacherous people who have not repented, and he sees that "the host of heaven" has not yet been punished.
This literary device of "the prophet seeing further than ordinary believers, and therefore bearing more sorrow" runs through the book of Isaiah. Its deepest echo is found in the Lord Jesus: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem... How often I wanted to gather your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!" (Matthew 23:37).
Section Positioning: In the sermon structure, this section is "The Unfolding of the Judgment": the prophet uses three rapid-fire poetic phrases to present the comprehensive collapse of the end times: from the ground (pitfall) to the heavens (windows on high), from structure (foundations) to life (drunkenness, swaying).
24:17-18 "Fear, the pit, and the snare, are on you who inhabitant the earth. It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble."
Isaiah 24:17-18（World English Bible）
"Terror, and the pit, and the snare": The Hebrew פַּחַד וָפַחַת וָפָח (pachad va-pachat va-pach). All three words begin with the p sound, rhyme, and have a very fast rhythm. The prophet uses the sharpest phonetic rhetoric of Hebrew poetry to present a series of traps in the end times: escape one, fall into the next; there is no way out. This is a classic prophetic declaration of "no escape from judgment."
The immediate sequence of images: people flee the sound of terror → fall into the pit → climb out → are caught in the snare. A triple grid, where every step seems to offer a way out, but every step is a dead end. This is the same rhetoric as Amos 5:19, "as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him."
24:18b "for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble."
Isaiah 24:18（World English Bible）
"the windows on high are opened": This is the language of the great flood in Genesis 7:11. When God judged the whole earth with a flood in Noah's time, "on that day... the windows of the sky were opened." The prophet here clearly echoes flood theology: the end-time judgment is modeled after Noah's flood. 2 Peter 3:5-7 makes this connection directly: "For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and by water, by the word of God; by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished. But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men."
"the foundations of the earth tremble": This is not a physical description of an earthquake, but the disintegration of the cosmic structure. In the ancient Near Eastern cosmology, "the foundations of the earth" were firmly established by God at creation (cf. Job 38:4-6, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?"). When the foundations tremble, it means the entire created order has failed.
24:19 "The earth is utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently."
Isaiah 24:19（World English Bible）
"utterly broken, torn apart, violently shaken": Here, three intensifying structures from the same root are used consecutively, with the core verbs referring to breaking, tearing apart, and shaking, respectively. This triple declaration expresses an "absolute and irreversible" tone. It is almost impossible to find more concentrated language of collapse in Hebrew poetry.
24:20 "The earth will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not rise again."
Isaiah 24:20（World English Bible）
Two everyday similes instantly make the end-time vision concrete: a drunken man staggers, and a hammock sways in the wind. The earth is no longer a stable dwelling; it has been crushed by sin, stumbles like a drunkard, and finally collapses, unable to rise again.
"Its disobedience will be heavy on it": The Hebrew כָּבַד עָלֶיהָ פִּשְׁעָהּ (kavad aleha pish'ah). The word for heavy (kavad) has another form, כָּבוֹד (kavod, "glory"), from the same root. When the earth is weighed down by "the heaviness of sin," it is precisely the opposite of "the heaviness of God's glory" (cf. 6:3, "his glory fills the whole earth"). The earth, which should have been filled with God's glory, is crushed by the heaviness of sin. This is the deepest irony in the end-time vision.
"and not rise again": The Hebrew לֹא־תֹסִיף קוּם (lo-tosif qum). This sentence declares the complete end of the old creation. The earth will not rise again. This is why "new mountains," "new feasts," and "death swallowed up" must appear in the following text of 25:7-8: the old creation is irreversibly gone; a new creation must follow.
Section Positioning: In the sermon structure, this section is "Judgment Ascends to a Spiritual Height, the Dawn of Kingdom Hope." The prophet's gaze rises from the ground to the spiritual power system in heaven, finally resting on Zion, the true King.
24:21 "It shall happen in that day that Yahweh will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth."
Isaiah 24:21（World English Bible）
"It will happen in that day": The Hebrew בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא (ba-yom ha-hu), is a characteristic eschatological phrase in Isaiah (appearing 40+ times in this book). It refers to the day of Yahweh's decisive intervention, which can mean either a near-term historical intervention (such as the Assyrian retreat) or the ultimate end of the age. In chapters 24-27, this term overwhelmingly refers to the end of the age.
"the army of the high ones on high" (צְבָא הַמָּרוֹם, tseva ha-marom): This is the most theologically groundbreaking declaration in chapter 24. "Army" (tseva) is the same word as "armies" in "Yahweh of Armies." What does this refer to?
Most scholars believe this refers to "fallen spiritual powers": the "army" in heaven was originally the angelic host standing before God's throne (cf. 1 Kings 22:19, "I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, and all the army of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left"), but some of them rebelled against God, becoming "rulers and authorities" under Satan. This verse declares that God's end-time judgment is not only against the kings of the earth but also against the rebellious spiritual forces in heaven. This is the Old Testament theological root of the New Testament's "struggle against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12), "destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14), and "the evil spirits were thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:10).
However, it could also refer to the spiritual powers behind pagan deities. Ancient Near Eastern nations worshipped the sun, moon, and stars as idol gods (Marduk of Babylon, Ishtar of Assyria, etc.). The prophet declares that even these "armies" will be punished. This is consistent with the following text in 24:23, "Then the moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed," where the sun and moon worshipped by pagans withdraw, giving way to the true King.
"the kings of the earth": The king of Assyria, the king of Babylon, all human emperors who elevated themselves to the position of deities. In the preceding chapters 13-23, judgment was declared against one nation after another; here it is summarized as a general judgment of "all the kings of the earth." The two layers of rebels, earth and heaven, are punished together.
24:22 "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."
Isaiah 24:22（World English Bible）
"gathered" and "shut up": Judgment is not immediate annihilation, but first imprisonment, and then "after many days they will be visited." This is consistent in tone with Revelation 20:1-3, "He seized the dragon... and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him," first imprisonment, then judgment.
"after many days": The Hebrew מֵרֹב יָמִים (me-rov yamim), literally "after many days." This implies a time interval, reflecting the theology of a multi-stage eschatological judgment. This foreshadows the complex temporal structure in Revelation of "the millennium → Satan temporarily released → final judgment in the lake of fire."
24:23 "Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders will be glory."
Isaiah 24:23（World English Bible）
The culminating peak of the entire chapter. Three layers of imagery:
First layer: The moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed. The sun and moon were the most worshipped deities in the ancient Near East (Babylonian "Sin" ruled the moon phases, "Shamash" ruled the sun disk; Egyptian "Ra" was also an embodiment of the sun disk). The prophet says that when Yahweh of Armies reigns in Zion, these sun and moon, once worshipped by people, will be ashamed, because they were originally only created beings, yet were treated as idol gods. When the true King appears, the false gods fade away.
But there is also a deeper physical image here: the light of the sun and moon appears dim before the glory of God. This directly echoes Revelation 21:23, "The city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine on it; for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its lamp."
Second layer: Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem. This is one of the kingdom declarations of the entire book of Isaiah. Chapters 1-23 deconstructed old empires one by one, and chapter 24 overthrows the entire old creation, with the purpose of bringing the one true King to the stage. Zion is no longer a small hill besieged by Assyria, but the center of the new kingdom.
"Yahweh of Armies will reign": This is the most regal of God's many titles. Earlier in 24:21, God punished "the army of the high ones," and here He is declared "Yahweh of Armies": He is the true Lord of the armies; those rebellious "armies" are punished, and only He reigns.
Third layer: before his elders will be glory: "elders" (זְקֵנָיו, zeqenav) refers to the elders who fear Yahweh (cf. Exodus 24:9-11, "Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. They saw the God of Israel... They saw God, and ate and drank"). In the new kingdom, the elders will see God's glory face to face. This is the end-time fulfillment of that brief feast in Exodus 24. Revelation 4:4, "Around the throne were twenty-four thrones. On the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads," is the blossoming of this line in the New Testament.
The entire chapter concludes with the dual tone of "judgment covering the whole earth and heaven → but the King of kings appears." The next chapter, Isaiah 25, will immediately follow: before this reigning Yahweh, death is swallowed up, tears are wiped away, and all peoples attend a great feast.
| Vocabulary | Original | Transliteration | Occurring Verses | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Look! | הִנֵּה | hinneh | 24:1 | The prophet's "lift-your-eyes command": an opening of visionary magnitude |
| Earth | אֶרֶץ | eretz | 24:1-23 (16+ times) | In this chapter, it consistently refers to "the whole earth, the entire globe": a key repeated word in chapter 24 |
| Empty | בּוֹקֵק | boqeq | 24:1, 3 | To empty out, to clear out: an image of the end times |
| Overturn | עִוָּה | ivvah | 24:1 | To twist; cognate with avon (iniquity, "crookedness"), a reverse retribution |
| World | תֵּבֵל | tevel | 24:4 | "The inhabited world" (used in conjunction with eretz) |
| Mourn | אָבַל | aval | 24:4, 7 | The mourning of creation (Old Testament root of Romans 8:22) |
| Defiled | חָנְפָה | chanfah | 24:5 | Ritual defilement: sin pollutes the entire creation |
| Everlasting covenant | בְּרִית עוֹלָם | berit olam | 24:5 | God's universal covenant with all humanity (an extension of the Noahic covenant in Genesis 9) |
| Curse | אָלָה | alah | 24:6 | "Covenant curse": the covenantal curse brought by breaking the covenant |
| City of chaos | קִרְיַת תֹּהוּ | qiryat-tohu | 24:10 | tohu = the same word as "formless and void" in Genesis 1:2; reverse creation theology |
| Joy is banished | גָּלָה מְשׂוֹשׂ | galah mesos | 24:11 | "galah" is the verb for "to be exiled": judgment takes away humanity's capacity for joy |
| Shout aloud | רָנַן | ranan | 24:14 | The remnant's praise: a high-frequency word in the Psalms |
| Islands | אִיֵּי הַיָּם | iyei hayyam | 24:15 | A distant image of universal salvation |
| Righteous one | צַדִּיק | tsadiq | 24:16 | The object of praise for all peoples: "the only Righteous One" |
| Treachery | בָּגַד | bagad | 24:16 | Betrayal, deceit: the object of the prophet's lament |
| Terror, pit, and snare | פַּחַד וָפַחַת וָפָח | pachad va-pachat va-pach | 24:17 | Three p alliteration: a chain of end-times traps |
| Windows from on high | אֲרֻבּוֹת מִמָּרוֹם | arubbot mi-marom | 24:18 | Language of the great flood in Genesis 7:11: an eschatological echo of flood theology |
| In that day | בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא | ba-yom ha-hu | 24:21 | Isaiah's eschatological marker phrase (40+ times in the whole book) |
| Host of the high ones | צְבָא הַמָּרוֹם | tseva ha-marom | 24:21 | "The host of heaven": Old Testament theology of fallen spiritual powers |
| Yahweh of Armies | יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת | YHWH Tseva'ot | 24:23 | One of Isaiah's most frequently used divine names; an ironic contrast with 24:21 |
| Zion | צִיּוֹן | Tziyon | 24:23 | The center of the new kingdom; the new throne after the old creation recedes |
| Elders | זְקֵנִים | zeqenim | 24:23 | Representative devout ones who see God's glory (an intermediate link between Exodus 24 and Revelation 4) |
(See the structure diagram in the Section Structure section of the Chapter Overview.)
Main Structure Observation: The diamond-shaped center of this chapter is 24:14-16, "Islands' Praise, Prophet's Lament": the middle section of a judgment chapter is not more intense disaster, but a wonderful tension between praise and lament. The first half (1-13) follows "judgment spread across the ground," while the second half (17-23) follows "deep spiritual judgment." Finally, A and A' form a contrast: A is "Yahweh makes the earth empty" (destruction), and A' is "Yahweh reigns in Zion" (reconstruction). Judgment and kingdom are two sides of the same coin.
| Theme | Ancient Near Eastern Context | Presentation in This Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmic Deity Worship | Babylon worshipped Marduk (chief deity) + Sin (governor of moon phases) + Shamash (governor of sun disk); Assyria worshipped Ashur; Egypt worshipped Ra (governor of sun disk) | 24:23 "The moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed": These sun and moon, worshipped as idol gods, will be put to shame before Yahweh of Armies on the Day of the Lord. |
| Reverse Creation Myths | Many ancient Near Eastern myths feature "chaos monsters (e.g., Tiamat, Leviathan) dragging the world back into primordial void" | 24:10 "City of emptiness" (qiryat-tohu): But the Bible's reverse creation is not being pulled back by monsters; it is God's sovereign decision to "empty the old world." |
| Universal Memory of the Great Flood | Multiple ancient Near Eastern peoples (Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Assyrian, Akkadian) have great flood myths | 24:18 "The windows on high are opened" directly echoes Gen 7:11: This chapter's end-time vision shares the same template as the flood judgment. |
| Curses of Suzerainty Treaties | In Hittite/Assyrian treaties, covenant breakers were cursed: the land would not yield food, cities would be desolate, families would be cut off | 24:6 "A curse devours the earth": But the Bible's curse is not a superstitious effect; it is God's personal covenant retribution. |
| Apocalyptic Prophecy Genre | The ancient Near East had "apocalyptic prophecy" literature (e.g., Assyrian Apocalyptic Prophecy), but usually only targeted a specific empire | Chapters 24-27 extend the Day of the Lord to "all humanity": This is the unique universality of the Bible. |
| Underworld Deities | The ancient Near East personified death as deities (Canaanite "Mot," Babylonian "Nergal") | Chapter 24 does not directly address death: Isaiah 25:8 immediately follows with "he will swallow up death forever," responding to this ancient Near Eastern background. |
The strongest emphatic structure in Hebrew poetry, using the infinitive and conjugated form of the same verb:
Five occurrences of the absolute infinitive appear in chapter 24, a rare density. This is the grammatical signature of the end-time declaration, that this will surely happen, unchangeably.
The earth mourns (24:4), new wine mourns (24:7), the vine languishes (24:7), the earth staggers like a drunkard (24:20). This is typical "animation of creation" in Hebrew poetry. Romans 8:22, "For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now," is the New Testament development of this theme.
24:10 קִרְיַת תֹּהוּ (city of emptiness), directly echoes Genesis 1:2 "the earth was waste and empty" with the same word tohu. Deep theology is hidden within the prophet's poetry: God, who could create the world from nothing (creation), can also return the world to emptiness (judgment), and recreate new heavens and new earth (eschatological new creation). This is the intrinsic unity of biblical creation theology and eschatological theology.
24:1-13 (judgment spread across the earth) → 24:17-20 (cosmic collapse) → 24:21-22 (heavenly spiritual powers). These three stages expand in depth, from shallow to deep, from external to internal. Each stage is deeper than the previous one, ultimately reaching the highest spiritual level of "the host of heaven."
24:14-16 inserts both the praise of the remnant and the lament of the prophet in the middle, making this chapter not a monotonous declaration of judgment, but one full of dramatic tension. This is the highest-level prophetic poetic technique: hope in judgment, and responsibility in hope.
The same sovereign Yahweh is both the emptier and the enthroned King. Judgment and kingdom are two actions of the same hand.
This chapter, as the opening chapter of the "Little Apocalypse," elevates the core themes of the book of Isaiah to an eschatological, end-time height:
24:23 "Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion": This is the most regal form of the holy name "Yahweh of Armies" (first appearing in 1:9) in its eschatological, end-time manifestation. The entire "Holy One of Israel" theology of the book of Isaiah is declared in chapter 24 as a universal King: not just the Holy One of Israel, but also the King of all the earth.
24:6 "few people are left" + 24:13 "like the shaking of an olive tree" + 24:14-15 "remnant of the islands praise": This chapter pushes the remnant theme that runs through Isaiah (1:9, 4:3, 10:20-22, 11:11, 37:31-32) to the eschatological end of days. The remnant in the eschatological end of days is no longer just the remnant of Israel, but the remnant from all peoples and tribes on earth (24:15-16a). Romans 9:27 quotes Isaiah 10:22-23 concerning the remnant, and Revelation 7:9-17 concerning "a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language" is the New Testament fulfillment of this line.
24:23 "Yahweh of Armies will reign": This is the "king's enthronement" link in Isaiah's Messianic chain. It progresses from 9:6-7 "Prince of Peace," 11:1-5 "Root of Jesse," 32:1 "King in righteousness" all the way to 24:23 "the appearance of the King of kings in the eschatological end of days." This line reaches its core in the New Testament with Christ's resurrection and ascension (Ephesians 1:20-23 "and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and authority"), and finally reaches full completion in Revelation 11:15 "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!"
This chapter is an ultimate example of the prophetic genre "hope interspersed in judgment": the declaration of judgment in verse 23 is interspersed with praise in verses 14-16, ultimately concluding with the kingdom declaration in verse 23. The deepest judgment brings forth the deepest hope; this is the breathing rhythm of prophetic poetry and a prefigurement of cross theology.
Chapter 24 presents the two sides of universal salvation:
This is the complete eschatological end-time picture of the main theme of universal salvation found in 2:2-3 "all nations will stream to Zion," 19:23-25 "Egypt, Assyria, and Israel will worship together," 56:6-8 "foreigners will be brought in," and 66:18-21 "gathering all nations."
Chapter 24 is one of the earliest foreshadowings of the new heavens and new earth theme in the book of Isaiah. Although the name "new heavens and new earth" does not appear until 65:17, the "departure of the old creation" (24:20 "will not rise again") and the "arrival of the new kingdom" (24:23 "will reign in Zion") in chapter 24 structurally presuppose the need for new heavens and new earth.
| Old Testament | New Testament Echo | Related Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 24:1 "Yahweh makes the earth empty" | 2 Peter 3:10 "the heavens will pass away with a great noise... the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up" | Peter's cosmic judgment of the end times has its Old Testament root in chapter 24 |
| Isaiah 24:5 "broken the everlasting covenant" | Romans 1:18-32 "who exchanged the truth of God for a lie... Therefore God gave them up" | Paul's argument that "the Gentiles are without excuse" has its root: 24:5 already declares all humanity to be covenant breakers |
| Isaiah 24:4 "The earth mourns and fades away" | Romans 8:22 "For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together" | Creation groans together because of human sin: Isaiah's personification receives its most complete theological explanation in Paul |
| Isaiah 24:6 "a curse devours the earth" | Galatians 3:13 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us" | The "curse" in chapter 24 is the curse of the covenant; Christ bore this curse on the cross |
| Isaiah 24:13 "like the shaking of an olive tree... only a few are left" | Matthew 22:14 "For many are called, but few chosen"; Romans 11:5 "Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace" | The eschatological form of remnant theology: the vast majority are taken away, only a few remain |
| Isaiah 24:14-16 "the remnant of the islands praise... from the uttermost part of the earth we have heard songs" | Revelation 7:9-10 "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb... crying with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" | Revelation's "great multitude praises" is the eschatological end-time fulfillment of Isaiah 24:14-16 |
| Isaiah 24:18 "the windows on high are opened" | 2 Peter 3:5-7 "the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished... But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men" | End-time judgment uses the language of flood theology: 2 Peter explicitly connects Noah's flood with the end times |
| Isaiah 24:20 "the earth... collapses, and will not rise again" | Revelation 20:11 "I saw a great white throne... from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them" | The complete departure of the old heavens and earth: Revelation directly echoes 24:20 |
| Isaiah 24:21 "Yahweh will punish the army of the high ones on high" | Ephesians 6:12 "For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world's rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places"; Revelation 20:10 "The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur" | "The army of the high ones" refers to fallen spiritual powers: Paul and Revelation directly elaborate on this theology |
| Isaiah 24:22 "They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; and after many days they will be punished" | Revelation 20:1-3 "He seized the dragon... and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss... After these things, he must be set free for a short time" | The two-stage structure of Satan being first imprisoned then judged in the end times: Revelation's Old Testament root |
| Isaiah 24:23 "Then the moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed" | Revelation 21:23 "The city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine on it; for the glory of God illuminated it, and the Lamb is its lamp" | The sun and moon dim before God's glory: the image of the New Jerusalem directly echoes 24:23 |
| Isaiah 24:23 "Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion" | Revelation 11:15 "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever" | The appearance of the King of kings: 24:23 is a key declaration of this line in the Old Testament |
| Isaiah 24:23 "before his elders will be glory" | Revelation 4:4 "Around the throne were twenty-four thrones. On the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads" | The elders see glory in the end times: a continuous line from Exodus 24:9-11 → Isaiah 24:23 → Revelation 4:4, three peaks |
Authoritative Commentaries
Eschatological Literature Studies
Chinese Resources
Background Positioning This chapter is the opening of "Isaiah's Little Apocalypse" (chapters 24-27). The prophet's vision leaps from the preceding country-by-country oracles in chapters 13-23 to "the whole earth" and "the host of heaven," presenting one of the densest eschatological visions in the Old Testament.
Chapters 24-27 form a distinct unit in the book of Isaiah. While each section in the preceding 23 chapters clearly addresses a specific nation (Babylon, Assyria, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, Tyre, etc.), chapter 24 suddenly ceases to mention any specific nations, opening with "Yahweh makes the earth empty, and makes it waste." This sudden detachment from specific historical backgrounds, leaping to eschatological language of "the whole world," "the host of heaven," "the everlasting covenant," "the swallowing up of death," and "in that day," leads scholars to unanimously consider these four chapters a theological climax of the prophet's ministry. It is likely a summary vision from the prophet's later years (around the end of Hezekiah's reign or later), a universal conclusion after the oracles against the ten nations.
In terms of writing background, the kingdom of Judah, where the prophet lived, was struggling under the shadow of the Assyrian Empire. Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II, and Sennacherib, three successive Assyrian kings, launched campaigns eastward and westward, and the entire ancient Near East trembled under the iron heel of this empire. In the preceding chapters 13-23, the prophet named and foretold the end of these empires, but still on a geographical and historical level. In chapter 24, the prophet looks up: behind the rise and fall of all these empires is a larger drama: God is bringing the entire old creation to a close, preparing for the new kingdom where Yahweh of Armies will reign in Zion.
The academic title "the Little Apocalypse" points out the genre of this section. It already possesses all the elements of mature eschatological apocalyptic literature: universal judgment, cosmic collapse, punishment of spiritual powers, the swallowing up of death, the great feast, and the new kingdom. However, it does not use dense symbolic numbers (beasts, horns, seals) like Daniel 7-12 or Revelation, but retains the simple and stark quality of prophetic poetry. Reading this section is like reading the Old Testament source of Daniel and Revelation.
| Dimension | Content |
|---|---|
| Era | Prophet's late-life vision around 700 BC (some scholars attribute it to a later period; this article adopts the conservative one-book, one-author position) |
| Reigning King | End of Hezekiah's reign or later |
| Main Threat | Assyrian Empire (Sennacherib's invasion in 701 BC as the immediate cause) |
| Theological Context | Oracles against ten nations (chapters 13-23) already declared; prophet's vision leaps to "the whole earth" and "the host of heaven" |
| Audience | All of Judah + all readers of the end times and the last day |
| Contemporary Prophets | Micah (Southern Kingdom), Nahum (slightly later, concerning the end of Assyria) |
| Literary Feature | Opening of the "Little Apocalypse": the earliest mature eschatological apocalyptic literature appearing in the Old Testament |
| Theme | Content |
|---|---|
| Universal Judgment | Sin is not a personal problem; it is a "violation of the everlasting covenant" that pollutes the entire created order: this is the first time Isaiah clearly presents "the sin of all humanity." |
| Everlasting Covenant Theology | The "everlasting covenant" in 24:5 refers to the universal covenant God made with all humanity (Genesis 1-2, Noahic covenant Genesis 9): this is the Old Testament root of the New Testament's "Gentiles are without excuse" (Romans 1). |
| Sorrow of Creation | 24:4 "The earth mourns and fades away": creation groans together because of human sin, directly fulfilled in Romans 8:22. |
| Reverse Creation Theology | 24:10 "The city of confusion" uses tohu (the same word as Genesis 1:2): judgment pushes the world back to its pre-creation void state. |
| Two-Tiered Judgment (Heaven and Earth) | 24:21 "The host of heaven" and "the kings of the earth" are punished together: the system of spiritual powers is also within the end times and the last day, the Old Testament root of Ephesians 6:12. |
| Eschatological Form of Remnant Theology | 24:6 "few men left" + 24:13 "like the shaking of an olive tree" + 24:14-15 remnant's praise: this chapter pushes the book's remnant theme to the end times and the last day. |
| Appearance of the King of Kings | 24:23 "Yahweh of Armies will reign" is the ultimate destination of the judgment chapter: judgment is for the appearance of the King of Kings, the old creation gives way to the new kingdom. |
| Old Testament Root of Apocalyptic Literature | This chapter possesses all the elements of mature eschatological apocalyptic literature: universal judgment, cosmic collapse, punishment of spiritual powers, imprisonment, new kingdom: it is the Old Testament source of Daniel 7-12 and Revelation. |