Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate,
and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.
And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest;
as with the slave, so with his master;
as with the maid, so with her mistress;
as with the buyer, so with the seller;
as with the lender, so with the borrower;
as with the creditor, so with the debtor.
The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered;
for the LORD has spoken this word.

Isaiah 24:1-3

I suppose much of this started with fallout shelters and homemade bunkers during the threat of nuclear war between the USSR and the United States., but over the last few decades, I’ve become aware of people called “Preppers” – people who are determined to endure whatever coming catastrophe that may arise. Not that it is a bad idea to have supplies on hand, but if our confidence is placed in our ability to fend for ourselves, we are sadly mistaken.

Chapters 24-27 of Isaiah look ahead into the future when God will judge the earth and its inhabitants. Theologians see parallels with the Seals and Trumpet judgements found in the Book of Revelation and if you take the time to read the entire chapter of Isaiah 24 today, you may feel a little weak in the knees.

Here’s the bottom line. No amount of preparation in the physical sense can be made to withstand what Isaiah describes in the verse above. No world leader or entrepreneur will be exempt. No king or Hollywood star. No buyer or seller. No one. The judgement will affect everyone.

Even if we aren’t around for what is prophesied in the verses above, we will eventually stand before God. I am reminded of the words found in Hebrews –

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:27

How do you feel when you read words like those from Isaiah? We may feel alarmed or some may feel a sense of dread and we are certainly closer to these events than ever before, but again we should have confidence like the writer of Hebrews in that Jesus will ultimately save us who are eagerly waiting for Him.