Isaiah 2:19, commentary and pictures

Isaiah 2:19 describes the great day of the Lord of hosts, the day of God's vengeance and judgment that is at hand and certain to come upon the world to the consternation of those unprepared to meet Him in peace. In that day human loftiness and haughtiness will be bowed down and brought low, the Lord alone will be exalted, and men will utterly abandon their idols of silver and gold to the moles and to the bats. For fear of the Lord and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake terribly the earth, men will flee into the holes of the rocks and the caves and dens of the earth amid heaven and earth shaking, mountains trembling, and the upheaval of the elements at the voice of God and the return of Christ in glory. That hiding will be in vain, for the caverns torn open cannot shield the rejectors of Christ from the King of kings, and they will plead too late to be hidden from His presence, while amid those same judgments God stands up for His obedient people, surrounds them with protecting care, and is present with them even in their hiding places. Therefore the verse is to be carefully studied, believed, and used to warn transgressors before it is too late, calling sinners to flee for their lives and take hold of the gospel hope, and calling God's people to obedience, separation, earnest prayer, and Spirit-filled proclamation while probation lingers.

Day of the Lord's Judgment

The verse describes the great day of the Lord of hosts, the day of God's vengeance and judgment. That day is at hand and certain to come upon the world. It will bring consternation to those unprepared to meet the Lord in peace.

In that day human loftiness will be bowed down, lofty looks humbled, and haughtiness made low and brought low. Human pride will be brought low. The Lord alone will be exalted.

In that day idols will be utterly abolished. Men will cast away their idols of silver and of gold to the moles and to the bats. They will cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils.

For fear of the Lord and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth, men will flee into the holes of the rocks and into the caves and dens of the earth. They will flee into the clefts of the rocks and into the tops of the ragged rocks to hide from His presence and majesty. The terror of that day will drive them to seek shelter from Him.

These events will come to pass amid increasing war, bloodshed, and confusion among nations.

Shaking at Christ's Return

The shaking is the upheaval at the time of the voice of God and the return of Christ in glory, when heaven and earth shake, mountains tremble and cast out rocks, rocks are moved, and the sea boils and throws stones onto the land. The mountains trembling and the rocks moving belong to that coming in majesty and glory. People hiding in rocks and caves in terror is the human response when the Lord rises to shake the earth.

The shaking comes because sin has become full and deep and abhorrent to God. It comes when human powers exalt human law universally in place of God's law, including Sunday observance in place of the biblical Sabbath, and compel worship contrary to it. Then God punishes the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity and exposes blood.

At Christ's return those who rejected Him will be overcome with terror at His glorious presence and will try in vain to hide in the earth's caverns, rocks and caves. The caverns are torn open amid the upheaval of the elements and cannot shield them from the King of kings. The leaders who condemned and mocked Him will then recognize Him as the Son of God and the true Messiah. Their hiding places will fail and they will plead to be hidden from God's presence and the wrath of the Lamb. Those who chose worldly gain over Him will then recognize their loss and seek mercy too late.

Persecuted, scattered believers who have fled to hiding places will be made glad by God's voice and will find the Saviour's presence with them there. For amid those judgments God stands up for His people, surrounds them with protecting care, and shields them from harm while He rises to shake the earth and punish the wicked for wrongdoing. That judgment is near.

When the Lord arises the shaking brings terrible scenes whose fearfulness cannot be imagined. By the turning and overturning of God's power, by one word from the Lord and one touch of His mighty power, tall buildings built story upon story and even massive structures and buildings will be thrown down. This fulfills the warning of what is coming on the earth and shows that destruction is in the world. The sudden, overwhelming punishment upon cities, dwellings and large buildings gives no safety for dallying, so those with the slightest warning must flee at once. It will not fall everywhere at once but upon one city after another, beginning in certain places, with sudden destruction of life and few escaping, and He will not cease until His work in punishment is done.

The punishment of one city is meant to make the inhabitants of other cities afraid and seek repentance, and if it does not their time will come. There is no encouragement here that the gospel will be accepted by the large majority before His second coming with power and great glory, but most solemn and overwhelming judgments are determined upon all who have the light before them in the Word of God and do not follow it. The verse does not identify a particular city or predict that a named city will be destroyed. It is not a specific prediction that New York will be swept away by a tidal wave.

Urgent Call to Prepare

The verse is to be studied carefully, read and understood before it is too late, and believed before its fulfillment, and it is to be used to warn transgressors how to avoid the coming judgments rather than waiting until the judgments fall. It stands as a warning for these last days that the Lord will work for all who walk in obedience to His will maintaining loyalty uncorrupted. Such obedient ones are to lift up the banner and be a separate and holy people formed to show forth His praises and to call attention to the hand that sustains the world.

It calls Seventh-day Adventists to make the Word of God their study, to look not to men but to God and to obey Him with heart and soul. They are not to trifle with probationary time but to use its opportunities to qualify physically, mentally and morally to stand in the army of the Lord under Christ. The nearness of this judgment makes the warning urgent, for people dwelling in sin must be called to flee for their lives. They must take hold of the hope offered in the gospel, and the message must pierce spiritual darkness and lead souls to conviction and conversion through earnest proclamation in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This calls God's people to earnest prayer and warning work, not to criticism or accusation, for God will not remain silent or delay judgment forever. Applied to coming calamities, including disasters at sea, fires and rail accidents, the verse warns that the end is near and probation is closing. It therefore calls people to prepare by turning to God in repentance and faith in Jesus and by seeking God while He may be found. It gives no encouragement that the gospel will be accepted by the large majority before His second coming with power and great glory, but most solemn and overwhelming judgments are determined upon all who have the light before them in the Word of God and do not follow it.