Isaiah 24:23, commentary and pictures

The Lord of hosts is Christ, who will reign gloriously in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem before His ancients, elders, and faithful people. The moon being confounded and the sun ashamed means they are eclipsed by the far greater glory of His reign. That promise was linked with the prophecy of a ruler whose dominion extends from sea to sea and was misread as promising a conquering Messiah who would appear with earthly splendor and free the Jews from Roman rule. Jesus' humble appearance was therefore treated as evidence against Him, and He was rejected for lacking the expected outward power.

Read alongside the prophecies of His work, rejection, and suffering, the promise of glorious reign does not contradict His life and ministry, and His rejection fulfilled the prophecy of the suffering Messiah. The reign applies to Christ's second coming in exceeding glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. Then His divine glory, no longer concealed by human form, is revealed with the glory of the Father, and He shines before His faithful people amid the conflict between those who follow God and those who oppose Him.

The glorious reign comes after the judgment of the powers in heaven and the kings of the earth. It sets up a kingdom that will endure forever. It is the time when the redeemed who have kept His commandments enter the pearly gates. His appearing brings gladness to the righteous while destroying the apostasy, spiritual darkness, satanic delusions and fanaticism and false teaching that darkened the world, which people had chosen instead of truth. The image of glory shining upon the ancients points to the Sun of Righteousness, whose work marks both the opening of Christ's mission and the closing work of this world's history.