Isaiah 29:5
Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly. Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
The hordes described are the strangers and ruthless powers arrayed against the people of God, reduced to the lightness and worthlessness of fine dust and driven chaff. They do not endure as a solid force but become insubstantial, powerless to stand or to harm when judged. Their scattering is total removal, a sweeping away that leaves nothing of their opposition behind.
That removal comes without prolonged delay, happening in a moment and striking suddenly. The swiftness itself is part of the judgment, an instantaneous reversal of their apparent strength. The whole chapter to which the promise belongs depicts the moral and spiritual conditions prevailing in the world at the present time. In that present application the declaration serves as a warning to all who have rejected truth or who after knowing it have turned away, urging them to return to God while return is still possible.