Isaiah 2:16

Isaiah 2:16 says, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.  This destruction was also to come on all their ships used in trade and to increase their wealth.  Nothing that we value more than God in this world is of lasting value.  When Jesus Christ returns, it will all be destroyed or done away with.   

Verse seventeen adds, And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.  Though there may have been a day after Isaiah was prophesying and now that this was partially fulfilled, I believe that the main fulfillment refers to what is going to happen at the return of Jesus Christ.  All of mankind will bow down to Him, and Jesus Christ alone will be exalted when that day comes.  

Verse eighteen continues, And the idols he shall utterly abolish.  I don’t believe there has ever been a time when all idols were utterly abolished, though the people of Israel and Judah during the divided kingdom did at times destroy all those there.  God will one day destroy all idols everywhere, but we as followers of Jesus Christ need to do our best to destroy them in our life every day.   

Verse nineteen states, And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.  Isaiah said that people would try to hide everywhere, even in caves, but there would be no place to hide when God’s judgment comes.  The only place that is safe will be in the rock of faith in Jesus Christ.   

Verse twenty adds, In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;  Isaiah then said that the idols of silver and gold made for men to worship would be cast out to the bats and moles, but it would be too late for it to do them any good.  We cannot wait until the return of Jesus Christ and then try to start believing in Him.   

Verse twenty-one continues, To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.  People will go to what they think are safe places to avoid God's judgment, but it will not save them.  We can only be saved by putting our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord before He returns.   

Verse twenty-two concludes, Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?  Isaiah then asked what a man was compared to God that people would put their faith in him.  No matter who or what we put our faith in in this world, it is never going to save us. Only faith in Jesus Christ can.