When God Gets This Old World's Attention Isaiah 24: 17-23 (v 18b) Isaiah 24:17-23 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. Introduction: A. God is very good at getting people's attention. 1. He gets the individual's attention. 2. He gets the family's attention. 3. He gets the church's attention. 4. He gets the nation's attention. B. Some of us have witnessed the times He got the world's attention: 1. World wars. 2. World wide famine and disease. 3. Sinking of the mighty Titanic. C. I want us to just get a glimpse of a few times in the Bible of when God got the old world's attention. Five of them are history, and two are yet to be. I. The Flood      Gen. 6:1-2 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. A. The world in Noah's day was corrupt: 1. Spiritually. 2. Morally. 3. Physically. B. God destroyed them     Gen. 6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. II. Sodom And Gomorrah      2 Pet. 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly. A. Can you imagine shock? The terror that filled the world when they heard of this great society being burned up? III. When The Israelites Left Egypt      Ex. 13:37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. A. What a multitude left Egypt. 600,000 soldiers alone. This did not include the Levites, the women and children, the old people, and the mixed multitude. B. He took them all through the Sea, then drowned all the Egyptian army. What a day in the history of this old world. God got the world�s attention. IV. The Crucifixion of Christ A. Some things happened the day Jesus died that shook the great minds of the world to their very souls: 1. Darkness from noon until 3:00 P.M.      Lk. 23:44-45 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, 2. Veil of the temple split in half. 3. He died before they could kill Him. They did not get to break His bones. V. The Resurrection of Christ A. Every natural law known to man was broken that day: 1. A dead man came back to life. 2. An earthquake. 3. Soldiers turned to stone. 4. Stone rolled away. 5. Angels appeared. VI. The Tribulation A. God is getting ready to let this old world have its way. The tribulation will simply be God removing His restraining hand.      Matt. 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. VII. The Second Coming of Christ      Rev. 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.