Division VII
The Prophecies of a
Great and Glorious Future: 60:1–66:24
(60:1–66:24) DIVISION
OVERVIEW:
In this final
division of the great book of Isaiah,
these prophecies soar in the heights of God's promises. The reader quickly
catches a spirit of the great and glorious future awaiting the true believer.
All who sincerely follow the Lord soon learn to appreciate and treasure these
chapters, for they stir a high level of expectation and hope within the
believer.
In the last
days of human history, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will return to set up God's
kingdom on earth. He will firmly establish the seat of His government in Jerusalem, which will become the glorious
capital of the entire world. Peace, security, prosperity, and righteousness
will then fill the earth, and true justice will be executed in a spirit of
compassion (60:1–22). All this will be possible because of God's great
gift of salvation, which has been made available through the Messiah, Jesus
Christ (61:1–62:12).
However, the end times will also bring the great day of God's vengeance, the terrifying day known as Armageddon. Nevertheless, even as God executes final judgment on the wicked of the earth, He will shower mercy on those who have truly trusted Him, all who have followed in the steps of His righteousness (63:1–64:12). After Armageddon and the pouring out of God's mercy, the last days of human history will be followed immediately by the Millennium, the glorious one-thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. Then God will create a new heavens and earth for His people in a magnificent consummation of history (65:1–66:24).
The Prophecies of a Great and Glorious Future: 60:1–66:24
A.
The
Future Glory of Jerusalem: A Picture of the Holy City During the Messiah's
Kingdom on Earth—the Millennium, 60:1–22
B.
The
Gift of Salvation Through the Coming Savior, 61:1–62:12
C.
The
Great Day of God's Vengeance and Mercy: A Picture of Armageddon, 63:1–64:12
D.
The
Last Days of Human History (Part 1), 65:1–25
E. The Last Days of Human History (Part 2), 66:1–24
A. The Future Glory of Jerusalem: A Picture of
the Holy City During the Messiah's Kingdom on Earth—the Millennium, 60:1–22
(Isaiah 60:1–22)
Introduction: among all the cities
in the world, Jerusalem has one of the most interesting histories. Through the
centuries, the city has been conquered repeatedly and left in utter ruin. No
one living at the time of its destruction thought it would ever rise again. But
it always has. It arose from the ashes of the Assyrian destruction, the
Babylonian destruction, and the Roman destruction. Although it is the capital
of only a small nation of people, the city seems indestructible.
Moreover, its
people have survived exiles, untold atrocities, and deliberate attempts to
exterminate them from the face of the earth. Holocaust after holocaust was
launched against the Jewish people and their nation. For unexplainable reasons,
specific nations and peoples down through history have despised and held the
Jews in utter contempt. Nevertheless, these brave people have overcome and
survived to raise Jerusalem and the nation from the ashes of total devastation.
Interestingly, Jerusalem is considered to be the Holy City by three of the
major religions of the world: Judaism (the Jews), Islam (the Muslims), and
Christianity (the Christians).
The present Scripture is a prophecy concerning the future of Jerusalem. The day is coming when Jerusalem will be established as the world's capital. At that time, the light and glory of God Himself will come to the Holy City and dwell there forever. All the nations of the earth will be brought together in a worldwide government, and the seat of government will be in Jerusalem. The leaders will embark on a vast building project to make the city more spectacular than the world could imagine. Furthermore, the Lord will govern the world from there. This is the prophecy concerning, The Future Glory of Jerusalem: A Picture of the Holy City During the Messiah's Kingdom on Earth—the Millennium, 60:1–22.
The Holy City Will Receive the Light & The Glory of God's
Presence (V. 14):
In Jesus Christ, Jn. 8:12
1 Arise, My people! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For
the glory of the Lord is streaming from you. 2 Darkness as black as
night shall cover all the peoples of the earth, but the glory of the Lord will
shine from you. 3 All nations will come to your light; mighty kings
will come to see the glory of the Lord upon you.
4 Lift up your eyes and see! For your sons and daughters are coming home to you from distant lands.
The Holy City Will Be the Center of World Trade & of
Worship
5
Your eyes will shine with joy, your hearts will thrill, for merchants
from around the world will flow to you, bringing you the wealth of many lands. 6
Vast droves of camels will converge upon you, dromedaries from Midian and
Sheba and Ephah too, bringing gold and incense to add to the praise of God. 7
The flocks of Kedar shall be given you, and the rams of Nabaioth for My
altars, and I will glorify My glorious Temple in that day.
8 And who are these who fly like a cloud to Israel, like doves to their
nests? 9 I have reserved the ships of many lands, the very best,a
to bring the sons of Israel home again from far away, bringing their wealth
with them. For the Holy One of Israel, known around the world, has glorified
you in the eyes of all.
10 Foreigners will come and build your cities. Presidents and kings will send you aid. For though I destroyed you in My anger, I will have mercy on you through My grace.
The Holy City Will Open the Gates of Salvation to All: The
Gates Will Never Be Closed
11
Your gates will stay wide open around the clock to receive the wealth of
many lands. The kings of the world will cater to you. 12 For the
nations refusing to be your alliesb will perish; they shall be destroyed.
13 The glory of Lebanon will be yours—the forests of firs, pines,
and box trees—to beautify My sanctuary. My Temple will be glorious.
14 The sons of anti-Semites will come and bow before you! They will kiss your feet! They will call Jerusalem "The City of the Lord" and "The Glorious Mountain of the Holy One of Israel."
The Holy City Will Be the Capital of The World,
The Center of The Lord's Kingdom on Earth
15 Though once despised and hated and rebuffed by all, you will be beautiful
forever, a joy for all the generations of the world, for I will make you so. 16
Powerful kings and mighty nations shall provide you with the choicest of
their goods to satisfy your every need, and you will know at last and really
understand that I, the Lord, am your Savior and Redeemer, the Mighty One of
Israel. 17 I will exchange your brass for gold, your iron for
silver, your wood for brass, your stones for iron. Peace and righteousness
shall be your taskmasters! 18 Violence will disappear out of your
land—all war will end. Your walls will be "Salvation" and your gates "Praise."
19 No longer will you need the sun or moon to give you light, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and he will be your glory. 20 Your sun shall never set; the moon shall not go down—for the Lord will be your everlasting light; your days of mourning all will end. 21 All your people will be good. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with My own hands; this will bring Me glory. 22 The smallest family shall multiply into a clan; the tiny group shall be a mighty nation. I, the Lord, will bring it all to pass when it is time.[1]
1.
The Holy City Will Receive the Light and
The Glory of God's Presence (V. 14): In Jesus Christ, Jn. 8:12, (Vv. 1–4).
2.
The Holy City will be the center of world
trade and of worship (vv. 5–10).
3.
The Holy City will open the gates of
salvation to all: the gates will never be closed (vv. 11–14).
4. The Holy City will be the capital of the world, the center of the Lord's kingdom on earth (vv. 14b–22).
1. The Holy City Will Receive the Light &
The Glory of God's Presence (V. 14):
In Jesus Christ, Jn. 8:12
1Arise, My people! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the Lord is streaming from you. 2Darkness as black as night shall cover all the peoples of the earth, but the glory of the Lord will shine from you. 3All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see the glory of the Lord upon you. 4Lift up your eyes and see! For your sons and daughters are coming home to you from distant lands. [2] (Isaiah60:1–4)
The Holy City Is Destined to Receive the Light and Glory
of God's Presence
(V. 14): In Jesus Christ, Jn. 8:12, (Vv. 1–4).
A. At The Close of The Previous Chapter, God Predicted the Coming of The Redeemer, The Messiah, to Zion (59:20). Now, God paints a picture of the world's future, looking to the time when the Messiah will have already come. Remember that Jesus Christ is the "light of the world" (Jn. 8:12). Here, Isaiah says Christ Himself will be the very light of Jerusalem. The blazing glory of His presence and holiness will reflect so much light that Jerusalem will not need the light of the sun (Re. 21:23).
B.
Now Note What the Prophet Is Saying:
"Your Light [the Messiah and Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ] Has
Come, And the Glory of The Lord [in the person of Christ] Is
Shining Upon You" (v. 1). When the day arrives, nothing will stop
His coming, for God destines it. The glorious return of the Lord to set up God's
kingdom on earth will take place. Presently darkness covers the entire earth,
holding it in the grip of …
·
Sin and Evil
·
Immorality and Violence
·
Bondage and Enslavement
·
Sorrow and Despair
·
Injustice and Oppression
· War and Destruction
C. A Thick, Black Veil Has Wrapped Itself Around the World. But there is wonderful news. The Lord is going to return. Imagine the scene! The day will come when His blazing glory will suddenly appear over the Holy City (v. 2). He is coming as the Redeemer (59:20) to rescue His people from the darkness of the earth, from all wickedness, disease, and death. God's kingdom will be established in His person's full glory and light, and His glory and light will bring perfection to earth. There will be no sin, disease, accidents, or death in God's kingdom. There will no longer be tears of sorrow, not when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to set up God's kingdom on earth.
D. The Lord's Glory and Light Will Also Draw All Nations and Kingdoms to Jerusalem (vv. 3–4). All Gentiles and all Jews will be attracted there. They will travel to see the Lord, the implication being for the purpose of worship. Note that the Gentile nations will bring the scattered sons and daughters of Jerusalem, the Jews, with them.
E. Note One Other Fact: True Believers Are Instructed To "Arise, Shine, For Your Light Has Come" (v. 1). They are to be strong witnesses, reflecting the light of Christ's salvation. Even before He returns to earth, true believers should be taking the message of Jesus Christ to all the nations of the world. Citizens and rulers alike should be streaming to the salvation and light of the Lord Jesus Christ. All believers should "arise, shine."
Thought 1. Jesus Christ Is the Light of The
World, The Light That Will Bring Salvation and Glory To Jerusalem.
V "In him was life, and the life was the
light of men" (Jn. 1:4).
V "Then spake Jesus again unto them,
saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life" (Jn. 8:12).
V "Then Jesus said unto them, Yet, a
little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness
comes upon you: for he, that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth"
(Jn. 12:35).
V "For God, who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ" (2 Co. 4:6).
V "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that
sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light" (Ep. 5:14).
V "And the city had no need of the sun,
neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and
the Lamb is the light thereof" (Re. 21:23).
V "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined" (Is. 9:2).
Thought 2. Believers Are to Reflect the
Light of The Lord Through Their Lives. They Are to Let Their Lights Shine, Bearing Strong Witness to The
Lord's Salvation.
V "Ye are the light of the world. A city that
is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle, and put it
under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in
the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 5:14–16).
V "For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of
the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth"
(Ac. 13:47).
V "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now
are ye light in the Lord: walk as
children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and
righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Ep. 5:8–11).
V "Do all things without murmurings and
disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without
rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as
lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the
day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain" (Ph. 2:14–16).
V "Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation" (1 Th. 5:5–8).[3]
"Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see.
For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you."[4]
The Call to Shine
If We Have Light; Or the Duty of Doing as Well As Knowing
Our first
response to God is the reception of his light, but the second is the giving
forth of that light. We read this truth and duty in its Christian phases and
urge it by the use of Christian persuasions. Our Lord made very much of the
connection between knowing and doing, profession and practice. His disciples
must be salt that savors something or somebody; light, which shines forth on
somebody. See the parables of the ten talents, the husbandmen, the sower and
the seed, and the barren fig tree. God always looks for fitting signs and
expressions wherever there is life.
See the direct teachings of Christ. "He that heareth these sayings of
mine, and doeth them;" "He
that doeth the will … the same is my
brother;" "Yea, blessed are they that hear the Word, and do it."
This Union of Doing with Professing Is Necessary:
I.
To Satisfy Us of The Reality of Our Own
Piety.
Illustrate from the
seed—if there is life in it, that life will show itself to the light. Men
expect to see religion influencing conduct. We expect this in others. Others
expect it in us. They look for our shining
if we profess to have received God's light. No excellence of creed can excuse
unsubdued tempers, unrestrained habits, indifference to the welfare of others,
and silence concerning what we have tasted and handled and felt of the Word of
life. We must test ourselves if we would be assured of our own vitality. No
breath, no life. No shining, no light.
II.
To Prove the Truth of Christianity.
It makes great
pretensions. How shall it support and prove them? Only by living examples.
Experiment tests everything, and constantly fresh experiments are needed. Then,
after all, argument and evidence are exhausted, we ought to be able to say, "See
what Christianity has done: the demon-possessed, the blind, the lame, the
drunken, the strong-tempered, the selfish, are changed, and now they shine." So then, if we offer the
best plea for Christianity to the men around us, we must just shine. "Arise, shine; for thy light
is come."
III.
To Extend the Work of The Light-Bringer,
The Redeemer.
Christian living is the supreme persuasion. Men may resist eloquence, reasoning, force —they cannot resist the power of godliness; it is like the influence of leaven; it is like the testimony of the dawning day, which men must heed. Jerusalem of old—Jerusalem spiritualized as the modern Church—may well be bidden to "put on the beautiful garments" of godly living and "arise and shine."—R. T.[5]
Prayer: The Holy City Will Receive the Light & The
Glory of God's Presence:
In Jesus Christ
Father God, we
thank you that you have given us the opportunity to receive you as our Savior
and Lord. Because you have done this for us, we also recognize that a responsibility
comes with our salvation. The responsibility is not one of fearing you and your
wrath, but one of fear to disappoint you. When we blow it, we do not want to
say, “I blew it, my Father is going kill me; we want to say, I blew it, I need my
Father.” We want to represent you in such a way that because of our behavior,
we draw others to you, not reject you. Father God, help us submit more of our
will to you so that your life will shine forth through us. Help us to honor you
Lord in all we think, say, and do. Again, Father God, help us to look to you
for our guidance, leadership, help, and knowledge that we can trust in all your
plans for our lives.
In Jesus’ Name, we pray, Amen
Jerusalem Arose from the Ashes of the Assyrian Destruction, the Babylonian Destruction, and the Roman Destruction. Although It Is the Capital of Only a Small Nation of People, the City Seems Indestructible.
a 60:9 the very best, literally, “the ships of Tarshish.”
b 60:12
refusing to be your allies,
literally, “that will not serve you.”
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters 36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[4] Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New
Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
No comments:
Post a Comment