March 13 - 19, 2021
"For thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of hosts." {Hag. 2:6-8}
12. Desire of Nations - March 13-19 2021.pdfWe've feel God's great LOVE last week's SSL, now those who had the same sentiments will desire Christ in their lives. This week our lesson deals with the 3 important chapters in the book of Isaiah (59, 60 and 61). These chapters will enable us to understand the extent of sin, its result and God's plan to redeem the sinners. Inspiration says, "Man has voluntarily departed from God. Jesus came to do a work which no other could do,--to bring man back to his allegiance to God. How unreasonable it is for fallen man to say that Christ's great work of redemption was for the purpose of making it possible for man to be saved in transgression of the law of God! If one precept of God's law could be changed, then Christ need not have died; but it was because the law of God was unchangeable, and would hold the sinner in its claims, that Jesus came and died, to reconcile man to God." {ST, December 28, 1891 par. 16}
How God View Sin?
The Effects of Sin The People See
Chief Guilt is Sin against God
Forgiveness is offered. Isaiah 59:16-21
How can we receive Forgiveness?
The Salvation and Redemption the Lord Sees
The work of the redeemed. Isaiah 60
The Glorious Light of God's Kingdom
The Glory of Israel in the Kingdom Contrasted with their Previous State
What the Messiah will do
The year of the Lord’s favor. Isaiah 61:1-3
The day of vengeance. Isaiah 61:2
What God's People will do
The Everlasting Covenant
“The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3, NKJV).
The Lord Jesus, who is the image of the invisible God, gave his own life to save perishing man, and, oh, what light, what power, he brings with him! In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead, bodily. What a mystery of mysteries! It is difficult for the reason to grasp the majesty of Christ, the mystery of redemption. The shameful cross has been upraised, the nails have been driven through his hands and feet, the cruel spear has pierced to his heart, and the redemption price has been paid for the human race. The spotless Lamb of God bore our sins in his own body upon the tree; he carried our sorrows. Redemption is an inexhaustible theme, worthy of our closest contemplation. It passes the comprehension of the deepest thought, the stretch of the most vivid imagination. Who by searching can find out God? The treasures of wisdom and knowledge are opened to all men, and were thousands of the most gifted men to devote their whole time to setting forth Jesus always before us, studying how they might portray his matchless charms, they would never exhaust the subject. Although great and talented authors have made known wonderful truths, and have presented increased light to the people, still in our day we shall find new ideas, and ample fields in which to work, for the theme of salvation is inexhaustible. The work has gone forward from century to century, setting forth the life and character of Christ, and the love of God as manifested in the atoning sacrifice. The theme of redemption will employ the minds of the redeemed through all eternity. There will be new and rich developments made manifest in the plan of salvation throughout eternal ages. {RH, June 3, 1890 par. 6}
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)
How God view Sin?
Verse 1: The Problem of God’s people – What the cause is not.
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shorthened, that it cannot save: Inspiration declares, "The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?" Proverbs 21:27. The God of heaven is "of purer eyes than to behold evil," and cannot "look on iniquity." Habakkuk 1:13. It is not because He is unwilling to forgive that He turns from the transgressor; it is because the sinner refuses to make use of the abundant provisions of grace, that God is unable to deliver from sin. "The Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear." Isaiah 59:1, 2. {PK 323.1}
Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: The Lord's hand is not shortened that He cannot save, nor His ear heavy that He cannot hear; but it is our sins that have separated us from God. The church is corrupt because of her members who defile their bodies and pollute their souls. {5T 78.4}
My brethren, unless the Holy Spirit is actuating you as a vital principle, unless you are obeying its prompting, depending on its influences, laboring in the strength of God, my message to you from God is: "You are under a delusion which may prove fatal to your souls. You must be converted. You must receive light before you can give light. Place yourselves under the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness." Then you can say with Isaiah, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." You must cultivate faith and love. "The Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear." Seek the Lord. Rest not until you know that Christ is your Saviour. {TM 155.1}
Verse 2: The Problem of God’s People: What the Cause is? The problem isn’t with God’s power, His knowledge, or His interest. The problem is with our iniquities. Sin has separated you from your God. EGWhite says, Closely examine your manners and habits. Compare them with the word of God, and then separate from you every wrong and sinful habit and indulgence for God will not hear your prayers if you regard iniquity in your heart. Christ has said, "Without me ye can do nothing." Every one of you want to be sure that Christ is in you and abiding with you. Then you can do all things. If you go in self-sufficiency, without prayer, without watchfulness, and without relying wholly upon God, you will make a sad failure. {RH, May 3, 1887 par. 6}
Isaiah had a message from the God of heaven to give to the backsliding people of Israel, and he gave them this message. He knew what elements he had to deal with; he knew the stubbornness and perversity of the heart, and how hard it would be to make any impression upon them.
God's Law the Only Standard of Righteousness. God has not separated from you, but your sins and your iniquities have separated your soul from God. You are sin-sick, and you need a physician. Look into the mirror, God's holy law, which is the only standard of righteousness. It is the sin detector. Will you see your sins in the light of the law? Will you have faith in Jesus as the sin-pardoning Saviour? The royal law is before you, and you must meet its requirements. It is the only standard of righteousness; it measures your life and your character. I am sad to be compelled to tell you that you are a transgressor of the law. Practical faith in Jesus Christ is the only thing that will save you; the precious blood of Jesus alone will cleanse from every spot and stain of sin. {TSB 151.3}
Sin separates us from some of the benefits of God’s love, even as the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) was still loved by the father but didn’t enjoy the benefits of his love when he was in sin.
And your sins have hidden His face from you: This explains why God’s people no longer felt the face of the Lord shining on them (Numbers 6:25). It was their sins, not the inability of God to hear, or His lack of interest in hearing.
With all the gracious promises which God has made for his people, many are inquiring, "Why is it that there is no more light and power among us? We have accepted the truth, why does the Lord hide his face from us?" It is not because his ears are closed against our prayers; it is not because there are no precious blessings in store for us, that we are in this state of weakness. Do we ever come to God, asking for heavenly wisdom, and find our plea rejected, and ourselves turned away empty?--No; never. The fault is in ourselves. It is our errors, our sins, our backslidings, that have separated us from God. And yet the long-suffering Saviour's voice is inviting us, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." "And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." It is the needy, the fainting, those who are weighed down with care, those who are burdened with sorrow, to whom the invitation is given. {RH, October 23, 1888 par. 2}
Isa. 59:3-8: A Detailed Description of the Sins of God’s People:
Hands are defiled with blood
Lips have Spoken Lies
No One Calls for Justice
Conceive Evil and Bring forth Iniquity, as if they were snakes giving brith to more evil serpents, bringing nothing but death and more evil.
The Act of Violence is in their hands, feet turn to evil; both hands and feet are given to sin. But it doesn’t end there; even thoughts are thoughts of iniquity.
They have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace: Their choice and the consequences are plain. Their crooked paths will never lead them into the way of peace, meaning peace in the full sense of shalom.
Paul quoted Isaiah 59:7-8 in Romans 3:15-17. He used this passage, connected with other Old Testament passages, to demonstrate that man is a sinner from “head to toe.”
“Do not listen to the enemy’s suggestion to stay away from Christ until you have made yourself better; until you are good enough to come to God. If you wait until then, you will never come. When Satan points to your filthy garments, repeat the promise of Jesus, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’ John 6:37. Tell the enemy that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin.” E.G.W. (Christ’s Object Lessons, cp. 16, p. 205)
The Effects of Sin the People See:
Verses 9-11 – Because of their sin, darkness comes
Justice is Far from Us, nor does Righteousness overtake Us: Because God’s people had no interest in justice, God did not bless them with it. Because God’s people did not care about righteousness, God did not bless them with it. This is the principle of Jesus stated in Matthew 13:12: Forwhoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Looking for light, but there is darkness: Now, having given themselves over to darkness, when they wanted the light, it wasn’t there. When you always have the light to go to, the darkness feels “fun.” It seems mysterious and adventurous. But when the light is taken away, we despair in the darkness.
Verses 12-15 – Confession of Sin and Admission of Guilt
Our sins testify against us…. righteousness stands afar off: Now God’s people are in a better place. They have had their reality check and see things as they are. No longer do they blame the “shortened hand” of God, or His “heavy ear.” They know it is because of their own sins that righteousness stands afar off.
The confession that is mingled with tears and sorrow, that is the outpouring of the inmost soul, finds its way to the God of infinite pity. Says the psalmist: "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." {5T 636.2}
Judas Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, returned to the priests, exclaiming: "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood." But his confession was not of such a character as would commend him to the mercy of God. It was forced from his guilty soul by an awful sense of condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment. The consequences that were to result to him drew forth this acknowledgment of his great sin. There was no deep, heartbreaking grief in his soul that he had delivered the Son of God to be mocked, scourged, and crucified; that he had betrayed the Holy One of Israel into the hands of wicked and unscrupulous men. His confession was only prompted by a selfish and darkened heart. {5T 637.1}
It is not safe for us to close our eyes and harden our consciences, that we shall not see or realize our sins. We need to cherish the instruction we have had in regard to the hateful character of sin in order that we may repent of and confess our sins (Letter 71, 1893). {3BC 1147.7}
Chief Guilt Is Sin Against God
Sin is sin, whether committed by one sitting on a throne, or by one in the humbler walks of life. The day is coming when all who have committed sin will make confession, even though it is too late for them to receive pardon. God waits long for the sinner to repent. He manifests a wonderful forbearance. But He must at last call the transgressor of His law to account. {3BC 1147.3}
Though our sins are unspeakably great, Isa. 59:9-13, are of a good report. Some of the people are conscious and repenting from their sins. In Isa. 59:16-19, is a prophecy too sad to speak of. It applies to those upon whom the responsibility rested to bring about reformation by presenting the lessons to the church in their true light, calling every sin by its right name instead of applying it to other people and times, and thereby diverting the instructions intended for the church. The admonitions in the Scriptures were overlooked and unheeded, and what God expected of His people during the first three months of 1929, was not accomplished, simply because those in responsible positions failed to discharge their duty.
Additional Thoughts:
Faced with the question “Why […] have You not seen; […] and why did You take no notice?” (Isaiah 58:3), God’s response was: “The Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” (Isaiah 59:1)
Then (in v. 2), He explained that the problem is not God, but humanity. Sin separates humanity from God. Humanity’s response to this separation is to run away from God and to surrender to sin (Genesis 3:8).
If we keep giving in to sin and we don’t want to come to God (that is, we silence the voice of the Holy Spirit), then the impassable breach between God and us will never go away.
“‘The Redeemer will come to Zion, and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,’ says the Lord.” (Isaiah 59:20)
"Forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us."
How can we received Forgiveness?
"Jesus teaches that we can receive forgiveness from God only as we forgive others. It is the love of God that draws us unto Him, and that love cannot touch our hearts without creating love for our brethren. {MB 166)
"Be it known unto you," he said, "that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." {AA 172.2}
“Grace is unmerited favor, and the believer is justified without any merit of his own, without any claim to offer to God. He is justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who stands in the courts of heaven as the sinner’s substitute and surety […] Faith works by love and purifies the soul. Faith buds and blossoms and bears a harvest of precious fruit. Where faith is, good works appear.” E.G.W. (Selected Messages, book 1, cp. 62, p. 398)
The Salvation and Redemption the Lord Sees
Isa. 59:16, first part "And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor." God "was astonished". Moses and Aaron "stood between the dead and the living." Num. 16:48. God used Elijah on Mount Carmel. 1 Kings 18. In the crisis here brought to view, God finds no man (Eze. 22:30), so He Himself interposes.
The Lord saw it, and it displeased Him, that there was no justice: The state of God’s people was no mystery to the Lord. They cried out in Isaiah 59:12-15a, stating how desperate their condition was – and the Lord knew it all along.
He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: Not only was the state of God’s people bad, but no one among them took the lead in getting it right. Where was the man who would lead the people in righteousness? He could not be found. Where was the intercessor who would plead God’s case to the people, and the people’s repentance to their God? No intercessor could be found.
Verses 16-19 - What the Lord Did?
"Therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breast plate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence." God clothes Himself with His own attributes, and advances to set things right. Had there been a man, God would have let the man do the work, but as there was none, He does it Himself. This reveals one of God's working principles. He will use one man, or a nation, to help correct or punish another. When that cannot be done, God steps in. While God will come with vengeance to some, He comes with salvation to others. Isa. 59:20: "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion." This is not referring to the second coming of Christ in the clouds, for it takes place before probation closes. He is not coming with vengeance to the ungodly in the world, but coming to the church. And when He comes, He will do the work mentioned in Mal. 3:1-3.
Isa. 59:19: "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun." God will make this coming as an example to the nations, just as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah. Isa. 59:19, last part: "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." John in Rev. 12:15, refers to this incident. "And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood." (Please click this link to learn more about Rev. 12 =- http://bit.ly/30C8hjo The woman here mentioned is God's church (Seventh-day Adventist) "which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." The "flood" is not the blue Sunday law, or any persecution in the past. The blue law has a different setting, and is described in Revelation 13, as a persecuting power to enforce the mark of the beast.
"Flood" is the same as "water", which means people (in the church) unconverted, whom Satan is using to cause the church to be carried away in a very quiet manner, so that no one would be suspicious of the great deception. In this way he attempts to deceive the very elect (144,000 - http://bit.ly/3ckOgTO) if it were possible. Being impossible, Christ Himself interposes and delivers His people (those who sigh and cry for all the abominations in the church) and then makes an example of the others.
Rev. 12:16, "And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth." The meaning is that they die, being buried in the earth, as in Num. 16:32, "And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods." Thus, "the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him." Isa. 59:19, last part. This will fulfill Matt. 13:29, 30: "Let both the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest." http://bit.ly/38yrvek The separation will mark the beginning of the harvest, which is the Loud Cry of the third angel's message. Rev. 18:1. The Spirit of God is poured upon His people (those who escape the ruin), and the promise is, that it shall never depart from them. Isa. 59:21, "As for Me, this is My covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and My words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever." Read "Isaiah the Gospel Prophet," Volume 3, pages 43-49.
As soon as the separation is finished, and Satan has lost out with his deceptive scheme, the church finds herself in a great conflict with the enemy. Rev. 12:17, "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed [those who are left], which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (The war against the woman is the blue law.) For more deeper study on the subject of the woman and the dragon please click the link provided: https://sites.google.com/view/meatindueseason/14-rev-12-the-woman-and-the-dragon?authuser=0
Addition Questions:
What’s the key to Redemption?
If it was to stop sinning for good, then we’d have a serious problem because “there is none who does good.” (Romans 3:12)
It is to accept the forgiveness that God offers. This is the right way (Isaiah 1:18;
Jeremiah 31:34). And we can get it for free! (Romans 3:24).
What does “to turn from transgression” mean?
Repentance and a desire to abandon sin are necessary for true repentance (Acts 3:19). The faith that we are saved by is shown by our works (James 2:18).
“The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60:3)
Elijah was about to close his earthly labors. Another was to be chosen to carry forward the work to be done for that time. In his course of travel, Elijah was directed northward. . . . Now everything seems to be springing up as if to redeem the time of famine and dearth. The plenteous rains had done more for the earth than for the hearts of humanity; it was better prepared for labor than were the hearts of apostate Israel. {CTr 166.3}
Isaiah 60 - This chapter begins with the words "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." The Latter Rain, the Spirit of God, and the glory of His power. The chapter tells of the ingathering in the time of harvest. A great multitude composed of all nations, and classes of people, rich and poor alike, from all walks of life; kings and rulers among them, and also the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to the church. The nation and the kingdom that will not serve them (the church) shall perish. The multitude gathered here are the ones with the palms in their hands. Rev. 7:9.
The Glorious Light of God’s Kingdom
Please click this link for additional light on the subject https://bit.ly/3kUOBR1
Verses 1-3 – Arise, shine; for your Light has Come:
After the thick and desperate darkness described in Isaiah 59:9-10, this is the glorious rescue from the Redeemer. Light has come – so God tells His people to respond to it, and to arise and shine.
Every shining star which God has placed in the heavens obeys His mandate, and gives its distinctive measure of light to make beautiful the heavens at night; so let every converted soul show the measure of light committed to him; and as it shines forth the light will increase and grow brighter. Give out your light, . . . pour forth your beams mirrored from heaven. O daughter of Zion, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Isaiah 60:1. {FLB 26.6}
"Freely ye have received; freely give." "Arise, shine; for thy light is come; and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." If upon your spirit the glory of the Lord has risen; if you have beheld His beauty who is the chiefest among ten thousand, and the One altogether lovely; if your soul has become radiant in the presence of His glory, to you is this word from the Master sent. Have you stood with Christ on the mount of transfiguration? Down in the plain there are souls enslaved by Satan; they are waiting for the word of faith and prayer to set them free. {ST, January 22, 1902 par. 12}
We have purchased the field of truth because of the treasure that is hidden therein. The rich gems of truth do not lie on the surface. You must dig for them. Take your Bible, and compare passage with passage, and verse with verse, and you will find the precious jewels of truth. You should put the precious gems of light in a beautiful setting, and hang them in memory's hall. Shall we not arise and work diligently in the strength of Jesus for the treasure we have so long neglected? "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." {RH, April 16, 1889 par. 5}
And the glory of the Lord is Risen upon you, Gentiles shall Come to your Light
The church of the Laodiceans, being the last of the seven churches, is the last section of the Christian church in which the wheat and the tares are commingled. The overcomers, the marked ones, from it, those who hear the Rod, begin the eighth section of the church -- the one symbolized by the "barn" (Matt. 13:30) and by the "vessels" (Matt. 13:48), also by the "golden candlestick" of Zechariah 4. Of her the Lord says: "...the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God." Isa. 62:2, 3. {9Tr 61}
Among the Laodiceans, however, those who refuse to arouse and take in the situation, who will not "sigh and...cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof" (Ezek. 9:4) will be left without the mark, and will consequently fall under the slaughter weapons of the angels (Ezek. 9), while those who receive the mark will escape them and be shielded from the trouble, the shield's being symbolized by the barn and the vessels (Matt. 13:30, 48).
This glorious time spoken of by the prophet, Micah, is none other than the loud cry of the third angel's message. The 60th chapter of Isaiah is a prophecy of the church in the time of the "latter rain," from which we quote: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: But the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: All they gather themselves together, they come to thee: Thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side." Isa. 60:1-4.
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory." Rev. 18:1. "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: For they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid." Zeph. 3:13. "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: But the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee." Isa. 60:2. Such a glorious time is ahead of God's church.
Verses 4-13 – Great Treasures Come to Israel in the Kingdom
Your Sons shall Come from afar: The ingathering of the Second Fruit of the Living during the Harvest {Please see: https://bit.ly/38yrvek )
Even now if we lift our spiritual eyes, says the Lord, we shall see that all things are now ready. The call, along with the signs of the times is too plain for one to suppose that the day is far off. Our sons and daughters in this message are soon to be gathered unto us from the ends of the earth.
The Wealth of the Gentiles shall Come to you:
Not only will they receive the treasure of their people, but also the literal treasure of the Gentiles shall come to Israel in the Pre-Millennial Kingdom. The nations will willingly give them their wealth, much as the Egyptians willingly gave the Israelites riches when they left Egypt (Exodus 12:35-36). So much will be given that they will need to keep the gates of the city open continually.
Our sons and daughters in the faith shall come as a storm by air and by sea. They shall come because the Lord will glorify all His people. The call, "Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues" (Rev. 18:4), shall indeed along with the wealth of the Gentiles bring out "a great multitude which no man can number." Rev. 7:9.
Because of our response to God's call and because of our rising to shine for Him, many people shall say: "...Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Isa. 2:3. For this very obvious reason the gates as it were, would have to stay open day and night in order to accommodate the traffic -- the incoming saints, the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings. Plainly, then, the great need is not the "Harvest Ingathering" campaign, not the multiple collections, not the book sale days -- not any goal-raising campaigns -- but to take this "golden oil" for our lamps and to "arise and shine" is what the church needs today.
They shall bring Gold… their silver and their gold with them:
Yes, of better than the best shall the house of God be built. Why do the nations bestow such riches on little Israel? First, they recognize that they thereby give it to God. They bring their silver and their gold with them, to the name of the Lord your God, and to the Holy One of Israel. Second, they do it because they see the work of God in Israel: because He has glorified you. So they willingly give to and serve Israel (The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you).
To Beautify the Place of my Sanctuary; and I will Make the Place My Feet Glorious:
Another reason the riches of the nations pour into Jerusalem in the Pre-Millennial Kingdom of Jesus will be to build and support the Pre-Millennial Temple. The Pre-Millennial Temple – described in great depth in Ezekiel 40-47 – stands as a place memorializing God’s presence and work in history. There will be priests and sacrifices at the temple, but not for atonement – because atonement was finished at the cross. The sacrifices are for worship, consecration, and perhaps prophetically fulfilled. The place where the Lord's feet shall then stand is "the valley of the mountains" (Zech. 14:5); it is to be made most glorious.
The Glory of Israel in the Kingdom contrasted with their Previous State
Verses 14-18 – How the Nations Treated Israel, and How They will Treat them in the Kingdom
The sons of those who afflicted you shall come bowing to you:
Those who previously persecuted Israel, and specifically Jerusalem, will have a different heart and mind in the Pre-Millennial Kingdom. Then they will come bowing to Jerusalem; they will recognize it as The City of the Lord. As babies are admirably treated and nursed, so shall the Gentiles and their kings gladly wait on the saints and from their abundance shall cheerfully feed God's servants.
Instead of bronze I will bring gold:
God will take what was old – and perhaps functional, but not full of glory – and replace it with far better things. More of a miracle than turning bronze to gold is turning magistrates to righteousness.
Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise: What a glorious transformation! From the violence and unrestrained bloodshed of Isaiah 59:6-8, to walls called Salvation and gates called Praise.
The ultimate fulfillment of these things waits because the Pre-Millennial Kingdom is not yet here. But the King of that Kingdom is here and wants to do some of that work on a different level. For example, a home can see a beautiful transformation right now. It can be said of a Christian home, violence shall no longer be heard in your home, neither wasting nor destruction within your walls; but you shall call your walls Salvation and your doors Praise.
You shall know:
This explains why God does this. It is not because Israel is so great and has earned this as an achievement through hard work. He does it that You shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. He does a work so great that all know it is His doing.
Verses 19-22 – How the Lord will Treat Israel in the Kingdom
The Sun Shall no longer be your Light by day … but the Lord will be to you an Everlasting Light
The sun shall no longer be your light by day…but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light: This is like the light of the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21:23, where the Lord Himself is the light. But just as important as having the Lord as your everlasting light is having your God your glory, and to glory in no one or nothing else.
They shall Inherit the Land Forever:
When we remember the context of Isaiah’s prophecy, it makes it even more precious. Isaiah was mostly written under the shadow of coming defeat and exile. To those dispossessed people of God, Isaiah pointed them to a day when they shall inherit the land forever.
This promise would not be fulfilled because the people of God were so good. Rather, the Lord said that it would be seen as the work of My hands, that I may be glorified.
I, the Lord, will Hasten it in its Time:
God didn’t say it would happen soon, though in an eternal scale we might consider it soon. But God would hasten it – hurry it along, expedite it – in its time. When its time has come, the Lord will hasten it, but not before its time.
The promise seems too good to be true, and we are conditioned to think that if it seems too good to be true, it is. But God is too good not to be true.
Isa. 60:19, 20, tell of the purity of God's church and His care over His people. Isa. 60:21, says, "Thy people also shall be all righteous." The unclean and unconverted will not be permitted in the church. "Awake awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: For henceforth there shall no more come unto thee the uncircumcised and the unclean." Isa. 52:1. "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: For they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid." Zeph. 3:13.
Verse 22, of Isaiah 60: mentions their success in winning souls to Christ.
“It is our privilege to open our hearts and let the Saviour in. Let us praise Him for the brightness of His presence. Let us carry the sunshine of His love on our countenances and bring it into our words. Then His joy will be in us, and our joy will be full.” E.G.W. (The Upward Look, May 8)
Those who have received the light of Redemption should reflect that light and light up the world with it (Matthew 5:14).
Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” in the antediluvian world (2 Peter 2:5)
God’s covenant with Abraham included a blessing for all the nations (Genesis 22:18)
Jesus commissioned the Church to spread the Gospel “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
God promised the following to everyone who accepts Redemption: “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory.” (Isaiah 60:19)
Isa. 60:19, 20, tell of the purity of God's church and His care over His people. Isa. 60:21, says, "Thy people also shall be all righteous." The unclean and unconverted will not be permitted in the church. "Awake awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: For henceforth there shall no more come unto thee the uncircumcised and the unclean." Isa. 52:1. "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: For they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid." Zeph. 3:13. Verse 22, of Isaiah 60: mentions their success in winning souls to Christ.
“It is our privilege to open our hearts and let the Saviour in. Let us praise Him for the brightness of His presence. Let us carry the sunshine of His love on our countenances and bring it into our words. Then His joy will be in us, and our joy will be full.” E.G.W. (The Upward Look, May 8)
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me” (Isaiah 61:1)
“Walk humbly with God, and ask Him to make your course of duty plain. When He speaks to His representatives and asks them to be laborers together with Him, they will do the same kind of work that Jesus announced as His work when He stood up to read in the synagogue at Nazareth.” E.G.W. (Testimonies for the Church, book 9, cp. 22, p. 202)
What the Messiah will do
Verse 1-2 – The Empowerment of the Messiah’s Ministry
These are the two verses which Jesus read as He stood in the synagogue of the city of Nazareth, the place where He was brought up. He read these verses and then sat down without making any comments. As His listeners were still in a stupor as to why He had read and then had sat down without adding a word, Jesus arose again and said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears."
The reason given for the Spirit's power upon Him is that the Lord God had anointed Him to preach good tidings unto the meek, implying that if the Lord had not anointed Him to preach, the Spirit of the Lord would not have been on Him. Moreover, He was anointed to preach to the meek, to those who are not self-sufficient, not high-minded, but humble and teachable; the other class could not be taught. He was to comfort all that mourn, to bind the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives (not to free them immediately). "The acceptable year of the Lord" is, of course, the time in which the scripture is fulfilled, the time it is unsealed and proclaimed. Those who give no heed to it are to be swept away in the "day of vengeance." These were the good tidings for which Jesus was anointed. Unbelief and indifference in revealed Truth is an insult to God and a sin against the Holy Ghost Who leads into all Truth. {1TG 41.24}
What was the Messiah’s work during “the year of the Lord’s favor”?
Is this only Jesus’ work (Luke 4:16-21)? Or is it also our work to announce “the year of the Lord’s favor”?
Today is not the moment to expect God’s ultimate justice yet. We’re encouraged to leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:20).
“To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God.” (Isaiah 61:2)
One day God will take vengeance on His enemies and will do justice (Isaiah 63:4; Nahum 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Revelation 19:15). He will do so with equity, then every knee will bow before His perfect justice (Isaiah 45:23; Philippians 2:9-11).
What God’s People will do
Verse 3 - The burden of the Spirit is to improve the spiritual conditions of those who mourn in Zion, the church: to give them beauty for ashes (for repentance and humbleness), oil of joy for mourning (Present Truth that hopefully lightens the rest of the way) and garments (character) of praise so that they be as living ornaments of righteousness, a new creation of God, that He be glorified.
Here is seen that the original creation of God which has been lost through sin, is to be restored. Now is the acceptable day to open your heart, to take in present Truth, to recreate and restore that which was lost through sin. (1TG 41.25)
Verse 4 – God’s people will rebuild what is ruined: Those who are made glad and beautiful, who are clothed with praise and who become trees of righteousness -- the planting of the Lord. His triumphant servants, the guileless Ezras and Nehemiahs of today, are to restore all things. Now, what is the overall purpose of the house of David? -- The house of David, the Scriptures reveal, is being built up for a three-fold purpose: During the ingathering of the people, it is to "build the old wastes," to "raise up the former desolations," and to "repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations." Isa. 61:4. This work of rebuilding and restoring has as its type the rebuilding of ancient Jerusalem by the ancient Jews returning from their Babylonian captivity to the land of their fathers. Just as they were to build the wastes, the former desolations -- the temple of the Lord, the city and the walls -- and to restore the worship of God according to the Lord's own Divine will, so we, too, now in the antitypical ingathering are called to do a similar work, only much greater both in scope and in proportion. We must therefore labor even more incessantly than they labored, and be happy and thankful for having been privileged to have a part in such a great and glorious work.
Verses 5-6 – God’s people will be set apart to Serve the Lord: The strangers and aliens here mentioned, are of course not strangers and aliens to the Kingdom of God, but to the nation not a blood relation to Judah and Israel, not of the stock of Jacob, not of the 144,000 who first stand on Mount Zion, but with them. The reason there will be no strangers is that no one will serve himself there. In the religious realm, strangers serve themselves rather than the Lord and their king. But in the Kingdom all will serve the Lord their God and David their king. If I am a minister of the gospel for what I can get out of it, then I am serving none but myself; but if I am serving for the good of God's people, then I am serving God… In the forthcoming antitypical Kingdom of Judah, therefore, there shall be two groups of people -- ministers and laity.
From these scriptures we see that the Kingdom of God, the church purified, free from "tares" is a real thing. It is not something imaginary, not something foamy floating and lost in space, but right here on earth.
Verse 7 – God’s people will rejoice at God’s great blessings: Indeed, they should rejoice in the glorious gifts of God more than in the perishable gifts of men. Such Christians are happy in giving love gifts, but their greatest joy and blessing will be in the observance of The Commemorative Holy and Eternal Rest Gift… These ministers of God are to have double because of the shame which they have endured, all such rejoice in their portion. Are you disposed to suffer for Christ's sake? Are you like or unlike those who seek joy and friendship from the world and who sooner or later are to find themselves in great disappointment? Believe! that is all.
What was the Messiah’s work during “the year of the Lord’s favor”?
Is this only Jesus’ work (Luke 4:16-21)? Or is it also our work to announce “the year of the Lord’s favor”?
The Everlasting Covenant
Verse 8 – The heart behind the Covenant: Judgment and justice is God's motto for all His creatures. The statement, "I hate robbery for burnt offering," implies that such unbecoming things are now practiced among His people. In this connection, some years ago I heard a certain member of the church say that in some kind of gambling he had won a little money and as his conscience hurt him to keep it, he gave it as an offering to His church! Also, I have heard several say that they work on the Sabbath, but that they turn the Sabbath's earnings over to the church! These incidents may serve as samples of how foolish, how uneducated in the things of God are the people of God. By bringing such offerings to Him they are making God a gambler and a Sabbath-breaker, and at the same time they imagine that they are doing Him a great favor!
God's promise to His people is: "I will direct their work in Truth." Are we then to question His ability to perform and at the same time expect Him to give us a home in His Kingdom? (1TG 41.27)
Verse 9 – The Covenant brings Prominent Blessings: What a blessed hope! What a power to save both the young and the old and to make their names known world-wide! For such a fame as this, people would go through almost any torture known to mankind. God, though, is only asking you to believe and to comply with His Word, -- yes, that is all.
Christianity is to become a real thing, so real that the Gentiles will acknowledge that such Christians can only be the planting of the Lord, and that only the power of God can bring such a change in the human heart, and cause His saints to say:
Verses 10-11 – The Covenant brings Salvation and Righteousness: This chapter of Isaiah the prophet is indeed to bring "revival and reformation" such as has never taken place since the beginning of sin. God forbid that any one of us should miss the experience and the blessings that come through this revival and reformation… Through the seed of Truth in the heart this experience will come to God's people as naturally as does the earth cause the seed sown in it to bud and bring forth fruit. This is indeed the "righteousness of Christ," not the might of men.
True, we have reached an age of great knowledge, but it seems to be only of lesser importance, and very little in the knowledge of Him from whom all blessings come: In wisdom, knowledge, health, and strength to accomplish great things. Had not the people of God fallen into a drowsy, sleepy spell, many of these ancient symbols and types, with their true meaning of great importance to God's church, would have been revealed long ago. Much good could have been accomplished and the blessings derived from such knowledge cannot be estimated. While the world is making rapid progress in human wisdom and wicked devices, God's people have made no great advancement for the better in any line. For years we have been retracting from Him who is the Source of all true wisdom.
One day God will take vengeance on His enemies and will do justice (Isaiah 63:4; Nahum 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Revelation 19:15). He will do so with equity, then every knee will bow before His perfect justice (Isaiah 45:23; Philippians 2:9-11).
“Could those whose hearts are filled with hatred of God, of truth and holiness, mingle with the heavenly throng and join their songs of praise? Could they endure the glory of God and the Lamb? No, no […] A life of rebellion against God has unfitted them for heaven. Its purity, holiness, and peace would be torture to them […] The destiny of the wicked is fixed by their own choice. Their exclusion from heaven is voluntary with themselves, and just and merciful on the part of God.” E.G.W. (The Great Controversy, cp. 33, p. 542)
