Isaiah 60

When S. Driver came to this chapter he said that Isaiah imagined a beautiful utopia called Zion, a restored city to which nations in future stream. The reality is that Isaiah did not dream it. It was a message of the Lord to Isaiah about the resurrection event and its impact and implications. When God says: “Arise and shine for your light has come” (v. 1a), it means that resurrection morning has arrived. The dead arise and they perceive light. The glory of the Lord came in terms explained fuller in Habakkuk 3 and here in Isaiah 60 “for the glory of the Lord is upon you” (v. 1b). Just before the Second Coming, the final time of death or darkness upon the earth will approach “darkness will cover the earth” (v. 2a). It does not mean all in the remnant will die. “Deep darkness the peoples” (v. 2b) but in the world’s darkest hour, since it is the Time of Trouble, “the Lord will rise upon you” (v. 2c). “His glory will appear upon you [remnant]” (v. 2d) again similar as Habakkuk 3. Resurrected the remnant is full of the Light of the Lord and “nations will come to your light” (v. 3a) and “kings to the brightness of your rising/sprouting [zarhek which is the same as zaraḫu in Akkadian]” (v. 3b). Nations and kings that will come to the remnant are probably the unfallen worlds’s nations and kings? “Lift up your eyes around about and see, they all gather together, they come to you” (v. 3-4). Christ comes with all His mighty angels at the Second Coming but is there a possibility that also the unfallen worlds come with him? “Your sons [who died later and buried elsewhere] will come from afar and your daughters [resurrected now] will be carried in the arms [of angels]” (v. 4c-d). “Then you will see and be radiant and your heart will thrill and rejoice” (v. 5a-b). Parents will be very happy to see their children on resurrection day. Then Isaiah opened a panel of what is the utopia of his day in the mental–lexicon of those days. It is a picture of affluency in ancient times. Many camels, gold and frankincense, flocks, rams and the countries where they use to come from in those days of Isaiah are mentioned: Midian, Ephah, Sheba, Kedar, Nebaioth (v. 6-7). The Lord will glorify His glorious house in heaven with the remnant and their gifts they received (v. 7d). The picture is one of happy worshippers and a happy Lord. The scene of the resurrection continues. After the resurrection of Daniel 12:1-2 Isaiah asks “who are these who fly like a cloud, and like the doves to their lattices?” (v. 8). Then in verse 9 Isaiah mentions the Lord, probably Christ Himself talking about Himself as victorious Messiah to Isaiah for He says: “For to Me the coastlands will wait” meaning that they will accept the gospel and wait for the Second Coming of the Messiah (v. 9a). “The ships of Tarshish first to bring your sons from afar” (v. 9b-c) may refer to the mission work of Paul and others spreading the gospel and faithful ones will be brought to the Light of Christ’s salvation. They will contribute to the gospel as Paul in 2 Corinthians thanked them for (v. 9d). “For the name of the Lord your God and for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you [remnant]” (v. 9e-f). After the resurrection and after 1000 years and after the extermination of all evil in the Hell the new earth is created and and where their tumbling walls use to stand, on the new earth, foreigners from unfallen worlds outside our universe will come and build the remnant’s walls (v. 10a) and their kings will minister to you (v. 10b). It is not a shame for kings in heaven to stoop down and wash their subjects feet for heavenly service is selfemptying service, a concept that is not part of this world’s evil history. Although the remnant was punished in history God’s favor made Him to have compassion over them (v. 10d). Their gates will be open “continually” (v. 11a) for the wealth of nations of unfallen worlds to bring it to the heavenly newcomers, the remnant (v. 11c). Kings of other unfallen worlds will come in procession to them (v. 11d). All the nations on earth that have afflicted the remnant “will perish” (v. 12). The time of Isaiah utopic concept of wonderful wood and wood objects like juniper, box tree, cypress from Lebanon “will come to you” (v. 13a). They will beautify the place of His sanctuary in Heaven in the new world (v. 13d). On the new earth the sons of those who afflicted them on earth, but who became also converted, probably in the Latter Rain event, “will come bowing to you” (v. 14a). “And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet and they will call you the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (v. 14d). It is heavenly Zion, the New Jerusalem in heaven and the remnant in heaven that is in mind here. Whereas in history on earth, the remnant “have been forsaken and hated” the Lord will make in \heaven the remnant “an everlasting pride” (v. 15c). They will be a joy from generation to generation (v. 15d). Then there is a verse that the translators had problems with because the root meaning is from Late Egyptian and not from Akkadian or Aramaic or Arabic. “You [remnant] will enclose [Egyptian ínḳ meaning enclose or enwrap] the heart [different vocalization] of nations and the terror/raid [see a few verses down where the New Babylonian word sadu means raid] of kings you will enclose [again the Egyptian loanword above]” (v. 16). It means that they will be finally in the eschaton circumstance successful over nations on earth that afflicted them and over kings on earth who raided them. “Then you will know that I the Lord am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob” (v. 16d). The remnant will experience on the new earth improvement over earthly conditions. They imagine bronze but it will be gold, they imagine iron but it will like silver, wood but it will be like bronze, stones but it will be like iron (v. 17). “I will make peace your administrators and [Christ’s] righteousness your overseers” (v. 17e-f). It is definitely heaven and the new earth since Isaiah says “violence will not be heard again in your land” (v. 18a). There will not be devastation, destruction, and the remnant on the newly created earth by God will call their walls “salvation” and their gates “praise” (v. 18c). On the new earth created for the faithful remnant of God, there will no longer be a sun or moon “but you will have the Lord for an everlasting light” (v. 19a-c). “Your sun will set no more, neither will your moon wane for you will have the Lord for an everlasting light” (v. 20a-c). It forms an envelope in a chiastic structure of ABC C’B’A’. In the center between C and C’ is the phrase: “[and you will have] your God for your glory” (19d). “And the days of your mourning will be finished” which refers to the 1000 years or millennium in heaven when the saints cry over their loved ones who did not make it to heaven (v. 20d). In heaven, on the new earth “all your people [are] righteous, they will possess the [new] earth forever” (v. 21a-b). They will be called “branch of My planting, the work of My hands that I may be glorified” (v. 21c-e). The remnant will glorify the Lord in heaven by their existence. They will increase and become many (v. 22). The Lord promised to Isaiah that after the Door of Mercy closes and His work of Investigative Judgment is over, that “I the Lord, will hasten it in its time” meaning that the Lord will be in a hurry after He received the kingship from His Father, to come at the Second Coming.

Dear God

It is not only in the New Testament and not only in the Book of Revelation that we learn of the New Earth, heavenly Zion and heavenly New Jerusalem. With such a beautiful prospect for the happy remnant on the new earth, help us to be part of this whole event. Amen.