Read Isaiah 66:18–24
Questions from the Scripture text: What does God know (Isaiah 66:18)? What will He do to whom? What will they do and see? What will the Lord set among them (Isaiah 66:19)? Whom will the Lord send where? Why do these places need someone sent? What will the nations bring (Isaiah 66:20)? How does verse 20 describe their determination to bring this tribute? How does it describe their consecration in bringing this tribute? What will YHWH do with some of these new brethren from the nations (Isaiah 66:21)? What will YHWH make (Isaiah 66:22)? What will that new heavens and earth do? What two other things will remain? What will happen from month to month and Sabbath to Sabbath (Isaiah 66:23)? Who will participate? What will those who are being gathered for this also do on this great day (Isaiah 66:24)? To what will these transgressors go?
How do all things end? Isaiah 66:18–24 looks forward to the first serial reading in morning public worship on the coming Lord’s Day. In these seven verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that all things end with redeemed believers from all nations enjoying the glory of God in Christ, while remembering that what they actually deserved is an everlasting Hell.
Beholding God’s glory. As the book comes to a conclusion, it focuses upon the conclusion of all things. Isaiah 66:18 is so abrupt in the original that it seems like there are words missing. The works and thoughts here are those of the godly who are rejoicing with Jerusalem in Isaiah 66:14a–b. Rather than the man-centered worship of God’s enemies (cf. Isaiah 66:14d, Isaiah 66:17), believers have received from God an appetite to behold God’s glory (Isaiah 66:18).
God raises up not a banner, this time, but a sign (Isaiah 66:19) to gather all nations to Himself. Jesus identifies Himself as the sign, Who would be lifted up and draw all peoples to Himself (cf. John 12:32)! And, when the Spirit gives us to see Him truly, what we behold is the glory of God Himself (cf. John 1:14). Isaiah 66:19 describes the great mission enterprise to declare God’s glory everywhere that it has not been known. Thus are new “Israelites” from all the nations gathered by any means possible (Isaiah 66:20).
A whole new world of worship. A new Israel gather at a new Jerusalem (Isaiah 66:20) as a new priesthood (Isaiah 66:21) as the beginning of a new creation (Isaiah 66:22). This a covenantal creation: YHWH says it remains “before Me.” The language in verse 22c reveals the Servant of Isaiah 59:21 as the One being addressed. It is Christ, His seed, and His Name, which fills the new creation. Each of these aspects of the eternal blessedness to come centers upon Christ Himself. And the whole of life in this new world is as if it were both New Moon and Sabbath every day (Isaiah 66:23)!
A world of grateful remembrance. Next to this new Jerusalem, there is a graveyard of the tormented. Many have this idea that in the new heavens and new earth, we will not be aware that there are people in Hell. Perhaps we forget that God is rightly glorified by it (cf. Romans 9:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9), and the glorified saints will praise Him for it (cf. Revelation 19:3–4). The Lord Jesus also emphasizes that those who remain in the first Adam will suffer an eternal Hell in which their own worm does not die, and their own fire is not quenched (Isaiah 66:24, cf. Mark 9:42–48).
And perhaps we forget that the knowledge of what we have been saved from would increase our gratitude for God’s grace and our awe at it. As glorified saints are blessed in God’s glory forever and ever, they will do so over-against the constant awareness of what they themselves had deserved, and from which God’s incomprehensible mercy has spared them!
What time do you take to enjoy God’s glory? By what means? How does this prepare you for eternity? By what “sign” do you hope that others will be drawn to Christ? From what have you been saved? What place does meditating upon this have in your life now? To what effect?
Sample prayer: Lord, we thank You for giving us to know and love Your glory already in this life. Forgive us for how infrequently we consider Your glory. And forgive us for how weak are both our desire to know Your glory and our enjoyment of that glory. Christ was raised up as a sign to draw us to Himself, but we too rarely think of the greatness of His cross. Forgive us! And forgive us for being forgetful of the Hell that we have deserved. Grant that we might be mindful of how complete have been Your grace and Your salvation, we ask through Christ, AMEN!
Suggested songs: ARP98 “O Sing a New Song to the LORD” or TPH76 “God the Lord Is Known in Judah”
No comments:
Post a Comment