Isaiah 60-66

Isaiah 60-66 
*TO: Judah and Jerusalem
*ABOUT: Judah and Jerusalem
*CONTEXT: The coming church.
==Isaiah 60==
I wanted to do this section as a whole because it is a major section about the coming church and an end to Judaism. This section could be called “Revelation the Prequel” because it has so many images that are copied and pasted right into the book of Revelation. From here, I will spring-board…finally…into the book of Revelation itself.
60:5Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.
Sound familiar? There will be no more sea. The islands will become part of the mainland. The Gentiles will be called God’s people.
60:9Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
The wealth of all nations, brought by those now famous ships of Tarshish, will be brought into the New Jerusalem. Not a physical wealth, but a spiritual wealth here spoken of in metaphor.
60:11Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought.
Another quote into Revelation (21:25-27). Incidentally, the gates being open and the kings being brought indicates that this city, the church, is on earth and those outside of it can still come into it. At the end of time, no one may enter the church who is outside of it because those outside of it will be in eternal punishment and those inside of it will be in Heaven.
60:14The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee; The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
The church, the New Jerusalem that will rule over the world (1 Cor. 4:8; 6:2; Heb. 12:22-23; Rev. 21:2, 9-10 and others)
60:19The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Again in Revelation. (Rev. 21:3; 22:5)
==Isaiah 61==
61:3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Trees again here are used as a symbol of the people of God.
61:6But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.
Christians are now the priest of God in this new time (1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6).
==Isaiah 62==
62:1-5 - 1 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. 2 And 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. 3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. 4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. 5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
Zion and Jerusalem here are the church.  They are the city on a hill (Matt. 5:14).  The light is the gospel which reached even unto the Gentiles (Acts 10).
Once more we see this “new name” as we saw in Isa. 56:5.  This name was Christian and it was first used right after the Gentiles began to be a part of the church (Acts 11:26).  Note that this is before the destruction of Jerusalem.  What this means is that the context of Isaiah 62 is broader than just the year 70 AD.  It encompasses like so many other passages, the entirety of the last days beginning with John the Immerser and on through the end of the first century.
Forsaken and Desolate are terms applied to Old Jerusalem so this is actually more about the name of the city than reference to either the physical or spiritual Jerusalem itself.  The name Jerusalem would go from being a reference to the old, physical capital of Judea - a place associated with Forsaken and Desolate, to the new spiritual Jerusalem, the church.  The name Hephzibah, which is King Josiah's mother's name (2 Kings 21:1), means "my delight is in her".  It is a contrast to "Forsaken".  Beulah is in contrast to Desolate and is stated as "they land shall be married".  The strength of this second term is not just that the new earth (land) would be married, but would not be desolate.  She would bring forth life.  Beulah land then refers to the church bringing forth offspring to her husband, Christ.
It is imperative that the timeframe be understood here.  This is not just AD 70, or even post-AD 70 in view here.  It is the entirety of the last days.  Note the time-based clues in these few sentences.  1) The gospel goes out into the world (vs. 1); 2) The Gentiles shall see the righteousness of the church and begin to take part (vs. 2); 3) They would be called by a new name - Acts 11:26 (vs. 2); 4) the earth would bring forth fruit from marriage, that is people would be converted to Christianity which happened starting at Pentecost (vs. 4).
Furthermore, it must be understood that Christ and the church were bearing offspring (Christians) from Pentecost through the Jewish wars.  Keeping in mind that this is a metaphor of Christ's relationship to the church and individual Christians, they must have been married to produce these offspring else either:
1) Christ is comitting fornication with His allegedly pure fiance if they are not married as some say, OR
2) Christ has no part in the production of offspring if it is some kind of "virgin birth" by the Holy Spirit of all those who became Christians before AD 70, as some allege, a "virgin birth" mentioned nowhere in scripture.  Furthermore, this has even more problems and complications than Christ comitting fornication with a fiance before the wedding.  Since this is a spiritual birth and not a physical miracle such as Jesus' virgin birth, then this is not a miracle (no conversion is), its just spiritual fornication with the Holy Spirit...not a "virgin" birth at all.  Christ's pure fiance is essentially cheating on Him with the Holy Spirit.
The truth of the matter is, the marriage must have taken place at the cross.  The woman in Revelation 12 with the starry crown is the church and produces children that are faithful martyrs (represented in the manchild, Antipas) and not martyrs (other children) that the dragon (the Jewish state) hunts.
Please keep the broader timeframe of the last days in mind as you read through the rest of the context of Isaiah 60-66.
62:6-9 - 6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, 7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. 8 The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: 9 But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.
The watchmen - The concept of the watchman is found in Isaiah 21 and Matt. 24:42-25:13.  This watchman is set in the last days before AD 70, so again our timeframe is the entirety of the last days, not just one year.  These watchmen were John the Immerser, the apostles, and the gospel preachers that watched for the coming of the Lord and warned others of His coming in judgment.
Till he establish...Jerusalem - This phrase makes it clear that the watchmen were set all throughout the establishment period of the church.  John prepared the Jews for the arrival of the Kingdom.  Christ founded the Kingdom at the cross, then proclaimed that foundation on Pentecost through the power of the Holy Spirit.  For the next 40 years, the church was established through the preaching of the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles.  This establishment period was broader than one year so our context must be more than just what happened in AD 70.
The Lord hath sworn - The end result of this establishment effort was the end of enemies (the Jewish state) and the success of the church.
62:10-12 - 10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. 11 Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.
Go through...lift up a standard - The standard is Christ.  Verse 10 is about the 40 years of establishing the church by the preaching of the gospel of Christ.
The Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the age - the last days have been identified, the salvation of the church from her enemies is a sure thing.  The reward is the same reward given in Matthew 25 with the parable of the talents.  Those who have done the work of establishing the church will be rewarded with more responsibility (his work before him) to spread the borders of the Kingdom.  Those who did not remain faithful would also be rewarded with destruction.
They shall call them... - the terms here all refer to the church.  We see these same terms in a number of New Testament books written before the fall of Jerusalem.  These terms already applied to Christians before that time.  Holy people (Hebrews 3:1; 1 Peter 2:9).  Redeemed (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:18-19).  A city not forsaken (Hebrews 12:22).
Chapter 64 shows the ultimate wrath of God upon the Jews and speaks of the desolation of Judah and Jerusalem.
==Isaiah 65==
65:9And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
These are the Christians who will “inherit the earth”, they who have become the domain of Christ the king. (Psa. 2:8; 25:13; 37:9, 11, 22; Matt 5:5)
65:11But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. 12Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.
The Jews.
65:13Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: 14Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit. 15And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
Servants = Christians; Ye/thee = Jews.
65:17For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
Still talking about the destruction of the Jews and the establishing of the church. Yet these new heavens and new earth are beheld in this time. This cannot be about the end of time.
65:19And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
Still within this context we see the end of weeping and crying just like in Rev. 21:4. It was an end to the conflict between the ex-wife of God and the new bride of Christ, the whore and the faithful bride, the bond-woman and the free, the old Jerusalem and the new Jerusalem, the physical Jerusalem and the spiritual Jerusalem.
65:21And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
In Heaven at the end of time we shall have rest, not more labour. This cannot be about the end of time. In truth, this is a metaphor about working for God as ministers of the gospel to the lost, which we will also not do in Heaven because the lost cannot exist there.
==Isaiah 66==
66:7Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. 8Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
The woman who brings for the man child is here equated with the birth of a nation. This image we see in Revelation 12, the woman before the dragon who has a manchild. Rev. 12 is speaking of the birth of a nation during a time of tribulation. Conception/Foundation of this new nation was at Pentecost. Labor was during the pain of torment by “the dragon and his angels” who fought against “Michael and his angels”. And Birth/Establishment was when the biggest enemy, the Jews, were destroyed, 40 years after “Conception” (AD 73 – the end of the 70th week of Daniel).
66:10Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: 11That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.
With the involvement of the Gentiles in this peace after the birth of the new nation, this must be speaking of the new/spiritual/heavenly Jerusalem, the church.
66:19And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
Again the islands are identified as being the Gentiles who will finally be part of the earth, the new earth, the church.
66:21And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
Gentiles will be made into priests by being Christians (1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6)
66:22For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
God specifically identifies the new heavens and the new earth as the church in which these Gentile priests will be.
NT References:Isa. 60:3, 10, 11 - Rev. 21:24-26Isa. 60:5 – Rev. 21:1Isa. 60:11 – Rev. 21:25-27Isa. 60:14 – 1 Cor. 4:8; 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:12;  Heb. 12:22-23; Rev. 5:10; 20:4,6; 21:2, 9-10; 22:3-5Isa. 60:19 – Rev. 21:3; 22:5Isa. 61:1, 2 - Luke 4:17-19Isa. 61:6 - 1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6Isa. 61:10 – Rev. 19:7-8; 21:2Isa. 62:2 - Rev. 2:17; 3:12Isa. 62:5 – John 3:29; Eph. 5:23-27; Rev. 21; 22:17Isa. 62:11 – Rev. 22:12Isa. 62:12 – 1 Pet. 2:9Isa. 63:2, 3 - Rev. 19:13-15Isa. 64:1-2 – 2 Pet. 3:10-12Isa. 64:4. - 1 Cor. 2:9.Isa. 65:1, 2 - Rom. 10:20, 21Isa. 65:9 - Psa. 2:8; 25:13; 37:9, 11, 22; Matt 5:5Isa. 65:13-15 – 1 Cor. 7:29-31Isa. 65:17 - 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1Isa. 65:19 – Rev. 21:4Isa. 66:1-2 - Acts 7:49-50; Matt. 5:3, 34-35Isa. 66:4 – 2 Thess. 2:11Isa. 66:7 – Rev. 12Isa. 66:15-17 – 2 Thess. 1:8; Rev. 9:9Isa. 66:21 - 1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6Isa. 66:22 – 2 Pet. 3; Rev. 21:1Isa. 66:23 – Rev. 15:4Isa. 66:24 - Mark 9:43-44
ConclusionJust the overwhelming number of times the book of Isaiah is quoted or alluded to in the New Testament, being applied time and time again to the Jews of the first century AD, should be enough to prove the premise I began with. After doing this study, I am convinced of my main premise. I understand that a few of the references might need some work. I also understand that this has been only a cursory examination of the book of Isaiah.
However, I also believe that my premise is true.
I also believe this book, as much or more even than Daniel, is the key to understanding the Jews, the establishment period of the church, and the book of Revelation.
In Truth and Love.
==Navigation - Isaiah==
*Introduction - Chapters 1-6
*Assyria and Samaria - Chapters 7-12
*Babylon - Chapters 13-14
*Moab and Damascus - Chapters 15-18
*Egypt, Tyre, and Sidon - Chapters 19-23
*Desolation and songs of Praise - Chapters 24-26
*Main Premise Explicitly Stated - Chapter 27
*Out With the Old, In With the New - Chapters 27-35
*Historical Events and the Coming of John and the Messiah - Chapters 36-43
*The Coming Messiah - Chapters 44-59
*The Last Days - Chapters 60-66
Category:Apocalyptic