Isaiah 60:4-9
Author A.M. Hunter relates the story of a dying man who asked his Christian doctor to tell him something about Heaven. As the doctor considered his reply, he heard a scratching at the door, and then had his answer.
“Do you hear that?” he asked his patient. “It’s my dog. I left him downstairs, but he has grown impatient, and has come up because he hears my voice. He has no notion what is inside this door, but he knows that I am here. Isn’t it the same with you? You don’t know what lies beyond the door, but you know that your Master is there.”
When you study the subject of heaven it’s easy to become dazzled by the descriptions of the glory of the place. Our eagerness to see our hope fulfilled can distract us from the most important truth about Heaven; that God lives there. What makes Heaven heavenly is God living in the midst of His people. The focus of our hope for the afterlife is not a place but the Person who dwells there.
Today and over the next few weeks we will devote attention to Isaiah 60 and what it tells us about Heaven. Isaiah 60 is the first of a set of chapters that look far beyond the prophet’s lifetime, perhaps even beyond our own. We understand from a study of the whole Bible that one day God will create a New Heaven and a New Earth. The central feature of the New Earth will be the New Jerusalem. I believe Isaiah 60 is a vision of what life will be like in the New Jerusalem. As with common practice, I refer to all of the New Creation as “Heaven.”
Heaven will be populated by the people who have loved Him.
1. Families will be reunited. (v. 4)
In verse one the citizens of the New Jerusalem are invited to let their light be seen by all the nations of the world. That LIGHT is the reflected brilliance of God’s glory. It will have an attractive effect, as ALL NATIONS will come to see that LIGHT. Another benefit to the light is promised in verse four. They are to LOOK AND SEE that EVERYONE IS COMING HOME.
EVERYONE includes YOUR SONS, who ARE COMING FROM DISTANT LANDS. Where are these DISTANT LANDS? TARSHISH is mentioned in verse nine; it was the most distant point on the western edge of an ancient map of the world. It was the frontier of civilization which may’ve been part of the reason Jonah was headed there. It was probably on the eastern coast of Spain. We’re not told how the SONS of Israel got there, so we assume it was the result of the dispersion God warned would happen to them as a consequence of Israel’s unfaithfulness.
EVERYONE also included YOUR LITTLE DAUGHTERS who WILL BE CARRIED HOME. It’s possible we’re to understand they were carried away (abducted) and that’s why they must be carried home. This promise echoes one made in Isaiah 11:12: He will raise a flag among the nations and assemble the exiles of Israel.He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth.
2. The world will be united in worship of God. (vs. 5-7)
The wealth of the nations described in these verses will be used to worship God. The first group of tribute-bearers mentioned here are MERCHANTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD that WILL BRING YOU WEALTH. MERCHANTS accounted for most of the middle class of the day. They were widely traveled, going some distance to obtain goods for sale and trade, then selling or trading them back home.
Two examples of the merchant class are offered. They are settled nations with long ancestries. Midian was a tribe made up of the descendants of Abraham and Keturah. Ephah was a clan of Midian. They were centered on the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba.
Verse six says they traded with Sheba, which was located at the southern end of the Sinai peninsula. These were pagans trading with one another but all of them bringing their valuables to Jerusalem to honor God, like conquered nations bringing their tribute to the victorious king.
The VAST CARAVANS from nations like Midian, Ephah, Sheba WILL CONVERGE ON YOU bringing GOLD & FRANKINCENSE. Historically, Jerusalem was not located on any major east-west caravan route, so this promise is that the MERCHANTS will go out of their way to bring their wealth to God’s people.
Another group, a more humble kind of people, were the nomadic peoples of the time. Isaiah offered two examples of these: THE FLOCKS OF KEDAR AND THE RAMS OF NEBAIOTH WILL BE BROUGHT TO YOU. According to Genesis 25:13, Kedar was a dark-skinned man, the second son of Ishmael. His descendants were nomadic tribes of Arabs (Isaiah 21:16 ; 42:11 ; 60:7 ; Jeremiah 2:10 ; Ezekiel 27:21). They were known for their black hair tents. Nebaioth was also a son of Ishmael, the illegitimate son of Abraham. His descendants were nomadic herdsmen. The wealth of these nomadic peoples was different from the settled nations of verse six, but it all serves the same purpose: to glorify God.
The wealth of the merchants and the nomads are brought to be offerings given to glorify God. Isaiah makes this clear in the following phrases.
- WORSHIPING THE LORD. These goods are the kind of sacrifice that God’s people render out of love and obedience to Him.
- BROUGHT FOR MY ALTARS. The mention of ALTARS indicates that the FLOCKS and RAMS especially will be given to God, sacrificed in a way that is worshipful.
- I WILL ACCEPT THEIR OFFERINGS AND MAKE MY TEMPLE GLORIOUS. The term OFFERINGS covers anything of value that is given to God.
The reaction to the reunion and the tribute of the nations will be the greatest delight and joy ever! YOUR EYES WILL SHINE AND YOUR HEART WILL THRILL WITH JOY describe people giddy with happiness.
3. The people of God will be gathered to honor Him. (vs. 8-9)
In poetical fashion, Isaiah described God reuniting His people. FLYING LIKE CLOUDS refers more to attitude than altitude. They are eager to return to Jerusalem and come speedily. FLYING...LIKE DOVES TO THEIR NESTS. This evokes an image of birds returning to their homes, with the estranged children coming home to a place about which they have a very similar feeling. The references to CLOUDS and DOVES may be a figure of speech for the sails of the ships as they appear on the horizon. They would be indistinct at first, but as they drew nearer, become more clearly seen.
SHIPS FROM THE ENDS OF THE EARTH explains how Israel’s SONS and DAUGHTERS were returned. God’s people, who had been scattered across the globe, were on their way back.
While the reunion of God’s people will be a joy to them, the ultimate purpose is to HONOR THE LORD. When things are at their worst, when God’s people are scattered and hope seems lost, that’s when God will intervene and do what man cannot. God will win the victory and bring His people together forever. Their wealth will be given up to HONOR God, who gave it to them. They will do this because the HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL has FILLED them with SPLENDOR.
Heaven will be populated by the people who have loved Him.
We have observed and explained how Isaiah developed a vision of a glorious future time, using things familiar to his readers so they would appreciate the depth of the good news he offered them. It’s necessary for us to understand the Bible as it was understood by its original recipients before applying it to our own lives.
In this chapter, Isaiah has been given a vision of eternal life. There are three parts to this vision, we’ll cover the other two parts over the next few weeks.
For today, we’re to understand that our eternal life in the New Jerusalem will be a gathering of all nations, all God’s people, wherever they are scattered across the Earth and across time. This means that families and friends will be reunited with an eternity to enjoy one’s company.
This promise encourages us and must embolden us to bring people to Jesus so we can share in eternity together. It will be a reunion unlike any the world has ever seen, but it will be shared by people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
Let me conclude with a couple of quotes about heaven to stimulate our thinking.
President Ronald Reagan said, “Socialism only works in two places: Heaven where they don’t need it and hell where they already have it.”
Actor and Director Clint Eastwood remarked, “They say all marriages are made in heaven, but so are thunder and lightning.”
On a more serious and theologically correct note, evangelist D.L. Moody wrote, “We talk about heaven being so far away. It is within speaking distance to those who belong there. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.” That is an apt summary of the truth we have learned from Isaiah this morning. The only remaining question is, “Are YOU prepared?”
RESOURCES:
Illustration about heaven retrieved from https://ministry127.com/resources/illustrations/heaven, on 26 July 2024.
C.F. Keil and F. Delitzch, Commentary on the Old Testament, Vol. 7, Isaiah, 1982, pp. 409-416.
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