Scripture Reading: Isaiah 60:1-22
Review and Explanation: Isaiah 60 is one example of many OT prophecies about the future restoration of Israel in the kingdom of her Messiah. We understand that the time referred to in this chapter as "the Millennium" or "the Millennial Reign of Christ." The word "millennium" means 1000 years. That's the length of the reign of Christ on the earth, according to Revelation 20, before He "delivers the kingdom to God the Father" (1 Cor. 15:26).
Isaiah 60:1-3 introduce the many superlative descriptions of the blessing and glory in store for Israel during the Messiah's rule. Keep in mind, this glory and these blessings depend on the physical presence of Israel's King, the Messiah, here on the earth. At this time, the world will begin to experience the ultimate fulfillment of all those promises made by God about restoring the earth as a place where His rule is fully honored and obeyed through a Virgin-born, Savior King.
Some form of the word "arise" appears four times in these first three verses. The first appearance is a command to the people of Israel: "Arise, shine, for your light has come." Notice this "light" is something new. It is in stark contrast to the "thick darkness" that is covering the earth at the time.
The second appearance states the new reality that forms the basis of God's command: "...for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you". In other words, the Messiah of Israel has now appeared to them in the light of all His glory.
The third appearance indicates that Israel, out of all other nations, will be the special beneficiary of this new shining of the Lord's glory: "but the Lord will arise upon you (even though thick darkness covers the rest of the earth) and his glory will be seen upon you".
Finally, the fourth mention indicates that in some fashion, the glorious light of the coming Messiah will be put on Israel in such a way as to involve them in a "rising" of their own: "And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising".
One of the most important things to understand about the prophecy of Isaiah 60 is that it hasn't been fulfilled yet. It's fulfillment is for a time still in the future. Keep in mind also that Isaiah 60 is only one of dozens of similar prophecies in the OT. The point is, we are not yet living in the Kingdom period. For one, Israel's Messiah is not yet physically present on the earth. We believe He came the first time, and they rejected Him, which stands in contrast to what Isaiah 60 predicts will happen some day. For two, the glory of the Lord cannot in this moment be seen rising in Israel. The superlatives we will observe in tomorrow's post have not yet come to pass.
In the meantime, the present and growing spiritual darkness of the earth, coupled with the necessity of the physical presence of the Messiah for the Kingdom to begin, should fill our hearts and lives with desire for Jesus to return and for His glory to rise upon the earth.
Reflection Questions:
1. What words would you use to describe the present spiritual darkness in the world? What examples might you give?
2. What can you do to cultivate your heart's desire for the Lord to return to establish His kingdom with His physical presence here on the earth?
3. How does Jesus' instructions in Matthew 6:10 apply?
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