"Arise, shine; for your light is come, And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, And gross darkness the peoples: But the Lord shall arise upon you, And His glory shall be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see: They all gather themselves together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from far, And your daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be lightened, And your heart shall tremble and be enlarged; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned unto you, And the wealth of the nations shall come unto you. The multitude of camels shall cover you, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; They all shall come from Sheba; They shall bring gold and frankincense, And shall proclaim the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto you, The rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto you; They shall come up with acceptance on my altar, And I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, And as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, To bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, For the name of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, For He has glorified you. And strangers shall build up your walls, And their kings shall minister unto you; For in my wrath I smote you, But in my favor have I had mercy on you. Your gates also shall be open continually; They shall not be shut day nor night; That men may bring unto you the wealth of the nations, And their kings led with them. For that nation and kingdom that will not serve you shall perish; Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto you, The fir tree, the pine, and the box tree together; And I will make the place of my feet glorious. And the sons of them that afflicted you shall come bending unto you; And all them that despised you shall bow themselves down at the soles of your feet; And they shall call you, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, So that no man passed through you, I will make you an eternal excellency, A joy of many generations. You shall also suck the milk of the nations, And shall suck the breast of kings; And you shall know that I the Lord am your Saviour, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, And for wood brass, and for stones iron; I will also make your officers peace, And all your exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in your land, Desolation nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, And your gates Praise. The sun shall be no more your light by day; Neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto you; But the Lord shall be unto you an everlasting light, And your God your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, Neither shall your moon withdraw itself; For the Lord shall be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended. Your people also shall be all righteous; They shall inherit the land for ever, The branch of my planting, the work of my hands, That I may be glorified. The little one shall become a thousand, And the small one a great nation; I the Lord will hasten it in its time." (Isaiah 60:1-22,RV)
In reading this chapter, a few things, to which attention has already been called many times, should be borne in mind.
1. Whenever reference is unmistakably made to the city of Jerusalem, as in parts of this chapter, it must be remembered that the city is nothing without the inhabitants. When the city is spoken of as rejoicing, we know that it is the people in the city that rejoice. A city is built up only by the accession of inhabitants.
2. These prophecies were given many years before the Babylonian captivity. At the close of that captivity full liberty was given for every Jew to return to his own land, and no means was withheld, that was necessary to enable them to return; therefore every part of the prophecy that can be thought of as referring merely to temporal things, was fulfilled long ago. That is, it has been fulfilled as far as mere temporal inheritance could do it.
3. It is most obvious that there are things promised not only in this chapter but also in other places, which have never yet been fulfilled. Moreover, it is plain that these things can be fulfilled only by an everlasting inheritance. This is a prophecy that refers to the last days, and its fulfillment will be accomplished only by the coming of the Lord, and the restoration of all things.
God Fulfills All His Promises
4. Above all, must one common error be avoided. It is very common to hear expositors say of certain things that have not been fulfilled, that God made them on certain conditions, and that, the conditions not having been met, the fulfillment of the promises could not be expected. Such exposition is a libel upon God. Never in the world has God made a promise that He will not fulfil in good time. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise." (2 Peter 3:9) "If we are faithless, He abides faithful; for He cannot deny himself." (2 Timothy 2:13)
Even though every man should be unfaithful, and should reject the promise, His promise would hold good, for He would of the very stones make faithful children, who would accept the offers of mercy. "And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." (Matthew 3:9)
God is not dependent upon any man for the fulfillment of His promises; and no person either in this world or in the world to come will ever be able to taunt God with having in any instance failed to keep His word, nor will there ever be the slightest opportunity for doubt to creep into a loyal heart, in view of an unfulfilled promise. Whatever God has promised, "He is able also to perform:" (Romans 4:21) and whatever God is able to do, He will do for the salvation of men.
The Word that Gives Life and Strength
"Arise!" (Isaiah 60:1)
That is, "Stand up!" Compare this with the words in connection with the miracles recorded in: "And He came and touched the bier: and they that bore him stood still. And He said, Young man, I say unto you, Arise." (Luke 7:14) "And He put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise." (Luke 8:54)
To the young man who was being carried to burial, and to the little girl just dead, Christ said, "Arise," and they both stood up, alive. Peter said to the lame man at the gate of the temple, who had never walked, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk," (Acts 3:6) and immediately he walked and leaped. In like manner Paul said to the other man, "who never had walked:" ... Stand upright on your feet. And he leaped and walked." (Acts 14:8,10)
This is the word which is addressed to us in this lesson. The very first word is the word that raises the dead, and makes the helpless walk. Whoever has faith to be healed, whoever hears this word in faith, will find in the study of this chapter a life that he never before has known. "Awake, you that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon you." (Ephesians 5:14)
Let There Be Light
"Shine!" (Isaiah 60:1)
Yes, "Arise, and shine." Why? "For your Light is come." (Isaiah 60:1)
Because Christ shall shine upon you. Nay, more; the light has come, "and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." (Isaiah 60:1)
Here again we have the word of creation. Although the word used in this instance is not the same as that used in the 1st chapter of Genesis, that makes no difference; the fact is that here we have the same command as in: "God said, Let there be light; and there was light." (Genesis 1:3)
In the beginning, when there was nothing about this earth but darkness, without a single ray of light, God said, "Be light," and instantly light was. The very darkness sent forth light. "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)
He is the Light, (John 1:9) and "The light shines in the darkness; and the darkness overcame it not." (John 1:5,RV,margin)
Therefore He can turn our darkness into light. Have we not had the promise? "Then shall your light break forth as the morning; ... then shall your light rise in obscurity, and your darkness be as the noonday." (Isaiah 58:8,10)
It is the God who creates, who is speaking to us here. If we remember Him as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, we shall know the power by which the worlds were made, and by which the dead are raised. This is true Sabbath-keeping.
Lights in the World
"For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you." (Isaiah 60:2)
When Moses came down from the mountain, after having been in close communion with the Lord, talking with Him face to face, his face shone. It was not merely that it was bright, but it gave off rays of light; light beamed forth from it for the benefit of others, if they were willing to receive it. That was but an illustration of what God wishes all His people to be: Light-bearers. "You are the light of the world." (Matthew 5:14)
The light which His people have is the light of His life, for He says, "He that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)
So we are exhorted to "Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the Word of life." (Philippians 2:14-16)
The life is the light of men, and it is a most wonderful thought that this glorious light of God is to be made manifest in mortal flesh, (2 Corinthians 4:11) so that those who sit enshrouded in the gross darkness of this world are to receive "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God," (2 Corinthians 4:6) by seeing it in His humble followers. Surely it is high time to heed the command, "Arise, shine!" (Isaiah 60:1)
Real Life: The Light of Life the Light of the World
That this is not imaginary light, that shines from the faithful followers of Christ, is evident from what appears later on in the chapter, as well as from other scriptures. Of the city, when it shall be filled with its children, we read that it "had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." (Revelation 21:23)
Compare with: "The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto you: but the Lord shall be unto you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no more go down; neither shall your moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended." (Isaiah 60:19-20)
The light which shines from God is actual light, far above the shining of the sun, for it is from Him that the sun gets all the light that it has; therefore when His people are as subject to His will as the sun is, they will also shine with real light. "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matthew 13:43) "They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3) "Now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be." (1 John 3:2)
That is, the light that will shine forth from the bodies of the saints, is not yet made manifest, therefore the world knows them not, even as it knew not Christ; nevertheless the life which is manifested in those who are wholly the Lord's is the very same light that shines from the face of the Lord, the same that illuminates the earth. "And the Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to you: your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see, and flow together, and your heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto you, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto you. The multitude of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto you: they shall come up with acceptance on my altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring your sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord your God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you." (Isaiah 60:3-9)
Not all will vail their faces from it; no shining is in vain, no matter how obscure the place in which the life is manifested; for the Gentiles, the heathen, the nations of the earth, will come to the light when it is allowed to shine forth unhindered, and even kings will come to enquire about it.
It is true that the coming of the wise men from the east at the birth of Christ was in fulfillment of this prophecy; but we must not imagine that this occurrence exhausted it. That was only a sample of what shall be done when Christ is fully formed in all His people. There are many kings and rulers in so-called heathen lands, who have great power and influence, and many of these will yet be seen enquiring the way of life.
The Building Up of Zion
"Strangers shall build up your walls." (Isaiah 60:10)
This is but another statement of the fact that the kingdom of Israel is to be built up by the coming in of the people of all the different nations of earth. The calling of the Gentiles is the means by which the ruins of the house of David are to be built up. "After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, says the Lord, who does all these things." (Acts 15:16-17; Amos 9:11-12)
Those who were once "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world, ... are brought nigh by the blood of Christ," (Ephesians 2:12-13) so that they are "no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together grows into a holy temple in the Lord." (Ephesians 2:19-21)
These, coming to Christ the Living Stone, are made into living stones, and "are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5)
So it is written, "Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out." (Revelation 3:12)
Thus will the walls of Jerusalem, the holy city, be built up. The grand work is even now going forward; who will form a part of the grand structure?
Glorifying His House
"I will make the place of my feet glorious." (Isaiah 60:13)
Read again the scripture that has so frequently been referred to in these lessons, namely, Zechariah 14:3-8, which tells us that at the time of the last great battle the Lord shall go forth to fight against the nations that are opposed to Jerusalem (verse 3), and that His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, and it shall become a great plain (verse 4), in which the city with its living waters shall stand (verse 8). Read also verses 6-9 in connection with the chapter we are studying. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one." (Zechariah 14:6-9)
This, together with Revelation 21, will serve to fix the application of the chapter. Verse 8 is specially comforting when read in connection with the Scriptures which show that God's people are "builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:22)
In Isaiah 57:15 we read that God dwells with the lowly, and at the same time, "in the high and holy place." (Isaiah 57:15)
His presence in dust animates it; when He dwells with the lowly one, He sets him on high; and when He is allowed to dwell in the meanest and most debased soul, He glorifies it. "I will glorify the house of my glory." (Isaiah 60:7)
Our part is but to be willing and submissive; God's part is to give grace and glory, (Psalm 84:11) and strength according to the riches of His glory. (Ephesians 3:16) "The Lord God is a sun and shield." (Psalm 84:11)
This we see from: "The sun shall be no more your light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto you: but the Lord shall be unto you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no more go down; neither shall your moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be ended." (Isaiah 60:19-20)
The sun of the city of God will never go down, night nor day, because the Lord will be its everlasting light. The sun will shine as it does now, only with greatly increased light, ( Isaiah 30:26) but in the city of God it will not be needed, since the greater light of God himself will shine there day and night. (Revelation 21:23)
A Righteous Nation
"Your people also shall all be righteous; they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified." (Isaiah 60:21)
Thus we see that the consummation of the shining of God's people is the "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness." (2 Peter 3:13)
That is the consummation, but the beginning must be now, in the midst of the darkness of this present evil world. "The path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day." (Proverbs 4:18)
• The powers of the world to come must be manifested in this present world;
• The light of the new earth must be seen on the old earth;
• The salvation and praise that will be the protection of the holy city when the assault is made upon it by the hosts of evil must now be manifested; and
• The righteousness that will dwell in the new earth must exist here and now in all its fullness.
This will be the case by power of Him who can make a little one a strong nation, and who in His faithfulness will do it. "A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time." (Isaiah 60:22) "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calls you, who also will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)--Present Truth, May 17, 1900--Original title: The Restoration of Zion / Glory of the New Creation--Isaiah 60:1-22