Tuesday March 16
Universal Appeal (Isa. 60:1, 2)
60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
60:2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
What is Isaiah 60:1, 2 talking about? What principle do you see at work there that’s seen all through the Bible? What hope does it offer?
While these truths apply to every age, it most pointedly applies to our day when it shall be the darkest ever and the glory of the Lord shall be the brightest ever. This promise of God's glory being poured out upon His people is in its infancy. There must be revival and reformation in His church before the Holy Spirit will be poured out. God wanted to do this in 1888, but the church leadership rejected the gospel message and here we still are.
It is up to you and me to not only die to self daily, but to impart to others what Jesus has taught us, the power of grace to transform the character today, not just tomorrow. If we are not changed today, then there will be none to give the last message of warning to a world soon to perish. Unless we are walking in the light of God's love and grace, we cannot expect others to accept the gospel message. If we contradict what we say, then we appear as hypocrites to the world. God spoke through Ezekiel to make sure we understand despite the false gospels which have blinded us to our condition as a people. Ezekiel tells us (the modern house of Israel) that we have profaned His name in front of the world. He is jealous for His reputation which by sin we have tarnished. He is going to pour clean water upon us so that there will a people who when the world sees, they will know there is a God in heaven. Why so? Because when we are converted, there is a marked difference between those who have given the whole heart to God and those who have not.
"36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not [this] for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
36:23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
36:24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].
It is a commonly accepted teaching in God's church that we have salvation (justification) when we sin a known sin. But, this is a lie. Paul makes it very clear in the Book of Romans, as does the rest of Scripture. And Satan being very clever has removed from some of the modern day bibles the second half of Romans 8:1 which reveals who it is that is condemned and those who are not.
8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
8:6 For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.
8:7 Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.
8:10 And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness.
8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
In Isaiah 60:1, 2, we are given a picture of God’s deliverance of His people, following the exile, expressed with the imagery of God’s creating light out of darkness and pointing forward to an ultimate fulfillment in salvation through Christ.
60:3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
In Isaiah 60:3, to whose light do nations and kings come?
In Hebrew this person is feminine singular (see also Isa. 60:1, 2). It must be “Zion,” personified as a woman, who is mentioned near the end of the previous chapter (Isa. 59:20). So, the people of the earth, who are covered in darkness, will come to Zion. They will be drawn by the light of God’s glory that has arisen over her (Isa. 60:2). “Zion is summoned to enter into the light that is hers and then to observe and react to the nations as they gather to the same light.” — J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, p. 494. Notice that although Zion is Jerusalem, the emphasis is more on the people than on the physical location of the city.
Yes, it is to those who reflect the glory (character) of God that those who are seeking truth will come. It is speaking of our day just in front of us. And it will not be "nations" that come to us, for all nations of the Earth will be in rebellion and are creating the gross darkness covering the whole earth. Some think America is a bastion of Christianity, but in fact we can see that their is gross darkness in many churches today and it will be even more obvious when they begin to call for the nation to enforce her false doctrine. America has repudiated her Protestant and republican heritage. Look up for our redemption draweth nigh.
The rest of Isaiah 60 develops the theme introduced in verses 1-3: The people of the world are drawn to Jerusalem, which is blessed because of God’s glorious presence there.
How does this prophecy compare with God’s covenant promise to Abraham? Gen. 12:2, 3.
12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Are they not saying the same thing?
I don't think so. The whole world will not come to those who are reflecting God's glory. The world that has rejected the Truth as it is in Jesus will persecute those who reflect His glory (character). And, verse 3 begins by saying God will curse those who curse Israel. So, we need to better define what it means in verse 3 when it says "be blessed." Or what does it mean when it says "all families." Looking at today, we know not all families of the Earth will be blessed as they are persecuting the saints who are modern day Israel. And, the nation being spoken of in verse 2 was a great nation, but is no more. The nation of Israel is no longer God's people. Those who are children of Abraham today are those who love God and keep His commandments those who are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Through the Holy Spirit, God’s word is a light as it becomes a transforming power in the life of the receiver. By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops in men the attributes of God. The light of His glory—His character—is to shine forth in His followers. Thus they are to glorify God, to lighten the path to the Bridegroom’s home, to the city of God, to the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The coming of the bridegroom was at midnight—the darkest hour. So the coming of Christ will take place in the darkest period of this earth’s history. The days of Noah and Lot pictured the condition of the world just before the coming of the Son of man. The Scriptures pointing forward to this time declare that Satan will work with all power and “with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10. His working is plainly revealed by the rapidly increasing darkness, the multitudinous errors, heresies, and delusions of these last days. Not only is Satan leading the world captive, but his deceptions are leavening the professed churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. The great apostasy will develop into darkness deep as midnight, impenetrable as sackcloth of hair. To God’s people it will be a night of trial, a night of weeping, a night of persecution for the truth’s sake. But out of that night of darkness God’s light will shine.
He causes “the light to shine out of darkness.” 2 Corinthians 4:6. When “the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep,” “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” Genesis 1:2, 3. So in the night of spiritual darkness, God’s word goes forth, “Let there be light.” To His people He says, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Isaiah 60:1.
“Behold,” says the Scripture, “the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.” Isaiah 60:2.
It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth.
This is the work outlined by the prophet Isaiah in the words, “O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.” Isaiah 40:9, 10.
Those who wait for the Bridegroom’s coming are to say to the people, “Behold your God.” The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them. The light of the Sun of Righteousness is to shine forth in good works—in words of truth and deeds of holiness. Christ, the outshining of the Father’s glory, came to the world as its light. He came to represent God to men, and of Him it is written that He was anointed “with the Holy Ghost and with power,” and “went about doing good.” Acts 10:38. In the synagogue at Nazareth He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18, 19. This was the work He commissioned His disciples to do. “Ye are the light of the world,” He said. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14, 16. Christ's Object Lessons; pg 412
God had a universal purpose when He chose Abraham and his descendants: Through Abraham all families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3, Gen. 18:18, Gen. 22:18). So, God's covenant with Abraham was ultimately intended to be a covenant with all humankind through Abraham. He and his descendants would be God's channel of revelation to the world.\
So was the everlasting covenant to be a covenant for the whole world, but the whole world would not enter into His covenant, nor did all Israel. A covenant is between two or more people. There are conditions to a covenant. Many have been called, but few choose to enter into God's covenant. It is true that the world is blessed by having His Spirit in the world, and to have those who are filled with His Spirit in the world. But, the curse remains on those who curse God's people.
Isaiah sought to bring his people back to their ancient, universal destiny. As the representatives of the true God, they were responsible not only for themselves but for the world. They should welcome foreigners who seek God (see also Isa. 56:3-8), for His temple “shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” (Isa. 56:7, NRSV).
In this context, how do you understand the role of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, or even, more specifically, your individual role in that church?
We should welcome those who come into our country illegally? We ought to do what we can to help those seeking God. If we can do something to help them immigrate legally, then we ought to do it for those truly seeking God. The temple was to be a source of blessing, but in fact the false teachers made it a market place to benefit their selfish hearts. How is it today in your country? Is your church a safe place to bring those seeking truth. It may be better to leave them where they are? Revival and reformation needs to have come before God is going to work mightily to bring people into His church, else many will come in, see hypocrisy and leave, never more to return. Do we see this in many of our churches today? We need to clean our own home so that we do not bring reproach upon Jesus and His work. Pray for the clean water spoken of in Ezekiel 36 to be poured out upon His church.