66:1. “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? And
where is the place of my rest?”
Having announced the eternal endurance of Satan’s punishment Isaiah is now
inspired to declare the eternal existence of Jehovah, to indicate - because
it defies description - the magnificence of His throne, and to declare the
impossibility of erecting a house for Him who is eternally omnipresent and
omniscient.
66:2. “For all those things have mine hand made, and
all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look,
even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my
word.”
As to how God created all things it is written, “For He spake, and it was
done; he commanded, and it stood fast,” Ps 33:9, yet His chief interest is
not in these marvels of His creation, but in the man who is humble and
penitent, and who revers His Word, i.e., who loves and obeys His Word. The
man who professes to be a believer, but who has little or no interest in the
study of Scripture, contradicts his profession of faith, for the hallmark of
genuine faith is a hunger for, and delight in obeying, the written Word.
66:3. “He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man;
he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth
an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if
he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul
delighteth in their abominations.”
In this verse God turns from the announcement of His own uniqueness and
holiness to describe the character of the hypocrites, who under the guise of
presenting worship actually engage in what is abominable to Him. There are
few things more abhorrent to God than hypocrisy, and in all of Scripture it
would be difficult to find that fact more clearly stated than here. But
spiritual myopia will prevent many from seeing in what is described here
God’s view of what passes for “worship” in Christendom today. Beyond the
facade of magnificent buildings, a robed and collared clergy, choirs,
well-dressed but for the most part unconverted congregations, lies what is
as abominable to God as are the things described in this verse. What passes
for worship in these “churches” is a far cry from what characterized the
meetings of the early Church as described in the New Testament.
Protestantism in fact is but the stepchild of Roman Catholicism, and today’s
ecumenical movement is on the verge of bringing the errant child back to its
ungodly parent.
66:4. “I also will choose their delusions, and will
bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I
spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that
in which I delighted not.”
“...delusions” is also rendered: vexatious things, torment, calamity,
hardships, these being the evils brought on by their rebellion against God,
who today speaks to men through His Word; but as it was then so is it still:
men’s ears are so filled with the clamor of the world that they can’t hear
“the still small voice” of God because they won’t study the Bible.
66:5. “Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at
his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s
sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified; but he shall appear to your joy, and
they shall be ashamed.”
“Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word” is God’s
exhortation to true believers, for that same Word is able to sustain and
comfort those who love the Lord.
“Let the Lord be glorified” is the mocking challenge of unbelievers to let
God glorify Himself by demonstrating His power in delivering His own out of
all their troubles. But God doesn’t immediately respond to every challenge
of unbelief. In His own good time He will answer the challenge when it will
be too late to benefit His enemies. What unbelief fails to realize is that
it is by trials that God refines the faith of His own, and eternity will
reveal the wisdom of true believers in accepting present adversity as just
one of their heavenly Father’s refining methods.
66:6. “A voice of noise from the city, a voice from
the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompense to his enemies.”
This is generally understood to be a description of the destruction of the
Temple by the Babylonians, the Lord’s enemies being His own rebellious
people, and this being His punishment of their unbelief.
66:7. “Before she travailed, she brought forth; before
her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.”
Israel’s time of travail will be in the coming Great Tribulation, the
judgments of which will result in the destruction of many, but that will see
the conversion of a Jewish remnant, some of whom will survive those
judgments, and remain on the earth to enjoy the blessings of the Millennium
before passing into the eternal state in the new heavens and new earth. Two
thousand years ago Israel, without travail pains, i.e., without knowing it,
produced the “man child,” the Lord Jesus Christ, but because He came in
lowly guise she failed to recognize Him, and instead of receiving Him as her
Savior and King, crucified Him.
66:8. “Who 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 “one day” here is generally understood to be the now imminent Great
Tribulation; and the “travail pain” clearly refers to Israel’s terrible
sufferings during that three-and-a-half year era, which will end with the
Lord returning to deliver her and inaugurate His glorious millennial
kingdom. The children brought forth as a result of Israel’s travail will be
the surviving believing Jewish remnant that will remain on the earth to
enjoy the blessings of His millennial reign.
66:9. “Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to
bring forth? saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the
womb? saith thy God.”
The NAB translation of this verse reads, “Shall I bring a mother to the
point of birth, and yet not let her child be born? says the Lord: or shall I
who allow her to conceive, yet close her womb? says your God?”
This continues the Lord’s reaffirmation of His intention to bring a
believing remnant of Israel out of the Great Tribulation and into the
enjoyment of millennial blessing.
66:10. “Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with
her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for
her:”
However recalcitrant Israel may have been, the fact remains that the Jews
are still God’s chosen and beloved people whom He will eventually bless and
promote to dominion over all the nations in the Millennium.
66:11. “That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the
breast of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the
abundance of her glory.”
The picture continues to be of Israel repentant, forgiven, blessed,
glorified, and restored to her God-appointed place of supremacy in the
Millennium, during which she will be like a nursing mother to the nations,
her abundance being the source of blessing to all of them.
66:12. “For 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.”
The NEB translation of this verse reads, “For thus says the Lord: I will
send peace flowing over her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a
stream in flood.”
Millennial Israel, promoted to glory and supremacy over the nations will be
like a loving nursing mother to all of them - a very different condition
from what exists today, for the truth is that in spite of an outward facade
of friendliness, little love is lost between the Gentiles and the Jews.
66:13. “As one whom his mother conforteth, so will I
comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.”
In the Millennium Israel’s supremacy will be exercised like that of a loving
nursing mother over her children, her care being for the welfare and
blessing of all the nations.
66:14. “And when ye see this, your heart shall
rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the
Lord shall be known towards his servants, and his indignation toward his
enemies.”
TAYLOR has translated this verse, “All the world will see the good hand of
God upon His people, and His wrath upon His enemies.”
The glory and peace of the Millennium will rest on the fact that in that era
God will rule with a firm hand, rebellion being tolerated only as long as it
remains covert, but being punished the moment it become overt.
66:15 “For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and
with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger and fury, and his
rebuke with flames of fire.”
66:16. “For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and
the slain of the Lord shall be many.”
This describes the fury with which the Lord will come in power and glory to
end the Great Tribulation, and establish His Millennial kingdom, see 2
Thess. 1:6-9.
66:17. “They that sanctify themselves, and purify
themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s
flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith
the Lord.”
The reference here is to pagans who attempt to be purified by observing the
prescribed rites of their false religions; but God’s warning is that all
such will be “consumed,” i.e., be cast into hell, and ultimately the lake of
fire, where they will exist in eternal torment.
This picture of pagan idolatry shouldn’t blind us to the fact that Roman
Catholicism is nothing less than apostate Christianity’s sanitized
duplication of the same folly - and having the same eternal fatal
consequences.
66:18. “For I know their works and their thoughts: it
shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come,
and see my glory.”
The gathering mentioned here will be at Armageddon at the end of the Great
Tribulation, see Rev 16:16, “And He gathered them together into a place
called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon,” meaning the hill of slaughter.
God’s glory will be displayed there in His slaughter of the rebel armies.
66:19. “And 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 name, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory
among the Gentiles.”
This setting of a sign is generally taken to be God’s sending the survivors
of the battle of Armageddon as His evangelists to the nations during the
Millennium.
Tarshish, meaning she will cause poverty: she will shatter, is believed to
have been located in Spain; the location of Pul, meaning distinguishing:
separator, is unknown; Lud, located in Spain, means to the firebrand:
prevailing; Tubal in Asia Minor, means thou shalt be brought; Javan, meaning
the effervescing one: mired, is another name for Greece.
There can be little doubt that there is a spiritual lesson connected with
these names, but I regret being unable to determine what that message is.
66:20. “And they shall bring all your brethren for an
offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and
in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain
Jerusalem, saith the Lord.”
Following the Great Tribulation, the Jews who will have been scattered over
the face of the earth, will be brought back to Palestine to enjoy the
blessings of the Millennium, part of those benefits being God’s appointment
of them to the position of national supremacy, an honor long forfeited by
their disobedience. See also comments on chapter 60.
66:21. “And I will also take of them for priests and
for Levites, saith the Lord.”
Levi means joined, and a further blessing of their restoration will be their
reinstatement as God’s priests.
66:22. “For 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.”
Since the new heavens and new earth will continue for ever, so also
apparently will the ministry of the Levites.
66:23. “And it shall come to pass, that from one new
moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to
worship before me, saith the Lord.”
This indicates that the Levitical form of worship will continue in and
beyond the Millennium, a reminder undoubtedly that the redeemed will never
cease to worship God for His “so great salvation,” secured by the
sacrificial death of the One who is represented by all the past typical
offerings: the Lord Jesus Christ.
66:24. “And they shall go forth, and look upon the
carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall
not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an
abhorring unto all flesh.”
This refutes the unscriptural belief that God is too kind to punish
unrepentant sinners eternally. Scripture is unequivocal: as the blessing of
the redeemed is eternal, so also is the torment of the unbeliever, hence the
imperative of heeding God’s warning, “Behold now is the accepted time;
behold, now is the day of salvation,” 2 Cor 6:2. Tomorrow may be eternally
too late.
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