Isaiah 66 Israel - For The Glory of Jesus

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Israel

Isaiah’s prophecy is that Gentiles and Jews will gather in Israel when Jesus returns to earth. Are you prepared?

This is a Bible Study. Have your own Bible handy to look up the references mentioned.

If you do not have a Bible, I invite you to go to BibleGateway.com or another online Bible.

1. “‘The earth is my footstool’—this little earth on which you and I live is not very important. It is only a footstool for God!” (McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume III. [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983], 348)

“This imagery presents God as a King on a throne, ruling over all the kingdoms of the earth; he is not limited to any temple made by some king (1 Kings 8:27-30) or to a group of people.” (Smith, Gary V., The New American Commentary, Volume 15B, Isaiah 40-66. [Nashville, B & H Publishing Group, 2009], 728)

2. “The God who created this vast universe, who is above it and beyond it, condescends to dwell with the humble and contrite of heart.” (McGee, 348)

“If they [the people] wanted to do something that deserved divine attention, they must fulfill the demands of prophetic religion.

One important element of that religion is underlined here: close attention to the divine word. The emphasis is on the prophetic promise that the people continued to doubt and the prophetic warnings that they ignored.” [Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HOTC Vol. 15: Isaiah. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

Own Way

3. “The prophet saw the human tendency to choose their own way rather than God’s. They did follow God’s guidelines in some matters, but then they brought in pagan rites.” [Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HOTC Vol. 15: Isaiah. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

4. “The only appropriate and possible response to these abominable and ungodly choices is for God himself to choose to bring on this people a just punishment (66:4a).” (Smith, 732)

“The wicked people God will judge were totally unwilling to listen when God was speaking to them (65:12); consequently, they sealed their own destiny because they excluded the possibly of having a positive relationship with God.” (Smith, 733)

“Instead of listening to God and choosing to follow his instructions, they did what was evil in God’s eyes.” (Smith, 733)

5. “God will make the distinction between the true and the false—that which is real and that which is not.” (McGee, 348)

6. “God will finally deal with the enemies of Israel—they are His enemies also.” (McGee, 349)

Birth

7. “The remarkable thing will be the ‘birth of a nation’ as Israel takes center stage on the international scene (vv. 7-9).” (Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament Prophets. [Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2002], 70)

8. “The prophet challenges the listeners to explain this phenomenon (like one would explain a riddle).” (Smith, 739)

“The mother that gives birth is Zion, and the children that are born are the many people who dwell in Israel.” (Smith, 739)

9. “The return of the Jews to their land will be as swift as the birth of a baby. Israel’s ‘travail’ will be ‘the Day of the lord’ or ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ (Jeremiah 30:7), when God will purify His people and prepare them for the coming of their messiah.” (Wiersbe, 70)

Rejoice

10. “Political Israel was born on May 14, 1948, but ‘the new Israel’ will be ‘born in a day’ when they believe on Jesus Christ. Jerusalem will experience joy, peace, and satisfaction.” (Wiersbe, 70)

11. “Zion will provide all that they need to satisfy and comfort them. They will have satisfaction and be comforted by all that God will do for them.” (Smith, 741)

12-13. “God compares himself to the mother with her child. He comforts them with his love and cares for them like a mother comforts her children.” (Smith, 742)

14. “The fullness of comfort will come when God’s people will see and actually experience all the results of God’s marvelous deeds on their behalf.” (Smith, 742)

“God’s hand will bring blessing to His servants but ‘indignation toward His enemies’, and Isaiah describes that ‘indignation in verses 15-18.” (Wiersbe, 70)

Fire

15. “The fire is typically observed whenever people are permitted to see a glimpse of God’s glory (Exodus 3:2; 14:24; 19:18; 24:17; Deuteronomy 5:22-25; Isaiah 39:6; 30:30; Ezekiel 1:27-28).” (Smith, 745)

16. “The reference to ‘all flesh’ suggests that this message is describing a climactic final universal eschatological judgement.” (Smith, 746)

17. “Who will be slain? Those who have disobeyed God’s Law in their eating and their worshiping.” (Wiersbe, 70)

18. “All nations must appear before Him. The Lord Jesus mentioned this in Matthew 25:31-32.” (McGee, 349)

At that time a great company of Gentiles are going to be saved as well as many from Israel. The nations are going to come and worship in Jerusalem.” (McGee,349)

“It is not enough to be ‘religious’; we must serve Him according to what He says in His word (8:20).” (Wiersbe, 70)

Mission

19. “God would send the survivors of his people to gather the nations to see his sign. Here the sign is not defined or explained (7:14; 55:13). The nations mentioned are only the most exotic lands on the edges of the known world.” [Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HOTC Vol. 15: Isaiah. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

20. “The mission to the nations would have immediate results. The nations would return the Israelites still in exile to their homeland.” [Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HOTC Vol. 15: Isaiah. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com]

21. “At that time God will take some of these foreign people for himself so that they can serve as priests and Levites, just like he did originally when he took the Levites for himself in Numbers 8.” (Smith, 751)

22. “God’s purposes and promises for Israel are as eternal as the new heavens and the new earth.” (McGee, 349)

23. “The redeemed of all ages will worship God throughout eternity. That will be the most engaging and important business of eternity.” (McGee, 349)

24. “The final verse contrasts the wonderful destiny of God’s servants with the terrible destiny of those sinners who failed to trust God.” (Smith, 752)

“This final verse has the rhetorical effect of causing the readers, who may be enthralled with the glorious thought of being in the new earth where God will dwell among his servants, to focus their attention on the diametrically opposite destinies that God has prepared for the evil people on this earth.” (Smith, 753)

References

In this article Scripture quotations taken from KJV.

Max Anders and Trent C. Butler (2012). HOTC Vol. 15: Isaiah. B&H Publishing Group. Retrieved from https://read.lifeway.com
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume III. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983
Smith, Gary V., The New American Commentary, Volume 15B, Isaiah 40-66. Nashville, B & H Publishing Group, 2009
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament Prophets. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2002

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