Watchman Radio Hour

David Schulte: Welcome to the Watchman Radio Hour, coming to you from Portland, Oregon, here in the beautiful Northwest. This is David Schulte, your announcer. The Watchman Radio Hour is a production of Watchman Radio Ministries International, an evangelistic ministry reaching out to the peoples of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And now here's our speaker, Alex Dodson, to bring you this week's message from God's word.

Alex Dodson: For our scripture reading today, let us turn to Isaiah chapter 66, and we'll begin reading in verse 18. Let us hear the word of God. "And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come. And I will gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory. And I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations, to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians, famous as archers, to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.

And they will proclaim my glory among the nations. And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord on horses and in chariots and wagons and on mules and camels, says the Lord. They will bring them as the Israelites bring their grain offerings to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels. And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites, says the Lord."

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the Bible that you have given to us. We thank you that it's your infallible word and that we can put our full confidence in everything that it says. And now, oh Father, as we come to study your word, we pray that you will send forth your Holy Spirit in great convicting power. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

The Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of the Messianic age or the Gospel age. They painted it in glorious terms. One day, the Messiah would come and usher in a new era. When Jesus came on the scene, he came with this message: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel." Jesus had come to usher in that new age. He inaugurated the Messianic age, and today, we're in that age and it's not over yet.

Much of what the Old Testament prophets saw would come about in the Messianic age is yet to be fulfilled. Much has been accomplished. The gospel has spread, and many have been won to Christ, but there is much more coming. We must believe that. In Habakkuk 2:14, it says, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." And in Malachi 1:11, it says, "My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name because my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty."

These Old Testament prophets had much more faith about the future of this age than some of our modern-day prophets. So many in the church today have lost their faith in the future. They just want to get out of here and leave this world through a coming rapture that some teach will come at any moment. Yet, is that what it's all about? Did the Lord put us here just to escape through a rapture? Did he not put us here to proclaim the gospel and win the nations to Christ?

There's much work yet to be done. Many people yet need to be won to Christ, and all nations need to be reclaimed for Christ. The church will prevail. God has promised, and we must not give up. Our cry should be like that of the prophet who said, "For Zion's sake, I will not keep silent. For Jerusalem's sake, I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn and her salvation like a blazing torch." Isaiah 62:1.

Our text for today is Isaiah 66 and verses 18 through 21, which I want to read again. "And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come. And I will gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory. And I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations, to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians, famous as archers, to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. And they will proclaim my glory among the nations. And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels, says the Lord. They will bring them as the Israelites bring their grain offerings to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels. And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites, says the Lord."

The gathering of the nations to Christ is foretold here by Isaiah. He paints a glorious picture of the Gospel age and the spreading of the gospel among the nations. And it all began in Jerusalem, and it's now spreading throughout the world. And it will continue until all the nations and the peoples come to the Lord and acknowledge him. We must believe that. It's not over. There's much yet in the future for the Gospel age. The future of the church is glorious in this age. The prophets declared it, and we must accept their vision by faith. We must not give in to the prophets of doom who have given up on the church and proclaimed that it will end in failure. They are wrong. The future for the church in this world is bright and glorious. That's the message of the Old Testament prophets, and we need to believe and capture that vision for our age.

Now let us see in the first place: a judgment will precede the gathering of the nations. Again, verse 18 says, "And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to come. And I will gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory." There would be a judgment on a rebellious people. Matthew 24, for the most part, foretells a judgment upon Israel which took place in 70 AD when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. It is this great judgment that is probably foretold here in Isaiah 66.

Edward J. Young writes, "With a thought reminiscent of chapter 2, verses 2 through 4, Isaiah declares that they, the nations in languages, will come and see the Lord's glory. In his inaugural vision, he himself had beheld the glory of the Lord, and now he can triumphantly declare that all nations will also behold it. Perhaps Matthew 24:31 reflects upon this passage. His glory had been particularly displayed in the judgment of the disobedient nation, and in their place, there will be the true Israel which will include the Gentiles who have come to the Lord."

And then he goes on to write, "In fact, the context demands that the reference be to the Jews described in verse 17 and of whose deeds and devices mention is made in verse 18." This great judgment fell on Jerusalem in the first century. It is most likely that the prophet was pointing to that judgment. And that judgment brings forth a new birth of Israel. In Matthew 24:31, it says, "And he will send his angels or his messengers with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the heavens to the other."

Though the popular interpretation of this verse today is usually pointing at the second coming, it is very possible that the verse refers rather to the aftermath of the judgment on Jerusalem in 70 AD and the sending forth of the gospel into all the world. This fits the context better. Later in Matthew 24, the second coming is referred to, but probably not in verse 31 and the previous verses. Isaiah 66:8 says, "Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children."

This verse probably refers to the birth of the New Testament church or the new or renewed Israel. This judgment on Israel in 70 AD was very severe. Yet it was not total. There was a remnant, and from that remnant came a new Israel or a new nation of God's people in the New Testament church. Isaiah 6:13 says, "And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land."

This could very well be a reference to the remnant that was left of the Jews after the 70 AD judgment. There was a stump left in the land, and from that stump grew a mighty tree, the New Testament church or the new Israel. A beautiful description is given in Isaiah 4, verses 2 through 6, of the survival of a remnant that will carry on and be blessed by the Lord. It says, "In that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.

The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion. He will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. And then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night. Over all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain." This seems to be a description of the Messianic age or the Gospel age. It comes about that out of the ruins of Jerusalem come a remnant who will be blessed by the Lord.

This is the description of the New Testament church coming forth from the ruins and a glorious people of God emerging to carry on the new Israel. Edward J. Young writes, "In the light of the context, we must interpret this of the whole wondrous series of events that occurred when the ancient Jewish nation was cast off and the church of Jesus Christ founded. From a stump grows a mighty tree, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, the new Israel of God."

Now let us see in the second place: the survivors will go into all the world with the gospel. Verse 19 says, "And I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations, to Tarshish, to the Libyans and the Lydians, famous as archers, to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. And they will proclaim my glory among the nations."

The apostles carried the gospel to the nations. This Jewish remnant, the apostles and the other Jewish Christians, carried the gospel to the nations. Edward J. Young writes, "In order to accomplish this, I shall send out survivors of the judgment upon Israel who will proclaim my greatness and saving power among those nations which have never yet heard my name nor seen my glory." And then he goes on to say, "Thus Peter himself, a survivor, pleads with his hearers to escape from that crooked generation. Included in this sign was the wonderful work of converting some Jews from their enmity to God to acceptance of the new Messiah."

Among those, of course, were the apostles. But the sign includes more. It involves the bringing to an end of the disobedient nation, the coming to earth of the Messiah whose appearance and work were enveloped with the supernatural. Young continues, "Tubal probably refers to the Tibareni in northeast Asia Minor and Javan to Greece. The distant isles are those of the Mediterranean Sea. The line of nations mentioned runs from west to east along the southern boundary and from east to west along the northern. Thus, these examples serve the purpose of indicating the universality of the proclamation."

My fame refers to what has been heard concerning him. Inasmuch as these nations to whom the messengers were to be sent had lain in the darkness and ignorance of heathendom and were bound with error's chains, they could not have heard of the sovereign Lord nor have seen his remarkable glory. How different from that nation which had heard of God's fame and seen his glory and yet it turned to the abominations of idolatry. Matthew Henry says this, "He will appear to the comfort and joy of all that are faithful to him in setting up of his kingdom in this world, the kingdom of grace, the earnest and firstfruits of the kingdom of glory."

"The time shall come that he will gather all nations and tongues to himself, that they may come and see his glory as it shines in the face of Jesus Christ. This was fulfilled when all nations were to be discipled and the gift of tongues was bestowed in order thereunto. The church had hitherto been confined to one nation, and in one tongue only, God was worshipped. But in the days of the Messiah, the partition wall should be taken down and those that had been strangers to God should be brought acquainted with him and should see his glory in the gospel as the Jews had seen it in the sanctuary."

And then he writes, "Those that escape the power of those prejudices by which the generality of that nation is kept in unbelief shall be sent to the nations to carry the gospel among them and preach it to every creature." He continues, "In Judah only was God known, and there only his name was great for many ages. Other countries sat in darkness, had not the joyful sound, so not the joyful light. This deplorable state of theirs seems to be spoken of here with compassion, for it is a pity that any of the children of men should be at such a distance from their maker, as not to hear his name and see his glory."

"But more clearly and fully by the apostles and early preachers of the gospel who were sent into all the world, even to the isles afar off, to publish the glorious gospel of the blessed God. They went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them." In Mark 16:20, it says, "Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." These survivors of the judgment on Jerusalem and Israel in 70 AD were none other than the apostles and the early Jewish Christians who were the seed of the New Testament church. They went unto the Gentiles and proclaimed the gospel.

And the church continues its mission to all the world. Edward J. Young writes, "In the concluding clause, the nature of biblical and missionary preaching is set forth with remarkable clarity. It is the making known among the nations of God's glory. This is accomplished by the faithful preaching of the gospel, the whole counsel of God. Thus the primary aim in missionary and in all preaching is not the betterment of the hearer, but the glory of God. When this aim is lost from sight, the work of the church fails. When the glory of God is made known, all these other things are added unto us. Man receives his highest blessing and wellbeing when God is glorified."

The church continued to make known God's glory among the nations. After the Reformation, the great advance in missions did not come right away. It waited until the eve of the 19th century when God raised up men like William Carey to carry the gospel into all of the modern world. Iain Murray writes in his book, The Puritan Hope, "On May 31, 1792, the great turning point came. Preaching before the Northampton Association's meeting at Nottingham, Carey took as his historic text Isaiah 54:2 and 3."

"'Enlarge the place of thy tent and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations. Spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes, for thou shalt break forth on the right and on the left, and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not.' From these words, in a sermon which has been called a burning bush of missionary revelation, Carey delivered the prophet's great message, which he summarized as 'Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.'"

"The next morning, the proposal was passed that a plan be prepared for forming a Baptist society for propagating the gospel among the heathen. This was the plan which came to fruition at Kettering the following October. In June of 1793, from the deck of the Crown Princess Maria, Carey saw England for the last time at the commencement of his 15,000-mile voyage to India. With him were his family of six and a colleague, John Thomas. Five months later, he began his 40 years' work in Bengal." And so began the modern missionary movement that still continues to this day as the gospel goes out to the peoples of the world.

And then, thirdly, let us see a great gathering of the nations into the church. Verses 20 and 21 say, "And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord on horses and in chariots and wagons and on mules and camels, says the Lord. They will bring them as the Israelites bring their grain offerings to the temple of the Lord in ceremonially clean vessels. And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites, says the Lord." They would come from all over. People from all over the world would come into the church. They will be coming by all means to Zion.

The old Geneva Bible, a note too on verse 20, says, "Whereby he meaneth that no necessary means shall want when God shall call the Gentiles to the knowledge of the gospel." Edward J. Young writes, "The prophet employs a beautiful expression in the speaking of the Gentile converts as your brethren. None of the elect, whether from the Jews according to the flesh or from among the Gentiles, will be left behind. Through the preachers of the gospel, God will bring them all to himself. All true believers, and only true believers, whether Jew or Gentile, are also brothers in Christ."

And Matthew Henry says this, "They shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord. God's glory shall not be in vain declared to them, but they shall be both invited and directed to join themselves to the Lord." And then he writes, "These expressions are figurative. And these various means of conveyance are heaped to intimate the abundant provision of all those gracious helps requisite for the bringing of God's elect home to Christ. All shall be welcome, and nothing shall be wanting for their assistance and encouragement."

And then he goes on to say, "The character under which they shall be brought. They shall come not as formerly they used to come to Jerusalem to be offerers, but to be themselves an offering unto the Lord, which must be understood spiritually of their being presented to God as living sacrifices. The apostle explains this and perhaps refers to it in Romans 15:16 where he speaks of his ministering the gospel of the Gentiles that the offering up or sacrificing of the Gentiles might be acceptable. They shall offer themselves, and those who are the instruments of their conversion shall offer them as the spoils which they have taken for Christ and which are devoted to his service and honor."

All these people from all the nations would come to Mount Zion. This reminds us of what the author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 12:22 and 23 where he says, "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven." And then we also read in Micah 4:1 and 2 where it says, "In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.' The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

Edward J. Young brings out the true meaning of these verses when he says, "It is not merely to Jerusalem that the nations will come, but in particular to the holy mount, for here the God of glory is to be found. As in 2, verses 2 through 4, so also here the reference is not to the physical Jerusalem but to the spiritual Jerusalem, the church of the glorious God. This truth is attested by the statement 'saith the Lord.'" And then Young writes, "So in the future, the survivors will through the making known of God's glory bring a legitimate offering, namely the Gentiles."

Matthew Henry commenting says, "The apostle says of all true Christians that they have come to Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem mentioned in Hebrews 12:22, which explains this passage and shows that the meaning of all this parade is only that they shall be brought into the church by the grace of God and in the use of the means of that grace as carefully, safely, and comfortably as if they were carried in chariots and litters. Thus God shall persuade Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem."

The new Israel, there would be a new Israel with new priests and Levites. Verse 21 again says, "And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites, says the Lord." In other words, the Lord will raise up preachers and pastors and teachers and evangelists for the church. Edward J. Young writes, "The beautiful truth here expressed is that not only will the escaped of the judgment upon the Jewish nation be used of God as apostles to bring into the household of faith their brethren from among the Gentiles, but also these Gentile converts themselves will be chosen by God, taken especially by him for the purpose of serving as priests and Levites, that is, as ministers to serve him in the preaching of the gospel."

Calvin aptly appeals to Luke and Timothy and others of the same class who offered spiritual sacrifices to God by the gospel. And so out of this judgment on Jerusalem comes a new Israel with new priests and new Levites to teach and lead the people of God. Now let me ask you today, have you come to Mount Zion, to the Israel of God? Have you come to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, the Messiah? The invitation is open to you today to come. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor, all ye who labor and are heavy laden. Come to me and I will give you rest." Come to Christ today.

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for these Old Testament prophets that you raised up so long ago. And we thank you for these wonderful prophecies that they gave concerning the church and concerning the Messianic age, the age, the Gospel age that we're living in today. Oh, Father in heaven, our faith is so weak. We pray, oh Lord, that you would grant us a renewed faith and a renewed vision like these Old Testament prophets had, a renewed vision of your glorious plan for this age, a renewed vision of your church. Oh Lord, we pray for the furtherance of the gospel all over the world. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.

David Schulte: We hope this week's broadcast has been a blessing to you. If you have any questions about Mr. Dodson's message, please write us. You may email us at info@watchmanradio.org. Our mailing address is Watchman Radio Ministries International, P.O. Box 13251, Portland, Oregon 97213. That's Watchman Radio Ministries International, P.O. Box 13251, Portland, Oregon 97213. You may listen to this broadcast at any time on the internet at www.oneplace.com. In the list of ministries, just select the Watchman Radio Hour. This week's program and previous programs are always available there for listening. Our web address is www.watchmanradio.org. That's W-A-T-C-H-M-E-N radio.org. www.watchmanradio.org.