Isaiah 65-66 New Heavens, New Earth
Today, we come to the last two chapters of the book of Isaiah, but before we delve into these pictures of End Times events, I need to explain how Isaiah viewed the kingdom, and how it is different from how we view the kingdom from the book of Revelation.
First, let's consider the authorial intent of Isaiah 40-66. The intent has been to show how God comforts a hurting people, and how He moves them from their place brokenness into a place of healing and restoration. This process was embodied in Israel’s experience of coming out of an exile status, and the "Kingdom" is the pinnacle picture of her restoration. Isaiah ends on the picture of the Kingdom for this reason, and he writes his narrative in a chiasm to reinforce that theme of the Kingdom. For all intents and purposes, God's Highway Project ends at Isaiah 62, and the chapters and pictures that follow can be seen as mere reiterations of early themes with a few final twists and comments.
Isaiah did not look beyond the Kingdom. In his eyes, it would be righteous kingdom that would last forever and ever. The judgment scene that follows mirrors the warning of judgment declared in Isaiah 58-59, and the description of the new heavens and new earth are presented as the wholly righteous version of the kingdom in contrast to the wholly unrighteous version that came before. The new heavens and new earth aren’t separated out as a different kingdom experience, per se, but part of the rendering of that verdict and the closing argument for God sovereignty on trial in Chapters 40-48. In Isaiah’s eyes, the Righteous Kingdom is the final, never-ending kingdom.
To help you visualize this, I have added two charts below. The first is what Isaiah saw in the eschatological timeline; the second, what we see from later prophetic writings. You can see what was added and how it was relabeled. If you would like to download these charts, you can click this link: Isaiah-Revelation Charts
First, let's consider the authorial intent of Isaiah 40-66. The intent has been to show how God comforts a hurting people, and how He moves them from their place brokenness into a place of healing and restoration. This process was embodied in Israel’s experience of coming out of an exile status, and the "Kingdom" is the pinnacle picture of her restoration. Isaiah ends on the picture of the Kingdom for this reason, and he writes his narrative in a chiasm to reinforce that theme of the Kingdom. For all intents and purposes, God's Highway Project ends at Isaiah 62, and the chapters and pictures that follow can be seen as mere reiterations of early themes with a few final twists and comments.
Isaiah did not look beyond the Kingdom. In his eyes, it would be righteous kingdom that would last forever and ever. The judgment scene that follows mirrors the warning of judgment declared in Isaiah 58-59, and the description of the new heavens and new earth are presented as the wholly righteous version of the kingdom in contrast to the wholly unrighteous version that came before. The new heavens and new earth aren’t separated out as a different kingdom experience, per se, but part of the rendering of that verdict and the closing argument for God sovereignty on trial in Chapters 40-48. In Isaiah’s eyes, the Righteous Kingdom is the final, never-ending kingdom.
To help you visualize this, I have added two charts below. The first is what Isaiah saw in the eschatological timeline; the second, what we see from later prophetic writings. You can see what was added and how it was relabeled. If you would like to download these charts, you can click this link: Isaiah-Revelation Charts
What Isaiah did not see was that the Kingdom would be a millennial kingdom—that it would have a 1,000-year limit. He did not see that Satan would be bound before that kingdom and released afterward to deceive the nations and spark yet another round of rebellion, war, and judgment, and from that second (final) purge of wickedness would come a new, unique kingdom in a flawless, Eden-like creation. Isaiah only ever saw one version of a battle, one version of a judgment scene, and one version of a kingdom, and yet the Holy Spirit so directed the details of these pictures as to provide for the separation of the Millennial Kingdom from the greater experience of the new heavens and new earth and in such a way as to avoid contradiction with future prophetic revelations. In order to make the Millennial Kingdom a distinct age, the LORD bookended it with battles and judgment scenes that are mirrors and mimics of one another, enough to make Isaiah think he was seeing only one mirrored in a chiastic structure when, in fact, he was seeing two separate instances. The Millennial Kingdom, as great as it is, must be separated from the picture of the new creation because it is not flawless. There is still sin and death in the Millennial Kingdom. Thus, it must be separated from the new heaven and new earth which is flawless, without sin or death. Isaiah did not see that difference from where he stood.
It is important to establish this understand before we get into Chapters 65-66 because we are going to see an intermixing of imagery. As we work through the final pictures, we will discuss whether we are seeing a picture of the Millennial Kingdom, the new heaven and earth, or perhaps an element common to both.
Isaiah 65:1-5 Address to the apostates
Chapter 65 opens with God’s address to the apostates among Israel. In verse 1, He makes a rather scathing comparison between the Gentiles, who had once been the high-water mark for heathen practices, and His own idolatrous people. The Gentiles had sought Him and He had answered them. They had not been a nation called by His name, but now they are. By contrast, His own people have been calling to Him and seeking Him with their penitential prayers, and yet He has not answered them because they are still sunk in idolatry and hypocrisy.
We talked about the hypocrisy issue back in Isaiah 58 when the LORD took them to task for inappropriate fasting. Fasting is a form of sacrificing, and there are appropriate and inappropriate forms of sacrifice. The fasting or sacrifice that God wants is for His people to give of their own abundance to the poor and needy of their community—to feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are naked, to shelter the poor, and minister to the imprisoned and oppressed. If they sacrifice those things for the least of these in the kingdom--if they do what provides healing and restoration for their brethren--then it is as if they have sacrificed to God. That is the appropriate sacrifice that is free from hypocrisy. God is using that standard of sacrifice as the contrast to what apostate Israel is doing now, which is a wholly inappropriate version of sacrifice, and not even made to God Himself.
God did not answer Israel back in Isaiah 58, even though they sought Him. He delayed His response to Israel and answered the Gentiles instead. But now, there will be no more delay. He will not be silent any longer but will answer His people.
Isaiah 65:6-12 The sheep and goats, righteous servants versus apostates
The overall address, again, is to the apostates, however, in the middle of it, the LORD identifies a remnant among them, a “cluster” who are righteous. These He claims as His servants, as opposed to the rest of the apostates who haven’t sought Him, who did not answer when He called, and did not hear when He spoke. This is what separates the sheep from the goats, so to speak—how they respond to the Shepherd and how they sacrificed themselves. The sheep are brought into the pastures of the kingdom. The goats are numbered for the sword and slaughter.
Isaiah 65:13-16 The recompense
The LORD now tells the apostates their fate with a series of “Behold” statements. Their fate is opposite that of His righteous servants.
The imagery suggests the picture of a banquet table at which the righteous sit while the wicked look on.
In verse 15, the LORD even renames the two groups. The servants will be given a new name while the name of the apostates becomes the new curse word and epithet (kind of like calling someone a Neanderthal or a Cretin as a comment on disgusting or base behavior. The apostates will become the new derogatory example.)
Verse 16 ends with the remark that the former things would not be remembered, which is picked up in verse 17.
Isaiah 65:17 The New Heaven and New Earth
The new heavens and new earth are the grand reversal from what had been before, namely a kingdom dominated by the wicked. The wicked receive their recompense as the kingdom is given over to the righteous servants of the LORD.
The reference to "former" things is an echo of the LORD's statements in the opening chapters of the Highway Project (Isaiah 40-48). Being able to tell of the former things and new things--to prophesy of things to come and bring them to fruition--was the supreme proof of His superiority and power above the idols. Here are a couple statements that show the mirroring of that theme:
Isaiah 41:21-24 NKJV – “‘Present your case,’ says the LORD. ‘Bring forth your strong reasons,’ says the King of Jacob. ‘Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare to us things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, that we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination.’”
Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV – “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? . . .”
Creating a new heavens and new earth is the supreme act of sovereignty and power that reestablishes God as the Creator of all things, and this is His closing argument that puts His rivals under His feet.
Isaiah 65:18-25 Rejoicing in the New Jerusalem
The new Jerusalem is described as a place where there is no more weeping or tears (v19) and a long life (v20). Its citizens will enjoy the fruit of their labor that had once been taken from them by their oppressors (v21-23). There is perfect communion between God and His people (v24), and all creation will be at peace, no more hurting or destruction (v25). It is presented as a return to Eden, and yet, it is not without flaw. Death may be delayed in this kingdom, but it is not a kingdom without death, which means there is still sin present in this kingdom. Not all Bible translations include the word, sinner, in verse 20, but that is the meaning in the Hebrew—one who has missed the mark. These die an unnaturally early death as a consequence of their sin. The presence of sinners isn’t what you would expect in a picture describing the new heavens and new earth. What we understand from the book of Revelation is that once all are resurrected and judged prior to the new heavens and earth, there will be no more death, because even Death will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Isaiah didn’t see that final picture of a kingdom without sin and death in it. He only saw the Millennial Kingdom.
Isaiah 66:1-5 Address to the contrite
In Chapter 66, the dialogue begins again as it did in Isaiah 65, only this time the LORD addresses the righteous first, and the wicked are a secondary comment.
Verse 1 opens with a comment on God's dwelling place. All heaven is His throne and the earth His footstool. All earthly things have been put beneath His feet, and yet He elevates the lowly—those who are poor and contrite and who tremble at His word (cf. Isaiah 57:15). He will address them personally in verse 5, but first He declares another action against the wicked—those who did not answer when He called and did not hear when He spoke. There is a repeating of phrase between 66:4 and 65:12. The LORD adds to His previous statement. Not only are the wicked numbered for the sword and slaughter, He now says that He will choose their delusions for them and bring fear on them. He will throw the stumbling blocks of blindness and fear in front of them, so that the wickedness of their hearts will be harden further.
In verse 5, God returns to His validation of those who tremble at His word. Their brethren taunt them: “Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy,” even as they persecute them. That is like an abuser scoffing at a victim, saying, “Count it all joy when you fall into trials,” even as they are abusing her. It's like the men of Israel scoffing at Christ as He hangs on the cross, saying, "save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!" There is a viciousness in it. It is a humiliation. God promises a reversal—the righteous victim will not be ashamed. And in a way, their humiliation is likened to the humiliation the Suffering Servant once endured. They have that shared experience between them.
Isaiah 66:6 The Final Battle
This is a very condensed picture of a battle. The word, voice (Hebrew: kole) is used three times: the sound (voice) of noise in the city, the voice in the Temple, the voice of the LORD who repays His enemies.
The sound (voice) of noise heard in Jerusalem is first. "Noise" is a tame translation. It describes a tumult, roar, or rushing sound; by implication, the noise of destruction and something being laid waste. We see the word crop up in a couple other places in Isaiah.
So, you get the picture. This is the battle scene in which an enemy multitude rushes upon the city of the Jerusalem and the LORD roars back at them from the Temple. This scene best fits the Gog and Magog Rebellion (cf. Revelation 20:9) which is described as a campaign against Jerusalem proper, and not Armageddon which was waged on the plains of Megiddo to the north. It is a different place, a different battle, and yet Isaiah does not give us any details to differentiate it from Armageddon. I will talk more about the Gog-Magog Rebellion in a moment, but let’s finish this passage first.
Isaiah 66:7-14 Rejoicing over Jerusalem
As in Isaiah 65:18-25, we have another, similar call to rejoice over Jerusalem as a nation is born. Israel, previously pictured as a barren and bereaved woman, bears children—and without the pain of laboring for it. This act is solely by the LORD's hand. Miraculously, she becomes a flourishing mother of many children overnight. In the previous chapter, the LORD Himself declared that He would rejoice in His people (65:19). Now, He commands everyone else to do the same. Rejoice is an imperative command. Those who rejoice with her share in her abundance, glory, peace, and comfort.
Verse 14 transitions back to the picture of judgment.
Isaiah 66:15-24 The final judgment of all flesh
In the previous chapter, the LORD declared the reward set aside for both sides, righteous and apostate. Now the judgment commences.
Verses 15-18a describe the nature of the LORD’s judgment. It is characterized by fire and sword. It is against His enemies, but the apostates are particularly singled out, as promised in the previous chapter.
In verse 18b, the LORD gathers the nations for a display of His glory. This Hebrew word for "gather" doesn’t just mean to collect or gather them, but to take them in hand. When the LORD takes the nations in hand like this, it is often to make war with them. So, this carries forward the sense of a battle playing out in conjunction with a final judgment.
In verse 19, the LORD says He will set “a sign” among the nations. What is the sign? We don’t know exactly. It is some signature act that is miraculous, perhaps disastrous, but whatever the display of sovereign power is, it will convince all flesh that He truly is LORD. The text intimates that there will be survivors from this who will carry the news to the nations, and notice which nations are named: Pul (aka Put or Libya, the coastlands of North Africa), Lud, Tubal, and Javan (nations to the north in Asia Minor and the coastlands of Greece) and Tarshish, which is an epithet for the merchant ships that plied the Mediterranean. Some distinctive disaster happens in the midst of this mercantile Mediterranean alliance. We see something like this foretold with the destruction of Babylon at the end of the Tribulation. She is described at mercantile power who sits on many waters and she is destroyed in a day.
This is an example of the kind of “sign” that the LORD might set among the nations. The sign is God singling out a particular faction of whom He then makes an example by pouring out His wrath on them to hallow His name. A similar sign was once made with Pharaoh in the Exodus. Another sign is accomplished with the Gog-Magog war in Ezekiel 38-39.
In verses 20-21, the nations bring back the exiles as they would an offering to the LORD. God reckons this offering as being of like kind to the offering that Israel herself brings Him. There is a mingling of righteous Gentiles and Jews in this imagery. Where it says, “And I will also take some of them as priests and Levites,” even Jewish scholars remark that there are two possible interpretations of this. Either the LORD is saying that He will take some from the nations and make them priests and Levites, or He will take some from the returning exiles and make them priests and Levites. I think both righteous factions are combined into a royal priesthood. (Either interpretation goes against Levitical law which limits the priesthood to the Aaronic line, but we must remember that the priesthood is democratized in Isaiah 61:6.)
We see this sweep of events that involve a final, epic battle. These details seem to point to a battle that happens before the kingdom because of these elements:
This seems to be a pre-kingdom battle, and yet, as Isaiah sees it, this is talking about God’s final judgment on the eve of His creation of the new heavens and new earth. Remember, Isaiah only sees one of some event. This battle can describe the fall of Babylon on the eve of Armageddon, but it is also similar in character to the Gog-Magog Rebellion in Ezekiel 38-39. Ezekiel's vision is clearly a post-kingdom picture. He sees Gog arise in the days after Israel has been gather and restored to her land, when she living in perfect security and safety and in great prosperity. Her waste places are inhabited again, and she lives in unguarded villages without walls or gates or bars. That fits the picture of the Millennial Kingdom. The intention of Gog and the nations is to plunder her of her wealth because she seems an easy target. Gog’s allies include the names that Isaiah mentions: Tarshish, Pul (Libya/North Africa), Lud, Tubal, and Javan (Greece/Asia Minor). That being said, the Gog-Magog Rebellion lacks the other elements in the picture (escaped survivors and the return of the exiles) and yet it is most certainly a sign for the purpose of declaring God’s sovereign authority and glory. It is as if Isaiah only sees one picture instead of two and blends the details of before and after into one account. Read Ezekiel 38-39 and note the comparison.
Isaiah 66:22-24 The universal recognition of the LORD
We return now to the final statement about the new heavens and new earth, which shows the separation of all souls into two categories, but we should note very carefully how Isaiah separates them. Verse 23 defines the “all flesh” category. They are the ones who come to worship the LORD from New Moon to New Moon and Sabbath to Sabbath. Israel is included in the “all flesh” category. Those in the “all flesh” category look upon those in the other category described in verse 24. These are the ones who rejected the LORD and rebelled against Him. These go to the grave and are given over to an eternal destruction where their worm does not die nor their fire is not quenched. The idolatrous and rebellious side of Israel are counted among these as well.
This is no longer a matter of separating Israel from the nations. The LORD is dividing all flesh on the more universal grounds of believers and unbelievers, those who accept Him and those who reject Him, and evaluating them according to their works. "For I know their works and their thoughts," the LORD says in verse 18.
Isaiah sees all flesh are gathered before the LORD in the flesh. This is an important point that is reiterated in the book of Revelation. Revelation 20:11-15 says that after the Millennial Kingdom, all the dead rise and stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment in a resurrected body. These include those who were part of the first resurrection before the Kingdom and already have a resurrected body, the dead who are now raised and given a resurrected body, and all the mortals remaining in their bodies at the end of the Gog-Magog Rebellion. At this point all flesh have a body (whether a mortal body or a resurrected body) and all stand in that body before the LORD to be judged for their earthly works. Those who are not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire fits Isaiah’s description of a place where the fire never ends. Those that are found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life go on to the eternal kingdom. They are the ones of whom Isaiah says, “‘All flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the LORD.” The end picture is of a kingdom of flawless righteousness. The book ends with the universal recognition of God as supreme, sovereign ruler over all His Creation.
It is important to understand that all flesh will be judged by their works, but none will be justified by them. Even we as believers cannot stand on our own works. Only those who are justified according Christ’s works and merit and have His blood covering their sins are the ones written into the Book of Life. It seems appropriate as we end this class today, on Palm Sunday, worshipping this picture of the King even as we prepare to celebrate His death and resurrection next week on Easter.
In Conclusion
As we navigate the layers of Isaiah's vision of the kingdom, it is easy to see why the latter prophecies and New Testament teachings are so vital in establishing the timeline and separating out the events. And yet, the New Testament is heavily dependent on the book of Isaiah for its foundation. Jesus' parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22 dovetails with the picture of the LORD's servants feasting while the unrighteous look on in Isaiah 65. He even suggests the successive purges of those who are called and yet not chosen. His woes to the hypocritical Pharisees in Matthew 23 echo the LORD's harangue of apostate Israel here in Isaiah 65. The imagery of separating the "sheep" from the "goats" in Isaiah 65 is echoed in Jesus' Olivet Discourse (Matthew 25:31-46). List goes on.
But we should not forget that, overall, the authorial intent of Isaiah 40-66 is to present that highway-building process that carries a person from a place of brokenness and separation from God into this place of restoration and peace.
This is the end of God's Highway Project. Thank you for joining me for our study. I hope it has been helpful. Easter blessings!
Christy Voelkel
It is important to establish this understand before we get into Chapters 65-66 because we are going to see an intermixing of imagery. As we work through the final pictures, we will discuss whether we are seeing a picture of the Millennial Kingdom, the new heaven and earth, or perhaps an element common to both.
Isaiah 65:1-5 Address to the apostates
Chapter 65 opens with God’s address to the apostates among Israel. In verse 1, He makes a rather scathing comparison between the Gentiles, who had once been the high-water mark for heathen practices, and His own idolatrous people. The Gentiles had sought Him and He had answered them. They had not been a nation called by His name, but now they are. By contrast, His own people have been calling to Him and seeking Him with their penitential prayers, and yet He has not answered them because they are still sunk in idolatry and hypocrisy.
We talked about the hypocrisy issue back in Isaiah 58 when the LORD took them to task for inappropriate fasting. Fasting is a form of sacrificing, and there are appropriate and inappropriate forms of sacrifice. The fasting or sacrifice that God wants is for His people to give of their own abundance to the poor and needy of their community—to feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are naked, to shelter the poor, and minister to the imprisoned and oppressed. If they sacrifice those things for the least of these in the kingdom--if they do what provides healing and restoration for their brethren--then it is as if they have sacrificed to God. That is the appropriate sacrifice that is free from hypocrisy. God is using that standard of sacrifice as the contrast to what apostate Israel is doing now, which is a wholly inappropriate version of sacrifice, and not even made to God Himself.
God did not answer Israel back in Isaiah 58, even though they sought Him. He delayed His response to Israel and answered the Gentiles instead. But now, there will be no more delay. He will not be silent any longer but will answer His people.
Isaiah 65:6-12 The sheep and goats, righteous servants versus apostates
The overall address, again, is to the apostates, however, in the middle of it, the LORD identifies a remnant among them, a “cluster” who are righteous. These He claims as His servants, as opposed to the rest of the apostates who haven’t sought Him, who did not answer when He called, and did not hear when He spoke. This is what separates the sheep from the goats, so to speak—how they respond to the Shepherd and how they sacrificed themselves. The sheep are brought into the pastures of the kingdom. The goats are numbered for the sword and slaughter.
Isaiah 65:13-16 The recompense
The LORD now tells the apostates their fate with a series of “Behold” statements. Their fate is opposite that of His righteous servants.
- They shall be hungry while the righteous eat (v13)
- They shall be thirsty while the righteous drink (v13)
- They shall sorrow of heart while the righteous rejoice (v13-14)
The imagery suggests the picture of a banquet table at which the righteous sit while the wicked look on.
In verse 15, the LORD even renames the two groups. The servants will be given a new name while the name of the apostates becomes the new curse word and epithet (kind of like calling someone a Neanderthal or a Cretin as a comment on disgusting or base behavior. The apostates will become the new derogatory example.)
Verse 16 ends with the remark that the former things would not be remembered, which is picked up in verse 17.
Isaiah 65:17 The New Heaven and New Earth
The new heavens and new earth are the grand reversal from what had been before, namely a kingdom dominated by the wicked. The wicked receive their recompense as the kingdom is given over to the righteous servants of the LORD.
The reference to "former" things is an echo of the LORD's statements in the opening chapters of the Highway Project (Isaiah 40-48). Being able to tell of the former things and new things--to prophesy of things to come and bring them to fruition--was the supreme proof of His superiority and power above the idols. Here are a couple statements that show the mirroring of that theme:
Isaiah 41:21-24 NKJV – “‘Present your case,’ says the LORD. ‘Bring forth your strong reasons,’ says the King of Jacob. ‘Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare to us things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, that we may be dismayed and see it together. Indeed you are nothing, and your work is nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination.’”
Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV – “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? . . .”
Creating a new heavens and new earth is the supreme act of sovereignty and power that reestablishes God as the Creator of all things, and this is His closing argument that puts His rivals under His feet.
Isaiah 65:18-25 Rejoicing in the New Jerusalem
The new Jerusalem is described as a place where there is no more weeping or tears (v19) and a long life (v20). Its citizens will enjoy the fruit of their labor that had once been taken from them by their oppressors (v21-23). There is perfect communion between God and His people (v24), and all creation will be at peace, no more hurting or destruction (v25). It is presented as a return to Eden, and yet, it is not without flaw. Death may be delayed in this kingdom, but it is not a kingdom without death, which means there is still sin present in this kingdom. Not all Bible translations include the word, sinner, in verse 20, but that is the meaning in the Hebrew—one who has missed the mark. These die an unnaturally early death as a consequence of their sin. The presence of sinners isn’t what you would expect in a picture describing the new heavens and new earth. What we understand from the book of Revelation is that once all are resurrected and judged prior to the new heavens and earth, there will be no more death, because even Death will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Isaiah didn’t see that final picture of a kingdom without sin and death in it. He only saw the Millennial Kingdom.
Isaiah 66:1-5 Address to the contrite
In Chapter 66, the dialogue begins again as it did in Isaiah 65, only this time the LORD addresses the righteous first, and the wicked are a secondary comment.
Verse 1 opens with a comment on God's dwelling place. All heaven is His throne and the earth His footstool. All earthly things have been put beneath His feet, and yet He elevates the lowly—those who are poor and contrite and who tremble at His word (cf. Isaiah 57:15). He will address them personally in verse 5, but first He declares another action against the wicked—those who did not answer when He called and did not hear when He spoke. There is a repeating of phrase between 66:4 and 65:12. The LORD adds to His previous statement. Not only are the wicked numbered for the sword and slaughter, He now says that He will choose their delusions for them and bring fear on them. He will throw the stumbling blocks of blindness and fear in front of them, so that the wickedness of their hearts will be harden further.
In verse 5, God returns to His validation of those who tremble at His word. Their brethren taunt them: “Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy,” even as they persecute them. That is like an abuser scoffing at a victim, saying, “Count it all joy when you fall into trials,” even as they are abusing her. It's like the men of Israel scoffing at Christ as He hangs on the cross, saying, "save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!" There is a viciousness in it. It is a humiliation. God promises a reversal—the righteous victim will not be ashamed. And in a way, their humiliation is likened to the humiliation the Suffering Servant once endured. They have that shared experience between them.
Isaiah 66:6 The Final Battle
This is a very condensed picture of a battle. The word, voice (Hebrew: kole) is used three times: the sound (voice) of noise in the city, the voice in the Temple, the voice of the LORD who repays His enemies.
The sound (voice) of noise heard in Jerusalem is first. "Noise" is a tame translation. It describes a tumult, roar, or rushing sound; by implication, the noise of destruction and something being laid waste. We see the word crop up in a couple other places in Isaiah.
Isaiah 13:4 NKJV – “The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The LORD of hosts musters the army for battle.”
Isaiah 17:12 NKJV – “Woe to the multitude of many people who make a noise like the roar of the seas, and to the rushing of nations that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!”
So, you get the picture. This is the battle scene in which an enemy multitude rushes upon the city of the Jerusalem and the LORD roars back at them from the Temple. This scene best fits the Gog and Magog Rebellion (cf. Revelation 20:9) which is described as a campaign against Jerusalem proper, and not Armageddon which was waged on the plains of Megiddo to the north. It is a different place, a different battle, and yet Isaiah does not give us any details to differentiate it from Armageddon. I will talk more about the Gog-Magog Rebellion in a moment, but let’s finish this passage first.
Isaiah 66:7-14 Rejoicing over Jerusalem
As in Isaiah 65:18-25, we have another, similar call to rejoice over Jerusalem as a nation is born. Israel, previously pictured as a barren and bereaved woman, bears children—and without the pain of laboring for it. This act is solely by the LORD's hand. Miraculously, she becomes a flourishing mother of many children overnight. In the previous chapter, the LORD Himself declared that He would rejoice in His people (65:19). Now, He commands everyone else to do the same. Rejoice is an imperative command. Those who rejoice with her share in her abundance, glory, peace, and comfort.
Verse 14 transitions back to the picture of judgment.
Isaiah 66:15-24 The final judgment of all flesh
In the previous chapter, the LORD declared the reward set aside for both sides, righteous and apostate. Now the judgment commences.
Verses 15-18a describe the nature of the LORD’s judgment. It is characterized by fire and sword. It is against His enemies, but the apostates are particularly singled out, as promised in the previous chapter.
In verse 18b, the LORD gathers the nations for a display of His glory. This Hebrew word for "gather" doesn’t just mean to collect or gather them, but to take them in hand. When the LORD takes the nations in hand like this, it is often to make war with them. So, this carries forward the sense of a battle playing out in conjunction with a final judgment.
In verse 19, the LORD says He will set “a sign” among the nations. What is the sign? We don’t know exactly. It is some signature act that is miraculous, perhaps disastrous, but whatever the display of sovereign power is, it will convince all flesh that He truly is LORD. The text intimates that there will be survivors from this who will carry the news to the nations, and notice which nations are named: Pul (aka Put or Libya, the coastlands of North Africa), Lud, Tubal, and Javan (nations to the north in Asia Minor and the coastlands of Greece) and Tarshish, which is an epithet for the merchant ships that plied the Mediterranean. Some distinctive disaster happens in the midst of this mercantile Mediterranean alliance. We see something like this foretold with the destruction of Babylon at the end of the Tribulation. She is described at mercantile power who sits on many waters and she is destroyed in a day.
Revelation 18:7-8 NKJV – “In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.”
This is an example of the kind of “sign” that the LORD might set among the nations. The sign is God singling out a particular faction of whom He then makes an example by pouring out His wrath on them to hallow His name. A similar sign was once made with Pharaoh in the Exodus. Another sign is accomplished with the Gog-Magog war in Ezekiel 38-39.
In verses 20-21, the nations bring back the exiles as they would an offering to the LORD. God reckons this offering as being of like kind to the offering that Israel herself brings Him. There is a mingling of righteous Gentiles and Jews in this imagery. Where it says, “And I will also take some of them as priests and Levites,” even Jewish scholars remark that there are two possible interpretations of this. Either the LORD is saying that He will take some from the nations and make them priests and Levites, or He will take some from the returning exiles and make them priests and Levites. I think both righteous factions are combined into a royal priesthood. (Either interpretation goes against Levitical law which limits the priesthood to the Aaronic line, but we must remember that the priesthood is democratized in Isaiah 61:6.)
We see this sweep of events that involve a final, epic battle. These details seem to point to a battle that happens before the kingdom because of these elements:
- There are survivors who escape to the nations when this “sign” happens
- Israel’s exiles are then returned
- A new priesthood of Gentiles and Jews is inaugurated to serve in the kingdom.
This seems to be a pre-kingdom battle, and yet, as Isaiah sees it, this is talking about God’s final judgment on the eve of His creation of the new heavens and new earth. Remember, Isaiah only sees one of some event. This battle can describe the fall of Babylon on the eve of Armageddon, but it is also similar in character to the Gog-Magog Rebellion in Ezekiel 38-39. Ezekiel's vision is clearly a post-kingdom picture. He sees Gog arise in the days after Israel has been gather and restored to her land, when she living in perfect security and safety and in great prosperity. Her waste places are inhabited again, and she lives in unguarded villages without walls or gates or bars. That fits the picture of the Millennial Kingdom. The intention of Gog and the nations is to plunder her of her wealth because she seems an easy target. Gog’s allies include the names that Isaiah mentions: Tarshish, Pul (Libya/North Africa), Lud, Tubal, and Javan (Greece/Asia Minor). That being said, the Gog-Magog Rebellion lacks the other elements in the picture (escaped survivors and the return of the exiles) and yet it is most certainly a sign for the purpose of declaring God’s sovereign authority and glory. It is as if Isaiah only sees one picture instead of two and blends the details of before and after into one account. Read Ezekiel 38-39 and note the comparison.
Isaiah 66:22-24 The universal recognition of the LORD
We return now to the final statement about the new heavens and new earth, which shows the separation of all souls into two categories, but we should note very carefully how Isaiah separates them. Verse 23 defines the “all flesh” category. They are the ones who come to worship the LORD from New Moon to New Moon and Sabbath to Sabbath. Israel is included in the “all flesh” category. Those in the “all flesh” category look upon those in the other category described in verse 24. These are the ones who rejected the LORD and rebelled against Him. These go to the grave and are given over to an eternal destruction where their worm does not die nor their fire is not quenched. The idolatrous and rebellious side of Israel are counted among these as well.
This is no longer a matter of separating Israel from the nations. The LORD is dividing all flesh on the more universal grounds of believers and unbelievers, those who accept Him and those who reject Him, and evaluating them according to their works. "For I know their works and their thoughts," the LORD says in verse 18.
Isaiah sees all flesh are gathered before the LORD in the flesh. This is an important point that is reiterated in the book of Revelation. Revelation 20:11-15 says that after the Millennial Kingdom, all the dead rise and stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment in a resurrected body. These include those who were part of the first resurrection before the Kingdom and already have a resurrected body, the dead who are now raised and given a resurrected body, and all the mortals remaining in their bodies at the end of the Gog-Magog Rebellion. At this point all flesh have a body (whether a mortal body or a resurrected body) and all stand in that body before the LORD to be judged for their earthly works. Those who are not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire fits Isaiah’s description of a place where the fire never ends. Those that are found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life go on to the eternal kingdom. They are the ones of whom Isaiah says, “‘All flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the LORD.” The end picture is of a kingdom of flawless righteousness. The book ends with the universal recognition of God as supreme, sovereign ruler over all His Creation.
It is important to understand that all flesh will be judged by their works, but none will be justified by them. Even we as believers cannot stand on our own works. Only those who are justified according Christ’s works and merit and have His blood covering their sins are the ones written into the Book of Life. It seems appropriate as we end this class today, on Palm Sunday, worshipping this picture of the King even as we prepare to celebrate His death and resurrection next week on Easter.
In Conclusion
As we navigate the layers of Isaiah's vision of the kingdom, it is easy to see why the latter prophecies and New Testament teachings are so vital in establishing the timeline and separating out the events. And yet, the New Testament is heavily dependent on the book of Isaiah for its foundation. Jesus' parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22 dovetails with the picture of the LORD's servants feasting while the unrighteous look on in Isaiah 65. He even suggests the successive purges of those who are called and yet not chosen. His woes to the hypocritical Pharisees in Matthew 23 echo the LORD's harangue of apostate Israel here in Isaiah 65. The imagery of separating the "sheep" from the "goats" in Isaiah 65 is echoed in Jesus' Olivet Discourse (Matthew 25:31-46). List goes on.
But we should not forget that, overall, the authorial intent of Isaiah 40-66 is to present that highway-building process that carries a person from a place of brokenness and separation from God into this place of restoration and peace.
This is the end of God's Highway Project. Thank you for joining me for our study. I hope it has been helpful. Easter blessings!
Christy Voelkel
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