Isa 66:19 | KingComments | STEP | By way of contrast, the prophecy turns again to the future of Israel and the favorable treatment of them by the nations in the realm of peace. The statement that the LORD knows their works and their thoughts is a transition from the apostates in to the redeemed people and the way in which the nations will support them. All nations and tongues will be gathered to Israel and there they will see the glory of the LORD ( ; ). For this purpose, the LORD will set a sign among them and that for the restoration of His people in distant places. What this sign is is not told. Most obvious is that this sign is the sign of the Son of Man ( ). Perhaps we can also think of a certain form of supernatural intervention in the world by judging the enemies of Israel, as He did through the ten plagues at the deliverance of His people from Egypt ( ; ). It is a sign that will not be misunderstood. In any case, the LORD makes it clear here that He will send the survivors on their return as messengers to the nations from which they have come ( ). They will go to all parts of the world, to nations that have not heard the tidings about Him and have not seen His glory, so that they may make His glory known all over the earth. He sends His messengers to Tarshish in the west, to Put and Lud in the south, to Tubal and Javan in the north, and to the distant coastlands, possibly in the east. As a result, many of these nations will pretend to pay homage to the LORD ( ; ). The nations will bring the Israelites “from all the nations as a grain offering to the LORD” ( ; cf. ). They will be brought to His holy mountain Jerusalem, just as the children of Israel used to bring their offerings in clean vessels to the house of the LORD. God’s people come to Jerusalem from the nations with a wide variety of means of transportation, including the airplane (cf. ). The people who come look like clean vessels. They are cleansed from their sins and brought to a walk in the ways of the LORD. Thus He will be able to take out of them as priests and Levites ( ), as God purposed His people to be at the exodus from Egypt ( ).

‏ Isaiah 66:19

An Offering for the LORD

By way of contrast, the prophecy turns again to the future of Israel and the favorable treatment of them by the nations in the realm of peace. The statement that the LORD knows their works and their thoughts is a transition from the apostates in Isa 66:17 to the redeemed people and the way in which the nations will support them. All nations and tongues will be gathered to Israel and there they will see the glory of the LORD (Isa 66:18; Mt 25:31-33).

For this purpose, the LORD will set a sign among them and that for the restoration of His people in distant places. What this sign is is not told. Most obvious is that this sign is the sign of the Son of Man (Mt 24:30). Perhaps we can also think of a certain form of supernatural intervention in the world by judging the enemies of Israel, as He did through the ten plagues at the deliverance of His people from Egypt (Exo 10:2; Psa 78:43 ; Psa 105:27). It is a sign that will not be misunderstood.

In any case, the LORD makes it clear here that He will send the survivors on their return as messengers to the nations from which they have come (Isa 66:19). They will go to all parts of the world, to nations that have not heard the tidings about Him and have not seen His glory, so that they may make His glory known all over the earth. He sends His messengers to Tarshish in the west, to Put and Lud in the south, to Tubal and Javan in the north, and to the distant coastlands, possibly in the east.

As a result, many of these nations will pretend to pay homage to the LORD (Psa 66:3b; Mic 7:16-17). The nations will bring the Israelites “from all the nations as a grain offering to the LORD” (Isa 66:20; cf. Rom 15:16). They will be brought to His holy mountain Jerusalem, just as the children of Israel used to bring their offerings in clean vessels to the house of the LORD. God’s people come to Jerusalem from the nations with a wide variety of means of transportation, including the airplane (cf. Isa 60:8).

The people who come look like clean vessels. They are cleansed from their sins and brought to a walk in the ways of the LORD. Thus He will be able to take out of them as priests and Levites (Isa 66:21), as God purposed His people to be at the exodus from Egypt (Exo 19:6a).