Isaiah 60:8-9 – Salvation to the West
The question is being asked: ‘Who are these people that are coming in?’ The prophet, at least, and perhaps the whole people of God, really don’t know who or what or how this happens to be. They have not understood very well that God, for His glorious sake, will be bringing in people from all over the world. As they see it happening, they are in amazement at the overwhelming coming in of the nations. It’s unexpected because humanly speaking, such a thing is impossible. Such a thing could not happen. Not with hard hearts, not with dead hearts, not with cultures formed by those with dead hearts. It only comes about because it is by the gracious will and power of God turning the hearts of the peoples to His Christ.
This coming in is portrayed here being unexpected, swift, huge, and brought about by God alone. God brings them in just as homing pigeons fly swiftly, unguided by human intent, to their homes. These are peoples coming in, drawn by the Gospel. These are people coming in swiftly, unexpectedly, in huge numbers. It’s all brought about by God himself. This is something the likes of which none of us have ever seen in church history. There have been times of limited fulfillment of this. We think of them as true Holy Spirit revival times. Such a scene would have been there at Pentecost and other times when there are great influxes of people. The apostles would have seen things like this. There have been other revivals where people in huge numbers swiftly had their hearts turned and came to Christ. It happened as missionaries first went to the lands of Europe. It happened in the time of the Reformation. It happened in subsequent times as well. Our own nation has gone through revivals of this sort. But it has never been this entire worldwide flocking. Yet we are told in Romans chapter 11 that there is a fullness of Gentiles yet to come in at which time the Jews should be converted as well.
Where are these particular ones coming from? These are coming from the coastlands. Where is Tarshish? It is the far west end of the Mediterranean. This is looking out to northern Africa, Europe, and to the isles beyond. It is the lands to the west, to all of Europe, to the Americas, to the lands beyond the seas. From there people shall come. They devote themselves, all they are and all they have, to the kingdom of God!
Question
- Where are these people coming from?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that the gospel came to our countries.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.