The Open Gates of Christendom Text: Isaiah 60:10-14
Introduction: An Embarrassment of Riches
We live in an age where the modern evangelical church is deeply embarrassed by its own Scriptures. When we come to passages like this one in Isaiah, the first instinct is to spiritualize it into a fine mist, apply it to some far-off millennial kingdom, or relegate it to a future Jewish state that continues to reject its own Messiah. Anything, it seems, will do, so long as we do not have to take it at face value. And what is its face value? It is a glorious, muscular, confident, and frankly political vision of the victory of the Church of Jesus Christ in history, on this earth, before the final trumpet sounds.
This is a prophecy of the success of the Great Commission. This is what it looks like when the nations are discipled. This is a picture of a world where the Gospel has done its work, not just in saving individual souls for heaven, but in transforming cultures from the ground up. Our modern, pietistic sensibilities are offended by this. We prefer a Christianity that is private, personal, and polite, one that knows its place and stays in its lane. We have been taught to think of the Church as a beleaguered remnant, huddled in a bunker, waiting for the rapture helicopter to airlift us out of a world that has gone to the dogs.
But Isaiah will have none of it. The vision God gives him is not of a cowering Church but of a conquering city. It is not a picture of retreat but of global influence. The gates are not barred against a hostile world; they are thrown open to receive the willing tribute of the nations. This passage is a direct assault on every form of defeatist eschatology. It is a promise from God about the future of His kingdom, and we must decide whether we will believe His Word or the fearful prognostications of secular news anchors and timid theologians.
What God describes here is nothing less than the establishment of Christendom. It is the fruit of the Gospel applied to every area of life. To reject this vision is to reject the plain meaning of the text. To accept it is to have our entire framework for ministry, culture, and politics radically reoriented around the victorious lordship of Jesus Christ.
The Text
Foreigners will build up your walls, And their kings will minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, And in My favor I have had compassion on you. Your gates will be open continually; They will not be closed day or night, So that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, With their kings led in procession. For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish, And the nations will surely be laid waste. The glory of Lebanon will come to you, The juniper, the box tree, and the cypress together, To adorn the place of My sanctuary with beautiful glory; And I shall make the place of My feet glorious. The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, And all those who spurned you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; And they will call you the City of Yahweh, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
(Isaiah 60:10-14 LSB)
The Great Reversal (v. 10)
The prophecy begins with a stunning reversal of fortunes.
"Foreigners will build up your walls, And their kings will minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, And in My favor I have had compassion on you." (Isaiah 60:10)
Who are these foreigners and kings? In the Old Covenant context, they were the enemies of Israel, the Gentiles, the outsiders. But now, in the New Covenant, they are the very people who are being brought into the Church. The Gospel goes out, and the former enemies of God are converted. And what is the first thing they do? They begin to serve the City of God. They build up its walls. This is not a picture of forced labor. This is the willing service of converted hearts. They see the beauty and truth of Zion, the Church, and they dedicate their skills, their resources, and their political authority to its health and security.
Kings will "minister" to you. The word here is one of service. This is a direct prophecy of Christian statesmanship. It is a picture of civil magistrates who understand that their authority is delegated from King Jesus and is to be used for the good of His people. This is the fulfillment of the promise in Psalm 2, where the kings of the earth are commanded to "kiss the Son, lest He be angry." Here, we see them doing it gladly.
The foundation for this reversal is God's own action: "For in My wrath I struck you, And in My favor I have had compassion on you." This is the rhythm of the covenant. God's people were struck for their sin and rebellion, culminating in the exile. But the ultimate striking happened at the cross, where God in His wrath struck His own Son. And because of that great exchange, God in His favor has compassion on us. The entire glory of the New Covenant city is founded upon the wrath and favor of God that met at Calvary. Our peace is purchased by the striking He endured; our blessing is secured by the compassion He provides.
The Economics of Victory (v. 11)
Next, the vision expands to describe the city's posture toward the world.
"Your gates will be open continually; They will not be closed day or night, So that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, With their kings led in procession." (Isaiah 60:11)
Gates are for defense. Open gates signify one of two things: utter vulnerability or absolute security. In this context, it is clearly the latter. The City of God is so secure in the reign of her King that she has no need to fear. The gates are not open because she is weak, but because she is overwhelmingly strong. They are open for commerce, for fellowship, for mission.
And what flows through these open gates? "The wealth of the nations." This is not simply about money, though it includes it. This is about the sum total of the cultural capital of the human race. It is the art, the music, the literature, the science, the technology, the philosophy of the nations being brought captive to the obedience of Christ. Everything that is good, true, and beautiful in every culture is redeemed and brought as tribute to the King. The nations are not destroyed; they are discipled. Their cultural treasures are not annihilated; they are consecrated.
And notice how this happens: "With their kings led in procession." This is not a conqueror dragging defeated kings in chains. This is a triumphal parade, like the one described in Colossians 2, but here the kings are willing participants. They are leading their people, presenting the cultural wealth of their nations as a joyful offering to Christ and His Church. This is a picture of entire nations, from the top down, acknowledging the lordship of Jesus.
The Great Antithesis (v. 12)
Lest we think this is all sweetness and light, the prophet lays down a stark and non-negotiable principle.
"For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish, And the nations will surely be laid waste." (Isaiah 60:12)
This is the verse that makes modern Christians squirm. But it is the necessary corollary to the lordship of Christ. If Jesus is Lord, then there is an antithesis. There are only two options for the nations of the world: service or ruin. Christ or chaos. Any nation, any kingdom, any political entity that sets itself up in opposition to Christ and His Church is setting itself up for historical judgment. It will "perish." It will be "laid waste."
This is not a call for the Church to take up the sword. The Church's weapons are not carnal. This is a declaration of divine reality. God is the one who raises up nations and casts them down. History is littered with the ruins of empires that defied the God of heaven. Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Soviet Union, they all broke themselves on the rock of God's kingdom. This verse is the political clause of the Great Commission. When Jesus said He had all authority in heaven and on earth, He meant it. This is what that authority looks like when it is disregarded by the civil magistrate. Nations, as nations, are accountable to the King of kings.
Consecrated Creation (v. 13-14)
The vision concludes with the beautification of God's dwelling place and the submission of former enemies.
"The glory of Lebanon will come to you, The juniper, the box tree, and the cypress together, To adorn the place of My sanctuary with beautiful glory; And I shall make the place of My feet glorious." (Isaiah 60:13)
The "glory of Lebanon" was its magnificent forests, the source of the timber for Solomon's Temple. Here, the very best of the created order is brought to beautify the "place of My sanctuary." God is not a Gnostic. He is not interested in an ethereal, disembodied spirituality. He loves the material world He made, and He intends for its glories to be brought into His service. This is the foundation for a robust Christian aesthetic, for building beautiful churches, for creating glorious art and music, all to adorn His sanctuary.
And what is the "place of My feet?" Isaiah 66:1 tells us: "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool." God is promising to make the earth, the place of His feet, glorious. This is a direct refutation of any eschatology that sees the earth as disposable, something to be escaped from. God is in the business of redeeming and glorifying His creation, starting with the Church and extending to the entire cosmos.
Finally, the ultimate vindication:
"The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, And all those who spurned you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; And they will call you the City of Yahweh, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel." (Isaiah 60:14)
This is the promise that the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church. Not only will our enemies fail to destroy us, but their own children will be converted. The descendants of the persecutors will come and acknowledge the truth. They will bow down, not to the Church in and of itself, but to Christ in the Church. They will confess what the Church has always known herself to be: the City of the living God, the dwelling place of the Holy One of Israel. This is not arrogance; it is the promised outcome of faithfulness. The truth will be vindicated, and every knee will bow, in this life or the next.
Conclusion: Build the City
This is the future God has sworn to bring about. This is not a metaphor for heaven. This is a prophecy about the effect of the gospel on the nations of this world. The question for us is simple: do we believe it?
If we believe it, then it must change how we live. We cannot continue to act like a defeated and marginalized subculture. We must stop thinking in terms of retreat and start thinking in terms of dominion. We are not building a temporary shelter; we are building a permanent city. Our task is to be faithful right where we are, in our families, our churches, and our communities, working with the confident expectation that God will bless our efforts and bring the nations to Himself.
The gates of our City are open. They are open for the lost to come in and find salvation. And they are open for the wealth of the nations, their art, their wisdom, and their leaders, to be brought in submission to the throne of Jesus Christ. Let us therefore labor with joy and confidence, knowing that the God who struck His Son in wrath for us now works all things together in His favor for us, until the earth is as full of the knowledge of His glory as the waters cover the sea.