The Everlasting Light of a Conquered World Text: Isaiah 60:15-22
Introduction: The Inevitable Triumph
We live in an age of managed decline. Our cultural elites, our politicians, our talking heads, all operate under the unquestioned assumption that the best we can hope for is to slow down the decay. They are like men trying to tidy up the staterooms on the Titanic. They see the water pouring in, they hear the groaning of the hull, but their only solution is to rearrange the deck chairs and perhaps suggest a more inclusive lifeboat policy. This is the fruit of a pessimistic eschatology, a theology of retreat and defeat that has infected much of the modern church.
But the prophets of God knew nothing of this cramped, fearful vision. When they looked to the future, they did not see the Church huddled in a bunker, waiting for the rapture-bus to airlift them out of a world surrendered to the devil. They saw the glory of the Lord filling the earth as the waters cover the sea. They saw the kingdom of our God and of His Christ advancing with unstoppable power, not just in the sweet by-and-by, but here, on this earth, in the midst of history. This passage in Isaiah 60 is a postmillennial powerhouse. It is a vision of the successful maturation of the Great Commission. It describes a world not just dotted with converts, but a world thoroughly converted, a global civilization brought under the dominion of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah is painting a picture of the New Covenant age, the age of the Church. He is describing the glorious results of the gospel going forth into all the world. This is not some far-off vision of the eternal state, disconnected from history. This is the historical destiny of the Church of Jesus Christ. What Isaiah prophesies here is what Jesus commanded in Matthew 28: to disciple the nations. And the prophets believed that what God commands, He empowers, and what He empowers, will be accomplished. This passage is a stunning rebuke to every form of defeatism. It is a promise of total, global, cultural victory for the gospel. Let us therefore read it with faith, and not as though we were reading someone else's mail.
The Text
"Instead of being forsaken and hated With no one passing through, I will make you an everlasting pride, A joy from generation to generation. You will also suck the milk of nations And suck the breast of kings; Then you will know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. Instead of bronze I will bring gold, And instead of iron I will bring silver, And instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your overseers And righteousness your taskmasters. Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders; But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have Yahweh for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have Yahweh for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be finished. Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may show forth My beautiful glory. The smallest one will become a clan, And the miniscule one a mighty nation. I, Yahweh, will hasten it in its time.”
(Isaiah 60:15-22 LSB)
From Desolation to Dominion (vv. 15-16)
The prophecy begins with a dramatic reversal of fortune.
"Instead of being forsaken and hated With no one passing through, I will make you an everlasting pride, A joy from generation to generation. You will also suck the milk of nations And suck the breast of kings; Then you will know that I, Yahweh, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." (Isaiah 60:15-16 LSB)
The "you" here is Zion, the people of God. In the Old Covenant, this was ethnic Israel, centered in Jerusalem. In the New Covenant, this is the Church of Jesus Christ, the heavenly Jerusalem, the mother of us all (Gal. 4:26). The Church, in her early days and throughout periods of persecution, has often seemed forsaken and hated. The world looks at a small band of believers and sees a pathetic, irrelevant sect. But God promises a complete reversal. This despised group will become an "everlasting pride" and a "joy from generation to generation." This is not a joy that flickers out after one revival; it is a compounding, generational joy.
And how does this happen? "You will also suck the milk of nations And suck the breast of kings." This is not the language of a cowering, culturally irrelevant church. This is the language of conquest, but a very specific kind. It is a gospel conquest. The image is of a baby nursing. The Church, like a child, will draw life, sustenance, wealth, and strength from the converted nations and their rulers. This means that the wealth of the world, the political power of the world, and the cultural capital of the world will be consecrated to the service of Jesus Christ and His Church. Kings and nations will not just tolerate the Church; they will nourish her. They will see it as their chief duty to bring their glory and honor into the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:24). This is a prophecy of Christendom. It is a promise that the nations of the earth will be discipled, and their leaders will bow the knee to Christ, bringing their treasuries with them. When this happens, the Church will know in a profound, experiential way that Yahweh is her Savior and Redeemer.
A Glorious Upgrade (vv. 17-18)
The transformation is not just one of status, but of substance. It is a total qualitative upgrade of civilization.
"Instead of bronze I will bring gold, And instead of iron I will bring silver, And instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your overseers And righteousness your taskmasters. Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders; But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise." (Isaiah 60:17-18 LSB)
This is a picture of immense prosperity and cultural advancement that flows directly from the gospel. When a people are converted, their priorities change. Laziness is replaced by diligence. Corruption is replaced by integrity. The result is an economic and material flourishing that reflects the spiritual transformation. The very building materials of the city are upgraded from common to precious. This is not spiritualizing away the text; it is recognizing that when the Spirit changes men's hearts, it changes everything they build with their hands.
But the most radical change is in the civil government. "I will make peace your overseers And righteousness your taskmasters." In the pagan world, the overseers are tyrants and the taskmasters are slave drivers. But in a Christian social order, the very principles of governance are transformed. Peace is not just the absence of conflict; it is shalom, a positive, all-encompassing well-being that oversees society. Righteousness is not a burden, but the driving force, the taskmaster that compels the society forward. This is a vision of a truly Christian politics, where justice and flourishing are the administrative principles.
The result is the end of systemic violence and destruction. Why? Because the gospel has done its work. The land is filled with converted people governed by righteous principles. And notice the names of their civil infrastructure: "you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise." In the ancient world, walls were for defense against enemies. Gates were for controlling access. But in this glorified city, the very defense is God's salvation. The walls are not made of stone, but of God's protecting power. The gates are not for keeping people out, but are portals of praise. People enter the city not with fear, but with worship. This is a picture of a society so thoroughly Christianized that its very structure declares the glory of God.
The Uncreated Light (vv. 19-20)
The transformation reaches its zenith by touching the very cosmos. The created order is relativized by the glory of the Creator.
"No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have Yahweh for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have Yahweh for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be finished." (Isaiah 60:19-20 LSB)
This is the language John picks up to describe the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21. Does this mean the sun and moon will literally be extinguished? Not at all. As we saw in Genesis 1, God is the source of all light, and the sun is merely a lampstand He hung in the sky. This prophecy means that the spiritual, moral, and intellectual light of God's presence will be so brilliant, so all-encompassing, that the physical light of the sun and moon will seem dim by comparison. The Church will live in such manifest fellowship with God that He Himself will be her glory and her illumination.
The pagan world worshipped the sun and moon. But here, the created lights are rendered obsolete. The people of God will no longer orient their lives by the lesser, created lights of pagan philosophy or secular reason. They will walk in the direct, unmediated light of God's own truth. "Your sun will no longer set... for you will have Yahweh for an everlasting light." This is a promise of unending stability, knowledge, and joy. There will be no more dark ages, no more periods of spiritual recession. The light of God's presence will be constant, and as a result, "the days of your mourning will be finished." When a people walk in the light of God, sorrow and sighing flee away. This is the joy that Christ purchased for His people, a joy that will one day fill the earth.
A Righteous People, An Everlasting Possession (vv. 21-22)
The prophecy concludes by describing the character of the people and the certainty of God's promise.
"Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may show forth My beautiful glory. The smallest one will become a clan, And the miniscule one a mighty nation. I, Yahweh, will hasten it in its time.” (Isaiah 60:21-22 LSB)
This is the foundation of the whole vision. How is such a glorious society possible? It is possible because the people in it have been made righteous. "All your people will be righteous." This is the fruit of the New Covenant, where God writes His law on the hearts of His people (Jer. 31:33). This is the imputed righteousness of Christ received by faith, which then works itself out in personal and corporate holiness. A righteous people will inevitably build a righteous civilization.
Because they are righteous, "they will possess the land forever." The "land" is the whole earth (Ps. 37:11; Matt. 5:5). The meek, those who have been made righteous in Christ, will inherit the earth. This is an everlasting possession, not a temporary one. They are the "branch of My planting, the work of My hands." This glorious Christian civilization is not a human achievement. It is a divine creation, planted and worked by God Himself for one ultimate purpose: "That I may show forth My beautiful glory." The end game of history is the global manifestation of the glory of God through His redeemed people.
The final verse is a promise of explosive, supernatural growth. "The smallest one will become a clan, And the miniscule one a mighty nation." This is the parable of the mustard seed in prophetic form. The kingdom starts small, insignificant in the eyes of the world, a tiny band of disciples. But it grows and grows until it becomes a mighty tree, and the nations of the earth find shelter in it. This is not a description of the church's failure, but of its astounding, world-conquering success.
"I, Yahweh, will hasten it in its time.” (Isaiah 60:22 LSB)
This is God's personal signature on the promise. There is a set time for this fulfillment, and when that time comes, God will act swiftly. We should not grow discouraged by the current darkness. The darkness is real, but it is temporary. God has a timetable, and He is never late. Our job is to be faithful in our generation, to preach the gospel, disciple the nations, and build for the future, knowing that God Himself has guaranteed the outcome. He will bring it to pass. He will hasten it. And all the earth will be filled with His glory.
Conclusion: Work and Wait
This is our future. This is the world that is coming. The world where kings nurse the church, where righteousness is the government, where salvation is the infrastructure, and where the glory of God is the light. This is not a pipe dream. It is the blood-bought inheritance of the Church, promised by the prophets and secured by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we must not live as though defeat is inevitable. We must reject the cowardly eschatology of the world, which can only see decay. We must instead be about our Father's business. We are to work and pray for this reality. Every time we share the gospel, every time we build a Christian family, every time we establish a Christian school, every time we seek to apply God's law to our public life, we are participating in the fulfillment of this prophecy.
The Lord is hastening His work. He is building His city. And He has given us the high privilege of being His co-laborers. Let us therefore live as citizens of that glorious city to come. Let us live as those who know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain, for He is making all things new, and His kingdom will have no end.