Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: Isaiah 66:18-24

Theme: At the end of the age, the glories of God will be declared among the gentiles.

As we come to the last passage of the last chapter of the Prophet Isaiah, we age given a glimpse of God’s sovereign purpose for His people throughout history.

The mission of Israel has always been to declare the glory of God to all the inhabitants of the earth.

Throughout the millennia, the glories of God’s salvation has been evident.

From the animal slain in the Garden to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, through the Old Testament sacrificial rituals, to the ultimate manifestation of God’s salvific work in Christ, God has glorified Himself through his redemptive grace.

God’s redemptive plan has always included the Gentiles — biblically speaking, that’s everyone non-Jewish.

In His covenant with Abraham, God declares “... and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.”

(Genesis 18:18, ESV).

That’s a reference, of course, to Abraham’s most important progeny — God’s Anointed One ... The Messiah.

As God’s chosen people, Israel was to be a light of God’s love to the nations.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

(Isaiah 60:1–3, ESV)

We celebrate that promise in Epiphany.

Epiphany is a Christian holiday that celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ to the Gentile nations.

That initial event took place with the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem.

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?

We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.

... After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.

Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”

(Matthew 2:1-2; 9–11, NIV84)

Since that visit, more and more of the Gentile nations have discovered the glories of the Lord, God.

It’s the story of world evangelism, as succeeding generations of believers, beginning at Jerusalem went first to Judea, then to Samaria and finally to the ends of the earth.

And in every part of the world where Christians went and settled, nations of people turned to God and saw His glories — particularly the glories of His salvation.

At the end of time, all the nations of the world will be drawn to the New Jerusalem where people from every tribe, and tongue, and nation and people will have a place with God.

Isaiah’s prophecy closes with a solemn warning for those who ignore God and continue in their sin.

God is sovereign over life, and ,in His time, He will punish all those who do not turn to Him.

In this closing passage, the hope of God and heaven shines bright against the dark backdrop of judgment and hell.

In this final message I want you to see:

The glory of judgment

The glory of God's grace

The glory of God's heaven

I. THE GLORY OF GOD'S JUDGMENT

1. there are two verses I want you to look at and understand — the first half of vs. 18, and all of vs. 24

“And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, I am about to come ... ” (Isaiah 66:18, NIV84)

“And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

(Isaiah 66:24, NIV84)

A. ISRAEL’S JUDGMENT MEANS THE BLESSING OF THE GENTILE NATIONS

1. Isaiah’s prophecy tells of the judgment of God that will come upon the children of Israel

a. when Yahweh declares in v. 1 “I ... am about to come” these are ominous words

1) that judgment will come through the nation of Babylon

2) it will occur 150 years after Isaiah pens his prophecy

b. because Israel rebelled against God and because they rejected God, they had to face the judgment of God

2. in vs. 18, Isaiah writes that God is about to come because of their actions and imaginations

a. their imaginations were the sinful thoughts of their minds that produced wicked behavior — principally the act of idolatry

b. the Lord says, "I am about to come — judgment is about to come" then he describes for them that judgment

1) they are going to be rejected

2) through the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah, Yahweh declares "Since you are so wicked and evil, I am going to leave you behind; and I am going to gather all the other nations and peoples of the world to come and see my glory”

c. this judgment is bad news for Israel, but this judgment is good news for the nations of Gentiles because they would now have the opportunity to enter into God's kingdom

3. at the end of the chapter, God describes the result of judgment

“And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

(Isaiah 66:24, NIV84)

a. it’s a vision of eschatological horror

1) it’s a picture of a battlefield after the battle with the carnage of the dead and dying strewn about

b.

Isaiah uses very descriptive language to paint a vision of damnation and hell for those who reject Him

1) “Their worm will not die", but lives on in eternity

2) "Their fire will not be quenched", the eternal fires of hell will be burning torment but never consuming nor destroying

3) “They will be loathsome” meaning they are despised, and unpleasant to look upon

B. GOD'S JUDGMENT REVEALS GOD'S GLORY

1. we live in a cultural moment where God's judgment isn't discussed very often

a. the evil seem to prosper, wickedness goes on, and the inhumanity of mankind continues endlessly

b. the world grows more evil and more wicked with each passing day, year and generation

1) sometimes the believer thinks: "Where is God's judgment?

When will he return?

When will he come back?"

2. God's judgment is always around the corner

a. God's judgment came upon Israel time after time as they forsook God

b.

God's judgment will come at the end of time with no one escaping it

“I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:17, NIV84)

c. God, in the end, will administer justice to the lost and He will be glorified in doing so

3. our culture likes to emphasize God as a loving God, and indeed He is a loving God toward all his creation

a. but the flip side of God’s love is God’s wrath

1) make no mistake, Hell is as real as is Heaven

a) Isaiah describes it

b) Jesus describes it

2) it is the place for those who reject God’s redemptive work through His Son — they will spend the rest of eternity in eternal death

4. there is a time of judgment, and that time of judgment will come — all to God's glory

“The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

(Matthew 13:41–42, NIV84)

a. again, not a pleasant thought!

5. Isaiah finishes up this book of prophecy and judgment with the words of promise and hope for God's people, for even in his judgment we see God's grace

ILLUS.

We catch a faint glimpse of the glory of justice in our own legal system.

When a perpetrator of an evil act is caught, and put on trial evidence is submitted by a Prosecuting Attorney as to the nature of the offence.

If the evidence is convincing a jury finds the perpetrator guilty and an appropriate sentence is carried out.

That’s the glory of our legal system ... justice is served.

And we rejoice in that.

We rejoice that evildoers do not prosper, and that justice is meted out.

However, we all know that human justice systems are not perfect.

On rare occasions an innocent person may be convicted.

Sometimes the guilty are never caught.

And when they are caught, sometimes the penalty does not administer true justice.

a. but God’s justice will always be perfect

1) it cannot swayed by an eloquent defense or emotional pleas