Sermon 28th Sept – Isaiah 66:18-24
The prophecy in Isaiah 66:18-24 describes how God is forming a new community of worshippers. This community consists of different groups. First, the true servants of His from His people of Israel who were faithful to God while the unfaithful ones were excluded (Isaiah 65:1–16); second, returnees from exile from the people of Israel; and, third, believers from the nations. The prophecy shows God’s faithfulness to His promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 and the amazing extent of what God is doing in the course of salvation history by including people from the gentile nations in this new community of worshippers.
What in the prophecy in Isaiah 66:18-24 do you find most remarkable?
Try to identify the parts of the prophecy that refer to the three distinct groups of the summary. Where do you find the identification difficult or impossible?
What parallels with Isaiah 65:1–16 and 66:18-24 in terms of acceptance and rejection by God do you find in Luke 13:23–30? From your knowledge of the Bible, who will belong to “the first”?
Take time to praise God for His faithfulness and His grace towards all nations as displayed in salvation history leading up to the new covenant in Jesus Christ.
