How Isaiah’s Prophesies Prove Postmillennialism
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This is part 4 of the Biblical case for Postmillennialism. For more on this topic, check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
THE HOPE OF A WORLD FILLED WITH WORSHIPPERS
As we have been talking about for a couple of weeks, one of the most explicit themes in the Bible is that God designed the world to be filled with human worshippers. From the earliest pages of Genesis, it is clear that He made humans to partner with them in filling the world with fruitful, multiplying, worshiping people (Genesis 1:28). And while that original family sinned and fell short of that glorious vision, multiplying only sin and misery across the face of the earth, the rest of the Bible outlines how God would not abandon that plan, and would one day accomplish it in His one and only Son.
For instance, in the book of Genesis, we saw that after sin, God reiterated these promises to Noah (Genesis 9:1). He stepped in to help in the insurrection at Babel (Genesis 11). He promised that through the family of Abram, all of the families on earth would eventually come under YHWH's blessing (Genesis 12:1-3) which also means that all of the nations (including their governments) would come under that blessing as well (Genesis 22:18). This promise was reiterated to Isaac (Genesis 26:3-4, 24), it was passed down to Jacob (Genesis 28:14; 35:11), and given additional clarity when it was given to Judah, whose clan will become the ruling tribe from which God's ruling Son would come. Under His leadership, the nations would learn obedience to God, and the world would be filled with worshipers (Genesis 49:10).
Lest we believe these promises terminate after the first book of the Bible comes to an end, Exodus begins with God making the people of Israel fruitful and multiplying them (Exodus 1:7). God Himself declares His intention to fill the world with worshipers in alignment with the garden of Eden vision (Exodus 9:16). Then, after freeing His people from Egyptian slavery, God not only calls them His firstborn son (Adamic imagery) He also gives them the same promises that He once gave Adam. He promised the nation that He would make them fruitful, multiply them, and use them to fill the world with His worshipers (Leviticus 26:9).
This promise does not die in the sands of the wilderness with the death of the unfaithful generation. Instead, God repeats it again to the younger generation who prepares to enter and take over the new Edenic land that God was giving them (Deuteronomy 28:13). The goal was still the same as before, to fill the world with the glory of God through multiplying worshippers (Numbers 14:21). Israel was to do what Adam did not do, casting out the children of the serpent and filling the garden land with worshippers. Once that was complete, they were to make the entire world a garden sanctuary, which they did not do. Not only did they fail to complete the task God gave them (Joshua 21:12-13), but as soon as their new commander died, they fell back into Adamic patterns of sin, slavery, and misery throughout the period known as the Judges (Judges 21:25) and the Kings (1 Kings - 2 Chronicles).
Yet, with all of the failure embedded within Israel's history, who followed their Father Adam into subjugation and sin, God still promised an anointed King would come (1 Samuel 2:10), whose throne would never end (1 Samuel 7) and who would bring about the obedience of the nations (Genesis 49:10). He would do what Israel and Adam could not.
In the meantime, while they waited for this coming King to arrive, God gave them an entire hymnbook that celebrated, anticipated, and reverberated with God's plan to fill the world with worshipers through His anointed King. God would send a King who would be His own Son (Psalm 2:7). He will be a priest forever (Psalm 110:4) with an eternal reign that accomplishes what YHWH set out to do in the garden through Adam (Psalm 45:6; 89:36-37). God will give the nations to Him as His inheritance (Psalm 2:8) as He reigns over His Kingdom from God's right hand in heaven (Psalm 110:1). He will be a King who will rule with an iron scepter over His enemies (Psalm 2:9; 110:5-6) and will judge the world according to righteousness unlike the kings of men (Psalm 9:8; 22:28; 67:4; 72:11; 96:10-13). He will heap up the dead bodies of those who hate Him (Psalm 110) while bringing God's peace and righteousness to those who love Him (Psalm 72:3, 7). God's glory and salvation will be given by Him to the people of God who are like lost sheep scattered to the ends of the earth (Psalm 22:27; 67:2; 72:19; 96:3; 98:2-3). Once He saves them, He will make them serve and worship Him willingly and joyfully (Psalm 67:1-4; 96:1-3; 110:3), filling the world with worshippers and worship. All kings of the earth and all of their kingdoms will bow down and serve Him (Psalm 72:11; 86:9). His name will reverberate throughout all generations (Psalm 72:17). And His name will echo from sea to shining sea (Psalm 72:8). The end result of His reign will be that all of YHWH's blessings promised to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and Israel will come through Him (Psalm 72:17-19). These were the songs Israel was commanded to sing as they waited for this righteous King to come.
Today, we begin the final section of Old Testament eschatology (which will take a couple of weeks to cover), called The Prophets. The prophets exist when the kings of Israel and Judah are languishing, failing, and preparing to be removed by God. The job of the kings was simple. They were placeholders called to rule over God's people with justice and righteousness until the Son of God came. They were to help God's people be fruitful, to help multiply them, and to prepare them to take dominion over the face of the earth so that God's vision of filling the world with worshippers would be moving in the right direction. Instead of doing this, the kings brought more sin and misery upon the land; they got the people of God captured by invading armies, and they led them away from YHWH onto every hilltop high place in rebellion against their creator. The prophets were sent by God to call the kings and the people they were ruling over to repentance before God annihilated them. Yet, even while watching Israel collapsing into Assyrian Genocide and Judah falling headlong into exile in Babylon, the prophets remind God's people that God's plans will not fail, He will bring them about in the proper time, and that they must remember and cling to the promises of God. With that, the section of the Old Testament called the prophets becomes the richest treasure chest of postmillennial promises and hope in the entire Old Testament, which is precisely why we cannot cover it in a single week.
Today, we will look at four specific promises God gave through the mouth of Isaiah that prove to the remaining remnant of Judah that God will not give up on His promises and plans. He will have a world filled with the knowledge of God and worshippers before world history is finished.
PROMISE 1: GOD WILL CONVERT THE PAGANS
Despite the failure of the judges and the kings, God had not abandoned His plan to rescue men, women, and children from every tribe, tongue, and nation on earth. Instead of enacting this glorious vision through inglorious men, God had long ago promised to send His Son (Genesis 3:15), who would gather up a worldwide people around Himself, fulfilling the very good vision God gave to Adam. This comes into crystal clarity in the writings of the prophet Isaiah.
ISAIAH 19 AND THE ENEMIES OF GOD
For instance, in Isaiah 19, the prophet Isaiah provides remarkable insight into God's plan. In this passage, we see a stunning prophecy concerning Egypt and Assyria—two nations that represent the fiercest hatred and rejection of God.
First, Isaiah describes the Lord's judgment on Egypt through civil war, economic devastation, and the failure of its leaders (verses 1-15). This is not really all that shocking since Egypt and Assyria deserved the judgment of God. However, what is astonishing is how the passage continues. Isaiah goes on to say that God will spare a remnant among the people of Egypt and Assyria and that He will redeem and save them, adding them among the covenant people right alongside Israel and Judah! Here is a summary of those promises.
The Egyptians will come to fear the Lord and worship Him (vv. 16-17)
Cities in Egypt will speak Hebrew and swear allegiance to the Lord (v. 18)
An altar and pillar to the Lord will be established in Egypt (v. 19)
The Lord will send a Savior and Mighty One (Christ) to deliver them (v. 20)
Egypt and Assyria will then know the Lord (vv. 21-22)
A highway will connect Egypt and Assyria so that united worship can flourish among peoples (v. 23)
Egypt and Assyria will be a blessing in the world, for the Lord Himself will bless them (vv. 24-25)
This fantastic prophecy shows God's plan to take the most vicious and rebellious people on earth and extend His covenant love to them. Under Christ's rule, as Savior, these former enemies of God will repent, worship Him, and become blessings. The Lord will make them the objects of His redeeming love, using them to fill the earth with worshippers and His covenant blessings. And herein lies the point. God is not going to allow the project He began to be thwarted by sin, idolatry, or even the greatest enemies the people of God ever knew. No. If the Egyptians and Assyrians tried to stop the LORD from filling the world full of worshippers, He would simply convert them into worshippers. His plans will not be overturned.
ISAIAH 45 AND THE ENEMIES OF GOD
This pattern continues in Isaiah 45, where the Lord reveals His sovereignty over the nations and His intention to save people from all the earth's extremities. Speaking of His anointed one, Cyrus, God states:
"He will build My city and will let My exiles go free, Without any payment or reward," says the Lord of hosts." - Isaiah 45:13
While Cyrus was a present-day reference during the time of Isaiah, this promise echoes forward to the greater "Anointed One" - the Messiah - who would rebuild God's kingdom and set the spiritual exiles free. The prophecy continues:
"Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. "I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." - Isaiah 45:22-23
Here, we see God's intention to bring salvation to the farthest reaches of the globe. He not only says that it will happen, but He also swears by His own character that this is what He has determined, leaving no room for us to ever doubt its fulfillment. The Messiah He will send will draw and do what no one before Him could; he will make worshippers from every nation, tribe, and tongue - causing "every knee to bow" in allegiance to Him. This universal worship has always been God's plan from the beginning, and Isaiah 45 says that Jesus will be the one God ordained to accomplish it.
The result is that all who come to the Lord will declare His righteousness and draw strength from Him as worshippers. From the most defiant God-haters like Egypt and Assyria to the farthest nations - God will have a multitude of worshippers from all over the earth gathered under the reign of His Messiah.
ISAIAH 49 AND THE ENEMIES OF GOD
In addition to redeeming His fiercest enemies (Isaiah 19) and drawing worshippers from the farthest reaches of the globe (Isaiah 45), God will gather those universal assortment of worshippers around His Son, who is portrayed as the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah 49.
In the opening verses of this great chapter, God's Servant declares His mission: "He made me a polished shaft, concealed me in His quiver...And He said to me, 'You are My Servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified"" (49:2-3). While this passage certainly demonstrates how the singular Servant of the Lord (the Messiah) can take on the promises given to the nation (Israel), it also shows how He will accomplish it while Israel always fails. Verse 6 says as much:
“It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel” - Isaiah 49:6
The Messiah's role is to restore faithless and rebellious Israel and bring God's salvation to the world! This is reinforced in verse 12:
"Behold, these will come from afar; And lo, these will come from the north and from the west, And these from the land of Sinim. (Modern-day China)."
No matter how far away or how hostile the peoples of the nations are, they will be drawn to Him, given over to this Servant of the Lord figure, who will overcome their rebellion and bring them into His worldwide Kingdom. Isaiah provides God's answer on how this is possible in verse 13, saying:
“Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted.” - Isaiah 49:13
Notice that God is commanding all of the hosts of heaven and earth to rejoice and worship Him. He is not just ordering the pagans to do something they will be judged for not completing; He promises to make the world "His people" by uniting the Gentiles with His Son as His beloved bride. When God does this, He will make the earth one flesh with His Son, the true Israel, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 49:14-21), saying:
"All flesh will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." (Isaiah 49:25-26)
Through the work of the Servant-Messiah, God will confront and conquer every force that tries to stop Him. Whether hostile nations, human tyrants, or spiritual powers - nothing will prevent Him from filling the world with His covenant people, who will bring His light to the nations (Isaiah 49:8-9). He will not stop until His Servant has liberated all captives, converting the world from a planet burgeoning with God-haters into a world overflowing with worshippers!
A FEW OTHER PASSAGES
We can actually keep going here, showing how "the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God" (Isaiah 52:10). How God called Jesus to be the commander and general over all the peoples on earth who formerly had never heard of Him (Isaiah 55:4-5). We could show how every foreigner and stranger will join themselves to the Lord at some point in the future and learn to love Him through the work of the Messiah (Isaiah 56:6-8). We could consider how the nations will leave their addiction to darkness and step into the light of Christ before Jesus returns at the end of human history (Isaiah 60:3). We could allude to the promise of a worldwide missionary effort by the Church that will result in the nations being converted to God, offered back to Him as a pleasing sacrifice and offering by a faithful evangelistic church (Isaiah 66:18-20).
While there are certainly more, the point has been well established. The first thing God uses Isaiah, the prophet, to promise the remnant waiting on the promises of God is that God is going to deal with the problem of sin by sending His Son, who will apply His salvation to the whole world. There is no getting around this in Isaiah. It is too evident to avoid or ignore. The Messiah is going to save the world. His plans for a worldwide family of redeemed worshippers will not be thwarted.
PROMISE 2: BY JESUS RULING THE NATIONS
The prophetic visions of Isaiah burn with vivid imagery of the day when Jesus, the promised Messiah, will establish His reign over all the nations of the earth. This second significant promise holds out staggering hope for the remnant in Isaiah's day but also encourages all of us on the direction world history is going.
In Isaiah 2, the prophetic eyes look into the "last days," and he beholds an awe-inspiring vision of life under Messiah's reign. He says:
Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. - Isaiah 2:2
Isaiah envisions a time when the glory of the Lord will be supremely exalted, drawing every nation like a river flowing unstoppably toward it.
He continues,
And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. - Isaiah 2:3.
No longer hostile to God, the multitudes of the world are depicted as eager students of Jesus, streaming to Zion to sit at the Lord's feet like Mary and be instructed in His paths. Why? Because the Lord will send His word out from Jerusalem (Acts 1:8), and He will ensure that the Gospel is preached to every creature under heaven (Colossians 1:23). As that Gospel increasingly wins over the world, Jesus will increasingly "settle disputes among the nations" (Isaiah 2:4) as the supreme Judge and Lawgiver over every tribe, tongue, and people!
If Isaiah's sweeping cosmic vision were not glorious enough, it grows to inconceivable portions. Under Christ's righteous rule, all war and violence will eventually be eliminated. Isaiah tells us:
"They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war." - Isaiah 2:4
If we take these promises as true and accurate, which you would have to be a liberal higher critic not to, then under the rule of God's Son, the nations will increasingly become more peaceful until war itself is eliminated forever. This is not a mere spiritual promise, as the amillennial types are prone to see it. It is also not a temporary promise where Christ reigns for a peace-filled millennium before chaos and violence break out all over the earth once again just before the end. No. God says that the nations will never again learn the art of war. Once Jesus' reign on earth, by His Spirit, and through His Church, abolishes all war and aggression on this war-torn planet (a promise we are still waiting to be fulfilled), it will never return again. Jesus will return to a peaceful world that worships Him. It will not be a world thrown into an Antichrist-led rebellion called Armageddon.
This same promise resounds in Isaiah 9, describing the unending expansion of the Messiah's government:
"There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this." - Isaiah 9:7
Christ will forcefully extend His righteous reign over all nations, demolishing every opposing rule, authority, and power. If you do not believe this, you doubt God Himself and spit in the face of His promises.
In another majestic portrayal of the Messiah, Isaiah envisions the wealth and glory of the nations continuously streaming into His kingdom. Isaiah says:
"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
This is no isolated event. It depicts the end of human economies built on sin, misery, and death and looks forward to the day when all the spoils and treasuries of the earth will be turned over to the dominion of our righteous God and King, Jesus.
These visions could not be more contrary to the circumstances of Isaiah's day. And in many ways, they stand opposed to the situation we find ourselves in today. But this does not mean that these incredible promises are nothing but hot air that will never come true. For the last 2000 years, the Messiah's government has been increasing. It will continue to expand until it is filled with Spirit-filled people. Those Spirit-filled people will turn their swords into plowshares. And the world will come under the magnificent rule of righteousness and peace that the Messiah will bring. The world as a whole will behold the glory of Christ and will stream to Zion (His Church) to worship and obey Him.
No matter how bleak the present age, the LORD's zeal will accomplish this future reality!
PROMISE 3: BY JESUS BLESSING TO THE NATIONS
The visions of Isaiah do not merely depict the Messiah conquering the nations and ruling over them with an iron scepter. No, the prophet's inspired words paint a breathtaking picture of how Jesus will lavish His blessings upon the peoples of the earth, transforming the entire world into a paradise resonating with unbridled joy and eternal celebration.
On the mountain of Zion, to which the nations stream, the LORD of Hosts will prepare "a lavish banquet for all peoples" (Isaiah 25:6). No longer will famine and lack afflict the inhabitants of the earth, for the Messianic King will splay out a sumptuous feast, rich with the finest provisions. The peoples will taste and see that the LORD is good, as they sup on His generous bounty.
But this is no ordinary banquet. Isaiah declares that on this mountain, the LORD "will swallow up death for all time" (Isaiah 25:8). The shroud of mourning and tears that has cloaked humanity in sorrow since the days of Eden will be eternally stripped away. The curse will be eternally repealed as the Messiah destroys the final enemy - death itself. A tapestry of euphoric, unending life will be boundlessly woven.
Vineyard slopes will overflow with succulent clusters, ripening from shore to shore, bursting with the choicest fruit. Isaiah prophesies that on that day, "its shoot will bud and its blossom also will sprout and fill the face of the earth with fruit" (Isaiah 27:6). Scarcity will be abolished as the life-giving vines of God's bountiful blessing flourish uninhibited across the renewed earth.
No more will ethnic animosity, cultural divides or linguistic barriers fracture the family of man. The Messiah will lovingly gather the "foreigners who join themselves to the LORD" from every nation, every tongue (Isaiah 56:6). He will bring them to His holy mountain and make them "joyful in My house of prayer" (Isaiah 56:7). United in diverse worship, the fusions of the redeemed will resound in perfect harmony.
Under the peaceful reign of Jesus the Messiah, the knowledge of the glory of the LORD will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). The nations will eternally bask in the warm radiance of His infinite blessings as death, mourning, crying, and pain are forever banished (Revelation 21:4). This is the cosmic climax to which all history inexorably marches!
PROMISE 4: JESUS WILL COVER THE WORLD WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND GLORY OF GOD
The trumpet blasts of Isaiah's prophecies do not merely herald the Messiah's global conquest and His lavishing of paradisal blessings upon the nations. The inspired words also ring out with resounding assurance that through Christ, the entire earth will be flooded with the radiant knowledge and resplendent glory of the one true God.
Christ will be increasingly exalted throughout Church History, as one nation after another - who were previously strangers to the commonwealth of Israel - stream to Him in reverence and wonder (Isaiah 55:5). This ingathering of the Gentile nations does not involve shallow confessionalism; easy-believism, or nominalism where everyone (and no one) is a genuine Christian. God is promising a global reformation where those who formerly lived in lies now crave and ache for the truth of God. He promises to show the nations His fame, renown, and glory through Jesus (Isaiah 66:18-19). And He will powerfully reveal Himself to those sitting in darkness, dispatching His redeemed heralds to bring that illuminating Gospel all over the face of the earth (Matthew 28:19-20).
The knowledge of the LORD, presently existing in small, dimly glowing pockets and tiny iridescent remnants, will continue to increase until the world shines like a blinding supernova under the radiant rule of her Messiah. Isaiah foresaw this remarkable unveiling:
"They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" - Isaiah 11:9
As the tides of revelation surge, supernaturally washing over every coastline, the light of the knowledge of God's glory will displace all darkness, instilling peace and wholeness in its wake.
This cataclysmic dawn is nothing less than the Universal Advent for which all creation groans. Isaiah prophesied, "Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together" (Isaiah 40:5). No tribe will be overlooked, no people group burned by this astounding epiphany. The veil will be removed from all the nations (Isaiah 25:7) as the glory of God brilliantly blazes forth for all humanity to gaze upon its splendor.
Yet this is what is coming! The Church should not be preparing to lose down here. The Church should not be making plans for the world to continue going from bad to worse. The world will increasingly come under the command of King Jesus, our general. He will put down all rebellion. He will bless and gather a global people to Himself. And He will do what Adam should have done, filling the world with worshippers who are filled with the knowledge and glory of God.
While this vision is undoubtedly breathtaking, it is also true. The question is whether we will believe it.
CONCLUSION:
The prophecies of Isaiah blaze with the awe-inspiring vision of a world set ablaze by God's glory through His triumphant Messiah, Jesus Christ. Let this panoramic revelation not merely inform our minds but ignite an unquenchable furnace of hope within our spirits!
Though sin and darkness have shrouded the nations in the deepest night, the dawn from on high is relentlessly breaking forth. Isaiah thunders that through the radiant light of Christ, God Himself will dispel the shadows and illuminate every corner of the earth with His dazzling splendor. From the uttermost ends of the world, He will summon worshippers, converting even His fiercest enemies into joyful revelers in Zion's everlasting festivities.
Rebel nations and warring kingdoms? They will stream like mighty rivers to the holy mountain, beholding Emmanuel's terrible majesty and beauty. At the thunder of His voice, they will beat their swords into plows, their f-15s into museum relics, and their M4 carbines will be melted down to make hoes and rakes for garden living. His peace will proliferate under His righteous rule.
Famine, lack, disease, and death itself - these cruel taskmasters who have tyrannized humanity from Eden until now - Christ will vanquish them all, transcendently transformed into a lavish, sumptuous, eternal Feast before the beaming smiles of the redeemed nations.
Church, this is the cosmic climax towards which all events are inescapably hurtling! Let this truth be the lurid bonfire from which we inseparably draw our passion, zeal, and unwavering certainty. The knowledge of God's glory in Christ will drench this planet's circumference as entirely as the seas engulf every contour. Our King is deploying His end-time armada to announce the Bridegroom's arrival and beckon the world to the Marriage Supper. So go! Unfurl this banner without faltering. Gaze upon it until it brands the vision into your very bones. Then blaze across the continents with this prized truth emblazoning your hearts - Jesus is conquering, Jesus is blessing, Jesus is unveiling, and soon every tribe and tongue and people and nation will be forever lost in wonder, love, and praise!
VERSES CITED:
Genesis 1:28; 3:15; 9:1; 11; 12:1-3; 22:18; 26:3-4; 26:24; 28:14; 35:11; 49:10; Exodus 1:7; 9:16, Leviticus 26:9, Numbers 14:21; Deuteronomy 28:13; Joshua 21:12-13; Judges 21:25; 1 Samuel 2:10, 7, Psalm 2:7-9; 9:8; 22:27-28; 45:6; 67:1-4; 72:3, 7-8, 11, 17, 17-19; 89:36-37; 96:1-3, 10-13; 98:2-3; 110:1, 3-6; Isaiah 2:2-4; 9:7; 19; 25:6-8; 27:6; 40:5; 45:13, 22-23; 49:6-12-13; 52:10; 55:4-5; 56:6-8; 60:3, 11; 66:18-20; Habakkuk 2:14; Revelation 21:4.
