Isaiah 60:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, he boldly declares that the entire realm of the Gentiles is shrouded in the darkness of ignorance and error, while upon you the Lord shall reveal His presence; for, as I previously mentioned, His unparalleled glory, marked by miraculous signs and wonders, has first shone forth to you. As God, He performed miracles among them—raising the dead, restoring sight to the blind, cleansing lepers with a mere gesture, and commanding demons with authority. In every possible way, He left no stone unturned to demonstrate that He is indeed God and the true Son of God.

The understanding we have of the restoration of Zion and Jerusalem, along with the promises given to them in prophetic scripture, has been addressed at length in the previous book, where we elaborated on the meaning of the phrase: the Redeemer shall come to Zion and to those who turn from transgression in Jacob (Isaiah 59:20). We must briefly consider the views of many regarding this topic in order to identify the error and better grasp the truth.

The Jewish people and those with similar thoughts expect that Jerusalem, adorned with gold and precious stones from heaven, will be realized in the millennial kingdom. They believe that all nations will serve Israel, that the camels from Midian and Ephah will bring gold and incense, and that the sheep of Kedar will be gathered along with the flocks of Nabai for offerings on the altar of the future temple. They also claim that the islands, especially the ships from Pharsis, will bring wealth in gold and silver, that foreigners under heathen rulers will construct Jerusalem's walls, and that the city’s gates will remain perpetually open for the flow of riches and sacrifices. The wilderness will bloom with cypress, pine, and cedar from Lebanon, particularly around the temple of the Lord, where eternal joy will abound, and the treasures of the nations will fill it to overflowing, replacing brass with gold, iron with silver, wood with copper, and stones with iron. Its leaders will know unceasing peace, and its rulers will govern with righteousness while its gates will be beautifully crafted. Most significantly, instead of the sun and moon, the Lord Himself will shine with everlasting light, and instead of an individual, He will possess multitudes of strong individuals and powerful nations.

These expectations are held by those who crave earthly delights and seek exquisite companions and numerous offspring, for whom their appetite is their god, and who consider what shames them as their glory. Others assert that these promises are granted to the Jewish people if they receive Him who declares in the Gospel, ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12), illuminating every person who enters the world. Thus, just as sacrifices were allowed for the Israelites not because they were inherently good, but to prevent offerings to demons, the Lord extends these promises to the Jews, who pursue sensory pleasures. Since they did not receive the Son of God, these promises remain unfulfilled. That's why He told the Canaanite woman seeking help for her daughter, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). To His disciples, He instructed, "Do not go on the road of the Gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan town; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6). For this reason, the apostles initially preached about the Lord in the synagogues, and when they were rejected, they declared, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; but since you thrusted it aside, behold, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46). Light had come into the world, but the Jewish people preferred darkness. Therefore, the Lord, lamenting over Jerusalem, said, "If you had known on this day what would bring you peace" (Luke 19:42). Since Jerusalem ignored His peace, He added, "The days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side" (Luke 19:43).

Yet, following the same line of thought, we believe that all this pertains to the Church, initially gathered from the Gentiles and graced with light through the apostles. It is told to her: "Arise, shine," that having fallen among the unbelieving, she may rise among the faithful; having stumbled in the synagogues, she may thrive in the churches, and after her upliftment, she may shine, ensuring that error does not overshadow them. "For your light has come," proclaims she, which has been anticipated by all the prophets. And the glory of the Lord that once graced the tabernacle and His temple has emerged over you, as stated: "Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God" (Psalm 86:2). For behold, darkness shall cover the earth—those who are wise in worldly matters—and deep darkness shall envelop the nations, referring to the Jews themselves. As it is written in another Psalm, "The tribes of the Lord have come up, the tribes of the Lord, to the testimony of Israel" (Psalms 121:4). The Lord, the sun of righteousness, shall rise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you, as recorded: "And we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Nations shall walk in your light; we will walk in the light of the apostles, shining in the world, which darkness has not conquered. And kings will come, as indicated, at the brightness of your rising, as you have been reborn in Christ. This fulfillment is both spiritual and tangible—that kings, whose hearts are in the Lord's care and where sin does not reign in the mortal body, walk in the radiance of the Church or in Him who has ascended through the Church, solidifying their faith in the true King-Christ.

We witness this realization daily, as after the dismantling of the false worship of idols and the fury of persecution, Roman dignitaries embrace the faith and peace of Christ. Some assert that this prophecy was partially fulfilled from the initial coming of the Savior until the end of the age and will be completely realized thereafter—when the full number of Gentiles is gathered, and all Israel shall be saved (Romans 11:25). Their perspective cannot be dismissed lightly, but it must be recognized that the fulfillment will be spiritual rather than corporeal. Thus, the name Jerusalem as referenced here is absent from the Hebrew and should be noted with an obel, contrary to the belief that all of this pertains exclusively to Jerusalem.

Even the kings of the Gentiles will walk in the light of Jerusalem—meaning they will be enlightened by the true faith and guided by it in their lives. This prophecy saw partial fulfillment during the era of the Old Testament Church following the Babylonian exile, when many Gentiles were drawn to Jerusalem and embraced the faith, and when influential pagan monarchs like Cyrus and Artaxerxes showed favor to the Jewish people and acknowledged the greatness of the God of Israel. Nonetheless, the full realization of this prophecy regarding illumination by the light of true faith occurred in the New Testament period with the coming of Christ, who became the focal point of hope not only for the Jews but also for Gentiles. During this time, Jerusalem evolved into the source from which the light of the Gospel began to illuminate the world, leading earth's kings, represented by Constantine the Great and other Christian rulers, to become advocates and guardians of Christ's Church.