The Bible, 60: 10. What's the point?
Then the sons of strangers will build your walls, and their kings will serve you; for in my wrath I have smitten you, but in my favor I will be merciful to you
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Obviously, you are referring to the prophecy of Isaiah 60: 10.
These prophetic words of the true God are addressed to his chosen people. At the time the prophet Isaiah recorded this prophecy, God's people were Israel.
The first time the prophecy of Isaiah 60: 10 was fulfilled was when, in the sixth century BCE, foreigners-Sidonians, Tyrians, and Nephites-helped the Jews complete construction work in Jerusalem after returning from the Babylonian captivity.
The book of Ezra and Nehemiah says the following about this:
Today, this prophecy is being fulfilled in an even more amazing and grandiose way. The fulfillment of Isaiah 60: 10 shows that today there is a people chosen by God to do his will.
God's people are working in unity to restore true worship throughout the earth.
Very soon, God's plan to eliminate all evil, suffering, grief and death from the earth will be fulfilled! God's people will survive the destruction of Satan the Devil and those who support his rule in one way or another.
This destruction will begin by wiping out the empire of false religion – all religions that teach lies about the true God.
Answers to such questions are best found in Lopukhin's Explanatory Bible – https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Lopuhin/tolkovaja_biblija_28/.
Specifically, on this issue: -“Then the sons of foreigners will build your walls, and their kings will serve you” – there is this explanation: – These words were fulfilled literally, in relation to historical Israel, when the Persian kings-Cyrus and Artaxerxes Longimanus provided active assistance to the post-blinded Jews in building the second temple and restoring the walls of Jerusalem (1 Ezr.3: 7; Neh.2:5–8).
But it is more consistent with the general character of this chapter to see here a reference to the role of pagan peoples in the creation of the New Testament church, especially to the outstanding achievements of their rulers, such as, for example, Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Elena. The latter, as is well known, was particularly famous for its efforts to preserve and restore the sacred monuments of Palestine and Jerusalem (the acquisition of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord, the foundation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, etc.).
«For in my anger I have smitten you, but in my favor I will be merciful to you “(v. 10). The features of historical and spiritual Israel are considered here without strict distinction, and often one is replaced by another, as a type and its fulfillment, as we have seen in the prophet Isaiah before (Isaiah 54: 7-8).
The Book of Isaiah is a special book. In the sense that this is a deeply “secret”, if one can say so, full of allegory work of the ancient Kabbalist. Chapter 60 begins with a verse: “Arise, shine, [Jerusalem], for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” Jerusalem is added in parentheses as an explanation of what it is about.
Thus verse 10 of this chapter goes on to say about Jerusalem:”Then the sons of strangers will build your walls, and their kings will serve you; for in my wrath I have smitten you, but in my favor I will be merciful to you.”.. You remember how Jesus told the Pharisees that destroy Jerusalem, and in three days I will rebuild it. Jesus did not mean a city made of stone on Earth, but the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the kingdom of heaven. The building of the walls of the heavenly Jerusalem is nothing more than a spiritual struggle, the building up of divine morality and justice, which is only and exclusively in heaven. What are the kings of the earth compared to the eternal Jerusalem? They serve it, and all nations will sooner or later build its walls, that is, listen to the teaching and follow it.
We need to make a reservation. The Book of Isaiah is called the 5th Gospel, and it's not about politics. This is the “good news” of the Kingdom of God, not the State of Israel (with all due respect to the Israelites).
The end of Isaiah is an apocalypse, an eschatology. Compare Isaiah 66: 22 and Revelation 21:1. “New heaven and new earth” is the next stage of evolution, the Kingdom of God, the Upper Jerusalem.
In 60: 10, “foreigners” are Gentiles, Gentiles. They will come to the true God and build this future Kingdom of God. And the Jews will be left out.
Later in Chapter 61, the Anointed One is Christ.63: 16 says that “Israel does not recognize us as its own” – this means that the Jews do not recognize Christianity as true.
But 60: 10 says that God's wrath turns to mercy. This probably means that this error of the Jews is due to providence, and therefore serves for the benefit of the Jews. Let others build a bright future, and let Jews (Muslims) praise God the Father. Otherwise, when Christians praise Christ, they may forget about God the Father.
This is actually a prophecy, and it fits two events.
To restore Israel, this is happening right now, and this Scripture is very much like modern Israel.
The prophecy that God will create a new Kingdom, with a New Jerusalem, is also mentioned in the book of Revelation.
And the nations will come to your light, and the kings to the brightness that rises above you.
Lift up your eyes and look around: they are all gathered together, coming towards you; your sons are coming from afar, and they are carrying your daughters in their arms.
Then you will see and rejoice, and your heart will tremble and expand, for the riches of the sea will return to you, and the wealth of the nations will come to you.
Many camels will cover you – dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all of them will come from Sheba, bringing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the glory of the Lord.
All the sheep of Kidar will be gathered to you; the rams of Nebaioth will serve you: they will go up to My altar as a pleasing sacrifice, and I will glorify the house of my glory.
Who is it that flies like clouds, and like doves to their dovecotes?
So the islands are waiting for me, and the ships of Tarshish are ahead of them, to carry your sons from afar, and their silver and gold with them, in the name of the Lord your God and the Holy One of Israel, because He has glorified you.
Then the sons of strangers will build your walls, and their kings will serve you; for in my wrath I have smitten you, but in my favor I will be merciful to you.
And your gates will always be open, and they will not be shut day or night, so that the wealth of the nations may be brought to you, and their kings brought in.
For the people and kingdoms that will not serve you will perish, and such nations will be utterly destroyed.
The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the cypress tree and the pine tree and the cedar together, to adorn the place of My sanctuary, and I will glorify the footstool of My feet.
And the sons of those who oppressed you will come to you in submission, and all those who despised you will fall at the soles of your feet, and they will call you the city of the Lord, the Holy Zion of Israel.
Instead of being forsaken and hated, so that no one passed through, I will make you greatness forever, joy from generation to generation.
You will be filled with the milk of the nations, and you will suck the breasts of kings, and you will know that I am the Lord, your Saviour and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
I will bring you gold instead of brass, and silver instead of iron, and brass instead of wood, and iron instead of stones; and I will make peace your ruler, and righteousness your overseers.
(Isaiah 60: 3-17)
And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, ” Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; they will be His people, and God himself will be with them, and their God.”
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; there will be no more weeping, no more crying, no more sickness, for the former things are past.
(Revelation 21: 2-4)
Which of the two events this prophecy refers to I do not know, it is up to everyone to decide for themselves.
To understand the meaning of this passage, it must be viewed in the context of the chapter and the entire book. In this passage, the Lord addresses His chosen people, Israel. As you know, God made a covenant with the Israelites, according to which the people were to fulfill all the commandments of God and be a light for the pagan peoples around them. This would lead to them having all of God's blessings and showing other nations that they live in abundance and peace because they serve the One Living God.
This was God's plan for ancient Israel. However, the children of Israel were not able to accomplish the work of transformation within themselves, and therefore God could not deliver them from external enemies and make them his representatives in granting salvation to the Gentiles.
It should be noted that Isaiah lived in a troubled time. For both Judea and Israel, it was an era of destruction and constant unrest. God's people have fallen low by following the path of sin. During the reigns of Azariah (Hosea) in Judah and Jeroboam II in Israel, both nations were distinguished by their power and prosperity, but the rise of their material fortunes led them to spiritual decline.
The people have forsaken God and his ways of righteousness. The social and moral conditions of both nations were very similar in many ways. There was a lack of justice everywhere, for judges judged for their own gain, and rulers thought only of pleasure and personal gain.
Greed, avarice and depravity were the main features of that time. As the rich grew richer and the poor became poorer, many were reduced to extreme poverty and reduced almost to the status of a slave. Many of the people left the service of Jehovah and began to worship pagan gods. Others strictly adhered to the external forms of service, but did not know anything about its true meaning and power.
Isaiah warned that this situation could not continue for long. Jehovah will forsake a people who, though they professed to pursue righteousness, were in fact following the path of evil. Isaiah pointed out that the path of justice is the path of life, peace, and prosperity, while the path of iniquity is full of sorrows and sorrows.
He tried to explain to the people the true meaning of religion and the true character of the living God. He directed their eyes to a better, purer world. People have heard his warnings that their stubborn refusal to leave the path of evil will soon lead to complete destruction.
But God is not always angry. When the people remembered God and turned to him, the Lord showed them great mercy and forgiveness.
Similarly, the text in question speaks of the grace of God.
By the sons of foreigners are meant pagan peoples. “Build your walls” – in ancient times, the city walls served as protection and testified to the strength of the city. Therefore, building walls meant multiplying the strength of the city. In other words, the Gentiles will help the Jews strengthen the city's strength, and in a spiritual sense, they will proclaim the Gospel.
“I smote you” refers to the Babylonian captivity of the Israelites.
God used the Chaldeans (Babylonians) as an instrument to exact a certain retribution against Israel , a hypocritical people who passed unjust judgments, took away judgment from the needy, deprived the poor of their rights, oppressed the widow, and robbed the fatherless.
But in due time the judgments of the Lord visited Assyria and Babylon, the land of the Philistines and Egypt, Moab, Syria and Tyre – all the enemies of Israel. Isaiah's messages were mainly addressed to the people of Judea and Jerusalem and were intended for their benefit.