C<\/span>ities have become so synonymous with evil and corruption<\/b>, poverty and injustice that we tend to overlook the significance of the city in the Bible. The Scriptures often speak of the City of Zion or Jerusalem as a picture of God\u2019s rule and his presence with his people.<\/span><\/p>\n In Isaiah 60:1-5 the prophet encourages God\u2019s people that their time of darkness and despair, because they were in exile, would give way to a say of light and hope. God would establish his City \u2013 the City of Zion.\u00a0He pictures the sun rising over Jerusalem\u00a0<\/b>\u2013 a sight that tourists today still marvel at as it lights up her walls and towers, the domes and roofs:\u00a0<\/sup><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.\u00a0For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;\u00a0but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.\u00a0Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.\u00a0Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you;\u00a0your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses\u2019\u00a0arms.\u00a0Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice,\u00a0because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall\u00a0come to you<\/i>\u00a0(Isaiah 60:1-5).<\/span><\/p>\n Historically Isaiah\u2019s words came true<\/b>, for against all odds, the Jewish people returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt it. Cyrus the Mede, as Isaiah had indicated (Isaiah 45), conquered Babylon, and in 520 BC he decreed that the Jewish people could return to their homeland.<\/span><\/p>\n But Isaiah was not just pointing to the city of Jerusalem that was rebuilt after the exile.\u00a0He was pointing to the time when God\u2019s rule would come down to earth<\/b>. God would bring in a whole new order, a new creation. The city of which Isaiah spoke was a picture of God\u2019s kingdom and the glory of a new and lasting city where God himself would fill the city with the light of his presence. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The imagery of light and darkness\u00a0is often used to portray God\u2019s creating work.\u00a0In Genesis 1 we read that\u00a0thick darkness covered the earth<\/i>, but God\u2019s\u00a0light<\/i>\u00a0overcame it. Here in Isaiah 60\u00a0darkness\u00a0<\/i>is a metaphor for moral evil and spiritual blindness.\u00a0Light<\/i>\u00a0is a picture of God\u2019s coming to rescue his people<\/b>. In God\u2019s new city there will be no need of a sun or a moon, for God\u2019s glory will shine forever.<\/span><\/p>\n Furthermore, God\u2019s\u00a0light<\/i>\u00a0will shine worldwide:\u00a0Nations shall come to your light\u00a0<\/i>(60:3), and kings to the brightness of your dawn.<\/i>\u00a0Those who refuse to turn to God will perish (60:12).\u00a0It is one of the ironies of history that the power of Rome that crucified Jesus in the first century, capitulated to him in the fourth<\/b>, when the emperor Constantine was baptized. It is striking proof that Isaiah\u2019s words were no dream. The power of human kingdoms will fail and the kingdoms of the world will amass their wealth, only to lay it down again at the feet of the King of kings.\u00a0It is an inspiring and encouraging picture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How much more should it encourage us, for we live on the other side of the coming of God\u2019s King, Jesus the Messiah<\/b>. With his coming we see more clearly that God\u2019s kingdom will succeed and that God\u2019s royal City, the new Jerusalem, will be established in glory and greatness forever.<\/span><\/p>\n However, we need to be realistic:\u00a0God\u2019s city lies on the other side of a cosmic discontinuity<\/b>. God will need to intervene through the return of his anointed King. Only then will God\u2019s people be delivered from the tragic consequences of the present world.<\/span><\/p>\n What we need to remember is that what we do now has significance\u00a0\u2013\u00a0for what we do in this world can change things<\/b>. Indeed, what we do in the service of Christ in this world lasts.\u00a0When we know that, we know why we work, why we try to serve the city.\u00a0Each day it is worth praying, \u2018Lord what good things have you for me to do today in building the City to come?\u2019<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n God has a purpose for us all. We are moving towards the end of time, to a new and lasting City. Let\u2019s embrace the words of a great prophet of ancient Israel when he says,\u00a0Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a01. \u00a0\u00a0the response of Isaiah\u2019s first readers to the words of this chapter;<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a02. \u00a0\u00a0your response to Isaiah\u2019s words when you feel that there\u2019s no future for you;<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a03. \u00a0\u00a0how you can live a meaningful life now with the\u00a0\u00a0tension the hope of God\u2019s new city before you and knowing that God has a\u00a0purpose for you now.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a9 John G. Mason, The Anglican Connection<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HOPE’S DREAM ities have become so synonymous with evil and corruption, poverty and injustice that we tend to overlook the significance of the city in the Bible. The Scriptures often speak of the City of Zion or Jerusalem as a picture of God\u2019s rule and his presence with his people. In Isaiah 60:1-5 the prophet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-word-on-wednesday"],"yoast_head":"\nLIGHT AND DARKNESS<\/h2>\n
You may like to consider:<\/span><\/h2>\n
Let me encourage you to pray:<\/span><\/h2>\n
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