| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
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| 1 Arise, be bright, for come hath thy light, And the honour of Jehovah hath risen on thee. |
Arise, shine – Has a double application-first to spiritual Israel, and second, to Israel after the flesh. R2036:1, R2372:5
"Arise, give light." R1746:6
Beginning to be spoken to natural Israel in 1878. R107:2*
Reminding us of our Lord's counsel to Mary after his resurrection. When she would linger in his presence he reminded her to bear the good tidings to the other disciples. R2036:6
Through the secondary instrumentality of the fleshly seed of Abraham shall all the nations of the world be blessed. R1746:6
God's message to fleshly Israel at the dawn of the Millennial age. R1747:1
The prophet calls upon the saints to shine now; all who have been enlightened by the Harvest Message. R2036:2
Thy light is come – "The Sun of Righteousness," the Lord Jesus at his second advent. R2036:1
Light, to Israel, was the hope of the resurrection. That hope is not yet realized, "waiting for the completion of the resurrection of Christ." R751:2*
The Bride (as part of the "Sun of Righteousness"). R238:2*[R237:15], R2037:4[R2037:5]
The Lamb (Head and Body) is the light thereof. (Rev. 21:23) R244:1*
When the finished Temple of God shall displace the present tabernacle. R1982:2
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| 2 For, lo, the darkness doth cover the earth, And thick darkness the peoples, And on thee rise doth Jehovah, And His honour on thee is seen. |
Behold, the darkness – Confused regarding the plan of God; from the standpoint of human creeds. CR267:2; A18
Evidenced by the some 600 sects of Christian people, besides other sects of other religious people. CR267:2
Cover the earth – Civilized society. R3686:2; CR227:4
And will continue to do so until all the members of the Church, the "Body" of the great High Priest, shall have first gone beyond the second veil (actual death) into the Most Holy by resurrection change. T90
Of the world's population of 1,424,000,000 (1883) nearly two-thirds are still total heathen, and the remainder are mostly Mohammedan or followers of great apostate churches. R535:2*
The entire 6,000 years of the reign of sin, from Adam's disobedience until the establishment of the reign of Christ, has been a night time. HG433:3
Satan is "the ruler of the darkness of this world." (Eph. 6:12) A68
But the world is not always to remain in this condition. "The morning cometh." (Isa. 21:12) A21
And gross darkness – "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not." (2 Cor. 4:4) T90; R2122:6
There are different shades of darkness. R5099:5; CR220:5
The majority are not able to see the desirability of the truth. R5338:3
Notwithstanding the faithfulness of Jesus and a few lightbearers. R4987:6
Human affairs have become demoralized by the darkness of ignorance and superstition. R5097:2
God's people have need to take heed to every step. CR251:4
The people – The heathen. R3686:2; CR220:4; SM240:2, SM435:2
Glory shall be seen – The bow of promise; the Lord comes while yet darkness covers the earth. A18; R2036:2
There is a refractive light and influence wherever the Lord's saints reside. SM699:T
When, by and by, we shall shine in the glory of the Kingdom for the blessing of the whole world. R2036:5
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| 3 And come have nations to thy light, And kings to the brightness of thy rising. |
And the Gentiles – The nations of the earth in general, the heathen. A18, R535:1
Not only the living Gentiles. but also the living Jews, shall come to the light and blessing of the Millennial Kingdom. R2402:4
Come to thy light – Applies to spiritual Israel; also to fleshly Israel restored to favor. D638
After the resurrection of the Church. Christ will be revealed in glory and light to Israel. They shall fall before him and go out as a people through whom God will lighten the Gentiles. R751:3*
From Israel the light will shine out which will bring the chastened world to its knees and usher in the pouring out of the spirit of holiness "upon all flesh." D639
The world will be given time to see in Israel the operation of divine government, in contrast with anarchy, so that the majority of all nations shall desire the Kingdom rule. D638
None shall be permitted to languish in darkness or fail of eternal life by reason of lack of knowledge, but in due time all the blind eyes shall be opened. R2409:1
And kings – Earth's principal ones. D638
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| 4 Lift up round about thine eyes and see, All of them have been gathered, they have come to thee, Thy sons from afar do come, And thy daughters on the side are supported. |
And thy daughters – "And I will give them (Sodom and Samaria) unto thee for daughters." (Ezek. 16:61) D638
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| 5 Then thou seest, and hast become bright, And thine heart hath been afraid and enlarged, For turn unto thee doth the multitude of the sea, The forces of nations do come to thee. |
Then – During the Millennial age. E23
Thou shalt see – A glorious day of opening blinded eyes. D638
Flow together – Be filled with light. D638
Thine heart shall fear – Heart shall be awed. D638
God does not desire the service of fear, except that filial fear which is inspired by love, which dreads to incur his displeasure or to be ungrateful for his favors. R829:6*
The abundance – Now. however, the great Fisherman has no special use for any more or other than one kind of fish. R920:2
Of the sea – The anarchistic masses. D638
Shall be converted – His enemies shall fall before him. They will be enemies no more. It is the error that made them enemies--the falsehood. HG272:6
The forces of – The best of the Gentiles. D638
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| 6 A company of camels covereth thee, Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, All of them from Sheba do come, Gold and frankincense they bear, And of the praises of Jehovah they proclaim the tidings. |
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| 7 All the flock of Kedar are gathered to thee, The rams of Nebaioth do serve thee, They ascend for acceptance Mine altar, And the house of My beauty I beautify. |
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| 8 Who [are] these as a thick cloud they fly, And as doves unto their windows |
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| 9 Surely for Me isles do wait, And ships of Tarshish first, To bring thy sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, To the name of Jehovah thy God, And to the Holy One of Israel, Because He hath beautified thee. |
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| 10 And sons of a stranger have built thy walls, And their kings do serve thee, For in My wrath I have smitten thee, And in My good pleasure I have pitied thee. |
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| 11 And opened have thy gates continually, By day and by night they are not shut, To bring unto thee the force of nations, Even their kings are led. |
Gates shall be open – Compare with Isa. 26:2 and Rev. 21:24-26. R1951:1, R2338:3
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| 12 For the nation and the kingdom that do not serve thee perish, Yea, the nations are utterly wasted. |
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| 13 The honour of Lebanon unto thee doth come, Fir, pine, and box together, To beautify the place of My sanctuary, And the place of My feet I make honourable. |
My sanctuary – All mankind's blessings (Rev. 21:3-5) will result from the establishment of God's residence or sanctuary among men. T76
I will make – At about this time we are to expect wonderful contortions of nature and some radical changes in earth's conditions to make it more adapted to the wants of man during the Millennial age and throughout eternity. HG400:6
The place of my feet – "Earth is my footstool." (Isa. 66:1) T76; R1874:5, R286:2, R5060:5, R5078:4, R5364:4, R5839:1, R6013:5
The promises of God to the children of Isaac and Jacob are not heavenly or spiritual, but earthly. SM504:T
Glorious – The restored earth. D647, SM37:3, SM389:2, SM504:T, OV351:1
Paradise restored will no longer be a garden merely, but the whole earth. SM503:2; OV351:1; HG435:2
When the Kingdom is set up. R5058:1, R4768:1, R5839:1 Isaiah 60:14
The city of the LORD – Earthly or heavenly Jerusalem. R56:1*
The Zion – Not only the earthly Jerusalem is called Zion, but also the heavenly. (Heb. 12:18, 22) R56:5*
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| 14 And come unto thee, bowing down, Have sons of those afflicting thee, And bowed themselves to the soles of thy feet Have all despising thee, And they have cried to thee: 'City of Jehovah, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.' |
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| 15 Instead of thy being forsaken and hated, And none passing through, I have made thee for an excellency age-during, A joy of generation and generation. |
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| 16 And thou hast sucked the milk of nations, Yea, the breast of kings thou suckest, And thou hast known that I, Jehovah, Thy Saviour, and Thy Redeemer, [Am] the Mighty One of Jacob. |
And thy Redeemer – Author of the divine plan of redemption. E33
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| 17 Instead of the brass I bring in gold, And instead of the iron I bring in silver, And instead of the wood brass, And instead of the stone iron, And I have made thy inspection peace, And thy exactors righteousness. |
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| 18 Violence is not heard any more in thy land, Spoiling and destruction in thy borders, And thou hast called 'Salvation' thy walls, And thy gates, 'Praise.' |
Walls Salvation – Symbolic of protection and security. R333:6
The salvation walls rest securely on the finished redemption-- the completed foundation as expressed by Jesus, the apostles and prophets. (Eph. 2:20) R333:6
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| 19 To thee no more is the sun for a light by day, And for brightness the moon giveth not light to thee, And Jehovah hath become to thee A light age-during, and thy God thy beauty. |
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| 20 Thy sun goeth no more in, And thy moon is not removed, For Jehovah becometh to thee a light age-during. And the days of thy mourning have been completed. |
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| 21 And thy people [are] all of them righteous, To the age they possess the earth, A branch of My planting, A work of My hands, to be beautified. |
Of my planting – The Vine of Jehovah's right-hand planting. R3544:3, R3806:5
"I am the true Vine, and my Father is the Husbandman.", (John 15:1) R3544:2
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| 22 The little one doth become a chief, And the small one a mighty nation, I, Jehovah, in its own time do hasten it! |
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