Introduction
Where will the final work of the gospel be centered in the last days: Korea, Africa, Europe, or America? If the Bible gave us no guidance, we could easily be overwhelmed, because religious voices are everywhere and many teachings claim to be true.
But God has not left His people without direction. Scripture teaches that God “makes known the end from the beginning.” If we listen carefully to prophecy, we can avoid confusion and focus our hearts on what God is doing in the last days.
[Isaiah 46:9-10] I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
Main Subject
Isaiah 24 describes a time of global judgment and spiritual collapse.
[Isaiah 24:1-3, 5] See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants- it will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this word. ...... The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.
Yet in the middle of judgment, Isaiah also speaks about a remnant who gives glory to God—and he highlights the direction of the east.
[Isa 24:13-16] So will it be on the earth and among the nations, as when an olive tree is beaten, or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest. They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the LORD's majesty. Therefore, in the east give glory to the LORD; exalt the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: "Glory to the Righteous One."
Isaiah’s language points to worship rising across the world, and it especially draws attention to “the east” and “the end of the earth.” While Isaiah’s first audience may not have known modern geography, the prophecy strongly emphasizes that God’s glory would be proclaimed from lands far to the east.
To understand that theme more clearly, let’s look at Isaiah 41.
[Isaiah 41:2-4] "Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow. He pursues them and moves on unscathed, by a path his feet have not traveled before. Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD -with the first of them and with the last--I am he."
[Isaiah 41:9] I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
Notice the expressions “the ends of the earth” and “its farthest corners.” The prophecy emphasizes distance, remoteness, and an “edge” or “corner” of the world from the biblical point of view.
Historically, many understand this passage to relate to Cyrus of Persia, who defeated Babylon and opened the way for God’s people to return and rebuild.
But Scripture often uses historical events as patterns that point forward. In that sense, Isaiah’s message about deliverance from “Babylon” can also help us think about a later, spiritual deliverance when God calls His people out of spiritual confusion and back to covenant truth.
Now, the book of Revelation also uses the image of “Babylon” in a spiritual sense. And Revelation includes an image of “kings from the East.” Therefore, the prophecy of Isaiah should be understood as showing a secondary fulfillment in the last days.
[Revelation 18:2] With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
[Revelation 16:12] The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
Different believers interpret these images in different ways. However, one consistent theme across Isaiah and Revelation is that God’s deliverance and final gospel movement are pictured as coming “from the east” and from “far-off lands.” Isaiah makes this theme even clearer:
[Isaiah 46:11] From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.
Conclusion
In Isaiah’s day, these prophecies spoke to God’s power to deliver His people. God allowed Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by Babylon, to be restored by King Cyrus of the Persian Empire.
But they also carry a larger message: God’s work in the last days will not be limited to the familiar centers of the past. Scripture repeatedly highlights the east and far-off lands.
Two thousand years ago, the center of the New Covenant gospel was Jerusalem. In the last days, we believe God has opened a new starting point for the final gospel work in Korean Peninsula, and that this truth must spread throughout the world.
We believe that the mission of our church, Church of God Jesus Witnesses, is to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah. So our responsibility is clear: to call people out of confusion in the spiriyual Babylon, to proclaim the New Covenant, and to gather God’s people into unity.
May God bless our study, strengthen our faith, and guide us as we take part in His work.
Source: https://blog.naver.com/ceongkim/224145134490