Joseph Prince teaches the bizarre and never-heard-before doctrine that Christians will be super-wealthy in the last days just by praising God – By Rev George Ong (Dated 8 Jul 2025)
Important Announcement:
Joseph Prince was a total disappointment
in his sermon on 6 July 2025, 2 days ago.
Again, he did not reply
to the 11 Ex New Creation Church members
and plenty of others, whom he lied against
when he said they left New Creation Church
because they were corrected.
Joseph Prince, the incorrigible liar,
who keeps lying and lying relentlessly
is indeed the son of the devil, who is the father of lies.
What is worse is that Joseph Prince dares to lie publicly
on the Holy pulpit, and before the Almighty God.
Joseph Prince is also not a man at all
because he is the coward of cowards,
who has no guts
to face the 11 Ex New Creation Church members.
Even a timid mouse and a sissy man
have more guts than him.
The upside of this is that Joseph Prince did reply to me
on a few issues in his sermon on 6 July 2025, 2 days ago.
But on the downside,
he didn’t reply to me on many other issues.
On those issues he did reply,
I will surface them in my next 1 or 2 Articles.
It should be an interesting read.
Don’t ever miss them.
My guess is that going by his usual practice,
Joseph Prince may take a break
this Sunday on 13 July 2025,
and come back again to preach the following Sunday
on 20 July 2025.
But who knows, the crafty Joseph Prince
may preempt me and change his preaching schedule
for his own reasons.
Announcement No 1:
Under POINT NUMBER 9, the last point of the Article,
there are massive resources given,
and you may wish to peruse them.
Announcement No 2:
The views of 5 Bible scholars on the subject
are given in the Appendix.
Announcement No 3:
This article was written with regards to 2 sermons
that Joseph Prince preached,
first, on 29 June 2025, 2 Sundays ago,
and second, on 6 July 2025, 2 days ago.
Announcement No 4:
Please note that the final 2 parts, Part 4 and Part 5
of the 6 Ex New Creation Church members’ interview
with Peter Kho,
will be released at the appropriate times.
This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.
POINT NUMBER 1:
In the sermon on 29 June 2025, 2 Sundays ago,
Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“In the last days, this passage cannot refer
to the millennial rule of Jesus when He comes again.
It refers to our time.
Why?
It says look, darkness will cover the earth.
So, in other words,
Arise shine your light has come
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.
Pastor, is this shining a shine that everyone can see?
Keep on reading.
Number 1, I’m establishing the fact
it’s not during the millennial rule as some people argue.
Because why?
During the millennial rule,
total darkness doesn’t cover the earth.
Are you listening?”
Let me at the outset say that Isaiah 60:1-5
(Joseph Prince covered verses 4-5
at a later stage of his sermon
on 29 June 2025,
and also verses 11, 18 and 19 in his sermon
on 6 July 2025, 2 days ago)
which Joseph Prince said refers to our time
is dead wrong.
This is because Joseph Prince deliberately
covers only Isaiah 60:1-5,
and totally divorcing it from the rest of the passage
in Isaiah 60:6-22.
Bible scholars will never tolerate this.
I say again.
Bible scholars will never tolerate this.
In fact, most Bible scholars are of the view
that Isaiah 60:1-22 must be taken in totality.
Most even go to the extent to offer the view
that Isaiah chapter 60, chapter 61 and chapter 62
must be taken together.
Why is Joseph Prince only showing Isaiah 60:1-5,
without also showing and explaining
the other half-truth to you in Isaiah 60:6-22,
especially verses 6-10, 12-18a.
The reason is obvious.
If he does that and also covers Isaiah 60:6-22,
his crafty plan to deceive you
would be immediately exposed.
Joseph Prince said Isaiah 60:1-5 refers to
“our time”
(as I have argued, Joseph Prince
has to take Isaiah 60 in totality,
and not just Isaiah 60:1-5).
Specifically, Joseph Prince teaches that “our time”,
refers to the last days
– to a period just before the Pre-tribulation rapture.
This would be even clearer when he said later in the sermon
that the wealth transfer in Isaiah 60:5,
will take place just before Jesus comes,
that is, before the Pre-tribulation rapture.
If Isaiah 60 is taken together as a whole chapter,
(not just Isaiah 60:1-5 as he tries to craftily do),
it can never be referring to “our time.”
Let’s take Isaiah 60:18a CEV as an example:
Isaiah 60:18a CEV
18 Violence, destruction, and ruin
will never again be heard of
within your borders…
How can Isaiah 60:18a be referring
to “our time”,
to a period before Jesus comes
and before the Pre-tribulation rapture,
as such a time would be characterised
by violence, destruction and ruin?
This is because Isaiah 60:18a CEV said that
Violence, destruction, and ruin
will never again be heard,
within Israel’s borders…
This goes head-on against Joseph Prince’s own teaching.
His teaching is that violence, destruction, and ruin
in the great tribulation will come upon Israel
just before and almost immediately
after the Pre-tribulation rapture.
And when will violence, destruction, and ruin
never be heard
or ever occur again to Israel
– it must be during the millennium, the 1,000 reign of Christ
when He comes back again to rule planet earth.
Yet, Joseph Prince said that this period of Isaiah 60
and verse 18, in particular,
can never be referring to the millennium.
POINT NUMBER 2
In the sermon on 6 July 2025, 2 days ago, Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“Now I submit to you that before this chapter ends,
the millennium will happen.
In your NKJ, it separates it, alright, by saying God’s glory.
It talks about, from verse 19 onwards
is the millennium.
It says that we won’t need the sun to shine anymore
because the Lord Himself will be our light.
That means He will come what, personally.
Amen. Praise God.”
Isaiah 60:19-20 NIV as Joseph Prince states
happens in the millennium:
Isaiah 60:19-20 NIV
19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.
Isaiah 60:19-20 NLT
19 “No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night,
for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down.
For the Lord will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end.
No, this will not happen during the millennium.
This must happen during the final period of history
when the New Heaven and the New Earth dawn.
This is confirmed in Revelation
that describes the same phenomenon as Isaiah 60:19-20,
and that it talks about the New Jerusalem
in the New Heaven and the New Earth:
Revelation 22:5 NIV
5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 21:23 NIV
23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
And it is during this period
of the New Heaven and the New Earth
that we no longer need the sun to shine
as God who Himself is the Light,
will be the permanent and everlasting light
(which is the glory of God)
for His people.
You should have noticed by now
that Isaiah 60:19-20 proves that
Isaiah 60 (and Isaiah 61 and 62),
refer not just to the millennium,
but also the New Heaven and the New Earth.
In other words,
Isaiah 60 in particular and Isaiah 60-62 in general
have multiple layers of fulfillment,
not just one layer.
This becomes clear when you hear the teaching audio
of David Pawson somewhere in the article.
POINT NUMBER 3
Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“In the last days, this passage cannot refer
to the millennial rule of Jesus when He comes again.
It refers to our time.
… Number 1, I’m establishing the fact
it’s not during the millennial rule as some people argue.
Because why?
During the millennial rule,
total darkness doesn’t cover the earth.
Are you listening?”
Joseph Prince’s argument
is that since total darkness covers the earth,
Isaiah 60:2 cannot be referring to the millennium.
He may be right.
My take is that total darkness described in Isaiah 60:1-2,
Isaiah 60:1-2 CSB
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you. 2 For look, darkness will cover the earth, and total darkness the peoples;
is probably referring to the terrible
and severe judgements of God
that will befall the nations of the world
in the day of the Lord,
as vividly described in the Book of Revelation,
just before the millennium.
In ‘Be Comforted, Feeling Secure in the Arms of God,
OT commentary on Isaiah,’
Warren W. Wiersbe wrote (on Isaiah 60:2):
“The Babylonian captivity
had been the nation’s darkest hour,
but that was not the darkness Isaiah was describing.
He was describing the awful darkness
that will cover the earth
during the day of the Lord (Amos 5:18),
when God punishes the nations of the earth
for their sins (Isa. 2:12ff.; 13:6ff.).
So, I have accounted for this total darkness in Isaiah 60:2,
which, is probably,
the seal, the trumpet and the bowl judgments
of God in the Book of Revelation
on the nations of the world.
But because Joseph Prince’s view
is that the total darkness happens in “our day”,
he cannot account for how such a total darkness
can conceivably take place in our day,
except to bluff his way around
by again, resorting to the Hebrew language
– when he said:
Please click here to view the video:
“But here it says,
“Arise, shine for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord shines over you.
For look, darkness will cover the earth,
and total darkness the peoples;
And that’s happening already.
One of these Hebrew ideas of the word, “darkness”
is actually depression.”
We know Joseph Prince is bullshitting
by the fact that he can reduce such total darkness
that encompasses whole nations
and will cover the whole earth
to just a personal problem and issue
of depression.
POINT NUMBER 4
In the sermon on 29 June 2025, 2 Sundays ago,
Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“Okay, so, we come to this again.
Darkness will cover the people.
Doesn’t say cover you.
Have you notice verse one is you;
the glory of the Lord shines over you.”
Joseph Prince has told a half-truth again.
Strictly speaking, the “you” does not refer to us.
It refers to Jerusalem:
Isaiah 60:1-2 CEV
Jerusalem, stand up! Shine! Your new day is dawning. The glory of the Lord shines brightly on you. 2 The earth and its people are covered with darkness, but the glory of the Lord is shining upon you.
Isaiah 60:1-2 GNT
Arise, Jerusalem, and shine like the sun; The glory of the Lord is shining on you! 2 Other nations will be covered by darkness, But on you the light of the Lord will shine; The brightness of his presence will be with you.
Isaiah 60:1-2 ICB
“Jerusalem, get up and shine. Your light has come. The glory of the Lord shines on you. 2 Darkness now covers the earth. Deep darkness covers her people. But the Lord shines on you, and people see his glory around you.
Isaiah 60:1-2 NCV
“Jerusalem, get up and shine, because your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines on you. 2 Darkness now covers the earth; deep darkness covers her people. But the Lord shines on you, and people see his glory around you.
Isaiah 60:1-2 ERV
“Jerusalem, get up and shine! Your Light is coming! The Glory of the Lord will shine on you. 2 Darkness now covers the earth, and the people are in darkness. But the Lord will shine on you, and his Glory will appear over you.
Isaiah 60:1-2 NLT
“Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. 2 Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you.
Isaiah 60:1-2 NIRV
“People of Jerusalem, get up. Shine, because your light has come. The glory of the Lord will shine on you. 2 Darkness covers the earth. Thick darkness spreads over the nations. But I will rise and shine on you. My glory will appear over you.
Isaiah 60:1-2 EXB
“Jerusalem, get up [arise] and shine, because your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines on you. 2 Darkness now covers the earth; deep darkness covers her people [the nations]. But the Lord shines on you, and people see his glory around you.
So, one can see that in Isaiah 60:1-2,
God is speaking to Jerusalem or the people of Jerusalem.
Of course, be it Isaiah 60:1-2,
or any Bible passage for that matter,
it can be applied to believers.
But it is a different matter for Joseph Prince to dishonestly say
that Isaiah 60:1-2 or Isaiah chapter 60
was a direct text addressing us, the Gentile believers.
What is worse is
that Joseph Prince didn’t even mention the fact
that it was written to Jews in Jerusalem.
POINT NUMBER 5
In the sermon on 29 June 2025, 2 Sundays ago,
Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“By the way I need to say this.
This entire passage (Isa 60), there’s a 2-fold application.
It is also to Israel in the last days, okay,
but it is also to God’s people.
There is a verse that says the secrets of wisdom
are 2-fold.
There is a natural and there is a spiritual.”
Joseph Prince said that Isaiah 60 can be applied
to both Israel and also God’s people, the church.
And what he said is based on a biblical text,
which he doesn’t even want or dare to tell you
what that text is.
The reason is obvious as he has quoted this text out of context.
The text is Job 11:6:
Job 11:1-6 NIV
Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2 “Are all these words to go unanswered?
Is this talker to be vindicated?
3 Will your idle talk reduce others to silence?
Will no one rebuke you when you mock?
4 You say to God, ‘My beliefs are flawless
and I am pure in your sight.’
5 Oh, how I wish that God would speak,
that he would open his lips against you
6 and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.
and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.
What Joseph Prince has deceptively done
is that he fails to show you the last sentence of Job 11:6,
which gives the context and the real meaning to the passage.
In Job 11:1-6, Job’s friend, Zophar was advising Job
that God, who is full of wisdom,
knows about the extent of Job’s sins.
If God were to show Job the secrets of His wisdom,
then Job would realize that God was rather lenient to Job
as He was not giving Job the full extent of His punishment.
But God was giving Job only a portion of His punishment,
and He has not punished Job fully for what he really deserves.
So, in context, Job 11:6 is not talking about
having a 2-fold wisdom about a certain Bible chapter (Isa 60)
which can be applied to Israel and the Church
that Joseph Prince tries to deceive the people with.
Rather, Zophar was trying to tell Job
that true wisdom has 2 sides (2-fold),
and the other side of wisdom that Job wasn’t aware of
was that God was lenient to Job
because He has even forgotten some of his sins.
Again, this proves that Joseph Prince
is an unrepentant hypocrite,
who keeps accusing others for preaching out of context
when he is the culprit who persistently does it.
After having said that, what needs to be reiterated
is that Isaiah 60 was written to the Jews
in Jerusalem and Israel.
But it can be applied to us, the church,
and not the other way round as Joseph Prince tries to imply.
POINT NUMBER 6
In the sermon on 29 June 2025, 2 Sundays ago,
Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“But blessing from the earth, the whole earth,
coming to you in the last days.
“And the wealth of the nations will come to you.” (Isa 60:5)
Ah, please don’t tell me this is spiritual wealth, okay.
The nations don’t have spiritual wealth.
Why can’t we just read the Bible?
We always say if the literal sense makes sense,
let’s keep the sense and don’t bring in your nonsense.
Amen. Amen.
As you can see here in the last days.
The wealth of the nations will come to you. Hallelujah.”
Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“Why can’t we just read the Bible?
We always say if the literal sense makes sense,
let’s keep the sense
and don’t bring in your nonsense.”
Joseph Prince said
that we must take the literal sense of any passage.
It is not that I disagree with his statement,
(I agree, generally speaking),
but I want to point out
that Joseph Prince is utterly inconsistent
in practicing what he preaches.
Let’s take Isaiah 60:6-7:
Isaiah 60:6-7 NIV
6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. 7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple.
Hey Joe, you said we must take every passage literally.
So, according to Isaiah 60:6-7,
this means that every believer in Singapore and beyond
will have camels and rams send to us, you know.
Hey Joe, Li Sar Tiam Long (you must be crazy).
How to keep camels and rams in our small HDB flat
even if we don’t mind having them.
Let’s take another passage:
Isaiah 60:10-13 CEV
10 Jerusalem, your city walls will be rebuilt by foreigners; their rulers will become your slaves. I punished you in my anger; now I will be kind and treat you with mercy. 11 Your gates will be open day and night to let the rulers of nations lead their people to you with all their treasures. 12 Any nation or kingdom that refuses to serve you will be wiped out. 13 Wood from Lebanon’s best trees will be brought to you – the pines, the firs, and the cypress trees. It will be used in my temple to make beautiful the place where I rest my feet.
Hey Joe,
Let’s take your teaching that we must take a passage literally.
So, I’m sure you are saying that our company buildings
will be built with foreign labour (Isa 60:10).
Some more Ah, we will have kings becoming our slaves,
you know (Isa 60:10).
Hey Joe, you said we must interpret literally Leh;
this means our gates in our HDB flats and private properties, Ah,
must keep them open for 24 hours, you know (Isa 60:11).
Joe said that you must keep your gates open for 24 hours
so that many rulers will bring their wealth to you
through your gates.
Don’t worry that thieves and robbers can come in
to steal and rob you, Lah,
as our friend Joe said that that can never happen, one
because it’s in the word of God
and how can the word of God lie?
Also, for those who are in the wood business,
good news for you
as our friend, Joe, said that the best trees from Lebanon
will be brought to you
What talk you, Lah. Please, Lah, Joe.
Can you stop reasoning like Pastor Mark or not?
Do you know why Joseph Prince is spewing out rubbish again?
It is not because I disagree with him
that a passage should be interpreted literally
unless it makes no sense.
It is mainly because the audience
that Prophet Isaiah was speaking to in Isaiah 60
is wrongly postured as us
by Joseph Prince.
Isaiah was speaking to the people of Jerusalem in particular
and the Jews of Israel in general.
If viewed from the angle that Isaiah 60 was written to the Jews
in Jerusalem and Israel in general,
everything in Isaiah chapter 60 makes sense.
But if we take Joseph Prince’s view
that Isaiah 60 was written to us,
everything falls apart.
POINT NUMBER 7
In the sermon on 6 July 2025, 2 days ago, Joseph Prince said
Please click here to view the video:
“You will see and be radiant,
your heart will tremble and rejoice,
because the riches of the sea.
Now we are applying this not to Israel.
There is a place to apply this to Israel
as you will see afterwards.
But the sea always represents what?
The people of the world.
And the Bible says the riches of the sea will become yours
and the wealth of the nations will come to you.
I don’t know how you interpret that.
Wealth of the nations.
You mean to tell me these nations that are not saved,
their spiritual wealth,
their spiritual wealth will come to you.
Please Lah, just read it in the context.
If the plain sense makes sense,
don’t try any other sense,
or else, it will become nonsense. Okay, ya.”
Hey Joe, who is talking about spiritual wealth
in the context of Isaiah 60?
Your strawman argument again, right?
What talk you, Lah. Please, Lah, Joe.
Can you stop reasoning like Pastor Mark or not?
Joseph Prince is so cocky and proud
that he thought he has got his critics fixed this time
and he has put them in a tight corner.
But Joe, you not so clever, Leh,
and you don’t even know that
and you are outfoxed by me, again.
Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“Now we are applying this not to Israel.
There is a place to apply this to Israel
as you will see afterwards.”
In other words, Joseph Prince is saying
that Isaiah 60:5 is not referring to Israel but us:
5 Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will tremble and rejoice, because the riches of the sea will become yours and the wealth of the nations will come to you
By one stroke of the pen,
Joseph Prince has “robbed” Jerusalem and Israel of her wealth
that will be due to them
by posturing that this wealth belongs to him and others.
What audacity!
Only a man of greed such as Joseph Prince will say that!
Hey Joe,
I thought you have always been saying in your sermons
that you are 100% for Israel,
and you even visited Israel so many times.
So how can you “rob” Israel of her wealth.
This is the time for you to rejoice with Israel
because God will bless them with wealth.
But instead of doing that, their wealth,
you also want to sapu (making a clean sweep)
by saying that it belongs to you and others.
This proves that you are so money-minded
and your heart is filled with nothing but dollar signs
that your good friend, Israel, you also want to “rob”.
The main error of Joseph Prince
is that the beneficiary of the wealth
from the nations during the millennium
is not us per se
as Joseph Prince would have us believed and deceived,
but the Jews in Jerusalem and Israel.
But of course, some of such wealth
that is mainly for Jerusalem and Israel
may rub on us, New Covenant believers.
Also, when we come to the New Heaven
and the New Earth (Isa 60:19-20),
we, together with the Jews,
will also inherit the wealth.
But come to think of it, in the New Jerusalem,
will physical wealth matter anymore
in the New Heaven and the New Earth
when God will be our everything
– our Light, our True God, our object of worship.
POINT NUMBER 8
In the sermon on 6 July 2025, 2 days ago, Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“Therefore your gates shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
So, they are going to bring the wealth
and what’s going to happen,
their VIPs will also come in procession one by one.
God said your gates shall be open continually;
don’t shut it so the wealth will come in.
What does that mean?
Don’t shut your gates, Amen.
In the last days for Israel,
there will be like a wall and a gate,
but for us, God is telling us,
your gate must be open continually.
What is that, Pastor Prince?
Can be patient or not?
Coming to it. Drop down, same passage
But you shall call your walls Salvation,
And your gates Praise.
Your gates shall be open continually;
They shall not be shut day or night,
That men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles,
Keep your mouths open with the praises of God.
Hallelujah.
So gates is praise, gates must be open.
The wealth will come in.”
If Joseph Prince said we must take a text literally,
why is he not following his own rule
by changing “kings” to “VIPS” in Isaiah 60:11.
This is because Joseph Prince realized that though kings
would make sense to the Jews in Israel,
it would make no sense to the contemporary church,
and that’s why he sheepishly spiritualized it
and substituted “kings” with “VIPS”.
Next, Joseph Prince falsely teaches that Isaiah 60:11 refers to us
when it is referring to the Jews:
Isaiah 60:11 NIV
11 Your gates will always stand open,
they will never be shut, day or night,
so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations—their kings led in triumphal procession.
That is why Joseph Prince has to spiritualise it
(breaking his own rule to interpreting it literally)
by alluding to Isaiah 60:18:
Isaiah 60:18 NIV
18 No longer will violence be heard in your land,
nor ruin or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls Salvation
and your gates Praise.
Then Joseph Prince falsely concluded
that the way for the church
to have wealth flooding in from the nations
is to praise God without ceasing.
First, Isaiah merely tells us in Isaiah 60:18
that the gates is called praise
– that’s all,
but Joseph Prince added to God’s word
by stating that just because it is called praise
means that we must praise God unceasingly.
But what is worse is that Joseph Prince has introduced
a totally bizarre biblical doctrine
that to have massive wealth in the last days,
all we need to do is just to praise God, day and night.
This is Prosperity Gospel of Joseph Prince at its worst!
Joseph Prince is indeed a fraud!
Yet, unbelievably, there are thousands in Singapore
and millions around the world
who would foolishly believe him.
You should have noticed by now
that Isaiah 60:19-20 proves that
Isaiah 60 (and Isaiah 61 and 62),
refer not just to the millennium,
but also the New Heaven and the New Earth.
In other words,
Isaiah 60 in particular and Isaiah 60-62 in general
have multiple layers of fulfillment, not just one layer.
This becomes clear when you listen to the teaching audio
of David Pawson who said:
(summary of Isaiah 60-62):
Please click here to listen to the audio
“So, I finished with a question:
when will all these happen?
That is a very important question.
Is this just a pipe dream?
Is it just a picture in the prophet’s mind?
Is it just wistful thinking?
Or will it happen?
Let me finish by giving you what I feel
after studying the Bible carefully is my own answer.
It is as if the prophet is looking through a telescope
and the future is telescoped together.
If you look at a range of mountains through a telescope,
they all looked as if they are together,
but if you went to explore them,
you’d find that between the first one
and the second was quite a long journey and so on.
And it is as if he is looking at 3 or 4 different periods
of history through a telescope
and see all of them together
and sees the whole development in one glimpse.
Undoubtedly a little bit of all these came true
when they came back from exile, from Babylon.
They brought back with them the wealth of Babylon
to rebuild the city which the people of Babylon
had been ordered to give them by Cyrus.
And so they began to rebuild the city
with the wealth of other nations.
But only a little bit of these 3 chapters (Isaiah 60-62)
came true.
The nations did not seek Jerusalem for God’s glory.
So you just can’t say that fulfilled it.
It fulfilled a little bit of this but not much.
Then 1948, when the state of Israel was re-established,
some people think that is when all this came true.
And certainly the wealth of the nations poured into Israel
and it is still doing.
Look at the size of the German repatriation figure.
And yet you know
the nations still don’t seek Jerusalem for God’s glory.
Perhaps God’s glory is not yet shining fully on them.
So I don’t think that is the fulfillment.
Though I think we are seeing in our day,
even more of these things coming near.
There is a period towards the end of history
to which we give the name the Millennium,
which means a 1,000 year.
A period mentioned in the book of Revelation
in which Jesus will reign on the earth
in righteousness and peace
and will bless his people
and will lead them to faith in himself.
And I can even see more of this being fulfilled
in that period.
And that will be after our Lord has returned to earth.
And in that Jerusalem,
one can see so much of this coming true.
And yet I still don’t think all that we have studied
this morning will come true then.
Right at the end of the Bible is the new Jerusalem.
A city not built by men on earth but built by God
in heaven and sent down from heaven.
Like a bride adorned for her husband,
a city whose gates shall always be open,
that the kings of the nations might come in.
A city in which there will be no sun and no moon
for the glory for the glory of the Lord will shine upon it.
and when I studied that city at the end of the Bible,
I find that everything we studied this morning come true.
So in a sense, I have a feeling that the prophet
is looking through his anointed telescope,
and he can see 4 mountain peaks of history.
He can see 4 periods
in which these things begin to come true.
But he is ultimately looking to the city
whose builder and maker is God.
A city who Abraham himself looked for.
And so if we were to look
for the ultimate and final fulfillment,
of all that is said in these chapters,
I think we need to look right through all these 4
to the final city of God,
which we yet look for, sent down from heaven.
How do I imagine a city 1,500 mile square coming down
out of heaven to earth. God’s metropolis,
I can’t imagine that but I honestly believe I will see it.
And that is part of the great Christian hope
for the future.”
POINT NUMBER 9
In the sermon on 29 June 2025, 2 Sundays ago,
Joseph Prince said:
Please click here to view the video:
“We’re in the last days.
There’s going to be a transfer of wealth.
What was the last thing that happened
when Israel was in Egypt as slaves,
the last night, the Passover, right.
Once, the blood was shed, a picture of Jesus’ blood
and they were set free,
what was the last thing that happened?
The Egyptians gave them gold and silver.
Everything, all truths are parallel.
Just before Jesus comes at the end,
these are the end times,
there’ll be a transfer of wealth.
And it’s going to be legal.
God will ensure that.
The Bible says time and time in the Book of Ecclesiastes,
in the Book of Proverbs,
the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous (Prov 13:22).
When will this transfer take place?
In the end times. Amen. Amen.
The Bible says, God says I have given a ministry
to the people of the world.
They are to gather and to heap up to give to the one
who is good in my sight (Eccle 2:26).
I’m quoting the Bible now.
One more time.
I have ministry for the people of the world.
They are to gather and to heap up to give to the one
who is good in my sight.”
1. Joseph Prince’s Pre-trib rapture doctrine of imminence and his end-time wealth transfer doctrine contradict.
How many times have I said and proven to you
that Joseph Prince is an unrepentant double-talker
as he self-contradicts himself many times.
This time, he has done it again!
Can you believe it?
In a teaching session, George Ong said:
Please click here to view the video:
Joseph Prince has always been teaching
in the Pre-trib rapture doctrine that Christ’s coming
and the rapture is imminent,
in that it can happen any time,
even now as you read this article,
as there is nothing that needs to precede it.
But when it comes to the doctrine of wealth transfer,
Joseph Prince has categorically stated
that it would have to happen first
before the Pre-trib rapture and Christ’s coming.
Joseph Prince, by stating that the wealth transfer
must take place before Christ’s coming
and the Pre-trib rapture,
simply means that the rapture isn’t imminent,
in that it cannot happen anytime, or today, or tomorrow,
or the next year,
unless the wealth transfer first takes place.
Can you see how self-contradictory Joseph Prince is?
Should we send him for a mental check-up?
2. There isn’t a single text in the entire Bible that explicitly teaches that wealth transfer from unbelievers to believers would occur in the generation that lives before Christ’s return.
The teaching about a wealth transfer
from unbelievers to believers in the end-times
forms a prominent part
of the Prosperity Gospel doctrine of Joseph Prince.
The teaching of Joseph Prince is that one day, in the last days,
multitudes of New Covenant believers
will become very rich as Abraham was,
and presumably,
many would be turned into millionaires and even billionaires,
and all their financial woes will be over.
When something sounds too good to be true,
I’m sure you would be wise enough to know
that it is usually not the truth.
Let me state categorically at the outset
that there is not one verse
in both the Old and New Testaments,
which explicitly teaches
that there will be an end-time transfer of wealth,
from unbelievers to believers
in the last generation of Christians before Jesus’ return.
None of the New Testament writers,
such as Paul, Peter, John, Matthew, Mark, Luke,
James and Jude,
ever mentioned it.
Even Jesus never taught that such a phenomenon
would take place.
In fact, on many occasions, Jesus taught on the temptations,
dangers and the accumulation of wealth.
Jesus has also imparted to us that instead of taking wealth
from unbelievers or sinners which Joseph Prince teaches,
we need to give them without expecting anything in return:
Luke 6:27-30 NIV
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
Luke 6:34-35 NIV
34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Jesus exhorts us to love our enemies, who are unbelievers,
by doing good to them, and giving to them
without expecting to get anything back in return.
Jesus is teaching about unselfish love,
by not seeking to get anything material back in return
because of one’s acts of kindness.
What a difference between what Joseph Prince teaches
and what Jesus is exhorting us to do.
Joseph Prince teaches that we will get wealth from unbelievers,
but Jesus urges us to give material goods to them
without expecting anything in return.
If wealth transfer is an important issue for the Church,
Jesus would have mentioned it,
and there must be at least one New Testament writer,
who must have written on it.
But none did.
So, for Joseph Prince to bank our hopes on something
that isn’t explicitly taught a single time
in both the Old and New Testaments,
is to be deliberately engaged in a false teaching
with the sinister aim of deceiving the Church.
What’s worse is this wealth transfer doctrine,
may actually tempt some believers
to be covetous of the world’s money,
and ruin them eternally (1 Tim 6:9-10).
Friends, we need to get our priority right.
Our priority isn’t to get the wealth of unbelievers
to be transferred to believers,
but to get the hearts of unbelievers to be transformed
to become the children of God’s kingdom.
Our focus mustn’t be to selfishly receive wealth from the lost
but to generously give our time and treasure at winning them
over to the cause of Christ.
One very convenient and ‘spiritual’ excuse of Joseph Prince’s
justification of such a wealth transfer
is that it is not only to benefit individual believers,
but also, to financially support the preaching of the gospel
(which Prince mentioned in one of his sermons,
but not shown on video in this article).
This mere excuse that the wealth transfer
from unbelievers to believers,
is to help finance the preaching of the gospel
as what Joseph Prince teaches,
is clearly out of place
from the perspective of New Testament scriptures,
as I will shortly show.
3. The propagation of the gospel & Christian ministry ought to be supported by believers, not unbelievers.
Although there isn’t a single scripture text
in the entire New Testament
that talks about a wealth transfer
from unbelievers to believers,
there is at least one text that teaches
that the Christian ministry is to be supported by believers,
as that would certainly, please God.
Conversely, it is strongly implied that it would be improper
to accept the same help from unbelievers:
3 John 5-8 NLT
5 Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God. 7 For they are traveling for the Lord, and they accept nothing from people who are not believers. 8 So we ourselves should support them so that we can be their partners as they teach the truth.
Various translations of 3 John 7b are as follows:
without accepting any support from the Gentiles (CEB).
they decided not to accept help from anyone who wasn’t a follower (CEV).
taking nothing of those of the nations (Darby).
accepting nothing from the Gentiles (ESV).
They did not accept any help from people who are not believers (ERV).
without accepting any help from unbelievers (GNT).
accepting no support from non-believers (NRSVA).
and take neither food, clothing, shelter, nor money from those who are not Christians, even though they have preached to them (TLB).
In ‘Tyndale New Testament Commentaries,
The Letters of John’, Pages 226-227, regarding 3 John 5-8,
John Stott wrote;
“What is here said is that these itinerant evangelists would not (as a matter of policy) seek their support from unbelievers and did not (as a matter of fact) receive their support from them.”
“Christian ministers and teachers certainly have the right to be supported by those who benefit from their service, as Paul several times insisted (especially 1 Cor. 9:1-18; Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17-18).
But a Christian congregation supporting its minister is one thing; missionaries begging money from unbelievers is another.”
In ‘the Daily Study Bible, The Letters of John and Jude’,
Page 150, regarding 3 John 5-8,
William Barclay wrote;
“In the ancient world the “begging friar,” with his wallet, was well known. There is, for instance, a record of a man calling himself “the slave of the Syrian goddess,” who went out begging and claimed that he never came back with fewer than seventy bags of money for his goddess.
But these Christian wandering preachers would take nothing from the Gentiles, even if they would have given it.”
In 3 John 5-8, the Apostle John clearly teaches
that support for the Christian ministry
must come from fellow believers
and that we should accept nothing from unbelievers.
The Apostle John is rather clear
that instead of depending on funds from the unbelieving world,
they were to rely on the support from fellow believers.
If believers can’t even financially support
the preaching of the gospel,
and that they would have to hope for the wealth transfer
to take place from unbelievers to help them in the ministry,
as Joseph Prince teaches,
it would be a disgrace to the Church and a shame
to the name of God.
From the practical viewpoint,
if believers were to receive financial support from unbelievers,
it would open believers to the charge
that they are preaching the gospel
or ministering to unbelievers for monetary gain.
This has to be scrupulously avoided.
Our task is not to get wealth from the unbelieving world.
Our job is to use the wealth that we already have
to aid the preaching of the gospel.
God has already blessed many believers in the first world
and some believers in the third world with so much wealth,
and if they aren’t using what they already have
to support the cause of the gospel,
and are expecting God to provide the wealth
from the unbelieving world,
it just goes to show how selfish they are,
and this would certainly be a terrible shame
for the Christian community.
Hence, we should be focussing on winning unbelievers
by faithfully using the finances we already possess.
Those, such as Joseph Prince,
who teach on wealth transfer,
are based on the unspoken assumption
that there isn’t enough money from the Christian Church
to finance the propagation of the gospel
– and that’s why the need for the wealth transfer.
Do you believe them?
The truth is there is definitely more than enough money
if every believer were to give,
and give sacrificially for the sake of the gospel.
Joseph Prince’s justification of the transfer of wealth
that is needed to preach the gospel
is a mere excuse.
How much would it cost to witness to your neighbour?
It takes nothing except for you to walk over to his house
and start sharing the gospel.
Yes, there are areas of gospel preaching
that require a lot of money,
such as the sending of missionaries.
But don’t we have enough financial resources
to draw from the Christian community?
Of course.
Then why do we need such a wealth transfer from unbelievers?
As an example, are you aware that many
and even most Christians in Singapore
are considered wealthy by global standards.
Just do some research on the millions of people
who have a much lower income and a poorer standard of living
in the third world as compared to Singaporeans,
and you won’t have any excuse not to believe it.
The real issue is not the lack of money
but often the lack of workers
who are prepared to give up their comfortable lifestyle
in the first world to go to the third world as missionaries.
And why must every New Covenant believer
(as Joseph Prince teaches that all the righteous qualify)
be the beneficiary of such a wealth transfer and be very rich,
before any evangelistic work could get done?
If one million of the World’s Christian community
were to contribute $200 each,
we would raise $200 million for missions.
If another 20,000 richer Christians
could donate another $10,000 each,
another $200 million would be added.
On top of that, if Joseph Prince were to really have
the preaching of the gospel at heart,
and wisely used the $300 million
for the propagation of the gospel,
that he used to purchase Star Vista
(physical location of New Creation Church),
imagine how much funds could have been released
for such a worthy cause.
Get my point?
So why do we need a gigantic transfer of wealth
from unbelievers for the preaching of the gospel?
It is ridiculous to suggest that every New Covenant believer
would have to be very rich as a result of the wealth transfer,
just for the propagation of the gospel to continue and progress.
It’s all an excuse for Joseph Prince
to fatten the purses of believers
and further their own extravagant lifestyles.
5. Proverbs 13:22.
Proverbs 13:22 NKJV
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
Joseph Prince alludes to Proverbs 13:22
to support his end-time wealth transfer doctrine.
He said that the wealth transfer would take place
in the last days before the coming of Christ.
But did Proverbs 13:22 specify the time frame
when this transfer would take place?
No.
Did Proverbs 13:22 state that the wealth transfer
would take place in the last days?
No.
Despite this, Joseph Prince has the audacity to claim
that we are that generation that will see the return of Christ
as we are living in the last of the last days,
and hence we would be the same generation
that will be the beneficiaries of the wealth transfer.
Yes, indeed as I have explained,
the wealth transfer is not carried out before the return of Christ
but after He returned to set up the 1,000-year rule on earth.
A that time, the righteous, especially the Jews,
will possess all the wealth in the world to come,
particularly in the Millennial Kingdom (after Christ’s return)
– where Jesus says;
Matthew 5:5 NIV
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
So the wealth transfer is not done before the return of Jesus
that Joseph Prince asserts,
but after Jesus’ return
to set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth.
Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, states;
“A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children; And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous.” (Prov 13:22)
There is a sense in which this is profoundly true. Christ said, “The meek shall inherit the earth.” In the earthly sense, the meek usually get skinned out of their possessions; and yet, in the sense of the true “possession of the earth,” it is only the righteous who have it.
So, although Proverbs 13:22 does connote the idea
that the money of the sinners is stored up for the righteous,
it does not promise that this will come about
to the last generation of believers
just before the return of Jesus,
as Joseph Prince teaches.
The time of the wealth transfer from the unbelieving world
could conceivably happen
when Jesus returns after the Tribulation
to set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth
– where the meek will inherit
(including all the wealth of unbelievers)
the earth.
By that time,
our bodies would be resurrected and fully redeemed,
and wealth would not corrupt us.
But as Joseph Prince had taught
that believers would inherit much wealth
before Christ’s return to resurrect the saints,
and many in their fleshly bodies would be tempted by greed
and be destroyed in their Christian Faith.
But, again I repeat, there is no New Testament scripture
that supports the teaching that such a wealth transfer
would take place for the generation of Christians
just before Christ’s return.
(The same argument that is used here for Proverbs 13:22, is also generally applicable to Ecclesiastes 2:26, another text which Joseph Prince used in the sermon to support his wealth transfer doctrine.)
6. This isn’t the time to give people the false hope of a wealth transfer but the hour to prepare the Church for the persecutions and sufferings of the end-times that Jesus and John had prophesied.
The Lord Jesus and the Apostle John
never said that the world’s wealth
will be transferred to believers in the end-times
a single time in the entire New Testament.
Unlike Joseph Prince,
the focus of Jesus and John were not on wealth accumulation
or wealth transfer in the end-times,
but in warning the Church about the coming persecution.
Why?
So that the Church can prepare believers
to endure and to overcome it.
The Lord Jesus said;
Matthew 24:9 NIV
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me”
Revelation 2:10 NIV
10 “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown”
The Apostle John wrote;
Revelation 6:9-11 NIV
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.
Revelation 7:14 NIV
14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 13:9-10 NIV
9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. 10 “If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.
Revelation 17:5-6 NIV
5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery: babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. 6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
In the end-times,
believers will be the most hated people on the earth,
and many will be persecuted and even martyred for their faith.
But do not despair
because the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit
and harvest of souls will be happening at the same time
with this global persecution (Acts 2:17).
There will be faithful believers in every nation
who will not crumble under persecution,
and not love their lives so much
that they were afraid to die (Rev 12:11).
Amidst the mass persecution that will come upon believers,
the great news is that Prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32),
had prophesied there will be the final climatic and massive
outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days.
Yes, the battle is going to be the toughest
but the Holy Spirit will cover the suffering
and persecuted saints in waves of glory!
And He will be with His people
right up until the very end of the age (Matt 28:20).
Yes, many will be persecuted,
many will be martyred
and many will survive those perilous times.
But whether we live or die,
we do everything for the glory of God.
Is it too terrible to die as a martyr?
Dying as a martyr not only glorifies God (Jn 21:18-19)
but only rushes us quicker to the presence of Christ.
So be encouraged that this climatic revival
will come to us right in the midst of the persecution of believers,
and at the grand finale of this age.
Hallelujah! Praise be to God!
Lastly, Joseph Prince, by deceiving the Church
that she would be the recipient of wealth
from the unbelieving world,
instead of teaching and preparing the Church
for the end-time persecution,
would cause those who are hoodwinked by his deception
to be unprepared for the coming persecution.
Because of such unpreparedness to face persecutions,
how many would deny Christ
and put their eternal salvation
at great risk,
is anybody’s guess.
Rev George Ong
Appendix
In ‘Tydnale Cornerstone Biblical Commentary on Isaiah,’
Larry L. Walker wrote:
“This returning group is described as clouds flying to Israel or doves returning to their nests (60:8). The returnees are described as “carrying their silver and gold” with them (60:9), which will bring great honor to the “Holy One of Israel” (60:9). The most remote regions are indicated (60:8-9), especially if the “ships of Tarshish” are from a location in Spain.
Similar verses about the restoration of Jerusalem are found elsewhere in the book of Isaiah; the nations are described as bringing riches to Jerusalem (18:7; 45:14; 61:6; 66:12) as in Haggai 2:7 and Zechariah 14:14.
The assistance given to the returning exiles by the Persian government may have been an initial fulfillment of these passages, especially since the Persian king Darius helped to pay for the rebuilding of the Temple and even supplied animals for sacrifices (Ezra 6:8-10).
With Darius’s help, Zerubbabel was eventually able to complete the Temple by 516 BC. Isaiah mourned the destruction of the Temple in 63:18 and 64:11, but here he reflected on its glorious renewal, which symbolized the nation’s physical and spiritual revival, and brought honor to the Lord (60:9; cf. 55:5).
The rebuilding of the walls (60:10; cf. the Heb.) is also described as the work of foreigners. Probably this is somewhat related to the period after the return from exile when King Artaxerxes issued a decree in 445 BC that allowed Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 2:8).
However, this did not produce the spectacular results described in 60:11-16, which must therefore refer to the future city of God (cf. Acts 15:14-16).
Isaiah elsewhere describes the strong city where “God makes salvation its walls and ramparts” (26:1, NIV); also, later in this chapter, see “salvation will surround you like city walls” (60:18).
… This chapter began with a picture of the light of the Lord’s glorious presence in his kingdom; it concludes with the promise that the Lord will be their “everlasting light” and “glory” as the days of her mourning come to an end (60:20).
Having introduced this picture in earlier prophecies as well (24:23; 30:26), the prophet now returns to it. In the old, natural order of things, everyday life was ruled by the regularly alternating light of sun and moon (Gen 1:16) that dictated the activities of the people. In the new city here described, no sun or moon will be needed.
According to Revelation 21:23 and 22:5, light will no longer be needed in the New Jerusalem, since God and the Lamb will be the “everlasting light” (60:20). With the Lord as the light of Zion, there will be no night there (cf. Rev 22:5), only the light of joy and salvation (cf. 58:8). The light of the Messiah’s glory, revealed briefly at the transfiguration, will then shine with dazzling brilliance (cf. Luke 9:29; John 1:14). Revelation 21:23 and 22:5 confirm that Isaiah’s vision transcends anything that we have ever seen in this world.
In ‘Be Comforted, Feeling Secure in the Arms of God,
OT commentary on Isaiah,’
Warren W. Wiersbe wrote:
“The Babylonian captivity had been the nation’s darkest hour, but that was not the darkness Isaiah was describing. He was describing the awful darkness that will cover the earth during the day of the Lord (Amos 5:18), when God punishes the nations of the earth for their sins (Isa. 2:12ff.; 13:6ff.).
But the prophet was also describing the glorious light that will come to Israel when her Messiah returns to reign in Jerusalem. Then “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14). Israel’s sons and daughters will come home again (Isa. 60:4, 8–9), and all of them will know the Lord.
It will be the dawning of a new day for the nations of the world as well as for Israel (vv. 3, 10–13). The Gentiles will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and to share their wealth (2:2–4; 11:9; 27:13; 56:7; 57:13; 65:25; 66:20).
Some people “spiritualize” these promises and apply them to the Gentiles coming to Christ and His church today, but that is not the basic interpretation. Isaiah saw ships and caravans bringing people and wealth to Jerusalem (60:5–7), and the nations that refuse to honor the Lord and His city will be judged (v. 12). Even Israel’s old enemies will submit and help to serve the Lord (vv. 10, 14).
In verses 15–22, the Lord describes some of the joys and wonders of the glorious kingdom. The nation will no longer be forsaken but will be enriched by the Gentiles and nursed like a beloved child (vv. 4, 16; 49:23; 61:6). As in the days of King Solomon (1 Kings 10:21, 27), precious metals will be plentiful. It will be a time of peace and safety. “I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler” (Isa. 60:17 NIV).
John used some of the characteristics of the millennial Jerusalem when he described the Holy City (Rev. 21—22): The sun never sets; there is no sorrow; the gates never close; etc.
But the city Isaiah described is the capital city of the restored Jewish nation, and Jesus Christ shall sit on the throne of David and judge righteously. The Jewish “remnant” will increase and fill the land (Isa. 60:22; 51:2; 54:3).”
In ‘Believers Church Bible Commentary,’
Ivan D. Friesen wrote:
“The second-person femi nine addressee (you, your) refers to Zion, representing the city of Jerusalem, lying in ruins.
The first part of the chapter calls on fallen Zion to rise (60:1-7). After rising, she becomes a gathering place for exiles and nations.
The second part of the chapter delineates the outline of a new community in a new Jerusalem (60:8-22). This new Jerusalem, in the book of Revelation, becomes “the holy city… coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:2). God, coming to redeem his people, moves in the direction of the whole earth’s sharing God’s salvation.”
In ‘Encountering the Book of Isaiah:
A Historical and Theological Survey,’
Bryan E. Beyer wrote:
“Isaiah’s imagery ascended to the apocalyptic level, describing a new sphere of existence. Sun and moon would no longer be needed, for God’s glory would light his people forever.
Probably Isaiah saw the same future time the apostle John did when he spoke of the new Jerusalem (Rev 21:23). Life as God’s people experienced it would cease as God took them to a whole new level.”
In ‘From The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary,
Commentary on Isaiah.’
Willem A. VanGemeren wrote”
“The glory of the New Jerusalem is in the experience of God’s presence (60:19-22; cf. Rev. 21:23; 22:5). The people will all be “righteous”; that is, they will enjoy the benefits of his kingdom: the new creation.
The certainty of fulfillment is guaranteed by his signature: “I am the LORD.” He will restore everything, especially the New Jerusalem.”