IN the preceding chapter the Church was in a low condition on account of the flood of errors introduced into her by the enemy, and in this chapter she is called to arise from her low state because her light was come and the glory of the Lord was risen upon her. Christ is the true light and her glory, and He was come to her—“And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob saith the Lord” (Is. lix. 20). The 60th chapter evidently speaks of New Testament times and of the glory of the Church from the coming of Christ in the flesh till all the members of His mystical body are brought to heaven where their sun shall never go down and the days of their mourning are ended. Although darkness was to cover the earth and gross darkness the people the Lord was to arise as light upon the Church and this glory was to be seen upon her, and many who were in gross darkness would be made light in the Lord.
In our text the question is asked: “Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as doves to their windows?” and the answer is given.
I. The question who are these?
This question is asked by way of admiration. When sinners are seen flying to Christ it is a thing to be admired and cause rejoicing to the Lord’s people and especially when a great multitude which cannot be numbered are entering the church by the door, Jesus Christ. They are spoken of here as a cloud composed of so many drops that no creature can number them.
II. The answer to the question.
They are chiefly the Gentiles who were left outside the church before the coming of Christ. Although many of the posterity of Jacob is mentioned as flying to Christ, the Gentiles are to come to Him in larger numbers as is declared in the context—”Surely the isles shall wait for me and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far; and their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God and to the Holy One of Israel—because He hath glorified thee” (verse 9). The children of the desolate woman shall be more numerous than those of the married wife.
III. The manner of their coming.
(1) They fly as a cloud. The cloud is moved by the wind as we have often seen clouds moved by the wind from one part of the firmament to another. In like manner sinners are moved by the Holy Spirit to fly from sin and the wrath to come when they are awakened by the Spirit by means of the word of the law—by which is the knowledge of sin. A cloud is dark in appearance, however, bright other parts of the firmament may be. When sinners are awakened to a real concern about the salvation of their souls they find themselves in darkness not knowing at that stage what to do or where to flee for safety. Such was the case of Saul of Tarsus, he was struck blind by the light from heaven that shined upon him so that he could not see his way before him and had to be guided by the hand of a person who had his eyesight, and the jailor at Philippi found himself in darkness not knowing what to do in order to be saved—”What must I do to be saved?” (Acts xvi. 30). When sinners are awakened to a sense of their lost condition they find themselves ignorant of the way of salvation, however often they might have heard of that way preached to them and set forth in the word of the Gospel.
Those coming to Christ are spoken of not only as a cloud but also as doves flying to their windows. This indicates a further stage in the progress of the work of the Spirit. Doves have wings without which they could not fly. The wings by which sinners fly to Christ are faith, and hope. The Spirit that awakened them to concern about the salvation of their souls works faith and hope in them and their minds being enlightened in the knowledge of Christ revealed in the Gospel they fly to Him and find rest to their souls as the doves find rest when they enter their dwelling place by the window. People that keep doves have dwelling-places for them with a door or window by which they enter into them. When they are outside and feel themselves in danger from birds of prey or other causes they fly with all speed to their place of safety. Sinners without Christ are in danger every moment of being cut down by death and cast into hell, but those who have received the gift of faith fly to Christ and are delivered from the wrath to come and have everlasting life. In this age of delusion poor ignorant sinners imagine that they are going to heaven and none of them expects to be in hell—but if they die without Christ they shall be woefully disappointed in their expectation.
In the past many have been seen flying as a cloud and as doves coming to Christ and some are coming to Him at the present day. In the time of the Apostles it is recorded in Scripture that “the Lord was adding to the church daily such as should be saved,” and who knows but He is doing so in our own day though His cause is very low? There are 365 days in a year and it is to be hoped that such a number are led to Christ during the year throughout the world when we take into account that the Gospel is being preached to all nations. If He is not adding to His church in one part of the vineyard He may be adding to it in other parts. Many more shall come to Him in the future for this end the Gospel is to be continued to be preached to the end of time and the gates of the church are left open day and night to receive them. They are left open not only during the day but also during the night. Some come to Christ at night when others are asleep in their beds. Nicodemus came to Christ by night. It was a twofold night with him, natural night, and spiritual night. It was night in his soul as was manifest by his ignorance of the new birth. It was at night the jailor at Philippi came to Christ and many more may have come to Him at that season also. Other gates that are open during the day are shut at night but the gates of the church are left open day and night so that whether you come in the day or at night you will find your way to the Saviour. “Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring to thee the forces of the Gentiles and that their kings may be brought . . . . The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (verses 11-14). The offspring of persecutors who afflicted the church shall be converted and brought to the obedience of the Gospel. And the Lord promises to make His church which was formerly despised and afflicted so glorious as to attract sinners to it—”Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations” (verse 15) and it shall continue to be glorious in their estimation not for a short time but for many generations. When the church is on the decline it generally takes three or four generations before a change for the better takes place and when that change takes place the church shall continue to prosper for many generations. So far as doctrine and practice are concerned the church is despised and forsaken by many in the present day but when the Lord shall build up Zion in a larger degree than He does now He shall appear glorious Himself and shall make His church glorious to attract many to it who formerly despised it. However contemptible it is in the estimation of carnal men it is the most glorious institution in the whole world. It is so in the estimation of believers. They see a transcendent glory in God Himself, and they see a glory in the doctrines of the church, in her worship, and in her members. They see a glory in the believer though he might be in temporal matters as poor as Lazarus and suffering from sores in his body. Them they see in the King on the throne with all His wealth and health. No sooner a sinner comes to Christ than he begins to desire that others should come to Him too. No sooner the Samaritan woman came to Him and believed in Him than she, though not in the office of the ministry, women have no right to preach in the church, began to invite her neighbours to see and hear Him. Although the believer seeks the salvation of his fellow sinners in general, he seeks first of all the salvation of his own household or his nearest and dearest relations. The salvation of these comes next to that of his own salvation like Esther who said when the King asked her what was her request. She answered: “Let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request” (Esther vii. 3).
(1) In the past it has been observed that the most that came to Christ came to Him in the days of their youth, hence the exhortation “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecc. xii. 1). This appeals to you young boys and girls present this evening. It is comparatively few that are converted when they come to old age, and this is a warning to you who have been for forty, fifty, sixty, or seventy years hearing the Gospel without a saving change. We do not say that you shall die in that condition but we do say that it is a very dark sign. You may excuse yourselves by saying we cannot change ourselves to a state of grace, but do you make diligent use of the means of salvation, private, and public? Do you strive to enter in at the strait gate, if not, your excuse is only a pillow you put under your head in order to sleep on till you awake in the flames of everlasting fire. We have spoken of the gates of the church being open day and night that sinners might come to Christ by night as well as by day. The Lord’s people have their night as well as their day. It is night with them when Christ the sun of righteousness is absent and it is day when He is present with them. When they are in darkness they are not at ease or comfortable and they long for the coming of the day, and earnestly pray for its appearance. Like the Psalmist—”My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning” (Ps. cxxx. 6). This is a healthy sign, a sign that they have been enlightened by the Spirit so that they can distinguish between day and night. They shall have a continuance of day and night alternately during their time in the world but when they leave this world they shall leave the night behind them and they shall have an everlasting day, their sun shall no more go down, the Lord Himself shall be their everlasting light and their God their glory. “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. xxi. 24-27). They shall be full of light within and surrounded with light outwardly, without the least cloud of darkness throughout eternity, for their sun shall be always at its noonday height, therefore, whatever darkness from unbelief and the hiding of God’s face may meet them in the world let them not cast away their confidence which hath great recompense of reward (Heb. x. 35). There shall be a glory revealed in them and a glory put upon them, and they shall be glorifying God and thus answering the end for which they had been created.
We would wish to dwell upon this theme till we draw our last breath but in order to be faithful to all our hearers it is our duty to speak of the darkness of the lost in eternity; it is a darkness without the least ray of light. Their souls shall be full of darkness and they are enveloped in outward darkness out of which they shall never come, and they wish that they had never been born. Those who shall go to that darkness from the land of the Gospel shall be in greater darkness than the heathen to whom the light of the Gospel never came. Oh! poor sinner take warning, you are now in the darkness of a state of nature but you may be brought out of that darkness but if you are cast into the darkness of which we speak you shall never be delivered from it. You may now be contenting yourself by the light of sparks kindled by yourself but if you go to eternity without the true light you shall lie down in sorrow. So long as you are without Christ you are every moment suspended above the place of everlasting woe by the slender thread of life and when that thread breaks you immediately fall down by the weight of your sins into everlasting darkness. The state of the lost in eternity is so terrible that the thought of it ought to move careless sinners to flee to Christ who delivers His people from the wrath to come (I. Thess. i. 10). Although it is not the fear of punishment alone that moves the redeemed to fly to Christ for salvation but the fear that they shall never find an interest in Him.