Isaiah 66:19
““I will set a sign among them, and I will send those who escape of them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to far-away islands, who have not heard my fame, nor have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations.”
What does Isaiah 66:19 mean?
In this vision, Isaiah describes God's plan to spread knowledge of himself far beyond Israel's borders. After judgment comes restoration, and God will send survivors as messengers to distant peoples across the Mediterranean world (the places named here represent the farthest reaches Isaiah's audience knew). These messengers will carry the story of God's character and power to nations that have never encountered him before. What's striking is that God uses ordinary people who have survived hardship to be his witnesses. They're not sent because they're perfect or powerful, but because they've experienced his faithfulness firsthand. The passage captures something beautiful about how our own encounters with God, even through struggle, become the testimony that draws others toward him. It's an encouragement that our lives and stories matter in God's larger purposes.