Let’s walk through it together and see how this chapter unfolds in light of fulfilled prophecy.
New Heavens and New Earth (Isaiah 66:22)
“For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain.”
Most readers jump straight to Revelation 21 and assume this is about the end of time. But in context, Isaiah is contrasting the Old Covenant world (centered on temple sacrifices and rituals) with the coming New Covenant reality, which is spiritual, global, and permanent.
Former Adventists Philippines understand “new heavens and new earth” not as a literal redo of the cosmos, but as covenantal language—symbolizing a new era, a new creation in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), where God dwells with His people through the Spirit, not in a temple made by hands.
The Temple God Does Not Want (Isaiah 66:1-2)
“Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool… All these things my hand has made… But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”
This is a direct rebuke of the obsession with the physical temple in Jerusalem. God is not impressed by external religion. He desires hearts that are surrendered to Him.
For FAP, this shows that even before Jesus, God was preparing to move away from the Old Covenant system—with its sacrifices and temple buildings—toward a spiritual temple (see John 4:21-24 and 1 Corinthians 3:16).
Coming Judgment on Apostate Israel (Isaiah 66:4-6)
“I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring their fears upon them... A sound of uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the Lord, rendering recompense to his enemies!”
This is key. The judgment is coming from the city and the temple itself—a clear pointer to Jerusalem's destruction in AD 70.
According to FAP, this was fulfilled when God judged Israel for rejecting Christ. Jesus Himself predicted this repeatedly (Matthew 23:37–24:2), and the Book of Acts shows the growing conflict between the apostles and temple authorities.
A Nation Born in a Day (Isaiah 66:7-9)
“Before she was in labor she gave birth… Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment?”
This beautifully matches the birth of the church at Pentecost. The “nation” born suddenly is the New Covenant people of God, composed of believing Jews and Gentiles, born by the Spirit—not by genealogy or temple ritual.
The apostles themselves apply this imagery to the early church (see 1 Peter 2:9–10).
Global Mission and New Priests (Isaiah 66:19-21)
“They shall declare my glory among the nations… And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.”
No longer is the priesthood restricted to Israel! God is now calling Gentiles, foreigners, into His priesthood (fulfilled in Revelation 1:6 and Romans 15:16).
FAP see this as a powerful picture of the gospel going global—the very mission the church began in the first century and continues today.
Worms and Unquenchable Fire (Isaiah 66:24)
“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched…”
Jesus quotes this in Mark 9:48 to speak of divine judgment. But Isaiah is picturing dead corpses outside Jerusalem—a vivid image of God’s wrath on those who rejected His covenant.
FAP apply this to the judgment that fell on Jerusalem in AD 70, where Josephus, the Jewish historian, described horrifying scenes that eerily match this prophetic language.
So What’s the Big Picture?
Isaiah 66 isn’t primarily about the end of the physical world—it’s about the end of the Old Covenant world and the rise of the New Covenant kingdom through Christ. The chapter outlines:
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A rebuke of temple-centered worship
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A judgment on apostate Israel
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The birth of the church
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The global expansion of the gospel
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A new kind of priesthood among the nations
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And a warning of judgment to those who reject God’s final offer in Christ
Final Thoughts
Reading Isaiah 66 through a Partial Preterist lens helps us see how powerfully and precisely God's Word was fulfilled. It also gives us confidence that God’s promises to establish His kingdom have already begun—and we are living in it today.
So don’t just look to the future—celebrate what God has already done. And let that give you courage to live faithfully now, as citizens of the new heavens and new earth already inaugurated in Christ.
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Phone: 09695143944
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