light for a light of the Gentiles The prophets connect the Gentiles with Christ in a threefold way"
(1) as the Light He brings salvation to the Gentiles Luke 2:32 ; Acts 13:47 ; Acts 13:48
(2) as the "Root of Jesse" He is to reign over the Gentiles in His kingdom. Isaiah 11:10 ; Romans 15:12 . He saves the Gentiles, which is the distinctive feature of this present age.; Romans 11:17-24 ; Ephesians 2:11 ; Ephesians 2:12 He reigns over the Gentiles in the kingdom-age, to follow this. See "Kingdom (O.T.),"; Genesis 1:26-28 ; Zechariah 12:8 .
(3) Believing Gentiles in the present age, together with believing Jews, constitute "the church which is His body." (See Scofield " Ephesians 3:6 ")
Verse Meaning
In the future manifestation of light, the Gentile nations and their leaders will look to Israel for light (righteousness and illumination). They will not seek Israel because she is light but because of the light that she will reflect and make manifest to the world. We can see a foreview of the revelation of God"s light coming through the144 ,000 Jewish missionaries who will preach the gospel during the Tribulation (cf. Revelation 7:1-8). This preaching will not fulfill this promise, however. The present preaching of the gospel by the church is only a foretaste of what is also to come through Israel. [source][source][source]
"Though everyone entering the Millennium will be saved, people will be born during that1 ,000-year period of time. Many of them will come to salvation because of God"s work on Israel"s behalf." [1][source]
Context Summary
Isaiah 60:1-14 - The Lord Glorifies His People
From this chapter and onward, the prophet predicts the glories of the restored Hebrew people. In a secondary sense, they are also true of the Church, for we are blessed with faithful Abraham. See Galatians 3:8-9.
The summons to arise is addressed to Jerusalem. The seer beholds the flush of dawn on the eastern sky and bids the Holy City catch the earliest beams, Isaiah 60:1-2. While darkness veils the lowlands, the dweller on the plains looks up to the heights of Zion, Isaiah 60:3-4, and finds them bathed in the splendor of dawn. See 2 Corinthians 3:18.
There is a marvelous attractiveness in real religion. Where that is present, men need no driving. From the Far East come the camels, laden with priceless treasures, and from the distant West the ships laden with costly merchandise. The wastes of many years are rebuilt by the labor of strangers, while kings vie with each other in ministering to the beauty of the chosen city. When you are right with God, He will raise up help from unexpected quarters and even from former foes, Isaiah 60:14. [source]
Chapter Summary: Isaiah 60
1The glory of the church in the abundant access of the Gentiles 15And the great blessings after a short affliction
What do the individual words in Isaiah 60:3 mean?
And shall comethe Gentilesto your lightand kingsto the brightnessof your rising