“Thus says the Lord:
Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
And where is the place of my rest?
But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and who trembles at my word.”
— Isaiah 66:1–2
Scripture may give us two ways to read this ending of Isaiah’s prophecy.
One way is rhetorical. God is in control. He can’t be contained in temples or human efforts. So we shrug our shoulders: What can I do? That’s the path of the frozen chosen—content to nod at God’s sovereignty while staying on the sidelines.
But take it literally and the whole thing changes. God is saying: I am looking for someone. He’s scanning the earth not for perfect theology or flawless systems, but for humble people who actually tremble at His word. That’s not passivity—that’s a summons.
But with all the talk about rapture, we must recognize that salvation is not just a private mystical vision nor escape, but a shared covenantal vindication of God’s people in union with Messiah as His body.
This is what makes a disciple—and a missionary: “gullible” enough to take God at His word. “Gullible” enough, after seeing His glory like Isaiah in chapter 6, to answer when the Holy One asks, “Whom shall I send?” “Gullible” enough to believe—with the childlike faith Jesus commends in Matthew 18:3—that the world matters, that people matter, and that the God who needs nothing—HaShem, the Eternal One—has chosen to work through us and with each other in spite of our differences.
Isaiah isn’t just another prophet—he is the most important eschatological prophet. His vision stretches from raging nations (Isaiah 2) the throne of God (Isaiah 6) through the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53), the anointed herald of good news (Isaiah 61), and the avenger who comes from Edom with garments stained in judgment (Isaiah 63). By the time we reach Isaiah 66, we are standing on the doorstep of Jesus of Nazareth’s own era, when Herod the Edomite rebuilt the Temple as a monument to his own rule and Jesus told us about the real one!
In that moment, Isaiah’s words cut through the grandeur of stone and politics: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What is the house you will build for me?” God isn’t impressed with Herod’s temple or any human empire. He is looking for people—humble, contrite, trembling at His word.
And this is where it all turns. Isaiah 66 shows that it’s up to us. Not that we save ourselves, but that God’s sovereignty is expressed through His people’s faith and obedience. Isaiah’s prophecies converge in the Messiah, and through Him the expansion of God’s people to all nations begins.
That’s why a missionary is ‘gullible’ enough to take Isaiah literally. ‘Gullible’ enough to believe Isaiah 53’s wounded Servant actually heals. ‘Gullible’ enough to believe Isaiah 61’s good news is for the poor and the oppressed. ‘Gullible’ enough to believe Isaiah 63’s victory is real, even over Edom. And ‘gullible’ enough to believe Isaiah 66 is calling us to act now.
Read it rhetorically, and you’ll stand frozen while temples rise and fall. Read it literally, and you’ll be sent with the Servant’s own mission.
