"Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests? Surely the islands look to Me; in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your children from afar, with their silver and gold, to the honor of the Lord their God, the Holy One of Israel, for He has endowed you with splendor." (Isaiah 60:8-9) Here we see the Gentile nations honoring the Lord God of Israel. They are helping descendants of Jacob to return to their homeland and they are giving valuable gifts to the nation of Israel. There have been times in history when nations have extended a hand of friendship to Israel. There are still some nations, such as the United States, who extend a hand of friendship to Israel. But in the eternal kingdom of Christ, all nations will be friends with Israel.
"Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion." (Isaiah 60:10) In ancient times the Lord allowed enemy nations to strike the inhabitants of the Promised Land. He did this to discipline them for their idolatry and waywardness. But the discipline was intended to correct them, not to destroy them, just as the discipline of a loving parent is intended to correct the disobedient behavior of a child, not to destroy the child.
The fulfillment of these verses will find their final completion in the kingdom of the Messiah, when He reigns over all the earth from Jerusalem. People whose ancestors persecuted the Jews will recognize them as an honored and chosen people of God. They will love the Messiah and they will love the nation from which He sprang.
The Lord says of Jerusalem: "Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations---their kings led in triumphal procession. For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined." (Isaiah 60:11-12) The Lord will be the king in those days and forevermore, so I think the "kings" mentioned here may be some type of governors under the Lord. In the Bible we find kings appointing various officials whose rank is under that of the king. Or these kings may be people who were leaders of nations and tribes before Christ came to reign over the earth and they may be coming to lay down their authority at His feet.
When the Apostle John was given a vision of the eternal kingdom of Christ, he said of Jerusalem: "The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:24-27)
People in ancient times would shut the city gates at night. They did this to secure the city against enemies that might try to sneak in under cover of darkness. But there will be no darkness in the kingdom of Christ. There will be no enemies: none outside the gates, none inside the gates. You and I have lived our whole lives in a fallen world where there are plenty of things to be afraid of, but that will not be the case on the restored earth with Christ as the king. No one will have an enemy. We will live unafraid and at peace.
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