Text: Isaiah 65:17-25
Here the passage explains the glories of the renewed age mean that the past is completely forgotten and left behind. It will be a time when God will minister through the people.
In today’s text the Lord describes the millennial kingdom and the eternal state (that is the new heavens and a new earth) together. The new genesis will fully display the power, wisdom and glory of its Creator. The new heavens and the new earth will be eternal and in them are safety, permanence, peace and plenty. It is a promise of a fundamental and complete change in the state of things. The former world will be forgotten. The new heavens and earth will be so wonderful that we won’t even remember what was before them. All the ways in which sin has infected this world will not only be wiped away from reality but even from memory. "In Revelation according to saint John, however, the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 21:1) follow the Millennium (Rev. 20:4). Most likely Isaiah did not distinguish between these two aspects of God’s rule; he saw them together as one. The Millennium, though 1,000 years in duration, will be a mere pinpoint of time compared with the eternal state.” God’s new world will be so wonderful that none of the problems of the past will be remembered! And none of the problems of the past will be repeated. In God’s of new world the dark and tragic aspects of our past lives will be transformed by the light of a glorious new reality, filled with gratitude and joy. In God’s new world, there will no more sluggish days, and no more sickness. In God’s new world, there will be no more guilt, no more greed or jealously. In God’s new world, there will be no more crime, no more violence and no more war.
Verse18 indicates that the very nature of life and existence also will be changed and become new. The new creation will share some features with the old. They seem to have both heavens and earth. Their center and capital is the holy city Jerusalem. The need for new heavens and a new earth was suggested in Isaiah 51:6. But the differences are wondrously vast and grand. Notice that God is creating Jerusalem as rejoicing and her people as gladness or joy. Joy will not be simply be an attitude or a characteristic, but part of our new life-purpose! Jerusalem is the place of worship and rule. Rejoicing will be the new purpose of all that happens in Jerusalem and in life; we should realize that we are the New Jerusalem. Verse 19 indicates how different the new creation will be from the old. What a blessed promise is that the Lord Himself also will rejoice over Jerusalem and in His people. Sin, sorrow, and sadness will be vanished. How long God has patiently waited for this day when His people will no longer be a source of disappointment but a cause for rejoicing. From Genesis chapter 3 onward God has been working to bring about this day. What a message of hope for the people of Jerusalem today, where there is so much weeping and crying that is seemingly without a solution or an end. But in the new heaven and the new earth, weeping and wailing will be replaced by joy and rejoicing. Verse 20 begins with some of the characteristics of the messianic age. From here on a change seems to occur. It is a description of the kingdom age when Christ will rule and reign for 1,000 years on earth. Though it is preliminary to the creation of new heavens and earth in (v. 17) for some reason it is presented second. The reason it is not thought to refer the eternal heavens is because sin and death have not yet been destroyed. As the prophets did not delineate precisely between Jesus’ first and second coming, Isaiah here combines the messianic and eternal ages. The protection and safety of infants is characteristic of the messianic age (11:6-9).Today the least safe place for an infant is in her mother’s womb. Violence toward infants will end only when Jesus returns to earth.
UNICEF reports that in the year 2006, 10 million kids worldwide died under the age of five. Four million of these kids died before they were 30 days old. God is saying "That’s not going to happen anymore."
God’s messianic kingdom also brings longevity. He will give folk the opportunity to live out their years. Though death will still be present, life spans will be extended. In the kingdom age, there will be health, peace, and rightness to such a degree that most people will live all the way through the Millennium. God also here promises His people will live as long as trees and they will be productive as trees planted by streams of water. What a great promise. They will have the ability and time to do something right and then the opportunity to enjoy it to the full. Any people who look to God will be blessed by Him, but the fullness of God’s blessings still await us.
The Prophet speaks, not only of long life, but of a peaceful condition of life. It is as if said, "You shall plant vineyards, and shall eat the fruit of them, not only by yourselves, but with your family and children and your children’s decedents. The people will peacefully enjoy both their houses and their productivity and will not be troubled by enemies or robbers that will be the God’s new world.
Once a local preacher picturesquely describe the creation in this way “it was no harder for God to create a world than it is for my son to blow soap bubbles into the air out of his clay pipe”. But we should understand God’s commitment and sacrifice to this creation. We are in the midst of ampleness. In the midst of this ampleness we might not know sacrifice or risk. But concerning God gave His only son Jesus Christ for sacrifice in the midst of ampleness or abundance. So we also ourselves ready to sacrifice for God and realize the identity of God. We as a community are also the participants in the new heaven and new earth. In order to keep the creation good, we should have a relation with God, if we fail in that we are losing to be a good steward. This day we are celebrating as the World Water Day – a day set aside all across the country for people to increase awareness of the crisis that faces our world and threatens the lives of millions of our brothers and sisters in developing countries. 71% of the earth is water which has abundant life in it. Of all the waters in the world including the oceans and seas only less than 0.01% of the world’s water is accessible pure water. Every 15 seconds, a child dies due to Water-related illnesses approach. In spite of this reality, today what we see in our world is the privatization of water resources for profit. It is depriving humanity the basic right to live. A few days before there was news in the paper that after 9 years India will become a water scarce country. In these contexts, can we envision a new heaven and new earth? This is the day to pray for guidance as we struggle to find solutions to the political and economic injustices that render people powerless to lay claim to the natural resources that God intends for them.
This is the day to commit ourselves to act as we are called to do on behalf of the least of this offering, clean water to a thirsty world.
May the Holy Spirit empower us to live with adoration of God’s will. Amen
Here the passage explains the glories of the renewed age mean that the past is completely forgotten and left behind. It will be a time when God will minister through the people.
In today’s text the Lord describes the millennial kingdom and the eternal state (that is the new heavens and a new earth) together. The new genesis will fully display the power, wisdom and glory of its Creator. The new heavens and the new earth will be eternal and in them are safety, permanence, peace and plenty. It is a promise of a fundamental and complete change in the state of things. The former world will be forgotten. The new heavens and earth will be so wonderful that we won’t even remember what was before them. All the ways in which sin has infected this world will not only be wiped away from reality but even from memory. "In Revelation according to saint John, however, the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 21:1) follow the Millennium (Rev. 20:4). Most likely Isaiah did not distinguish between these two aspects of God’s rule; he saw them together as one. The Millennium, though 1,000 years in duration, will be a mere pinpoint of time compared with the eternal state.” God’s new world will be so wonderful that none of the problems of the past will be remembered! And none of the problems of the past will be repeated. In God’s of new world the dark and tragic aspects of our past lives will be transformed by the light of a glorious new reality, filled with gratitude and joy. In God’s new world, there will no more sluggish days, and no more sickness. In God’s new world, there will be no more guilt, no more greed or jealously. In God’s new world, there will be no more crime, no more violence and no more war.
Verse18 indicates that the very nature of life and existence also will be changed and become new. The new creation will share some features with the old. They seem to have both heavens and earth. Their center and capital is the holy city Jerusalem. The need for new heavens and a new earth was suggested in Isaiah 51:6. But the differences are wondrously vast and grand. Notice that God is creating Jerusalem as rejoicing and her people as gladness or joy. Joy will not be simply be an attitude or a characteristic, but part of our new life-purpose! Jerusalem is the place of worship and rule. Rejoicing will be the new purpose of all that happens in Jerusalem and in life; we should realize that we are the New Jerusalem. Verse 19 indicates how different the new creation will be from the old. What a blessed promise is that the Lord Himself also will rejoice over Jerusalem and in His people. Sin, sorrow, and sadness will be vanished. How long God has patiently waited for this day when His people will no longer be a source of disappointment but a cause for rejoicing. From Genesis chapter 3 onward God has been working to bring about this day. What a message of hope for the people of Jerusalem today, where there is so much weeping and crying that is seemingly without a solution or an end. But in the new heaven and the new earth, weeping and wailing will be replaced by joy and rejoicing. Verse 20 begins with some of the characteristics of the messianic age. From here on a change seems to occur. It is a description of the kingdom age when Christ will rule and reign for 1,000 years on earth. Though it is preliminary to the creation of new heavens and earth in (v. 17) for some reason it is presented second. The reason it is not thought to refer the eternal heavens is because sin and death have not yet been destroyed. As the prophets did not delineate precisely between Jesus’ first and second coming, Isaiah here combines the messianic and eternal ages. The protection and safety of infants is characteristic of the messianic age (11:6-9).Today the least safe place for an infant is in her mother’s womb. Violence toward infants will end only when Jesus returns to earth.
UNICEF reports that in the year 2006, 10 million kids worldwide died under the age of five. Four million of these kids died before they were 30 days old. God is saying "That’s not going to happen anymore."
God’s messianic kingdom also brings longevity. He will give folk the opportunity to live out their years. Though death will still be present, life spans will be extended. In the kingdom age, there will be health, peace, and rightness to such a degree that most people will live all the way through the Millennium. God also here promises His people will live as long as trees and they will be productive as trees planted by streams of water. What a great promise. They will have the ability and time to do something right and then the opportunity to enjoy it to the full. Any people who look to God will be blessed by Him, but the fullness of God’s blessings still await us.
The Prophet speaks, not only of long life, but of a peaceful condition of life. It is as if said, "You shall plant vineyards, and shall eat the fruit of them, not only by yourselves, but with your family and children and your children’s decedents. The people will peacefully enjoy both their houses and their productivity and will not be troubled by enemies or robbers that will be the God’s new world.
Once a local preacher picturesquely describe the creation in this way “it was no harder for God to create a world than it is for my son to blow soap bubbles into the air out of his clay pipe”. But we should understand God’s commitment and sacrifice to this creation. We are in the midst of ampleness. In the midst of this ampleness we might not know sacrifice or risk. But concerning God gave His only son Jesus Christ for sacrifice in the midst of ampleness or abundance. So we also ourselves ready to sacrifice for God and realize the identity of God. We as a community are also the participants in the new heaven and new earth. In order to keep the creation good, we should have a relation with God, if we fail in that we are losing to be a good steward. This day we are celebrating as the World Water Day – a day set aside all across the country for people to increase awareness of the crisis that faces our world and threatens the lives of millions of our brothers and sisters in developing countries. 71% of the earth is water which has abundant life in it. Of all the waters in the world including the oceans and seas only less than 0.01% of the world’s water is accessible pure water. Every 15 seconds, a child dies due to Water-related illnesses approach. In spite of this reality, today what we see in our world is the privatization of water resources for profit. It is depriving humanity the basic right to live. A few days before there was news in the paper that after 9 years India will become a water scarce country. In these contexts, can we envision a new heaven and new earth? This is the day to pray for guidance as we struggle to find solutions to the political and economic injustices that render people powerless to lay claim to the natural resources that God intends for them.
This is the day to commit ourselves to act as we are called to do on behalf of the least of this offering, clean water to a thirsty world.
May the Holy Spirit empower us to live with adoration of God’s will. Amen
[Prince John, the leader of this meditation is a final year BD student of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]
