Isaiah 65:17-25

New Heavens and a New Earth

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
¹⁸ “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
¹⁹ “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.
²⁰ “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who does not live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of one hundred
And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred
Will be thought accursed.
²¹ “They will build houses and inhabit them;
They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²² “They will not build and another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.
²³ “They will not labor in vain,
Or bear children for calamity;
For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.

²⁴ It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. ²⁵ The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.

The world was recently told by some that the last day was coming, that the church would be raptured and the world would come to an end. As has happened previously, the warnings and predictions of these people failed to come to pass. The fearful end of the world should not be the message of the church to the world, and surely we should not make predictions about the date. In Matthew 24 Jesus spoke of the last day, of His return, in verse 36 He says:  “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”   If Jesus said that no one knows the day or hour, why would we trust those who say they do?  I will trust what Jesus says rather than what they say. Rather than knowing the exact time, in verse 44 Jesus says:   "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when  you do not think He will. “       

In today’s text, God speaking through the prophet Isaiah says:  “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create.”   It is not the end of the world that is coming, but rather it is the end of an age. What is coming is not the end, but rather a new beginning. The prophet says: “And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.  “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed… For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.  “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, And their descendants with them. It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.  The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.   That doesn’t sound like something to fear, but rather something in which to rejoice. The coming day of the Lord is something to look forward to with anticipation, not with dread. We simply should, as Jesus says, “Be ready.”

That is the message that we as believers should proclaim to the world. It should be the same message that Jesus Himself proclaimed when He was here. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)  It is not the coming destruction we should proclaim, but rather the coming kingdom of heaven. Our message, like Jesus message, should be that people would be ready, that they would repent. To repent is more than to turn from sin. It is to change our mind, to change the way we think. We should not think and believe that a fearful end is coming. Rather, we should look forward with anticipation to the new beginning God has for us. We should look forward to the promises of the kingdom, the blessings that Isaiah describes. Whether by Jesus return or through the revelation that Jesus is Lord and Savior, the result, our message to the world should be the same. It is not an end to fear, but rather a new beginning. The message to unbelievers should not be to fear God’s coming judgment, but rather to joyfully receive His promises. Just as when Jesus returns, it will be to establish a new and better kingdom here on earth; when Christ is revealed as Lord and Savior, then:  if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)      Just as the world will be renewed and made better when Jesus returns, so too when anyone repents and turns to Jesus, they are renewed and made better. There is nothing to fear in Christ’s coming, either in this age or the age to come.

Jesus said we would not or could not know the day or the hour of His return. Yet we do know that it will come. In the same way, we do not know the days or the hours of either our own lives or the lives of others. We do though know that each person will have a day that is their last in this life. Our message to them should not be a message of fear of the future. It should not be of judgment or fire. Our message to the world should be: “Be ready, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”     All of God’s promises and blessings are here for those who will believe and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Again we do not know the day or the hour of Jesus return. In the mean time though Jesus taught us to pray:  “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”   That should be our prayer and our purpose. That should be our declaration to the world; not that the end is coming, but rather that a new and better kingdom is coming and is here. Our message should be that all of the promises and the blessings of heaven are available here on earth for those who are in Christ.   

God says:  “Be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people.”   We too, everyone who believes in Jesus, are God’s people. We were created by Him and in Christ we are recreated, made new and better.   Rejoice and be glad!

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit, that whether by Your coming again or by revelation of who You are, we have nothing to fear, but rather to rejoice and be glad in both Your new creation around us and Your new creation in us. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven; in this I will both rejoice and declare.   Amen.