Journal Through the Bible: Week 66 Saturday

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Isaiah chapter 65

God answered Isaiah and the things He had to say are painful to read. Do you know how it feels to be insulted to your face? That's exactly what happened to God:

A people that provokes me to anger continually to my face . . .

Those individuals did not face a great future. But those that love God could look forward in great anticipation to what God has in store for them!

Does God issue any commands?

• No, God did not command anyone to do anything. He just mentions that there are those who constantly and purposely break the commands that God gave earlier.

Does God make any promises?

• The blasphemous works would return unto the people who did them but He would not destroy the whole country.
• God would bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah to inherit His mountains to share with His elect as an inheritance.
• Those that forsake the LORD will go to the sword because they would not listen when God called but chose to do evil before Him instead.
• God's servants will be fed, have their thirsts satisfied, and will rejoice but the evil will be hungry, thirsty, and ashamed.
• God promised new heavens and a new earth where a new Jerusalem will rejoice forever. He promised to live there with His people!

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• Jesus is the seed out of Jacob and Judah that inherits all of God's mountains. He will share it with the elect and as servants of God they shall live there.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• God's elect, joint-heirs with Jesus, will inherit the earth and dwell there forever. Sharon will be a fold of flocks and the valley of Achor will be a place for the herds to lie down.
• This passage describes the joy of the redeemed who will one day have all of their needs met and the wicked who will have weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. (verses 13-14)
• God's servants will be called by another name. The name of the wicked will be a curse.
• The former things will pass away.  (verse 16)
• God will create new heavens and a new earth so that no one will remember the former any more because they will be so glad and will rejoice forever in what God creates for the redeemed. He will create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy!
• God Himself will rejoice in Jerusalem (!) and joy in His people. There will no longer be any crying heard in her. 
• There is coming a time when every person born will live a long life before going into eternity. They will build houses and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them. They will not need to fear foreign occupation or bankruptcy. The elect will long enjoy the work of their hands. (This must be the Millennial time since there is still human death.) These are the children of the elect.
• The wolf and the lamb will lie down together. The lion will eat straw. Animals will no longer hurt or destroy.