The Gospel of Isaiah: Ch. 65:17-19, A Whole New Universe!
The Gospel of Isaiah: Ch. 65:17-19, A Whole New Universe!
WANTED: An imaginative scribe who can write exquisite poetry. A faithful, articulate believer in Yahweh who can switch from one extreme to another at the Lord’s command… from a sublime vision of God’s glory, to a ridiculous demonstration of shameful nakedness; from confronting the people over their sinfulness, to comforting people with hopefulness; from being an outspoken messenger one minute, to a living object lesson the next; from having one foot in the immediate surroundings one minute, to one foot in the future messianic realm the next. Must be adaptable, thick-skinned, and extraordinarily brave. Person who answers, “Here I am. Send me!” will be especially considered. (from The Jerusalem Post, 740 BC).
“Look at this, everyone! I shall create a new heavens and a new earth. The former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. Be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem as a source of sheer joy, and her people shall be an absolute delight! I will rejoice in this new Jerusalem and find great delight in My people. The sound of weeping shall be no more heard in it; nor the shriek of distress.” (65:17-19).
Singing New Songs because of the Future: A biblical new song is a fresh way to express joyful faith in God’s trustworthiness for the future; a new appreciation of the eternal life that lies ahead. “Throughout the Hebrew Bible, the “new song” speaks of the Messianic Age when triumph will ultimately reign over misfortune.” (Dr. David Stern). Rabbinic authorities say, “In the time of the Messiah, every person will urge their neighbor to praise the Lord with the words of a new song.” Isaiah’s profound prophecy of God’s Kingdom coming to the world is centered on the restored City of God, Jerusalem, which will become the center of God’s new world. Isaiah’s prophecy is partially fulfilled now for those who are united to Jesus… “If anyone is in Christ, spiritually inside Jesus Christ, then that person is a new creation. The old order has passed away; now all is new!” (2 Corinthian 5:17). And this prophetic word from Isaiah will be fulfilled completely in the age to come when the entire universe will become brand-new.
A New Song in a New World. “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from the presence of God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband… Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new. Consider this! I am making everything to be new and fresh. In fact, I will be making the whole of creation new!” (Revelation 21:1-2,5). This vision of John’s fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah… A new heaven and new earth to celebrate. The Holy City, the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, where God Himself will dwell with us forever, where He will wipe away every tear and eliminate death; where no one will mourn or weep, and the pain of wounds will no longer exist. We will enjoy eternal fellowship with Jesus and all His beloved. We will sing a new song in all this newness, and the song will never end. “Sing a new song to the Lord! Sing His praises from the ends of the earth! Let the whole world glorify the Lord; let it sing His praise! (Isaiah 42:10, 12).
Universal Restoration. Also called Universal Reconciliation, it is the term used for the Christian belief that eventually, ultimately, Creator God through His Son Jesus will restore His broken relationship with all of creation; that God has intended this world-wide restoration ever since sin broke creation into pieces, and has ever since been waiting to be put back together again; that this fractured union between God and humanity would be completely reconciled through Jesus Christ; that all of creation, all of humanity since the Garden of Eden, has the destiny of being fully renewed through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; that the timetable for this eventual restoration is known only to God, but is nonetheless destined because it is God’s eventual will for His beloved creation. “Jesus is in heaven now and must remain there until the Day of universal restoration comes – the restoration which in ancient times God announced through His holy prophets.” (Acts 3:21, Peter preaching in the Temple).
“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,’ says the Lord Yahweh.” (65:25). Isaiah closes the chapter with a direct reference to his earlier prophecy of the ‘peaceable kingdom’ of 11:6-9…
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together. And a little child shall guide and tend them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (11:6-9).
The Peaceable Kingdom. This poetic picture of the earth’s inevitable return to the Paradise of Eden is anticipating the messianic era, when all will be at peace, the whole earth will experience shalom. The redemption of the earth will include the animal kingdom, a complete transformation of the natural world when the curse of Adam will be removed. The new heavens and the new earth will be the Golden Age when the predators will become peaceful and no longer hunt for prey; the warring countries will lay down their arms; the discord between people and between the people groups will be healed. One can also understand this vision of Isaiah’s to include the disharmony within each of us, the broken pieces from our sinful nature that give each person contradictory impulses and warring qualities that create within us an internal disharmony and keeps us from a peaceful spirit. The Spirit of the Lord will soothe the savage beast within and without, and for once in our sordid human history, we’ll all just get along!
SHALOM = The ancient Hebrew word translated as peace: completeness or wholeness, as in the joining together of opposites; integrity, as in the effective holding together of separate pieces; to give/restore harmony; fulfillment; health; security; abundant well-being; the state of having the vitality needed to thrive and flourish; tranquility; freedom from disquiet and disorder; reconciliation; resolution of conflict/war; healing of division; prosperity. The Greek word for peace in the New Testament is “Eirene,” and means the same thing as “Shalom” in the Hebrew Bible. Shalom ranks the highest of all values in the Hebrew Bible, according to Jewish scholars. Shalom is the most important goal in all of life. “Rabbinic teaching describes shalom as the only vessel through which God’s blessings can flow into this world.” (Rabbi Arthur Green, These are the words: A Vocabulary of Jewish Spiritual Life).
PURSUE SHALOM RIGHT NOW: Live in harmony with others; intentionally help in the combining of separate people into a unified whole; lend a helping hand in reconciling apparent differences with others; adjust yourself in order to fit together with others; as much as is possible, honestly be of the same mind with others; be agreeable and forgiving; join together with others in a unifying purpose; actively listen to achieve mutual understanding; bravely pray that God’s shalom will flood the atmosphere with His presence.
I believe… God is a “finisher of the faith” in ultimate terms; He will fulfill the promise of His creation to its glorious completion, and will ultimately restore and reconcile to Himself all things ever created, including mankind, finally making God “all in all;” that Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension began the ultimate redemption of the whole universe, and will eventually result in bringing everything back together under Him as Lord; that God has always originally intended for all His creation to eventually be united forever in Him as the supreme authority over everything and everyone, completely reclaiming the entire universe, all because “God so loved the cosmos;” that universal restoration fits squarely with the character of God the Father in the Hebrew Bible and with Jesus Christ in the Gospels. As the Eastern Orthodox Church declares, “Jesus ends the alienation between God and creation, bringing creation as a sacrament into a living union with God.” God’s creation of a new heaven and a new earth is another way of saying that everything in the world is destined in God to be fully reconciled and made like new.