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Isaiah 65:17-25 (Old
Testament Reading for Easter Sunday)
17 "For behold, I create new heavens and
a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into
mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I
create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a
gladness. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my
people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of
distress. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant who lives
but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man
shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be
accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they
shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not
build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the
days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy1
the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,1 for they shall be the offspring of
the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them. 24
Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25
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.
Devotion
Pastors are often asked about what heaven will be
like. Children and adults alike are curious what we will, in fact,
receive as our eternal inheritance on the Last Day. Sometimes the
questions are silly: “Will there be baseball there?” Sometimes the
questions are more serious: “Will my loved ones know me?” Some of the
questions can be answered: “Will we have bodies?” (Yes, in fact—see Phil. 3:21
& 1 Cor. 15). And some of the questions can’t be answered: “Which
version of my body will I have?”
It is good that we desire to know what heaven will be
like. For Christians, this desire flows from a trust in God’s promise to
give to His people an eternal dwelling place. And the Scriptures do give
us glimpses into the new creation. God’s Word reveals pictures of what
the new heavens and the new earth will be like. The Bible allows us a glimpse
of what remains hidden today, but what will be fully realized in the
resurrection.
The above passage is one of those pictures. And like
any picture, it provides some of the information, but not all of it. You
might think of it like searching for a new house. You can read the MLS
fact sheet. You can research the home’s history. Most sellers make
numerous photographs available for you to look at. And who would purchase
a home without having it inspected? All of these sources of information provide
some detail about the house. Each will reveal something
about the home you are considering. But until you have moved in you won’t
have all your questions answered.
That’s how it is with heaven, and the promised new
creation. In Isaiah 65, our LORD gives us a glimpse of what our eternal
home will be like. It’s a picture, so it doesn’t reveal everything; but
what it does reveal is wonderful.
·
We will not be troubled with memories of the
current, sinful and broken world (v. 17).
·
It will be a joy, and those who inhabit it will
be glad (v. 18).
·
There will be no pain and sorrow (v. 19).
·
Death will not exist. Nobody—young or
old—will ever taste its sting again (v. 20).
·
Our work will be blessed: we will have a house,
and the land will produce (v. 21-22).
·
We will be one family, the Children of the LORD
(v. 23).
·
We will be in perfect communion with our LORD,
with perfect conversation (v. 24).
·
Those who were aggressive (the Lions) and took
advantage of the weak (the Lambs) will dwell together in peace (v. 25).
In short, the paradise of our Lord’s first creation, will be
restored in the new creation. And all of it is true, we know, because the
resurrected Jesus is the first of many brothers (and sisters) to receive this
inheritance. Jesus is the first-fruits of those who will also inherit
this new creation.
If you desire to know what heaven will be like? Our
Lord has given us a wonderful glimpse. And while He waits to reveal all
the details, you can be sure, that what you discover when you arrive, will only
continue to be more of the same: a new creation, a perfect existence, a life
which will be yours with the risen Lord forever.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Prayer
Lord God, You who are quick to hear and answer the
prayers of Your people, hasten the day when we will in enjoy the fullness of
Your new creation (TLSB, p. 1197).
Rev.
Gregory R. Truwe
Concordia
Lutheran Church
Jackson,
TN
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