We hear so much on the nightly news about crimes, about wars, and then environmental problems and natural disasters, it’s no wonder that many of us just yearn for a day when those problems will be no more, and there will be a perfect world. Some people, particularly non-believers, might scoff that such a time will ever come. However today’s Old Testament reading for this Third Sunday of Advent speaks of just such a time coming. Let’s read the message that the Lord gave to the Prophet Isaiah.
This portion of Scripture takes place at two different times. Verse 17 takes place at the end of the Millennium, when Satan is permanently defeated, and cast into the lake of fire. At that time God will create a new heaven and a new earth. However verses 18-25 speaks of the time during the Millennium, and gives a more detailed account and some more information than given in the Book of Revelation. During this time following the Tribulation period, after the Antichrist and those who followed him and rejected Jesus are destroyed, mankind will live peacefully with each other, and sin will not rear its head until the very end of the Millennial period.
When Jesus returns to set up His Kingdom here on earth, the capital where He will set up His throne and rule from will be Jerusalem (vs. 18-19). Jerusalem has known terrible sorrow and grief for multiple thousands of years. David had conquered Jerusalem, taking it out of the hands of the Canaanites, specifically the Jebusites. Over the next several hundred years it came under attack by the Assyrians and other neighboring kingdoms but held strong until it finally fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC. From that time on it was ruled by the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and over a dozen different Muslim Caliphates, with little or no peace to the city or region. In 1948 the Jewish people regained control over Israel and Jerusalem, but there hasn’t been peace since then, either. Now there will be no more sorrow for that great city or its inhabitants.
One sad thing we hear about today, and have for ages, is people dying prematurely, either from illness, disease, accidents, or killings. We hear on the news of children and young people being killed in the cities. We also hear of childhood cancer and other diseases that cut their lives short. It is equally tragic when young adults die prematurely from illness or accidents. However, verse 20 tells us that in the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus this will no longer happen, and long life will prevail. Someone dying at the age of one hundred will seem like a youth dying, and people may assume that they were accursed, and it was due to sin.
Another blessing of the Millennial Kingdom is that mankind will get to enjoy the benefits of their labors (vs. 21-23). Today, all too often what we work for, and our personal belongings, can be taken from us due to theft, repossession, or even during wartime. We can be cheated of our rightful salaries by corrupt, tyrannical bosses who keep the company profits, and not even pay their employees a living wage. Jesus promises us that we will live in the house that we build, that we will get to enjoy the benefits of our labors, and not someone else.
Occasionally we hear of a person being severely injured or killed by a wild animal, or even once in a while a domestic animal. Many people have been traumatized by bad experiences with some animals, and are now afraid of them. And we know, of course, that animals will kill other animals. During this time that Isaiah describes, any danger from the animal world will be non-existent (vs. 25).
In closing, we are given a very precious promise in verse 24. Here we read that during the Millennium, Jesus will be so close to us, that He will answer us before we even call on Him. He hears us before we even finish our prayer to Him. We don’t have to wait for the Millennium for that, though. God is that close today to all who have accepted Jesus as Savior. He hears, and will answer His children before we even put forth our prayers. Jesus tells us that God knows what we need before we even ask (Matthew 6:8). That doesn’t mean, though, that we don’t have to, or shouldn’t bother praying. We are encouraged to pray (Psalm 50:15), and to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17).
Isaiah has given us a picture of the glorious Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus, and it is certainly a place that one would like to abide in. Not everyone will make it there, though. In order for that to be your home one day, you must have a personal relationship with God, and have accepted His Son as your Savior. I know that I can look forward to dwelling in His Kingdom one day. Can you?
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