Scripture Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25; Revelation 21:1-5

Key Scripture: Isaiah 65:19-20 “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. 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.”

Jesus was a man of singular focus—to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Through His resurrection He made a way for us to return to
the Father and have everlasting life; Jesus offers to us His perfected and redeemed humanity. Isaiah provides a glimpse of this in chapter 65 when he talks about the restoration God will bring. He says the former things will be remembered no more. God says that he will make all things new. This is the power and beauty of the resurrection. As Adam’s sin brought death to the world, so Jesus’s resurrection brought restoration and eternal life (Romans 5).

This new life in Jesus extends even beyond us to all of creation. Johnin Revelation 21 tells us there will be no more death, no more pain, no more mourning. God will wipe away from our eyes the last tear we will ever cry. We are often too easily distracted or depressed by the things of this world. We often forget that this is not our home. One day there will be no more illness, no more medication, no more saying goodbye to loved ones. There will be no more hatred, no more social factions, and no more war. All of these will be a distant memory, and we will “be glad and rejoice forever” (v. 18).