Isaiah 65:17-25, Isaiah 12, Malachi 4:1-2, Psalm 98, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13, Luke 21:5-19
A). NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH.
Isaiah 65:17-25.
“Behold,” says the LORD, “I create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17). The word for “create” is the same as in Genesis 1-2. But this is something “new,” which stands in contrast to “the former” things which “shall not be remembered nor come into mind.” This is the same as the ‘new heavens and a new earth’ that we look for, ‘wherein dwells righteousness’ (2 Peter 3:13).
At the heart of this new heavens and new earth is a ‘new’ Jerusalem (Isaiah 65:18; cf. Revelation 21:1-2). The details that follow suggest something that is altogether new. This cannot be limited to the restoration of Israel’s ancient capital under Ezra and Nehemiah, but is something quite different, much better. A cosmic paradise.
“Be GLAD and REJOICE for ever in that which I CREATE: for, behold, I CREATE Jerusalem a REJOICING, and her people a JOY” (Isaiah 65:18).
God’s “people” (Isaiah 65:18) are variously called ‘my servants’ (Isaiah 65:9); ‘my people that have sought me’ (Isaiah 65:10); “mine elect” (Isaiah 65:22); and “the blessed of the LORD” (Isaiah 65:23).
Not only are we to rejoice in it, but God Himself rejoices in it: “I will REJOICE in Jerusalem, and JOY in my people.” This stands in contrast to: “the voice of WEEPING shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of CRYING” (Isaiah 65:19; cf. Isaiah 35:10).
The contrasts continue. The death of an infant, or of an old man who has not fulfilled his days, will be replaced with longevity. For a hundred year old shall be considered but a child; and those who do not make it to a hundred shall be considered “accursed” (Isaiah 65:20).
They shall build houses and inhabit them, rather than build houses and another inhabit. They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit, rather than plant and another eat (Isaiah 65:21-22a).
“For as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (Isaiah 65:22b; cf. Psalm 92:12-14). Trees certainly live long, as did the ancestors before the Flood. Interestingly, the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, translates this as ‘the days of the tree of life.’
“They shall not labour in vain.” No more failed crops. No more stolen or war damaged produce. “No more bringing forth for trouble.” No more bringing forth of children to poverty or an early death. Why? “For they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their children with them” (Isaiah 65:23).
This “seed” language echoes Genesis 3:15. It is the reversal of the curse. ‘If you be Christ’s,’ Paul teaches, ‘then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise’ (Galatians 3:29).
There shall be fellowship with God, and prayers answered before they have finished asking (Isaiah 65:24; cf. Mark 11:24).
The disruption brought into the world by the serpent will be finally undone. The animals will stop devouring one another. “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD (Isaiah 65:25; cf. Isaiah 11:6-9). ‘For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea,’ adds Isaiah 11:9b.
Jesus said, ‘Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God’ (John 3:3). Jesus holds the key: ‘I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me’ (John 14:6). Paul says, ‘If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved’ (Romans 10:9).
‘Now Christ IS risen from the dead, the first-fruits of them that slept,’ (1 Corinthians 15:20). Because of this, our bodies shall be transformed (Philippians 3:21), raised (1 Corinthians 15:52), and glorified (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). The creation itself shall be delivered ‘from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God’ (Romans 8:21).
‘For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord’ (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
‘He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son’ (Revelation 21:7).
May we so live as to glorify God in this life, and to enjoy Him forever in “new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17). In Jesus' name. Amen.
B). A. C. T. S. OF SOLIDARITY.
Isaiah 12.
When I was coming to rebirth as a new-born Christian, I remember our Pastor sharing a well-known acrostic as a guideline for prayer. Thus, A.C.T.S. spells out the words: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication. It is a familiar device which I even yet, from time to time, fall back upon when I am struggling in prayer.
Looking at our four points in reverse order, and in their respective relationships to solidarity in prayer, we will eventually come to Isaiah 12.
SUPPLICATION
The Apostle Paul exhorts the brethren to ‘pray for us’ (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Similarly, we tell people, ‘I’ll be praying for you.’ This would fall under the head of Supplication, where we were told to pray for others first before ever presenting the Lord with our more personal petitions. We also sometimes pray for people unasked; and indeed pray for those who cannot, or will not, pray for themselves.
Praying for others involves entering into their situation with a measure of solidarity. Thus we can reassure them, ‘You are not in this alone.’ How Jesus yearned for some such empathy on the part of His sleepy disciples as He was pressed beyond measure in the Garden of Gethsemane.
THANKSGIVING
Earlier, Paul had given expression to his sense of compulsion in relation to Thanksgiving: ‘We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren’ (2 Thessalonians 1:3). Paul here felt obliged to give thanks to God for what He had accomplished in the church, and returned the glory to Him. Likewise, when we are praying for others, we must also include thanksgiving for them.
CONFESSION
What about solidarity in relation to Confession: surely a person can only repent for themselves? This, of course, is true. However, there is Biblical precedent for our identifying with the sins of others.
Moses identified with the sins of Israel (Exodus 34:9). Isaiah acknowledged that not only was he a man of unclean lips, but also that he dwelt in the midst of a people of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5).
Ultimately Jesus - who was without sin Himself (Hebrews 4:15) - entirely identified with our sin, and with us, when He died on the Cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). There He prayed, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’ (Luke 23:34).
Our Saviour effectively says of us as Paul would later say of an escaped slave: 'If he has wronged you, or owes you anything, put that on my account' (Philemon 18). This is echoed in Stephen’s attitude as he met a violent death at the hands of his persecutors: ‘Lay not this sin to their charge’ (Acts 7:60).
ADORATION
Which all brings us to the Praise in Isaiah 12.
The motto of the City of Glasgow in Scotland is, ‘Let Glasgow flourish.’ Though rarely known in full, it continues, ‘by the preaching of the Word and the praising of His Name.’ So not only does the Word of the Lord pass from mouth to mouth, but also His Praise.
We see this solidarity of praise in Isaiah 12.
The writer witnesses to the reader:
“you (singular) shall say, ‘I will praise thee…
God is my (singular) salvation…’” (Isaiah 12:1-2).
The individual’s praise proves infectious to those around. From Isaiah 12:3, “you” is no longer singular - it embraces the whole community:
“Therefore with joy shall ye (plural) draw water…
And ye (plural) shall say,
‘Praise the LORD… make mention that His Name is exalted’” (Isaiah 12:3-4).
The community is not content to sing praises in a corner, but encourages others to join in their joyful song:
“Sing unto the LORD; for He has done excellent things: this is known in all the earth…
the Holy One of Israel is in the midst of his people” (Isaiah 12:5-6).
Pass it on, and tell those others to pass it on. Pass it on to the whole community. Pass it on to all the nations, until ‘the whole earth is full of the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea’ (Habakkuk 2:14).
C). THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL ARISE.
Malachi 4:1-2.
There was a remnant in the days of Malachi who reverenced the LORD and remained loyal to Him (Malachi 3:16-18). Those who revere the LORD are remembered by the LORD and are made up as His jewels. And when He returns, He shall discern between the righteous and the wicked (cf. Psalm 1:6).
“Behold the day cometh” (Malachi 4:1), speaks of the day of the LORD. In today’s allocated verses we see the two advents of Jesus: first here, it is the second advent, which “burns like a furnace” for the wicked.
Next, we see the first advent of Jesus, when unto those who reverence the LORD does “the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2). This can only be Jesus, the Righteous One, whose righteousness is imputed to those who put their trust in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21) and is alluded to in the song of Zacharias (Luke 1:78).
When Jesus first came, it was to bring light, healing, and salvation into this troubled world (cf. Luke 4:18-19). The end of Malachi 4:2 speaks of God’s people going forth “as calves of the stall.” This speaks to us of the freedom which Jesus brings, which is ‘freedom indeed’ (cf. John 8:36).
D). THE LITTLE CANTATA.
Psalm 98.
The Psalmist is calling us to sing of the mighty acts of the LORD whereby He has gotten Himself the victory (Psalm 98:1), secured our salvation, and demonstrated His righteousness (Psalm 98:2). This reaches back to the Exodus, when Moses and Miriam celebrated the defeat of “the horse and his rider” at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:21). It reaches forward to the mission of Jesus, culminating in the imputation of His righteousness to His people (Romans 4:3-8), and His ultimate return to judge the earth (Psalm 98:9).
The words of this Psalm may seem very martial to some, but this is in keeping with some of the canticles of the Old Testament. The song of Moses and Miriam we have already mentioned (Exodus 15:1-21); then there is the song of Deborah (Judges 5:2-31); and the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10). In the New Testament, likewise, a martial theme emerges in the midst of the song of Mary (Luke 1:51-52); and in the song of Zacharias (Luke 1:69-71).
One thing which all these songs hold in common with our Psalm is that the victory, or salvation, comes from the LORD. This was the case as well, historically - and in fulfilment of the words of this Psalm - when the Persians marched into Babylon: not a shot was fired, and King Cyrus proceeded to announce the repatriation of the Jewish exiles. Thus the LORD made known His salvation, and “openly showed” His righteousness to the heathen (Psalm 98:2).
Another point of reference is the prophecy of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem - upon a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). There again the themes of victory and salvation speak praise to the coming King. Ultimately He shall return in glory to judge the earth - upon a white horse (Revelation 19:11).
The reference to the “right hand” of the LORD (Psalm 98:1) is a clear echo of the song of Moses (Exodus 15:6). The word translated “victory” in some translations of Psalm 98:1 is the same word as is translated “salvation” in Psalm 98:2-3. This points forward to the victory which our Lord Jesus Christ was going to accomplish on the Cross of Calvary: even our salvation from sin, corruption, and death.
It is in the coming and Passion of Jesus that the LORD has made known His salvation (Acts 4:12). We are saved by laying hold upon the grace of God through the instrumentality of faith in the Crucified One (Ephesians 2:8). The gospel of Christ reveals the righteousness of God, and our faith in Jesus puts us on a right standing with God (Romans 1:16-17).
This salvation-victory is openly displayed to the nations (Psalm 98:2). Jesus made an open show of His triumph over the forces of evil in His resurrection and ascension (Colossians 2:15). Since then the gospel has been preached to all nations, throughout the whole world (Matthew 24:14).
It is the mercy of the LORD toward the house of Israel which first captures the imagination of the nations (Psalm 98:3). Salvation, we must remember, is of the Jews (John 4:22). The church is grafted into Israel (Romans 11:15-21), and we are blessed with faithful Abraham (Galatians 3:9).
The second section of this Psalm calls upon the congregation of God’s people throughout the earth to “make a joyful noise” (Psalm 98:4). You do not have to be in the choir, or in the precentor’s box, in order to sing praises to the LORD. The emphasis falls rather upon the command to “rejoice” (cf. Philippians 4:4).
The mention of the instrument called the lyre (Psalm 98:5) puts us in mind of the sweet Psalmist of Israel (2 Samuel 23:1), who himself called upon his stringed instruments to join him in awakening the dawn (Psalm 108:2). Whilst trumpets (Psalm 98:6) may proclaim victory - or tell us to remain on the battlefield - the blast of the Ram’s horn will surely remind us of the year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-10). It is the year of the LORD’s favour, and stands for the whole Christian era right through to the coming of the Lord in judgement at the end of the age.
The final section calls upon the natural world to join our joyful noise. The sea adds its cacophony to the resounding praise of the redeemed world (Psalm 98:7); the rivers clap, and the hills cannot contain their joy (Psalm 98:8). The righteous judge is coming (Psalm 98:9): and He has said, “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
E). WORKING AND EATING.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13.
Having expressed his trust in the Lord that they will already be doing the things with which he charges them (2 Thessalonians 3:4), the Apostle Paul now charges the brethren in Thessalonica - “in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ” - to withdraw from every brother who is walking in a disorderly manner (2 Thessalonians 3:6).
The first thing to notice is the source of the authority which the Apostle claims. It is “in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” that he charges the orderly (2 Thessalonians 3:6); and “by our Lord Jesus Christ” that he charges and exhorts the disorderly (2 Thessalonians 3:12).
The second thing to notice about this passage is that it is addressed to “brethren,” i.e. the Church (2 Thessalonians 3:6; cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:13). It is a “brother” (or rather, more than one of them) who is walking in a “disorderly” manner (2 Thessalonians 3:6). Later Paul will underline this by saying, ‘if anyone does not obey our word by (this) epistle, mark that (man) and do not associate with him, that he may be ashamed; yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as a ‘brother’” (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15).
One part of this disorderly behaviour is summed up in the charge, “if anyone does not wish to work, neither let him eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). We are not dealing here with the beggar on the High Street, or society’s ‘idle rich,’ or people who will not pull their weight on the factory floor. We are talking about the type of ‘brother’ who will turn up at a Church event to partake of the food provided by others but will not himself contribute anything at all to the work of the Church.
Paul is not ashamed to hold up the Apostolic example: “Imitate us: we were not idle when we were among you. We did not eat our bread for nothing, but we worked night and day that we might not be burdensome to any” (2 Thessalonians 3:7-8). Even when ‘unemployed,’ ‘retired,’ or less ‘able’ than they once were, Christians should never be ‘idle’!
It is not that the Apostles did not have the authority (2 Thessalonians 3:9). Those who labour in the Word are worthy of their reward (cf. 1 Timothy 5:17-18). However, they chose to make their own living, despite the rigours of preaching the gospel of Christ (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:9).
A second aspect of the disorderly behaviour, perhaps arising from being idle, was that there were those who were “not at all working but being busybodies” (2 Thessalonians 3:11). Not really "working" but working mischief. Not busy, but “busybodies.”
The Apostle has stern, but fair, words for such (2 Thessalonians 3:12; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:11). Settle down and earn the bread you eat!
As for the other brethren, literally, “do not lose heart in well doing” (2 Thessalonians 3:13).
There is one final point of application to be made here. There are those who partake of the spiritual feast provided by the Church in our services of worship. We listen to the Bible reading; we enjoy the preaching. We say ‘Amen’ to the prayers. We partake of the Communion.
This does not excuse us from nurturing our own relationship with the Lord. We need to read, study, meditate upon the Bible for ourselves. We need to pray our own prayers, and to listen to the Lord for ourselves. If we will not “work” at it, we will not “eat” of it (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Amen.
F). WARNINGS & PROMISES FOR EVIL DAYS.
Luke 21:5-19.
Every so often we are confronted with all the uncertainty that arises from the dawn of what seem to be evil days. One hundred years ago people wondered if the fierce battles of World War One represented the Apocalyptic Armageddon. Then came World War Two.
At the end of World War Two the newspaper headlines screamed, 'Peace on Earth!’ But that, even if it was ever true, was short-lived. In this century, the events of 9/11 seemed to unleash another age of terror – but still I hear the quiet voice of Jesus reassuring us: “but the end is not yet” (Luke 21:9).
There were three new Emperors in Rome in the space of one year immediately before Titus’ sack of Jerusalem, and his destruction of the Temple which the disciples had been so recently admiring (Luke 21:5-6). In Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question about times and signs (Luke 21:7), He speaks of things which have always been, and which will always be – but the specific timing of all these things is known only to the Father (cf. Mark 13:32).
1. “Take heed that you are not led astray,” warned Jesus (Luke 21:8). Apocalyptic teachers will come and go, some claiming to come in Jesus’ name, and some even claiming “I am He!” Dates are set for the end, and those dates come and go – but we are still here, and the end has not come.
There will be wars, uprisings, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, and fearful sights and convincing signs in the heavens (Luke 21:9-11). “But before all these things,” Jesus warned His disciples (Luke 21:12), they would face arrests, persecution, interrogation by the synagogue authorities, imprisonment, arraignment before kings and governors – and all because they bore His name. We see the outworking of all these in Luke’s second volume, the Book of Acts.
2. “But it shall turn out for you as (an occasion for) testimony” (Luke 21:13). The Greek word for “testimony” speaks to us, in its extreme, of martyrdom. We should not chase after tribulation, but when it comes we must embrace it, and recognize it as an opportunity for witness.
Luke 21:14 is not an excuse for preachers to be slovenly, or slack in their sermon preparation. It would be futile to say, ‘if such and such comes up then I will say…’ because, faced with the crisis, we might fail to recollect all that. But when events catch us unawares we are forced to depend upon the Lord.
3. “I will give you a mouth and wisdom,” says Jesus (Luke 21:15). On such occasions He will give us the words, and the wisdom to say just exactly what He wants us to say. The words will be His words, to which none of our opponents will be able to reply; and the wisdom His wisdom which they will not be able to gainsay or resist.
There will even be disharmony within homes and families, and amongst friends, warns Jesus (Luke 21:16). ‘Trust not in man,’ suggests one of the prophets: ‘even the people of one’s own household may turn out to be enemies; but I look to the LORD’ (cf. Micah 7:5-7). Jesus illustrates this disharmony elsewhere by bringing it right home to a family of five divided between believers and unbelievers (Luke 12:52-53).
‘Think you that peace I came to give in the earth?’ asked Jesus in Luke 12:51. This was a question expecting the answer, ‘No!’ “Expect to be hated for my name’s sake” (Luke 21:17).
4. “But not a hair of your head will be lost” (Luke 21:18). This cannot be literal - or else James, Stephen and all the martyrs died for nothing - but metaphorical, speaking not of God’s protection from tribulation, but of God’s protection even in the midst of tribulation. It is a call for us to persevere: for “by patient endurance you shall keep your souls” (Luke 21:19); and ‘those who endure to the end shall be saved’ (cf. Matthew 10:22).
