What is your experience of living in “the now and the not yet” between Jesus first coming and second coming? Are you looking forward to his return, excited about eternity? Do you ever become despondent and ask “How long?” Does it ever feel as though God is distant and silent? Read Isaiah 65 -66 Yahweh’s… Continue reading The New Heavens and New Earth
Tag: 40 days in Isaiah
Vindication
The “Day of the Lord” is both a day of “favour”, a jubilee of jubilees and a day of vengeance. God pronounces judgement on sin and evil. For believers in Jesus, there is the good news that their sin was judged on the Cross but for those who reject Jesus, there is still the judgement… Continue reading Vindication
The New Jerusalem
Remember how back in chapter 22, judgement on Jerusalem was announced? Well, we’ve been told in chapter 40 that the prophet is to speak comfort to the city and now as we come to the close of the book, God himself sings over the city. Keen eyes will observe that the end of Isaiah is… Continue reading The New Jerusalem
The Lord’s favour
We now arrive at one of those big hitter chapters in Isaiah, one of the best-known parts of Scripture and the bit that Jesus takes and makes his manifesto at the outset of his ministry. Having seen how Isaiah has built up to focus on the Servant as the one who ushers in God’s reign,… Continue reading The Lord’s favour
New Dawn
A big theme in Isaiah is “light in the darkness.” The situation described earlier in the book is of darkness falling on the land causing people to become lost, stumbling about. It’s the darkness of night because night and sleep are associated with sadness, despair and death. So, here in the later chapters, we are… Continue reading New Dawn
God’s chosen fast
Sometimes people make the mistake of thinking that the Old Testament is all about law and judgement whilst the New Testament is about grace, love and mercy. We rightly respond by showing that the Old is full of references to God’s love and compassion whilst Jesus and the apostles all talk about what it means… Continue reading God’s chosen fast
The barren and the outcast
The impact of Christ’s death and resurrection on our behalf is meant to be life transforming and community transforming. Read Isaiah 54-56 Isaiah pictures an infertile woman, seemingly deserted with it seeming impossible for her to have children. However, the barren one is blessed and now able to sing, she will have children and so… Continue reading The barren and the outcast
Wake up and look up
Do you know the story of sleeping beauty? A princess has been held captive by a sorceress who has used magic to end her into a deep sleep. Only her prince can wake her with a kiss. Sometimes it can seem that God’s people have been enchanted into slumber. It certainly seemed that way in… Continue reading Wake up and look up
Not forgotten
We may be tempted at times to think that God has forgotten us. There are two pieces of strong evidence here that he has not. First, that God did not forget or turn his back on his people. Secondly, that God did not forget or forsake Jesus. Read Isaiah 49 -50 Israel sings as God’s… Continue reading Not forgotten
Refined
A refiner’s fire removes all of the dross and waste material so that only the precious materials are left. Israel and Judah experienced God’s refining work through their suffering and captivity so that all of their false worship and shallow claims were removed leaving behind only true worship. That’s what God does with us too,… Continue reading Refined
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