Renewed Heavens and a Renewed Earth
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“See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.
“Never again will there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach a hundred
will be considered accursed.
They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
They will not labor in vain,
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.
Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.
The ancients believed that God was creative
The ancients believed that God was creative
They knew God was the one who brought them out of Egypt. They had high hopes as a people. But perhaps they were starting to ask: what have you done for me lately? It’s a typical human response, even though it’s not really fair.
Maybe they got distracted. Maybe being dislocated from their home made it too challenging to keep up the practices that kept their faith fresh. Maybe it was gradual. But by the time this text is referring to, the candle of faith was growing dim. They needed a reminder that their creator God was not sleeping on the job. They needed reminding that God is often at work, even when it’s not easy to see.
We tend to think of God as fixed
We tend to think of God as fixed
Creeds and articles of faith are important. They provide a structure for our faith. But alone they are bones without flesh. When we think of God as creator, it has been a tendency for Christians to focus on our beliefs, which tends to focus on actions from the past. We want to believe the right things about God. That’s better than believing the wrong things about God. But if all we are doing is thinking about God, instead of knowing God and living our faith, something will be missing.
God was remaking this world
God was remaking this world
Renewed
בורא, “creating,” is a word used only with God as subject
It portrays the goal of YHWH’s plans as they are fulfilled in these chapters. Jerusalem is being rebuilt and made ready for the pilgrims who come throughout the following centuries.
But it also refers to God’s long range project of remaking, renewing this world.
Jesus is making all things new
Jesus is making all things new
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
Trustworthy. True. All. Things. New.