A glorious future assured
As often as one new moon follows another and one Sabbath follows another, all flesh will come to worship before me, says the Lord. (Isaiah 66:23)
This headline may seem to be way over the top as far as the future is concerned. World unrest! We fight to secure a border for a country across the world but leave ours undefended! Runaway inflation! Does that sound like a glorious future?
Our verse today is from the closing chapter of Isaiah. The last 26 chapters of Isaiah are often nicknamed the “Gospel of the Old Testament.” The central chapter of this section is Isaiah 53, which describes Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
Like the closing chapters of Revelation, the closing chapter of Isaiah deals with the glorious Heavenly Jerusalem the Lord has established. Verse 22 assures, “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.” Our verse describes the future of the Lord’s glorious church for all time.
While on earth, we go through trouble and turmoil. Often the problems of this world affect us adversely.
What do believers do? The Jewish festivals mentioned in our verse were commanded by God and were the way they were to worship the Lord. Our earthly worship is a picture of what we will be doing for all eternity. But in heaven it will be perfect!
Remember everything a believer does is done for the glory of God. Here on earth, our sinful natures don’t allow us to live fully in the glory of the God. The good news is that Jesus has lived that perfect life for us. He has also secured that glorious future.
Take heart. Maybe the earthly future doesn’t look bright; yet, because of Jesus, a glorious future is assured.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for that victory over sin, death, and the devil that You have secured. Thank You also for enabling us to live each day to Your glory. We look forward to the eternal day when we will rejoice before You in complete perfection. Amen.