Saturday, October 31, 2026

Opening Scripture

Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” Matthew 24:1-5,10-14,30-31

Opening Prayer

Gracious Father, I praise You for all that You are and all that You’ve done. I praise You for Your abundant blessings to me in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Your Son. I praise You for Your Spirit, who lives in me, comforting, counseling, and guiding each day. Thank you for adopting me into Your eternal family. I offer myself to You this day, through Jesus Christ, who rules and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever more. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Isaiah 66:18-21

“And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory. I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations –to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. And they will bring all your people, from all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the LORD – on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the LORD. “They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean vessels. And I will select some of them also to be priests and Levites,” says the LORD.

Reflection 

Today’s reading brings our 7-week study of Isaiah to a close. In truth, we have only skimmed over and hit the highlights of this profound book.

Chapter 66 opens with a powerful declaration from God, “Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be. Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?”

Rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem was a big priority for the returning exiles – after rebuilding the wall – but God reminds them that He is in no way contained there. A beautiful physical temple without deep spiritual devotion to the LORD is of no value. Personal renewal was what God’s people needed most. “This is the one I esteem; he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

The temple was indeed rebuilt. It took twenty years, the protection and resources of three Persian kings, and the leadership and encouragement of prophets Haggai and Zechariah to pull it off. If only that extensive effort had been enough to ensure the people’s continued faithfulness to God.

Isaiah’s prophecy and condemnation prove it was not. “They have chosen their own ways, and they delight in their abominations; so I also will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me” (Isaiah 66:3-4).

In this final chapter of Isaiah, the focus begins to quickly shift from the condition of the Babylonian exiles to the future Heaven and Earth that will appear as God brings salvation history to a triumphant conclusion. Time and space, as we know it, is about to give way to the realm of eternity!

As the prophet Micah declares, everything is about to change in an instant. “‘I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the LORD you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,’ says the LORD Almighty” (Malachi 3:1).

Jesus’ prophetic word to his disciples in our Opening Scripture was only partially accomplished when the temple was destroyed again in A.D. 70. The Divine Servant’s mission was to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies through His own suffering, death, and resurrection, but the ultimate completion will occur when “all the peoples of the earth see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.”

The New Jerusalem will be everything the old one was meant to be – and more. “I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream.” God will bless the faithful remnant exceedingly and abundantly!

There is both blessing and judgment. The book of Isaiah ends with a graphic description of the fate of the rebellious and unfaithful. “They will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” In the end, God will grant each person what they sought in life: eternal intimacy with Him or eternal separation from Him.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

Jesus’ entire life mission was to accomplish the Father’s perfect will. Even knowing how the religious leaders would conspire with the Romans to torture and kill Him, Jesus was heart-broken by the obstinance of God’s Old Covenant people.

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you’” (Luke 19:41-44).

Israel’s collective response to God’s final warning through the ministry of His Divine Messenger was to reject and kill Him, bringing a dramatic end to the Old Covenant. Even knowing what the Jews response would be, even knowing what lay before Him, Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. A new age began!

A whole new “people of God” was birthed out of that cosmic event that literally split time as we know it. From that day forward, those who pledge their allegiance to King Jesus are adopted into God’s forever family. They are the spiritual descendants of Abraham. They will be the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem. They will live in the presence of God forever.

In the verse right after today’s passage, the LORD declares, “As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me, so will your name and descendants endure.” That is the ultimate happy ending!

How has our study of Isaiah informed your understanding of God’s great plan of redemption?

What do you need to do to more faithfully live out your part in His story?

This week’s collective prayer: Father, teach me to be sensitive to your Holy Spirit at work in me. Amen.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!