Friday, October 30, 2026

Opening Scripture

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!” Revelation 21:1-5

Opening Prayer

Most Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry, and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me, that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Isaiah 65:17-25

“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.

Reflection  

Chapter 65 begins with God once again describing the generational sin of His people. Although the LORD persistently sought after them, desiring to lead them and provide for them, they would not respond to Him in faith.

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’ All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations – a people who continually provoke me to my very face” (Isaiah 65:1-3).

By contrast, God then describes the faithful remnant who have not turned away, those who will enjoy His presence forever. They are the “grapes” who still have “juice” in them who will not be destroyed. They are God’s servants, the ones who seek Him, His chosen ones, a people blessed by the LORD.

“This is what the LORD says: As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes and people say, ‘Don’t destroy it, there is still a blessing in it,’ so will I do in behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all. I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live” (Isaiah 65:8-9).

In today’s passage, the LORD describes what He has in store for them, the new world for which they have longed. It will be a new Heaven and a new Earth, with a new Jerusalem at the center – a vast, cosmic Sanctuary where “the old has gone, the new is here!” – and nothing will harm nor destroy on all God’s holy mountain.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

What do you think Heaven will be like? Who has informed your perspective on that? What has shaped your understanding or expectation of eternity?

Today’s Opening Scripture and Daily Reading provide a biblical glimpse of what God has prepared for those who love Him. We have no frame of reference for this because all we have ever known is the “old order of things” that will soon pass away. Today’s readings describe the final “Promised Land” that God will give to His people: Paradise.

On that great Day of the LORD, everything evil and broken will be thrown into the eternal lake of fire, including Satan and all his followers. Sadly, that also includes everyone whose name is not written in the “book of life.” God called, but they did not reply. They forsook the LORD, forgot His holy mountain, and instead spread a table for Fortune and filled a bowl of wine for Destiny (Isaiah 65:11). As a result, they will cry out in anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit (Isaiah 65:14).

What a contrast to what God has planned for His devoted followers! They will eat, drink, rejoice, and sing. They will build houses and dwell in them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will enjoy the work of their hands. They will be blessed by the LORD. Before they call, He will answer them.

Imagine that. People living in a lush landscape, securely at peace with one another, doing meaningful work in the land, enjoying the fruit of their labor, in the intimate presence of Almighty God, just as He intended all along.

As John tells us, there is “the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stands the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse” (Revelation 22:1-3).

It sounds a lot like what I imagine the Garden of Eden must have been like. Perhaps God had in mind all along for things eventually to return to the way everything started – only better. Paradise lost. Paradise found.

In the beginning, “the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). At the end, God will create a new Heaven and a new Earth for His people where “they will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit” (Isaiah 65:21).

People made in the image of God, dwelling in the presence of God, in safety and security, with no pain or loss, satisfied and content, worshipping and rejoicing together for eternity. Count me in!

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!