I'm so excited about what I'm reading that I've actually posted twice today. :) God is so gracious to me to renew my zeal and excitement. To bring me forward and onward not beaten down and broken, but renewed, restored and satisfied.
In the bible reading program today we read in Isaiah 65 , under the heading New Heavens and New earth
17 "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
18 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.
19 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.
20 "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; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach [a] a hundred will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 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 works of their hands.
23 They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them.
I assumed immediately during the reading that these verses were discussing Heaven. But when I started discussing them with a gentleman in our reading program he said it wasn't heaven because people weren't suppose to die in heaven. If you look at verse 20 it looks an awful lot like people can die, and not only be dead but considered accursed!?!?! In heaven??? In Revelation chapter 21, the very first verse makes it clear the writer is speaking of the new heavens and the new earth "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". BUT verse 4 of that same chapter states "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"
I was just wondering if anyone out there has any thoughts on this! :)
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2 comments:
I've pondered this and pondered this, and I really don't know how to answer your question because I really don't know what the question is. It doesn't make sense to me that one verse says you can die on the new earth, yet another verse says there will be no death or dying. So I'm really confused.
Are you implying that the Bible is contradicting itself? I'm just confused... so please bear w/ me and let me know.
God bless
~Tera~know.
God bless
~Tera~
I don't have an answer yet as to why it says what it says. But I can tell you there is no need to be confused. There is a story in the bible about this guy riding in a chariot reading the scriptures. God zaps Jeremiah (I think it was Jeremiah) straight from a city having a revival to the roadside and tells him to run and catch the chariot. He does and sees the man reading the scriptures. He asks the man if he understands what he's reading, and the guy easily says "No, how can I understand unless someone explains it to me."
It's kind of proof that we shouldn't feel bad if we don't understand what we're reading. We all, often, just need someone to explain it to us. Our explainers can be the Holy Spirit just bringing understanding, or any number of people from pastors, teachers, friends in a bible study (if you're a part of one), christian friends/co-workers, and most obviously from this past week RADIO PREACHERS :)
One of the closest reasons I've gotten from someone for these specific scriptures so far is they tried to explain that the verse in Rev 21 also mentions that it is the Holy City, New Jerusalem. While the other verse doesn't mention that. They also threw out the possibility that the Isaiah new heavens and earth are where we'd be staying during the 1000 years the devil is bound up. And the Holy City/New Jerusalem comes right after that 1000 years.
Daz, one thing to remember, this isn't of vital importance. Ground yourself and believe that Gods word is inerrant (no errors) and true. Just because we don't understand doesn't make it flawed. And also, this is just a matter of interest to me as I was reading. It tells me that there is so much to learn from the bible that I haven't even made a DENT in gathering all the information the bible has tried to give me. If I were you, I wouldn't start your bible times trying to figure out the things I am studying. But read the scriptures for yourself ALL the scriptures in the bible as you are in the reading program. Read and pray that God will open your understanding and give you a hunger for the knowledge and wisdom that is written in this Book. You'll find your very own questions about what you're reading coming to you that are concerning topics that God specifically wants to show you to change you and help you grow.
God loves you Daz, if you read His Book, and ask Him to teach you, He will.
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