Isaiah, Chapter 65
Isaiah 65:17-25 · Vern Peterman · Feb 18, 2007
Isaiah, No. 56
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926017564973

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Good before noon. We're good. Well, there wasn't much response to that. OK, so you're wondering how do you respond to that? OK, we are. Yeah. Oh, OK. We are going to be moving into this 65th chapter of Isaiah in this passage, verses 17 through 25 this morning.

Before that, I want to just make you aware there's a Good Friday service planned for the evening of April 6th and more details to follow, but just so you can set it apart on your calendar. We point out that it would be both a personal opportunity for yourself and perhaps also an opportunity for your family and friends as well. What we find is at times special services like this are some where you can invite someone that might not otherwise be inclined to come to a service like we're having here this morning. So keep that in mind.

All right, we are on Isaiah on the home stretch here. This section has been sometimes called the Book of the Anointed Conqueror, chapters 56 through 66. We are right here in chapter 65, the second to the last passage. We're approaching the end. Next week is the end of our study of Isaiah, and we will have done well over 50, close to 60 studies in this book.

I would point out that this passage is part of a pattern we've been kind of introducing at intervals, and that is a chiasm, a mirror image in writing. And the reason I say a part of, let's take a look at it. You have this on your handout. By the way, if you're joining us for the first time, this number over in the corner is the page number on your handout so that you can keep in pace with us. Right here in the middle of this chiasm, and this chiasm, by the way, extends through this chapter and the next. So it's a two-chapter chiasm.

This is the center part of it we're looking at today. As a matter of fact, we're selecting out just a portion of the center of this chiasm, kind of the reflection line, if you will, in the middle of this large piece of, you could almost call it Hebrew poetry. And next week we will look at the final conclusion, the last few verses.

And that will finish up our study of Isaiah. Now, we want to point out something that has to do with the way Isaiah starts and the way Isaiah ends his book. The book of Isaiah began in summary with warnings of judgment. Certainly the first five chapters brought in general and in summary warnings of judgment coming upon Israel and other nations. The book of Isaiah ends, however, in summary, with hope for the future. And that's part of what we'll be seeing in the passage here today. This was a general pattern in a number of prophetic books and even in the book of Revelation. Warnings of judgment earlier and then ending with a great offer of hope.

Hope, by the way, is not optional. Have you noticed that? Ever been in a hopeless situation? Boy, this doesn't offer much hope. Boy, I sure wish I could stay there. Not so much, right? Okay, hope is something we don't do too well without as human beings. Hope is something that human beings have an essential need for, even if we're, and as I asked you, even if we're in particular time in a situation that looks hopeless, in the bigger picture, we human beings need hope. It's just something essential to our being. The importance of hope is why many New Testament authors, including Some we're looking at in some of our classes offer hope for us, for us who are in the church, hope for the future. We'll be taking a look at that theme some more as we move along. A future and a hope, those two words get combined in this prophet Jeremiah. And so just so you know, Jeremiah was not a bullfrog, in case you've heard that. He says, I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans for welfare and not for calamity.

To give you a future and a hope. These are words from Jeremiah to the people of Israel. To give them a future and a hope. It's a basic human need that we can look forward to a hopeful future. Jeremiah wrote just a couple of chapters later, chapter 31, verse 17. There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children return to their own territory. Again, this is written to the people of Israel, looking to their land promise. The Lord offers hope for us as well, as we'll soon see.

Now, one of the things we want to point out as we step into today's passage, there is a slight difference in the way the future times are presented in the Old Testament and the New Testament. What am I talking about here? This is not to say that there was a contradiction, just as simply a different manner of speaking and the fact that in the New Testament we have some things revealed that weren't revealed in the old, some details. They're not in contradiction, but what do they do? The Old Testament authors wrote about the future giving samplings.

He'll say in Isaiah, for example, in the passage we'll see here, your future is going to look a lot better. And here's some examples of how it's going to look better without providing all the details about sequence. What's going to happen when? Just saying it looks better up front. It looks better out there. It looks better in your future. That's the way it's presented.

In the New Testament, Then we get details of sequence. Then we get a better understanding of how is this all going to come about. So the New Testament provides detail about the length of time and the actual sequence of events. We'll take a look at that in a little more detail here shortly.

If you look at the biblical picture, and this is a matter of putting together what both the Old Testament teaches and the New Testament, The Bible describes a seven-year tribulation period, a period of great trauma upon the whole earth. The church will be taken out before that. That's the arrow that's pointing up, okay?

Now, then we see a description in scripture, and that's the passage we're looking at today, points this out, what is called the Millennial Kingdom. It is only the 20th chapter of Revelation, the first part of that book, that says six times that this time when Christ will reign upon this present earth, substantially restored for a thousand years. The thousand year period of time is a new piece of information, because the Old Testament doesn't contain that, even though Isaiah has for many chapters given us a foreview of what will this time, this time of Christ's reign upon the earth, look like.

And finally, eternally, timeless. not marked by a certain number of years. Endless. Daniel 9, 24-27 is a passage in the Old Testament that spells out this seven-year tribulation period. You can, by the way, in the Revelation series, pick that up if you want to listen to that online.

And then, Revelation chapters 6-19 also spell out not only the period of time, but the details of how that comes about. and gives it a sequence that previously is not revealed. Next, the time of the Millennial Kingdom begun at the end of Revelation chapter 19 and continued on the first part of chapter 20. And finally, the eternity beyond the Millennial Kingdom is revealed in certainly Isaiah 65, 18 and other verses that we'll see and have seen. but also in the last two chapters of the book of Revelation. Now, Isaiah wrote in chapters 56 through 66, that's the books we've been looking at in recent weeks and will look at until next week, he tells about the conditions during the millennial kingdom and eternity, but he doesn't always tell you explicitly which one. He's just saying, as I look ahead, this is how your future looks, without being explicit necessarily. Although, we'll see we have indications as to how we know where that falls. We'll see that in a minute.

The New Testament gives that duration of a thousand years. That's where we come up with this Latin millennial, that word millennial kingdom, a thousand year kingdom of Christ's reign. And it tells about the new heavens and the new earth and that going on for eternity and showing that sequence. That sequence is something that's specifically given in the book of Revelation. 2 Peter 3, 10 through 13, we will be looking at that in our 1st and 2nd Peter elective in time to come here shortly. And the last couple of chapters of Revelation then, both reveal that this present heaven and earth will be replaced. That's a New Testament revelation.

This present heaven and earth, everything we're sitting on here, okay? The deacons have done a good job maintaining things, but it's not permanent, okay? This is all going to disappear. Everything we see in front of us here. And it tells us what the new heavens and new earth is like, especially in the Revelation chapters 21 and 22 gives us description of what that's like. Here's the second Peter passage. We're not going to look at it in detail, but just look at it briefly.

It says the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up. So the roar is not our teenage boys coming to dinner. This is the whole heavens and earth being wiped out.

A new heavens and a new earth. And so 2 Peter in this passage, as we saw also in our 1 Peter passage study this morning, points to what impact does that have on our life? How has our life then lived? But makes it clear, this earth, the heavens that go along with it, Our terminal. There's an ending point for it.

To spell it out, the present heavens and earth will be burned up. The present heavens and earth will come apart at the seams. Will melt away. As John says it, just will flee away in the book of Revelation. There will be a new heavens and a new earth with a new Jerusalem come down out of heaven. that will be our forever home with the Lord. That's the eternal picture. Chapters 20-22 of Revelation provide for us the insights, as we'll see in the Isaiah passage this morning, to know when will the thing that Isaiah talks about take place.

Will it be in the Millennial Kingdom? Or will it be in eternity? We'll see here shortly. As we look at this passage here, Isaiah 65, 20-25 will spell out the millennial kingdom time, the time of Christ's reign on this present earth, when this earth is substantially restored. And then Isaiah 17-19 will describe the eternity from then on in the new heavens and the new earth and the new Jerusalem.

Before the seven-year tribulation period that you see in this chart and there's also in your handout Comes about we in the church will be taken up to be with the Lord called the rapture. All right now When Jesus Christ comes to earth to reign again during this millennial kingdom, he will come with who he will come with angels He will come with Old Testament Saints Jew and Gentile He will come with tribulation Saints Jew and Gentile and he'll come with us Okay All resurrected beings of those who are human, the angels of course not, but the human beings, all the saints of all the time up to that time will be in resurrected bodies coming with the Lord along with angels to begin this time. You and I will be here during this time that Isaiah is describing. The earth will be populated, those human beings walking in bodies more like ours, not resurrected bodies, the earth will be populated by Jews and Gentiles who both survive and are saved during this seven year tribulation period. They survive that time and they are saved at the end. Only unsaved survivors will populate this millennial kingdom, this time of Christ's reign. Only saved survivors.

I saw all these puzzled looks, right? How can I confuse you more, right? Alright. The new heavens and the new earth and the new Jerusalem have only resurrected humans in it. Okay? It is finally when things are created, this earth is done. Only resurrected humans. There will be no people with these kinds of bodies. The kinds that wear out. Okay? The kinds that die. No more in the new heavens, new earth, because there'll be no more death, no more crying, no pain. Okay?

No bodies like these. You're tired of this one? You'll get a new one. Don't worry. Okay. One more thing before we begin. Last week we had this picture of a Harry Potter. A lot of you groaned and moaned, and so we won't show that anymore. Matter of fact, we'll take care of it with the tow truck. Okay? All right. So, pull it off. Okay, here we go. We will see Roger, are you going to live through this one? Okay, alright, he's going to be alright.

What we'll see as we read through this passage is that we will be with Jesus Christ, the Holy Bride. We will be with the Lord during the time when these things take place. He will also be Israel's promised Messiah as well. So, we will be the bride of Christ the Lamb, and Jesus Christ will also be the promised Messiah, fulfilling the promise to Israel as well, and the Gentiles will all be drawn to the Lord, coming through the Jews.

Some of today's passage applies most directly to the people of Israel, and we'll point that out, especially where it relates to physical things on the earth, especially as it relates to the land. But some of it will apply directly to us, and we'll point that out as well. And we'll see that. It's confirmed by the New Testament so that it's clear that it applies to us in the church. First verse, the one we read together with Gene's leadership, for behold, I create new heavens and new earth.

The former things will not be remembered or come to mind. Well, as we get older, not remembering or come to mind may seem easier and easier. But at this point, what he means to indicate in this passage He is looking at something that, no, this is not just getting older. This is something that's going to be a radical change. And he has this behold thing, and of course we're not going to be holding bees, but John underscores this very same point. Revelation 21.

Then I saw a new heaven and new earth. The first heaven, the first earth passed away and there's no longer any sea. Everything physically has changed. And so we who are believers will be in this new heavens, in this new earth, all saints of all time with the Lord in this new place.

So a question, is the new heavens and the new earth the beginning of what was newly created? Is that the first time the new creation has shown up? What do you think? So we look at this, there's actually been a new creation before this one that we just read about.

A new heavens and a new earth being created. In Christ. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. A new creature. The old things passed away, behold, all new things have come. And this word new in the Greek text is not just new in sequence, it's new in kind, kainos.

We could also look at Galatians 6.15, similar message. In there it's dealing with the issue of circumcision, but he says, for neither is circumcision anything or uncircumcision, but what?

A new creation. You. In Christ. Christ the firstborn of the new creation. See, we here, yeah, we'll get these things replaced, okay? But we're a new creature. We are part of the new creation already because we're in Christ, the firstborn of the new creation. So it's already begun. This is just the last step that we're reading about here. Okay.

Former things will not be remembered or come to mind. Things that you just wish wouldn't happen. You know, things that are just kind of difficult. Things that you're thinking, is it safe to look? Things that got you mad. Things in life that you can't bear to look at. Things that got you stressed out. You going to remember those? Nah. Gone. Passed. Not carried over. Isn't that something? Isn't that good? You have anything that just kind of, boy, really tough to shake? Things that you'd rather not remember?

The Lord says there's a time. So this applies to us too. Not just for Israel. Next verse is there. There are two clues that point to these verses being in the new heavens and the new earth also. Be glad and rejoice, how long? Forever. Oh, create. Now that's a key clue.

So we look at this, the word create here is used in Isaiah 65, 17 as well, and in Genesis 1, 1 where it says, in the beginning God created, same word, bara, created out of nothing. This is a new creation altogether, something that didn't exist before. This word is used twice here in this passage. The second thing is no longer heard any weeping or crying. No longer. Done. It's past. It's history.

Revelation 21.4 has that message. Something else to point out. Look at the repetition of words here in this passage. Glad, rejoice, gladness, rejoicing, glad, again and again. So will there be gladness and rejoicing in the New Jerusalem?

Do you think there will be? What does this say? Oh yeah. It says, oh yeah. As a matter of fact, how glad and joyous will we all be? To use the expression, happy as a clam. Okay? Alright. Okay? We'll just be happy as can be. It's created for gladness and joy. Glad you survived that one. Okay. Gladness. Now notice what the picture is. Gladness on the part of the saints. Even Courtney lived through that. And the New Jerusalem was created for gladness. Notice, it says gladness. A place created for gladness.

And what else? God's rejoicing about it. Isn't that cool? I also will rejoice and be glad in my people. And what is God going to be glad about? Wow! Us! Particularly, this is focused upon Israel, but there's also, we can claim both Israel and the Gentiles and the church are all called His people. The Lord is going to look at us and where will we be? We will be in Christ.

And he's going to say, yes, this is great. This is exactly what I had in mind from eternity past. He says, this just is fantastic. And I could say it doesn't get any better than this, but it will continue to get better and better. Why? He will continue, as Erica read for us this morning, to reveal His grace and His glory in the rolling ages on into eternity. Glad and rejoicing and getting better all the time. Constant gasps of, wow, really good.

Not only does he say multiple times, gladness and rejoicing, and variations on those words, but the negative to say, this isn't going to be here, no longer be heard, the voice of weeping and the sound of crying. So notice, he isn't just saying, there isn't going to be too much of it, or it's going to be minimal. Or it will be kind of out of the way. Just no longer. Not just the positive statement of the gladness and rejoicing, but the negation. No more. Time has passed. It's done. It's over with. All through.

Verse 20 here. This is, there will no longer be an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days. For the youth will die at the age of a hundred, and one who does not reach the age of a hundred will be thought a curse. By the way, the one with that picture is, that's a spring chicken.

Okay. Whew! Man! Okay. What Isaiah describes here is a huge improvement. Even Brad lived through that one. Okay. Over the present lifespan, but These words imply that there will be death, don't they? They imply there's death, because people will live longer during this time of Christ's reign on this present earth, but there will still be death.

It will be a substantial restoration, but death will not have been eliminated. So these verses are describing the millennial kingdom, not the time into eternity, not in the new heavens and the new earth. There will be those living on this earth who will be living in bodies like these, not brand new bodies. The new heavens and new earth, what does it say in Revelation 21 verse 4? No longer any death. So the new heavens and the new earth, no longer any death.

This verse here is beginning a section that describes the millennial kingdom, the time of Christ's reign on this present earth. Yes, we will be there in resurrected bodies, but there will also be those living on the earth in a substantially restored earth, but an earth in which there is still death, even if it's delayed and takes longer to get to.

Verses 21 and 22. talks about building, talks about planting vineyards and eating the fruit of it. To summarize these two verses, Israel will be secure. Why do we say that? This has some similar clues to the prior verse. Life will be longer, there will still be death, and things will still be wearing out. But, what's described as an improvement, it's not totally perfect. But it is secure. It will be describing the Millennial Kingdom when Christ will reign. Look at the clue in the middle of verse 22 there.

They will not build in another inhabit. They will not plant in another eat. As we've been through our study of Isaiah, this was one of the great fears that the Jews had. I'm going to go and plant this field, and I'm going to sow this field, and right before I'm done, I'm going to get run off by this enemy that's going to come invade. And he's going to say, no, not happening anymore.

If you plant it, you will eat it. If you build it, you'll live in it. Secure. They will have security that they never had. Even now, does Israel have security? You see it in your headlines. You see it on the evening news. Israel does not have security now. It will then, during the thousand years of Messiah's reign. He assures them that this great fear, this dread will end. Home will really be home. The place that you plant and build will really be yours. The Messiah will reign. Notice even wearing out the work of their own hands. It'll be their own hands that wear it out and not somebody else. There will maybe even be a chocolate fountain for Phil, but we'll see about that. Okay. Now, next verse,

23. They will not labor in vain or bear children for calamity.

For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, and their descendants with them. Isaiah is continuing to describe the Millennial Kingdom here in this verse, and how can we tell? This is a time when Christ will reign over the entire earth from Jerusalem, but during the time of the Millennial Kingdom, things will be restored, but there will still be childbearing in male and female. That's the clue here. This is still the time on this present earth, even with a substantially restored earth, still the time on this present earth, and still childbearing, and still male and female.

Some of the words that come across as we look at this, words that may come to mind as I think of it, secure. They'll be secure in the land. They won't worry about loss, calamity, loss of a child because of an invasion. They will be productive. They will be safe. There will be a legacy to pass on. Something to pass on from one generation to the next. Healthy. Healthy. Any of you have gone through a period of time with an infant that's been ill. Not having that as a fear or a concern is a great relief. And so this is something that he's promising there. In the new heavens and the new earth there will be only resurrected humans, neither male nor female.

This is from Matthew 22.30 where Jesus is talking about in responding to a question from the Sadducees. Alright, verse 24 here. It will come to pass that before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear. What's the message here?

The truth is, the Lord has always listened to the saints. And we saw as we were studying around Isaiah 36, 37, 38, that the Lord had already begun to answer Hezekiah's prayer before he prayed it. The Lord always listens to us, but what Isaiah is describing here is a time of particularly intense, this is a time of relationship between people on earth and the Lord that will have a timeliness to it, a great responsiveness to it, and its response will be very apparent. Have you ever been through a period of time in your life, and I ask this because I'm almost certain that you have, a time when you prayed for something and it seems like, boy, the Lord's taken a while to answer this one. You ever been through that? This will be a time when it will be particularly apparent that, yeah, the Lord is hearing me.

As a matter of fact, I just prayed, and boy, He's already moving to answer that prayer. Sometimes we do enjoy and see that now, but particularly it's focusing on the relationship. Even now, the Lord comes to our aid and prays when we don't even quite know what to pray specifically. But here, this kind of delay, lack of clarity will be cleared up.

People will pray and there will be responsiveness and clarity in their prayers. But one other thing to point out too, all Israel will have the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Not even needing somebody to teach them. There will be an interaction and relationship with the Lord that will be natural and common and everyday.

That what's underscored here is relationship. Let's ask a question now. He's talking about this is Israel. How about us now? Does the Lord want us to have continuous relationship with Him now? Yes, absolutely. He underscores it, and really I could use the word fellowship. Day by day, moment by moment, fellowship with Him.

That's God's design. And here's the last verse. It says, The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. Dust will be the serpent's food. They will do no evil nor harm in all my holy mountain. This particularly is focused upon Israel. I'm talking about the holy mountain. This is the Mount Moriah and the adjacent Mount Zion in Jerusalem.

And looking at this, one of the phrases that you may have heard commonly is the lion and the lamb. But what you find actually here and in Isaiah chapter 11, I think we may say that because the two L's kind of roll off our tongues a little easier. But the reality is it's no, it's the wolf and the lamb. OK, the wolf and the lamb. And so here you will have a predator and the prey in our current ecology.

It's been the case for centuries and thousands of years. That relationship will end. Isn't that something? That relationship will end. It will be a part of the Lord's substantial restoration of this earth. To end that predator-prey relationship. So you'll no longer have anything like this. Okay? None of that happening anymore. Okay. Alright. Here is out of the passage... Man! Even Randy lived through that one. Okay.

The wolf will dwell with the lamb. That's the same phrase that we see here in this Isaiah 65 passage. The lion will eat straw like the ox. So what Isaiah appears to have done is to grab samplings out of this passage out of chapter 11 and pull it into this one verse to kind of summarize it succinctly. And finally, they will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. He summarizes this chapter 11 passage into just the one verse there in Isaiah 65. These verses describe the millennial kingdom. And we know that clearly also because of the rest of the context of Isaiah chapter 11 from which this is drawn. Notice also the nursing child. The new heavens and new earth will be there, the nursing child? No. And look here again, the waters cover the sea, and the new earth, no sea. How about that?

So, looking at the future here, we have, and this by the way is a throwback to page 2 where you have this chart, so I'm not meaning to confuse you, but you have the Millennial Kingdom shown in verses 20 through 25 that we've covered. and eternity in the earlier verses in that passage spelled out. We've seen how Isaiah has spelled out, given a future and a hope to the people of Israel, certainly, and some things that apply directly to us, even though these things were written to the people of Israel. Notice this continuing putting out there a future and a hope.

How about us here? How about us now? Do we have to wait until then before we have a future and a hope? No. What does Paul write to Titus? In Titus 2.13, and I'm drawing out of the middle of the passage there in verses 11 through 14, he talks and writes to Titus about looking for the blessed hope in the appearing. of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. For us in the church, we have a future and a hope, don't we?

We have something upon which we can hope that's not just a something, but it's a who. It's Jesus Christ. It's the one who is our hope. As a matter of fact, he calls it the blessed hope. This is our great anticipation. We do have a hope for the future, as believers. And not only that, it's a, as we saw in the first Peter elective, a living hope. It isn't just a, boy, I sure hope it happens. It's also a personal hope.

It's not just the circumstances that Isaiah just described. They're nice circumstances, aren't they? They're nicer than what we have been experiencing here on planet Earth. But he's not talking about just nice circumstances. He's talking about a personal hope in the person of Jesus Christ. Him, specifically. There, in Him, is where our hope lies. We have a future hope. We have a living hope. Christ calls Himself, in Revelation, the Living One. I was dead and now I'm alive, He says. It's a certain hope. We're not crossing our fingers, okay? We're not knocking on wood. It's a certain hope, and it's a personal hope.

Paul also wrote to Timothy, his very last letter, at least the one that we have, and the very last chapter. And Paul writes it this way, and at first it sounds like, boy, this sounds hopeless. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering. The time of my departure has come. Does that sound hopeful?

By itself, no. But let's keep looking. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. Here's the future. Here's the hopeful future. In the future, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day.

And not only me, but also how many? All who love is appearing. Everyone. Does that include you and me? Yes. Every single one of us. A certain hope. A future hope. A living hope. A personal hope. Jesus Christ. And beyond that, the Lord rewarding those who love is appearing. Let's think about it. That's our perspective, looking for His coming. What's His perspective? What is He looking for? Do you ever think about that? If we as believers are to have a looking forward to, what is Jesus Christ looking forward to in relationship to us, in regard to us?

In John 17.24, which is actually the Lord's Prayer, in John 17.24, the Lord is praying to the Father. He says, Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, be with me where I am. And did not Paul write 1 Thessalonians 4, 13-18?

Forever we will be with the Lord. So that, and here's what he's looking forward to, so that they may see my glory which you have given me. See the glory of the Lord. Isn't that something? That's what the Lord was praying to the Father for. In the hours before He went to the cross. That was on His mind. Isn't that something? He was praying for you and me. Before He went to the cross. That's what was on His mind. That's, as a matter of fact, what motivated Him.

Let's look at this Hebrews 12, 1 and 2. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance. Most? No. Every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us. Let us run with endurance the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before, what was the joy?

We just saw that. so that they may see the glory which you have given me." That's joyous to the Lord. Isn't that something? We have a hope, and do you know that the Lord has a hope in us, praying for us? And it was that hope that motivated Him, for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He prayed, those who have given, be with me where I am so that they may see my glory which you have given me. We have a hope. The Lord himself had a hope. A certain hope. Not an I hope so hope. A certain hope. To him, that was joy worth enduring the cross for. Let's pray.

Lord, how incredible, how unfathomable to ponder that we have a certain hope, a future hope, a hope which will not fade away, a blessed hope. And that what's more, you have a hope for us that is also certain and blessed and personal. And Lord, to see this come together, what a marvelous picture. You've painted for us. We have a future that is so full of incredible unveilings that we, Lord, get to see your glory, a glory which will not become boring, a glory which will not cause us to look at our watches and say, well, what's next? But to be constantly drawn and occupied with you. We pray that you would give us an understanding and a vision of that hope even now. In Jesus' name, Amen.