The Glorious New Creation

Isaiah 65:17-25 

17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
And her people a joy.
19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.

20 "No more shall an infant from there live but a few days,
Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days;
For the child shall die one hundred years old,
But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.

21 They shall build houses and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
They shall not plant and another eat;
For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

23 They shall not labor in vain,
Nor bring forth children for trouble;
For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the LORD,
And their offspring with them.

24 "It shall come to pass
That before they call, I will answer;
And while they are still speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
The lion shall eat straw like the ox,
And dust shall be the serpent's food.

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,"
Says the LORD.

The glory of the new creation of the heavens and the earth along with New Jerusalem will exceed our expectations and imaginations so much that we will effectively cease to remember how it is now.  Why would we want to look back when we are in His very presence and sin is no longer present there with us (2 Peter 3:12-13)?  Such joy will drive our praise of endless rejoicing in the Celestial City, and His joy in we the people of the heavenly kingdom will keep any more tears from falling and sorrow will flee away from us with its sad memories of our failures here (Revelation 7:17, 21:4).  We will no longer face inevitable decay to death or sudden loss, yet those who die in their sin without Christ will live In accursed torment in the lake of fire where they will not have the eternal bliss of the redeemed.  May we therefore be diligent to warn them of the outcome of rejecting Him and entice them to repent and trust His work for us all on the cross of atoning sacrificial grace.  He will prepare places for us there (John 14:1-3) which we will never have to renovate, update, replace from disaster, or move from ever again; our eternal habitation will enable us to more enjoy the work of our hands as His elect, chosen and provided for in spite of ourselves.  Our labor now in the Lord and in the ages to come is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58, 3:8, 13).  He hears us before we call out in prayer even now to lead and guide us home where peace will be restored to all creation which now yearns with us for that day (Romans 8:22) when our enemy, the serpent of old (Revelation 12:9, 20:2) will eat the dust (Genesis 3:14) which his evil caused Adam to toil in from the Fall (Genesis 3:19).  The creation will be restored with our standing before God reconciled and in joyful peace when the adversary who brought all this corruption and destruction to creation is judged and removed forever.  May we therefore be exceedingly thankful now and forever in the glorious new creation (Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Revelation 21:5), amen.