“The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord. Isaiah 65:25
The great promise of the Bible is not just that God will restore his people, but that he will restore creation. There will be a new heaven and a new earth.
Old hostilities will be reconciled: “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together” (65:25). Wolves destroy lambs. But now they feed together. God creates a new animal kingdom that reflects the reconciliation of all things in Christ.
In the new heaven and the new earth, redeemed Hutus and redeemed Tutsis will live together in joy; redeemed Jews and redeemed Arabs will be neighbors and friends; and redeemed Democrats and redeemed Republicans will speak well of each other!
Old natures will be changed: “The lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Lions eat red meat—it’s their nature. But in the new heaven and the new earth, every source of violence, pain, and destruction is gone. The lion eats straw like the ox!
Every last remnant of your old nature will be gone too: the impulse of the flesh that tempts you, the coldness of heart that often makes you sluggish and unresponsive to God, all that you struggle and fight against in your Christian life will be gone forever. We will be changed, in a moment, at the sound of the last trumpet (1 Cor. 15:51-52).
And “the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord” (Isa. 66:22). What Christ redeems is secure forever!
Where could you get a head start today on God’s promise of restoration?
