The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Isaiah 54:9-10,
"'To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you [the redeemed of the Lord],
never to rebuke you again.
Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,'
says the Lord, who has compassion on you."
The nature of prophecy is that it can become somewhat "fluid" in that the times prophesied can leap ahead of the prophet a hundred years, a hundred seventy years and to the end of the age, all within a few verses. We see this in the chapters of Isaiah's prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem that would take place a hundred years following him, a seventy year captivity following that, and then a restoration. And, then, that restoration prefigures events at the end of the age when the Lord's redeemed will inherit all the Lord has destined for us in eternity.
These verses look ahead to that time when the new city of the redeemed will be rebuilt by the Lord himself,
"... I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
your foundations with lapis lazuli.
I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
All your children will be taught by the Lord,
and great will be their peace.
In righteousness you will be established..."
This is reminiscent of Revelation 21:17-21, "The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass."
"'To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you [the redeemed of the Lord],
never to rebuke you again.
Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,'
says the Lord, who has compassion on you."
The nature of prophecy is that it can become somewhat "fluid" in that the times prophesied can leap ahead of the prophet a hundred years, a hundred seventy years and to the end of the age, all within a few verses. We see this in the chapters of Isaiah's prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem that would take place a hundred years following him, a seventy year captivity following that, and then a restoration. And, then, that restoration prefigures events at the end of the age when the Lord's redeemed will inherit all the Lord has destined for us in eternity.
These verses look ahead to that time when the new city of the redeemed will be rebuilt by the Lord himself,
"... I will rebuild you with stones of turquoise,
your foundations with lapis lazuli.
I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of sparkling jewels,
and all your walls of precious stones.
All your children will be taught by the Lord,
and great will be their peace.
In righteousness you will be established..."
This is reminiscent of Revelation 21:17-21, "The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass."
For me, and I'm certain for many of us, as we look ahead to what is coming our way in eternity with the Lord, those things we read of in the prophecies of Scripture... it is simply breathtaking!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment