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WINDS OF CHANGE No 6

When the Blessings Stop

It is a remarkable thing that the United Nations, representing the nations of the world, have emblazoned on their impressive headquarters building part of the prophecy spoken by the prophet Isaiah (concerning a time when Israel would fully occupy the land of Israel) whilst at the same time they are passing resolutions against Israel for occupying Samaria and Judea (which are part of the whole land of Israel that was given to her by God as an everlasting possession). Such is the perfidy of man!

Isaiah 2:1-4

" This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the LORD's Temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all the nations will stream to it. Many people will come and say: ` Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD to the House of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so we may walk in His paths. ' The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war any more "

The world recognises the fact that the Book of Isaiah the prophet concerns some of the most priceless words ever penned by man, and for disciples of Jesus it contains much that is the irrefutable foundational truth which forms the bedrock of the Christian faith. Little wonder then that Isaiah has been called `the Prince of Prophets'! But because this book is such a priceless treasure it continually runs into the danger of being `plundered' by those who take out certain passages in order to justify a doctrinal position, or to form the foundation for a Bible study or a sermon, or for personal devotional meditation. And whilst such `plunderings' may be totally correct and acceptable, there is in these practices the inherent danger of fragmenting this book into the parts that suit our position, losing sight of the central message that lies within its structure when seen in its entirety. That the Book of Isaiah was primarily intended to be seen in its entirety is revealed in the opening words: (Isaiah 1:1-2)

" The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. "

In these words Isaiah spoke we hear an echo of the words of an earlier man of God, as Moses spoke to the second generation of Israelites as they gathered on the banks of the River Jordan before they passed over into the Promised Land: (Deuteronomy 1:1-3)

" These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel in the desert east of the Jordan - that is, in the Arabah - opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Dizahab. (It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.) In the fourtieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses then proclaimed to the Israelites all that the LORD had commanded him concerning them. "

If we remember that the Book of Deuteronomy is a repetition - a second recounting - of all that had been spoken previously, we can see that the words spoken by Moses are just as complete as was the vision given to Isaiah.

We have noted before that the Book of Deuteronomy is set out in the form of a middle-eastern marriage contract, and it should be read in the context of a Marriage Covenant between the nation of Israel and their God: (Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Deuteronomy 7:6-8)

" Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength . . . . . For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be His people, His treasured possession. The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt."

Just as surely as God was speaking to His people through His servant Moses, He was now speaking to that same nation of Israel through His prophet Isaiah. And just as the Book of Deuteronomy should be seen as `the one Word of God' to His people, so too should the Book of Isaiah be seen as one complete vision `concerning Judah and Jerusalem'. The structure of this remarkable book therefore speaks its own unique message to those `chosen to be His treasured possession, His special people'. Understanding the structure of this book and its style of writing in this way would remove a problem many theologians have concerning the writing style within it, and, therefore, the need for the theory of a second or even third `Isaiah' who supposedly completed the writing of this book. But under the guidance of the Holy Spirit the words and the structure of the words are recorded in such a way that the ones to whom it is addressed have no problem in recognising the Voice that called them into a Marriage Covenant those many centuries earlier - and they know that that Voice will continue to call and lead them until they enter fully into the New Covenant through acceptance of their Messiah.

Although the Book of Isaiah does contain many historical events, it is not intended to be read as a history book. For that we have the fuller chronological details in the Book of Kings. We see this in the opening verses of the book: (Isaiah 1:1)

" The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezikiah, kings of Judah. "

Clearly within what follows there are historical facts and situations, for the vision given to Isaiah covers the reigns of four of the kings of Judah, and as we read on we learn of Rezin king of Aram, the mighty Sennacherib king of Assyria, and Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon. We also read of God's judgements on the surrounding nations of Egypt, Edom and Tyre, but these are placed within the vision God had given to Isaiah to speak to the southern kingdom of Judah, and therefore these historical events should be placed within the context of God speaking to His people. It is primarily a prophetic book rather than an historical one, for it is the voice of God warning and chastening, and with heart-rending distress announcing a coming captivity to a people who had entered into a Marriage Covenant with Himself but who had moved out of the intimate relationship that such a Covenant entails. However, the turning back of His beloved people into that relationship is certain because of His eternal and unfailing love, and this is seen in the last chapters of the Book of the Vision of the prophet Isaiah:

44:2

Do not be afraid, O Jacob, My servant, and you " Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. "

52:1

" Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendour, O Jerusalem, the Holy City. "

53:11

" He will see the result of His suffering and be satisfied; by His knowledge My Righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities. "

54:1

" Sing, O barren woman, sing you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labour. "

60:1

" Arise shine, for your light has come, and the Glory of the LORD rises upon you. "

62:1

" For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. "

66:10

" Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her. "

It is with knowledge of `the end of the story' that we move on through the time of the four kings of Judah, during whose reign the vision was given, and to the last one, King Hezekiah. Although Isaiah's life-span continued on beyond the reign of Hezekiah, the vision which God gave him was complete, and given entirely to the kingdom of Judah. But from chapter 40 onwards, after Isaiah had given his amazing prophecy concerning Judah's coming captivity in Babylon, his voice as the mouthpiece of God is no longer heard, and his person is no longer recorded in the historical books.

After Sennacherib king of Assyria had been at the very gates of Jerusalem, but then came to a timely death through treachery at the hands of his sons, King Hezekiah, seizing hold of a friendly hand to consolidate his position, received the ambassadors of Merodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon, who had come with letters and a gift on hearing of his sickness. Hezekiah opened up the treasure house of the Temple and showed the treasures of the LORD to them, and so received a chastening word of the LORD through Isaiah:

2 Kings 20:16-18 " Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, `Hear the word of the LORD: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, that will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. "

We hear no more of this Prince of Prophets, for his work was now complete. (Tradition has it that he was put to death most cruelly during the terrible purges of Hezekiah's son Manasseh.) In many of the encouraging sermons on the life and acts of Hezekiah the focus is so often on his weaknesses, often pointing to the fact that the fifteen years added to his life, following his repentance, led to the evil reign of his son Manasseh. But to stay at that level of understanding of the Book of Isaiah would take our eyes off the vision God gave him concerning Judah and Jerusalem. If we focus on the more sensational historical facts we shall miss the heart of God - who `saw' beyond the failings of human kings - and knowing Hezekiah's heart leaves us with a foreshadowing, a prophetic view, of what Hezekiah, with all his weaknesses, was attempting to outwork in the Kingdom of Judah.

Hezekiah's `weakness' lay in the inheritance from his father's days - that of the growing strength of Assyria. The nation of Israel was no longer what it had been under the reign of King Solomon. The nation had been split into two kingdoms, through rebellion. The people had slipped into apostacy even though they still enjoyed their position as God's chosen people! Hezekiah had seen what had happened to the northern kingdom of Israel at the hands of the Assyrian armies, and Sennacherib had been at the very gates of Jerusalem itself! The fact that Hezekiah was a godly king is clearly recorded in the historical books of Chronicles and Kings, and he was responsible for many great reforms in the nation's religious life, tearing down the Asherah poles and rooting out the Canaanite fertility rites that had spread throughout the land. His greatest reforms are recorded in the Second Book of Chronicles:

2 Chronicles 29:1-2

" Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother's name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. "

In chapter 30 we find the culmination of Hezekiah's religious reforms:

2 Chronicles 30:1-5

" Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month, They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. The plan seemed right both to the king and to the whole assembly. They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written. "

Hezekiah's thinking was the same as David's, for he attempted to unite the tribes of Israel under one head centered in the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of the LORD. His intention was godly and the restoration of the kingdom of Israel seemed to be at hand:

2 Chronicles 30:21-23

" The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests sang to the LORD every day, accompanied by the LORD's instruments of praise. Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites, who showed good understanding of the services of the LORD. For the seven days they ate their assigned portion and offered peace offerings and praised the LORD, the God of their fathers. The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the festival seven more days; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully. "

Here they were celebrating the Feast of Passover, and in remembering the deliverance of God from the hands of the Egyptians they were now trusting in that same God for deliverance from the hands of the Assyrians. Ambassadors had been sent to the northern kingdom of Israel, inviting them to join with Judah in celebrating the great occasion of the Feast of Passover. We have seen that the Book of Isaiah, with its vision, is in parallel with the Book of Deuteronomy, which was set out as a Marriage Covenant between God and the nation of Israel, and it is in this that we too can see what God saw in the heart of King Hezekiah! Unifying the nation at the Feast of Passover was Hezekiah's intention, but it would also be unification under a king who understood Israel's standing in the sight of God - a nation whom `God delights in'. To reveal that understanding Hezekiah enterered into a marriage covenant with Hephzibah, whose name means `my delight is in her'. We see this marriage recorded in Psalm 45: (v1-2)

" My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skilful writer. You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you for ever. "

We now see Hephzibah being brought forth as a wife to join with her husband: (Psalm 45:13-15)

" All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you. They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king. "

Hezekiah sees in his marriage a picture of the relationship between Israel and God. He is trusting that, in uniting the tribes of Israel under one king the kingdom will be restored to the glory and splendour of what was last seen in the reign of Solomon. Hezekiah sees not only a deliverance from his enemies; he also sees a deliverance in the hearts of the people from the apostacy which has brought them face to face with the mighty armies of Assyria. In his own marriage he therefore reveals the heart of God for His people - a wife in whom He delights - and the nation rejoices together with him.

This is seen also in the words of Isaiah as he completes the record of the vision he received from God concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

Isaiah 62:1-5

" For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. You will be a crown of splendour in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. No longer will they call you Deserted, or your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. "

However, we know with the `gift' of hindsight that the fulness of the completion of that vision awaits a time yet to come for the nation of Israel! Those events in the reign of Hezekiah were but a foreshadowing of the fulness of which God spoke through the prophet Isaiah! But in their delight and excitement at what they saw and heard in Hezekiah's celebration - in the heady excitement and joy at the thought of the kingdom of Israel being restored to its full glory - they ignored `the word of the LORD of Hosts' to Hezekiah: (Isaiah 39:6-7)

" The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become enuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. "

From chapter 40 onwards the style of writing of the remainder of Isaiah's vision does indeed change, but this does not confirm the `second or third Isaiah' theory upon which many theologians insist. The style changes as the prophet (looking at the natural events surrounding Hezekiah) saw what the king could not see. Isaiah's vision looked beyond the Passover celebrations . . beyond the wedding to `one in whom He delights' . . knowing that, although he had faithfully spoken the word of God concerning Judah's eventual captivity in Babylon, in God's sight Israel still delighted Him as a wife delights her husband! But Isaiah knew that once the celebrations were complete the apostacy would begin again, for the people were looking at the excitement of the celebrations . . they were longing for the restoration of the kingdom, instead of longing for the restoration of the relationship of Israel with her Husband! Isaiah knew from the words spoken by God that once the blessings stopped so the apostacy would begin again, but he also knew the faithfulness of the God of Jacob to His word - and this is the revelation which is seen in the concluding chapters of `the vision which God gave concerning Judah and Jerusalem'.

We see in chapter 40 the drawing out of a remnant from the midst of apostacy - a remnant who had the burden of the love of God for the whole nation of Israel wedded to her husband:

Isaiah 40:1-5

" Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for her sins. A voice of one calling in the desert: Prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rugged ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. "

The gathering of the people is to set them apart in order to speak to them of God's faithfulness to His word - a remnant set apart in the midst of the apostacy. They are the `voice of one crying in the desert' and their message is one of God's undying love for His people:

Isaiah 40:9-11

" You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah: `Here is your God!' See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and His arm rules for Him. See, His reward is with Him, and His recompense accompanies Him. He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those who are with young. "

Their message reveals God's way for them to break out of apostacy:

Isaiah 42:1-4

" Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smouldering wick He will not snuff out. In faithfulness He will bring forth justice; He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on earth. In His law the islands will put their hope. "

The King to whom they were really looking for their deliverance found His foreshadowing in King Hezekiah, and His Passover celebration is now clearly revealed:

Isaiah 53:4-5

" Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. "

We then hear the result of that acceptance of the King:

Isaiah 54:1-5

" Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labour; because many are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband, says the LORD. Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your Husband - the LORD of Hosts is His name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit - a wife who married young, only to be rejected, says your God. For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compasison I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you, says the LORD your Redeemer. "

As the remainder of the vision Isaiah received unfolds we see the fulness of the Kingdom of God, and the fulness of the purposes of God for His beloved people as they complete the work they were called to do so many centuries earlier:

Isaiah 66:5-13

" Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at His word: Your brothers who hate you, and exclude you because of My name have said, `Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy!' Yet they will be put to shame. Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the Temple! It is the sound of the LORD repaying His enemies all they deserve. Before she goes into labour, she gives birth; before the pain comes upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labour then she gives birth to her children. Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery? says the LORD. Do I close up the womb when I bring delivery, says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her all you who mourn over her. For you will nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breasts; you will drink deeply and delight in her overflowing abundance. For this is what the LORD says: I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem. "

Here we would leave the Book of Isaiah and the things revealed in his vision, which are for a time yet to come, and draw upon the principles seen in the godly actions of King Hezekiah, and then apply them to our historical timescale in the Church - and we limit our thoughts to events seen particularly in the Church in the West! We would suggest there is a parallel to be seen in the Church with the events surrounding Hezekiah in his time. Certainly within the historic denominational churches there is a growing apostacy and a falling away of many members. There is also much division and the enemy at the gates of the Church is as real as Sennacherib when he was besieging the gates of Jerusalem! Within the various movements in the universal Church there has come a rising excitement of a kingdom to be claimed now by those who `believe', which is openly promoted by the leaders! There is also a unifying move - often without serious consideration of what this entails by way of compromise with God's truth - amongst these same leaders, to bring all things together as the Church Triumphant ready to greet her King! There is the heady excitement of blessings, more blessings . . and even more blessings . . and an expectation of entering into the fulness of the Kingdom of God through a `revival in the Church'! But, as with the people of the kingdom of Judah under Hezekiah, this rising excitement in the Church can only come through ignoring the Word of God, which tells of other things that must happen before the `Consummation of the Ages' takes place!

The apostles Paul and Peter wrote of hardships, of persecution, of scoffers of the Word of God, of a great falling away from the truth! Paul's exhortation to Timothy was to stand firm against `the terrible times in the last days! The writer to the Hebrews reminds us: (12:1)

" Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. "

James talks of facing trials of many kinds and of `being patient until the Lord's coming'! John warns of the spirit of antichrist, who will always be there to deceive and entangle, whilst Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, urges all believers `to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints', and concludes his letter with these encouraging words: (v 24-25)

" To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy . . . . "

Without a doubt the leaders who are today `fanning the flames' of the heady excitement are sincere men of God! Their hearts are right before God and they long to see the Body of Christ unified under one Head, a Bride who delights in her Lord. But they must surely know that these sensational manifestations and excitement will not nullify the Word of God, which reveals a falling away . . an apostacy . . the love of many growing cold . . leaving their earnest desires for a triumphant Kingdom of God and a radiant Bride for a time yet to come beyond the Great Apostacy. The fulness will come for the Church as surely as it will come for the nation of Israel, with whom the Body of Christ is linked, for theirs is a parallel journey because of the New Covenant which was spoken of by Jeremiah and other prophets. We ask the question: When the blessings stop . . when the promises are not fulfilled . . when the sensational manifestations cease, and the `ignored prophecies' begin to come to pass . . will we then see the great falling away, the apostacy spoken of but ignored in the heady excitement of `revival'?

As in the time of the kingdom of Judah under Hezekiah, God was not looking for a people who were longing for a revival of a kingdom. He was looking for a people who were longing for a revival of the relationship with Him, mirrored in a marriage covenant. Today in His Church He is not looking for a people who are longing for a glorious Kingdom, but for a people who are looking for a glorious King! As Isaiah's vision for the people of Judah and Jerusalem was complete, so now God's `vision' for the Church has been fully given and is sealed in Scripture. If there truly is a parallel to be seen between the days of Hezekiah and the Church today, there will come a `change of style' in writing and speaking to the Church. As from chapter 40 onwards in the Book of Isaiah there came forth a remnant crying in the wilderness and preparing the way of the Lord, so now, in the Church, we shall see this emerging amongst those who have not entered unthinkingly into the heady excitement which is spreading so sensationally through the Body of Christ at this time.

If this parallel is faithful to the times of Hezekiah, then the message from the remnant - if it is a true remnant of God - will be the same, and we can draw out of it the message of the vision given to Isaiah and spoken to the people of Israel and then apply it to the Church. Of course the words apply primarily to Israel, but the feeling within the words can be spoken to the Church, if there is a parallel message in the Book of Isaiah: (Isaiah 40: 1 and 31)

" Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to . . . . . but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. "

The remnant crying in the wilderness will speak of God's love for all His people: (Isaiah 44:1-2)

" But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, Israel whom I have chosen. This is what the LORD says - He who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you . . . "

And they will rejoice when they see the deliverance of the Church from the bondage of their apostacy: (Isaiah 45:1)

" This is what the LORD says to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of . . . . to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut . . . "

They will turn the eyes of the people towards the Servant and to His Coming: (Isaiah 48:17)

" This is what the LORD says - your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you what is best for you, Who directs you in the way you should go. "

Then at last there will come the final cry of joy from an awakened Bride who no longer looks for blessings: (Isaiah 52:1)

" Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendour . . . . "

Then Israel and the Church, as Wife and Bride, will walk together into the fulness of that relationship, through the coming of the Messiah and Bridegroom, and the `vision' given through Isaiah will at last be complete in Him: (Isaiah 65:17-25)

" Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in My people; the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant that 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 hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 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. 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. before they call I will answer; while they are speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food, They will neither harm nor destroy in all My Holy Mountain, says the LORD. "

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