Messiah: Gentiles Come to His Light

“I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth. Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted.” (Isaiah 49:6b, 13. NKJV. [Read Isaiah 49:1-13]. “For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you to be a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:47-48. NKJV). “For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ “ (2 Corinthians 6:2, NKJV).

Multiple prophecies of the life and ministry of Jesus were foretold in the Old Testament. This devotional series on prophecies/fulfillments about Jesus Christ are only a few of the rich store we have for our study and spiritual enlightenment. A recent devotional looked at the Wise Men coming from the East to worship the Christ Child. When Christ stood on the Mount of Olives ready to ascend back to God the Father, He told his gathered disciples: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1: 8. NKJV.) The Great Commission given by Christ has been the marching orders for evangelical Christians from that time about 33 A. D. until the present, and, indeed, until the Lord shall return again.

Because Christians were faithful to this Commission of Christ, even we, who are Gentiles, came to the light. Many in the centuries since Christ’s ascension have been martyred for the faith. Because they would not recant their beliefs, they met death at the hands of persecutors. But despite the hard times Christians have endured from then until now (and some are still enduring), the prophecy of Isaiah and others has and is continuing to come true. The Lord’s comfort and mercy—and salvation—are extended to all who will believe and follow. When Jesus saw a man who was blind from birth and healed him, He said in the hearing of His disciples: “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4, NKJV). Just as Jesus felt an urgency to do the work of God while He walked on the earth as a man, so we, in receiving His Great Commission must work “while it is day”—while we have opportunity. 2 Peter 3:9 makes clear why the Lord delays His second coming: “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (NIV). God wants all to repent and believe. But one day His patience in waiting for people to come to His Light will run out. Let us therefore be faithful to witness and invite others to the Light.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Tuesday, December 28,2010

Messiah: Lord of the New Heaven and New Earth

“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 forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy…Before they call, I will answer; while they are still 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 on all my holy mountains, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 65:17-8, 24-25, NIV). “But in keeping with His promises, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:13, NIV). “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4. NIV).

A new heaven and a new earth are the ultimate hope of redemptive history. The description by the prophet Isaiah became the prototype of the Messianic Kingdom of John’s vision in Revelation. We still await this blessed hope. God who created the first heaven and the first earth has the power, wisdom and authority to create a new heaven and a new earth. And it will be beyond any human ability to describe it. Even Isaiah with lofty metaphors and John with exceptional visions could not picture fully the glory of the coming new heaven and new earth. The promise is there, solid and secure, for Christians to grasp and believe. God has promised and He will fulfill. His sovereign promise came to pass in the birth of His only begotten Son. Likewise, His sovereign promise will yet come to pass in “the new heaven and the new earth.”

God’s new heaven and earth will not be a place of mourning and sadness. All tears will be eliminated. Death and separation will not be known in the new heaven and earth. Those who on earth as we now know it follow the Lord in faith and fellowship, will dwell in peace and harmony with one another throughout eternity. Death, which began because of the sin of humanity, will be completely defeated in the new heaven and earth. No more will we know sad aspects of human existence: death, tears, mourning, crying and pain. No fear will overtake us, for those once at enmity with each other will be at peace. The redeemed will finally become what God had in mind for His people all along. Limitations and problems of life as we know them will be no more. And even with the beautiful description, it will be better than we can imagine!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, December 18, 2010