In our daily meditations, we continue to reflect on the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ on Earth. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the prophet Isaiah spoke of a time of significant changes on Earth:
The Biblical Vision: Isaiah 65 and the Promise of Restoration
17See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. 18But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. 19I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. 20Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. 21They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22No 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 work of their hands. 23They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. 24Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. 25The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord (Isaiah 65:17-25).
What Does a "New Earth" Actually Mean?
The Lord declares there will be a new earth and new heavens. How should we interpret these words? Initially, it might seem that everyone will be moved to a new earth, but that is not the true meaning. In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn explains that the phrase "Heaven and Earth" is a biblical reference to the entire universe. He states:
When Revelation 21:1 speaks of “a new heaven and a new earth,” it indicates a transformation of the entire universe. The Greek word kainos, translated as "new," suggests that the Earth God creates won't merely be new as opposed to old but new in quality and superior in character. According to Walter Bauer’s lexicon, kainosmeans new in the sense that what is old has become obsolete and should be replaced by what is new. In such a case, the new is, as a rule, superior in kind to the old. It means, therefore, "not the emergence of a cosmos totally other than the present one, but the creation of a universe which, though it has been gloriously renewed, stands in continuity with the present one." Paul uses the same word, kainos, when he speaks of a believer becoming "a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The New Earth will be the same as the old Earth, just as a new Christian is still the same person he was before. Different? Yes, but also the same.[1]
Life During the Millennium: Longevity and Peace
The way the Earth has been for centuries will change and be scarcely remembered (v. 17). It will be a time of complete renewal and restoration. Perhaps the new heavens signify the destruction of the enemy's abode in the invisible realm, where he has waged his campaign against humanity. Until that point, Satan is called the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Luke, in the Book of Acts, states that Jesus "must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets" (Acts 3:21). The Earth will regain its pristine beauty and fertility. During the Millennium, those who are alive will enjoy the fruits of their labor, and whatever they plant, they will harvest. What they build will be theirs to live in.
The Removal of Evil and the Final Restoration
At the rapture and resurrection of the saints, when the wrath of God is poured out, the angels will remove all evil from Christ's kingdom: "The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil" (Matthew 13:41). This period will be one of restoration before the final judgment. It will be a blessed time when people live for many hundreds of years, as in the book of Genesis. Adam lived for 930 years (Genesis 5:5), Seth for 912 years (Genesis 5:8), and Methuselah for 969 years (Genesis 5:27). The saints, those born again by the Spirit of God, will never die, for they are imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:52). I don't know about you, but I look forward to that! Keith Thomas
Continue Your Journey…
This devotional is part of our series, Insights into Eternity. If you want to dive deeper into what God has planned for your future, continue to the next lesson: What the 1000 Year Reign of Christ Will Be Like
[1] Randy C. Alcorn, Heaven, published by Tyndale Publishers, Inc. Copyright 2004, Page 149.