Isaiah 65:16

The Bible says in Isaiah 65:16-17, “That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” These two verses are looking to the future: the wonderful future that God has planned for His believers. It is interesting that Isaiah 65:16 uses the verbs “to bless” and “to swear.” We also notice that these two verbs are used in relation to what takes place “in the earth.” When we speak of the verb “to bless,” we are thinking about good things that happen to a person. The reason that it speaks of a person who shall “bless himself in the God of truth,” is an emphasis upon the fact that all true blessings come from God. If you are seeking good things for your life, you had better seek them from God.

The verb “to swear” refers to making an oath. Making an oath refers to a person making a promise and backing up that promise with energy and emotion and determination. “I swear that I will do such and such.” Much of what happens on this earth refers to people having desires, and then making decisions with great determination to try and bring those desires to fulfillment. But no matter how much men and women plan, in the final analysis, their plans and decisions are fruitless without help from God. God makes the final decision about everything. That is why it says in Isaiah 65:16, “he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth.” If you are going to make a great determination to do something, you had better bring Jesus into the picture and trust in Him and rely upon Him. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.”

The reason that good things are going to happen in the earth is because God has chosen to do something. Isaiah 65:17, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” Evidently, eventually the earth gets so bad and so corrupt that the Lord decides to do away with it and start over. He did that in the days of Noah, and Jesus will do that one more time. The first thing that we are told about the new heavens and the new earth is “the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” One of the reasons that “the former shall not be remembered” is because in heaven there will only be good thoughts and pleasant thoughts. In heaven there will be no guilt, no regrets, no heartache, and no sorrows. That is one of the reasons that it will be such a happy place. Jesus is so gracious to plan a kingdom where all of the bad things will be forgotten. No wonder He says to us in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” He is helping us to learn how to enjoy this life, and He is getting us ready for how our eternal existence will be in heaven.

The rest of the verses in Isaiah chapter 65 tell us some of the details about the one thousand-year Kingdom that Jesus will set up when He rules on earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem. Some details about the kingdom are:

1. There will be great rejoicing and joy: no weeping and no crying. Isaiah 65:18-19.

2. People will live for much longer periods of time: you will be a child until the age of one hundred. Isaiah 65:20.

3. Capitalism will be the economic system of the Kingdom of Christ. Isaiah 65:21-23.

4. Prayers will be answered in a unique way. Isaiah 65:24.

5. The entire animal kingdom will be transformed. Isaiah 65:25.

Concerning the first characteristic of the Kingdom of Christ that is described here, it says in Isaiah 65:18-19, “But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.” Notice that we will be told to rejoice “forever.” When we enter into that wonderful kingdom, nothing will ever cause crying or weeping again. That is because only good things will happen in that beautiful place. One of the realities of this life is that everyone has their share of sorrow. No matter what kind of successes you may achieve, you will still have your share of pain and of sorrow and of crying. The absence of sorrow in the eternal kingdom is also revealed to us in Revelation 21:4, that seems to have been taken from this passage in Isaiah chapter 65. It says in Revelation 21:4, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Concerning the fact that people will live longer in the Kingdom of Christ on this earth, the Bible says in Isaiah 65:20, “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.” Yes, there will be people who will die during the Kingdom of Christ. Of course, we are talking about that part of His Kingdom that is known as the 1,000 year reign of Christ. When Christ first comes back to the earth, He will destroy the armies of the antichrist, and Jesus will then set up the Kingdom of God on earth. All of the individuals who survived the terrible tribulation period and who survived the battle of Armageddon will enter into that kingdom. Of these people who are left alive on the earth, there will be great changes in their lives. One change will be a tremendous longevity. Perhaps the long lives that were seen in the book of Genesis will be restored to people. Methuselah lived to be 969 years old, and he died just before the great flood of Noah. Methuselah was Noah’s grandfather. There is an important spiritual principle that can be seen from the fact that during the millennial reign of Christ an individual will be considered to be a child until the age of 100. Also, notice that once a person is 100 years old, it says, “the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.” In other words once you are no longer a child, you will be held personally responsible for your own sinful deeds and for your own choices. The same is true today except at a younger age. We are not given an exact age because it will vary with the individual. But when someone makes a decision to receive Christ as their Savior or to reject Christ, they will be held accountable when God decides that they are accountable. From a practical standpoint we see the same thing taking place in our judicial system. Many of our laws have set the age of 18 years old to be when a person is told that he or she is now an adult and will be held accountable for his or her actions as an adult. But even with that standard, sometimes such heinous crimes are committed by those who are much younger than 18, that the younger criminals are sometimes being tried as adults anyway. There are individuals who will not go to heaven because at an early they decided to reject the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 65:21-23 makes it clear that capitalism will be the economic system that will be set up in the millennial Kingdom of Christ. It says, “And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.” True capitalism is based upon what is fair and what is the right thing to do because of the consequences that each person deserves for their actions. When someone works, they deserve to be rewarded for the work that they have done. If someone does not work, then they do not get the reward. Even the New Testament puts forth this principle. The Apostle Paul wrote in Second Thessalonians 3:10, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

In the world there have always been tremendous forces at work that have resulted in this principle being cast aside and not being put into effect. In the monarchies of past centuries, the peasants owned nothing, and the kings owned everything. The peasants labored, but the nobility reaped the benefits. The same is often true in dictatorships. It is also very true concerning socialism and communism. In socialism and communism what you have earned is taken away from you and given to other people who have not earned it. When a government grows in size and in power it continues to take away the property and the freedom of the citizens in the form of taxes and fees and rules and regulations. But such injustices of taking from the hard workers and giving to the non-workers do not exist in the truest form of capitalism. Capitalism is the economic system of the kingdom of God. Isaiah chapter 65 is telling us about the future kingdom of God when the injustices of government control will be completely and finally done away with. It says in Isaiah 65:21-22, “And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat.” And it says in Isaiah 65:23, “They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble.” Of course, it is a good thing to help those who are disadvantaged or less fortunate than you are, but that help should take place out of your own free will: not because the government takes what you have earned. The principle for giving is found in Second Corinthians 9:7, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

It is interesting to consider what the Lord says about answers to prayer and how it will change in the future kingdom. He says in Isaiah 65:24, “And it shall come to pass, that before they shall call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” God is all-powerful, and He can do anything. Therefore, it is good to know that He answers prayer. Jesus taught very clearly that God answers prayer. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” This is a wonderful promise, and if anyone says anything that takes away from this truth, then they are wrong. But in the age in which we live it is also true that sometimes we must wait upon the Lord. The Lord does things in His way and in His time. You might have a burden for which you are required to wait years before you will see a solution come from God. That is one reason that it says to Christians in First Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Jesus always answers our prayers, but we do not always see the results as quickly as we had hoped. But the Lord is so gracious to us that sometimes He gives us a foretaste of what it will be like in the Kingdom of Christ on earth. Sometimes even in this life we see a fulfillment of the promise that was given in Isaiah 65:24, “And it shall come to pass, that before they shall call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

In the one-thousand year reign of Christ on earth the animal kingdom will be transformed. It says in Isaiah 65:25, “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.” What a wonderful transformation that will be. This same promise is given in Isaiah 11:6-9 that says, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Human beings have always longed for such a transformation. Attempts to train wild animals always end up with very mixed results because an animal has its wild nature still within them, no matter how skilled is the human trainer. What a delight that will be to have all the great beasts being docile and friendly to human beings! That will happen in the Kingdom of Christ. Animals will be returned to the state they were in during the Garden of Eden. The Apostle Paul wrote about the great transformation that will take place. He wrote in Romans 8:21-23, “Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Believers will be given a great liberty: they will be set free from sin and from all of the limitations of this life. It is important to notice that the “whole creation” will be transformed. If you would like to become a part of this great kingdom, make sure that you turn from your sins and trust in Jesus today.

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