Isaiah Chapter 65
Isaiah 65, The LORD Answers the Prayer of the Remnant
A. The Immediate Answer, The LORD Will Indeed Bless His Genuine Servants
1. Isaiah 65:1-7, The LORD Sees the Shallow Repentance of the Remnant
Isaiah 65:1-7, “I am sought them that asked not for me, I am found them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all day unto rebellious people, which walketh in way that was not good, after their own thoughts, A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face, that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars brick, Which remain among graves, and lodge in monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth abominable things is in their vessels, Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou. These are smoke in my nose, fire that burneth all day. Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom, Your iniquities, and iniquities your fathers together, saith LORD, which have burned incense upon mountains, and blasphemed me upon hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.”
Isaiah 65 answers the prayer of Isaiah 63 and 64. The remnant had cried out for God to rend the heavens, come down, remember His people, and show mercy. Now the LORD answers, but His answer begins by exposing a painful truth. Much of what looked like repentance among the people was shallow. They wanted deliverance from consequences, but not necessarily deliverance from sin. They wanted God to restore their condition, but many did not truly seek God Himself.
The LORD says, “I am sought them that asked not for me, I am found them that sought me not.” This is a startling statement. The people who had religious privilege often did not seek Him sincerely, yet God would be found by those who had not been seeking Him. Paul quotes this passage in Romans 10 and applies it to the Gentiles.
Romans 10:20-21, “But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found them that sought me not, I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto disobedient and gainsaying people.”
This does not mean God is finished with Israel. Romans 11 makes clear that God has not cast away His people permanently. But it does show the seriousness of Israel’s unbelief and the grace of God in bringing Gentiles into blessing. Those without Israel’s covenant privileges would receive the mercy of God, while many who had the privileges would remain rebellious.
The LORD says, “I said, Behold me, behold me, unto nation that was not called by my name.” God reveals Himself graciously. He calls attention to Himself. The repetition shows earnest invitation. He is not hiding because of unwillingness to be known. He makes Himself known. Yet the tragedy is that many who had the Scriptures, prophets, covenants, temple, and priesthood still resisted Him.
The next verse turns directly to Israel’s rebellion. “I have spread out my hands all day unto rebellious people.” The image is one of patient pleading. God is not pictured as cold or indifferent. He stretches out His hands all day. He calls, warns, invites, and waits. Their rebellion is therefore without excuse.
The people are described as those “which walketh in way that was not good, after their own thoughts.” This defines rebellion. It is not merely committing isolated sins. It is walking according to one’s own thoughts rather than God’s Word. Man’s own thoughts may seem reasonable to him, but apart from submission to God they lead to death.
Proverbs 14:12, “There is way which seemeth right unto man, but end thereof are ways death.”
Judges 21:25, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
The repeated failure of Israel during the days of the judges was that every man did what was right in his own eyes. Isaiah 65 shows the same disease. The people walked after their own thoughts. That is the root of rebellion. To live by one’s own wisdom against the Word of God is not freedom. It is bondage to fallen thinking.
The New Testament answer is the renewing of the mind. Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by renewing your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will God.” The rebellious mind must be renewed by God’s truth.
The LORD continues, “A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face.” Their sin was open, repeated, and defiant. They were not merely weak people stumbling in ignorance. They provoked God continually and directly. Their religious practices were especially offensive. They sacrificed in gardens and burned incense on altars of brick. These were idolatrous worship practices, borrowed from pagan religion rather than commanded by the LORD.
They also “remain among graves, and lodge in monuments.” This likely refers to occult practices, necromancy, or ritual contact with the dead, all of which were forbidden. Deuteronomy 18:10-12, “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through fire, or that useth divination, or observer times, or enchanter, or witch, Or charmer, or consulter with familiar spirits, or wizard, or necromancer. For all that do these things are abomination unto LORD: and because these abominations LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”
They ate “swine's flesh,” and had the broth of abominable things in their vessels. Under the Mosaic Law, swine’s flesh was unclean for Israel. Leviticus 11:7-8, “And swine, though he divide hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not cud, he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you.” Their dietary rebellion was not merely about food preference. It was one expression of covenant defiance.
The height of hypocrisy is seen in their words, “Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou.” These people were involved in idolatry, occult uncleanness, pagan practices, and covenant rebellion, yet they considered themselves holier than others. This is the blindness pride produces. Self-righteousness can grow even in the middle of obvious wickedness.
The self-righteous man always finds a way to excuse himself. He compares himself to someone worse. He emphasizes the sins he does not commit while minimizing the sins he does commit. He may even become proud of not being self-righteous. But before God, prideful self-justification is smoke in His nostrils.
The LORD says, “These are smoke in my nose, fire that burneth all day.” Smoke irritates and offends. Their hypocrisy was offensive to God continually. Religious pride mixed with rebellion is not a small thing. It is repulsive before the Holy One.
God then declares, “Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom.” Their sins are not forgotten. They are written before Him. God will not remain silent forever. Judgment may be delayed, but it is not cancelled for those who refuse repentance.
He will recompense “Your iniquities, and iniquities your fathers together.” This does not mean God unjustly punishes children for sins in which they have no part. It means the present generation has continued in the sins of the fathers and filled up the measure of inherited rebellion. They have burned incense on mountains and blasphemed God on hills. The high places of idolatry became places of accumulated guilt.
The LORD says, “therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.” God’s judgment is measured, just, and personal. What they have done will return upon them. They will receive recompense into their own bosom.
2. Isaiah 65:8-16, A Promise of Blessing for the True Servants of the LORD and Chastisement for the False Servants
Isaiah 65:8-16, “Thus saith LORD, As new wine is found in cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all. And I will bring forth seed out Jacob, and out Judah inheritor my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there. And Sharon shall be fold flocks, and valley Achor place herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me. But ye are they that forsake LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare table for that troop, and that furnish drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to sword, and ye shall all bow down to slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer, when I spake, ye did not hear, but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. Therefore thus saith Lord GOD, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed: Behold, my servants shall sing for joy heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow heart, and shall howl for vexation spirit. And ye shall leave your name for curse unto my chosen: for Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name: That he who blesseth himself in earth shall bless himself in God truth, and he that sweareth in earth shall swear by God truth, because former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.”
The LORD now makes a distinction within Israel. Not all who belong outwardly to the covenant community are faithful servants of the LORD. Some are false, shallow, rebellious, and self-righteous. But God still has true servants among the people, and for their sake He will not destroy them all.
The picture is vivid. “As new wine is found in cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for blessing is in it.” A cluster of grapes may look corrupted or unpromising, yet there is still new wine in it. Someone says not to destroy it because a blessing remains. So the LORD says, “so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.”
This is the doctrine of the remnant. Israel may be judged, disciplined, scattered, and sifted, but God preserves a faithful remnant according to grace. He does not destroy the entire cluster because there is blessing in it. This is why it is wrong to teach that Israel is totally and permanently rejected. God preserves His servants.
Romans 11:1-5, “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am Israelite, seed Abraham, tribe Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what scripture saith Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith answer God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed knee to image Baal. Even so then at this present time also there is remnant according to election grace.”
The LORD promises, “And I will bring forth seed out Jacob, and out Judah inheritor my mountains.” The promise remains tied to Jacob and Judah. It is national, covenantal, and land connected. God will bring forth descendants who inherit His mountains. This fits the larger prophetic promise that Israel will inherit the land under Messiah’s reign.
He says, “mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.” Election here is connected to God’s faithful servants within Israel and His covenant purpose for the land. God’s elect will inherit, and His servants will dwell there. This is not earned by human merit. It is the result of God’s grace and covenant faithfulness.
The LORD says, “And Sharon shall be fold flocks, and valley Achor place herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.” Sharon was known as a fertile coastal plain, and Achor, whose name is associated with trouble because of Achan’s sin, becomes a place of peace and provision. God transforms the valley of trouble into a place of rest.
Hosea 2:15, “And I will give her vineyards from thence, and valley Achor for door hope: and she shall sing there, as in days her youth, and as in day when she came up out land Egypt.”
This is grace. God can turn Achor into hope, trouble into pasture, and judgment into restoration for those who seek Him.
The contrast begins in verse 11. “But ye are they that forsake LORD, that forget my holy mountain.” These are not the true servants. They forsake the LORD and forget His holy mountain. To forget God’s holy mountain is to disregard His chosen place, His worship, His kingdom purpose, and His covenant order.
They “prepare table for that troop, and furnish drink offering unto that number.” This refers to pagan deities associated with fortune and destiny. Instead of trusting the LORD, they honored false gods of luck and fate. The irony is severe. Because they worshiped destiny, God says He will number them to the sword.
“Therefore will I number you to sword, and ye shall all bow down to slaughter.” Their chosen destiny becomes judgment. The reason is stated plainly, “because when I called, ye did not answer, when I spake, ye did not hear.” Their guilt was not ignorance alone. God called, but they refused to answer. God spoke, but they refused to hear.
This is one of the most dangerous conditions a man can enter, refusing the voice of God. It is one thing to fall through weakness. It is another to reject correction, silence conviction, and choose what God hates.
The LORD says they “did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.” Sin is a choice against God’s delight. The true servant wants what God delights in. The rebel chooses what God does not delight in.
The contrast between true and false servants is then repeated with force. “Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry.” God’s servants will be satisfied, but the rebels will lack. “My servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty.” God’s servants will be refreshed, but the rebels will remain empty. “My servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed.” God’s servants will have joy, but the rebels will face shame. “My servants shall sing for joy heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow heart, and shall howl for vexation spirit.”
This is a moral separation. Outward association with God’s people is not enough. The true servants receive blessing. The false servants receive judgment.
The LORD says, “And ye shall leave your name for curse unto my chosen.” The names of the wicked will become warnings. Their memory will be associated with judgment. But God will “call his servants by another name.” This connects with earlier promises that Zion and the faithful will receive new names from the LORD. A new name indicates a new identity and restored relationship.
The purpose is that blessing and oath will be anchored in “God truth.” The phrase may be understood as the God of Amen, the God who is faithful, trustworthy, and true to His promises. 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all promises God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto glory God by us.”
The section ends, “because former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.” God’s restoration will be so complete that former troubles will not define His servants forever. Their shame, exile, discipline, and sorrow will be swallowed up in His covenant mercy.
B. The Ultimate Answer, The LORD Will Redeem and Remake All of Creation
1. Isaiah 65:17-19, The Promise of New Heavens and a New Earth
Isaiah 65:17-19, “For, behold, I create new heavens and new earth: and former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem rejoicing, and her people joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and voice weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor voice crying.”
The LORD now moves from the immediate answer concerning true and false servants to the ultimate answer to sin, sorrow, rebellion, judgment, and ruin. “For, behold, I create new heavens and new earth.” God’s final answer is not merely reform. It is new creation. He will remake the heavens and the earth.
This reaches beyond the restoration from Babylon and beyond even the Millennial Kingdom. The full doctrine is clarified by the New Testament. Peter looks forward to the new heavens and new earth as the final state in which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:13, “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
John sees this after the Great White Throne judgment.
Revelation 21:1, “And I saw new heaven and new earth: for first heaven and first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea.”
This means Isaiah 65 includes prophetic movement between the eternal state and the Millennial Kingdom. Isaiah 65:17-19 speaks of the new heavens and new earth and the New Jerusalem in the eternal state. Isaiah 65:20-25 then shifts to conditions on the Millennial earth, where death still exists, though greatly changed. This kind of prophetic compression is common in the prophets. Events separated by time are placed near each other because they belong to the same broad future hope.
The LORD says, “and former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” This fits the eternal state, where sorrow, death, pain, and the former order are gone. In the Millennium, there will still be remembrance, including temple service that memorializes the finished work of Christ. But in the eternal state, the former creation’s grief will no longer dominate memory or life.
God commands, “But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create.” The response to new creation is everlasting joy. Human beings cannot create this world. Politicians cannot create it. Technology cannot create it. Religious systems cannot create it. The LORD says, “that which I create.” The joy rests upon God’s creative power.
The LORD says, “for, behold, I create Jerusalem rejoicing, and her people joy.” Jerusalem is central in God’s redemptive purpose. In the eternal state, Revelation shows the New Jerusalem descending from God out of heaven.
Revelation 21:2-4, “And I John saw holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out heaven, prepared as bride adorned for her husband. And I heard great voice out heaven saying, Behold, tabernacle God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 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 former things are passed away.”
Isaiah says, “And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people.” God Himself rejoices. This echoes Isaiah 62, where God rejoices over Zion as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride. God’s final creation is not merely structurally perfect. It is filled with His delight.
The result is, “and voice weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor voice crying.” This is final comfort. The curse has brought weeping from Genesis onward. Sin brought death, grief, labor, loss, and pain. In the new creation, those sounds are gone. No more weeping. No more crying. No more death. No more curse.
2. Isaiah 65:20-25, The Blessed State of the Millennial Earth
Isaiah 65:20-25, “There shall be no more thence infant days, nor old man that hath not filled his days: for child shall die hundred years old, but sinner being hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and eat fruit them. They shall not build, and another inhabit, they shall not plant, and another eat: for as days tree are days my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy work their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth trouble, for they are seed blessed LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. wolf and lamb shall feed together, and lion shall eat straw like bullock: and dust shall be serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith LORD.”
Isaiah now shifts quickly from the eternal state to the Millennial Kingdom. This is clear because verse 20 speaks of death, long life, children, sinners, and curse. These conditions do not belong to the eternal state, where death is no more. They belong to the thousand year reign of Christ on earth before the final new heavens and new earth.
Revelation 20:4-6, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw souls them that were beheaded for witness Jesus, and for word God, and which had not worshipped beast, neither his image, neither had received mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ thousand years. But rest dead lived not again until thousand years were finished. This first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in first resurrection: on such second death hath no power, but they shall be priests God and Christ, and shall reign with him thousand years.”
The Millennium will be a real earthly reign of Jesus Christ before the eternal state. The early church broadly expected a literal reign of Christ, and the plain reading of Revelation 20 confirms it. Isaiah 65 gives details about that transformed world.
The LORD says, “There shall be no more thence infant days, nor old man that hath not filled his days.” Infant mortality will be gone, and men will live out long lives. The biological conditions of the earth will be radically changed under Messiah’s reign. Human life will be lengthened, resembling the longevity seen before the Flood.
The text says, “for child shall die hundred years old, but sinner being hundred years old shall be accursed.” A person dying at one hundred will be considered a child by comparison to the normal lifespan of that age. Yet the mention of “the sinner” shows that sin still exists among some during the Millennium. Christ will reign in righteousness, Satan will be bound, and the world will be transformed, but the children born during that period will still need personal salvation.
The Millennium will not be the eternal state. It will be the righteous earthly reign of Messiah over a restored creation, with sin greatly restrained, but not yet finally removed until after Satan’s final rebellion and the last judgment.
The social transformation is then described. “And they shall build houses, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and eat fruit them.” Under sin and injustice, people build and others steal. They plant and others consume. War, corruption, taxation by tyrants, theft, invasion, and oppression rob men of the fruit of labor. In Messiah’s Kingdom, justice will prevail. A man who builds will inhabit. A man who plants will eat.
This is simple justice, but in a fallen world it is rare. For those who have lived under oppression, this promise is profound. The LORD says, “They shall not build, and another inhabit, they shall not plant, and another eat.” The ordinary stability of life will be restored under righteous rule.
The reason is, “for as days tree are days my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy work their hands.” Trees live long, stable lives. God’s people will enjoy longevity and the fruit of their labor. The elect will not labor in vain.
Micah 4:4, “But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make afraid: for mouth LORD hosts hath spoken it.”
Isaiah says, “They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth trouble, for they are seed blessed LORD, and their offspring with them.” Childbearing and family life will continue in the Millennium. This further proves that the passage is not describing the eternal state, because Jesus taught that in the resurrection state men neither marry nor are given in marriage.
Matthew 22:30, “For in resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as angels God in heaven.”
In the Millennium, people will marry, bear children, build homes, plant vineyards, work, worship, and live under the visible reign of Christ. Their children will not be born for trouble in the way that children are often brought into a world of war, famine, collapse, and injustice. The descendants of the blessed of the LORD will enjoy remarkable kingdom conditions.
The spiritual transformation is described next. “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” The presence of God and the responsiveness of God will be experienced in a profound way. Prayer will be marked by immediacy and intimacy. This does not mean every person on earth will be saved, but it does mean the knowledge of the LORD will be widespread and the conditions for spiritual responsiveness will be unparalleled.
Isaiah 11:9, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for earth shall be full knowledge LORD, as waters cover sea.”
Not all will be saved during the Millennium. Revelation teaches that after the thousand years, Satan will be released and will find willing rebels.
Revelation 20:7-9, “And when thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out his prison, And shall go out to deceive nations which are in four quarters earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: number whom is as sand sea. And they went up on breadth earth, and compassed camp saints about, and beloved city: and fire came down from God out heaven, and devoured them.”
This proves that even under perfect government, ideal conditions, long life, restrained evil, and the visible reign of Christ, the unregenerate heart still needs saving grace. Man’s problem is not merely environment. Man’s problem is sin.
At the same time, the proportions of righteousness and wickedness will be dramatically different from the present age. Today, Jesus taught that many go the broad way of destruction and few find the narrow way of life. Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter ye in at strait gate: for wide gate, and broad way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait gate, and narrow way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” In the Millennial Kingdom, righteousness will dominate publicly because Christ will reign and Satan will be bound.
Revelation 20:1-3, “And I saw angel come down from heaven, having key bottomless pit and great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on dragon, that old serpent, which is Devil, and Satan, and bound him thousand years, And cast him into bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set seal upon him, that he should deceive nations no more, till thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed little season.”
The ecological transformation is also described. “wolf and lamb shall feed together, and lion shall eat straw like bullock.” Predatory violence among animals will be transformed. The curse upon creation will be dramatically rolled back under Messiah’s reign. This echoes Isaiah 11.
Isaiah 11:6-8, “wolf also shall dwell with lamb, and leopard shall lie down with kid, and calf and young lion and fatling together, and little child shall lead them. And cow and bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together: and lion shall eat straw like ox. And sucking child shall play on hole asp, and weaned child shall put his hand on cockatrice' den.”
The phrase “and dust shall be serpent's meat” shows that the serpent remains under a visible sign of judgment. This reaches back to Genesis.
Genesis 3:14-15, “And LORD God said unto serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast field, upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all days thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
The chapter ends with the promise, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith LORD.” This is the King’s world as it should be, reordered under His righteous authority. The world will be transformed biologically, socially, spiritually, and ecologically. Violence will be restrained. Justice will prevail. The knowledge of the LORD will fill the earth. Israel will be restored. The nations will be governed. Christ will reign.
This is why premillennial hope matters. The Bible does not teach that the church gradually brings in the kingdom before Christ returns. Nor does it teach that the promised earthly reign is merely symbolic of the present age. Scripture teaches that Jesus Christ will return before the Millennium, defeat His enemies, bind Satan, restore Israel, reign from David’s throne, and rule the nations in righteousness.
Luke 1:32-33, “He shall be great, and shall be called Son Highest: and Lord God shall give unto him throne his father David: And he shall reign over house Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Zechariah 14:9, “And LORD shall be king over all earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”
Theological Summary of Isaiah 65
Isaiah 65 is the LORD’s answer to the remnant’s prayer. The people had asked God to come down, remember them, and show mercy. God answers by exposing the shallowness of much of Israel’s repentance. He had stretched out His hands all day to a rebellious people, but they walked according to their own thoughts, practiced idolatry, violated His commands, and still claimed to be holier than others.
The chapter strongly distinguishes between false servants and true servants. God will judge those who forsake Him, refuse His call, ignore His Word, and choose what He does not delight in. But He will preserve and bless His true servants. Like new wine found in a cluster, blessing remains among the remnant. For His servants’ sake, He will not destroy them all.
The true servants will inherit, dwell, eat, drink, rejoice, and sing for joy. The false servants will hunger, thirst, be ashamed, cry, and leave their name as a curse. This distinction shows that outward association with God’s people is not enough. The LORD knows those who are His.
The ultimate answer to sin and sorrow is new creation. God will create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. He will create Jerusalem as rejoicing and her people as joy. In the eternal state, weeping and crying will be gone forever.
Isaiah then shifts to the Millennial Kingdom, where long life, justice, stable labor, family blessing, immediate divine responsiveness, and ecological transformation will characterize the earth under Messiah’s reign. Death still exists there, which distinguishes the Millennium from the eternal state, but the world will be radically transformed under the direct rule of Jesus Christ.
