Rebirth of Planet Earth
(All Bible texts are in the NKJV Bible unless otherwise indicated)
Sabbath Afternoon
Memory Text: Isaiah 65:17
The Glorious New Creation
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall
not be remembered or come to mind.
Sunday – New Heavens and a New Earth (Isa. 65:17–25)
Isaiah 65:17-25
The Glorious New Creation
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall
not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in
what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people
a joy. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of
weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying. 20 “No
more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has
not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But
the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. 21 They shall
build houses and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and eat their
fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; They shall not plant and
another eat; For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people,
And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not
labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be the
descendants of the blessed of the Lord, And their offspring with them. 24
“It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they
are still speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed
together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the
serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,”
Says the Lord.
Read Isaiah 65
Isaiah 11:1-5
The Reign of Jesse’s Offspring
11 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall
grow out of his roots. 2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The
Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. 3 His delight is in the
fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor
decide by the hearing of His ears; 4 But with righteousness He shall judge
the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike
the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He
shall slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And
faithfulness the belt of His waist.
Isaiah 11:6, 7
6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with
the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a
little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their
young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the
ox.
Monday - Divine “Magnet” (Isa. 66:1–19)
Isaiah 66:1-19
True Worship and False
1 Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where
is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? 2
For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the
Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite
spirit, And who trembles at My word. 3 “He who kills a bull is as if he
slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb, as if he breaks a dog’s neck; He who
offers a grain offering, as if he offers swine’s blood; He who burns
incense, as if he blesses an idol. Just as they have chosen their own ways,
And their soul delights in their abominations, 4 So will I choose their
delusions, And bring their fears on them; Because, when I called, no one
answered, When I spoke they did not hear; But they did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight.”
The Lord Vindicates Zion
5 Hear the word of the Lord, You who tremble at His word: “Your brethren who
hated you, Who cast you out for My name’s sake, said, ‘Let the Lord be
glorified, That we may see your joy.’ But they shall be ashamed.” 6 The
sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the
Lord, Who fully repays His enemies! 7 “Before she was in labor, she gave
birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child. 8 Who has heard
such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give
birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was
in labor, She gave birth to her children. 9 Shall I bring to the time of
birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord. “Shall I who cause delivery
shut up the womb?” says your God. 10 “Rejoice with Jerusalem, And be glad
with her, all you who love her; Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn
for her; 11 That you may feed and be satisfied With the consolation of her
bosom, That you may drink deeply and be delighted With the abundance of her
glory.” 12 For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like
a river, And the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall
feed; On her sides shall you be carried, And be dandled on her knees. 13 As
one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be
comforted in Jerusalem.”
The Reign and Indignation of God
14 When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, And your bones shall
flourish like grass; The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants,
And His indignation to His enemies. 15 For behold, the Lord will come with
fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury,
And His rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For by fire and by His sword The Lord
will judge all flesh; And the slain of the Lord shall be many. 17 “Those who
sanctify themselves and purify themselves, To go to the gardens After an
idol in the midst, Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse,
Shall be consumed together,” says the Lord. 18 “For I know their works and
their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and
they shall come and see My glory. 19 I will set a sign among them; and those
among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and
Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who
have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory
among the Gentiles.
Isaiah 40:1
God’s People Are Comforted
1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.
Ezekiel 8:7-12
7 So He brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, there was a
hole in the wall. 8 Then He said to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall”; and
when I dug into the wall, there was a door. 9 And He said to me, “Go in, and
see the wicked abominations which they are doing there.” 10 So I went in and
saw, and there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the
idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls. 11 And
there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel,
and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer
in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12 Then He said to me,
“Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in the
dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The Lord does not
see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’ ”
Isaiah 2:2-4
2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the
Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be
exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people
shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To
the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk
in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many
people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into
pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall
they learn war anymore.
Isaiah 55:12, 13
12 “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains
and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees
of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up
the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the Lord for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall
not be cut off.”
Tuesday - Missionaries and Worship Leaders (Isa. 66:19–21)
Isaiah 66:19-21
19 I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send
to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and
Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My
glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. 20 Then they
shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all
nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels,
to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children of Israel
bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. 21 And I
will also take some of them for priests and Levites,” says the Lord.
Romans 12:1
Living Sacrifices to God
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service.
Numbers 8:11
11 and Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord like a wave offering
from the children of Israel, that they may perform the work of the Lord.
1 Peter 2:9, 10
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His
own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you
out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but
are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained
mercy.
Exodus 19:6
6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are
the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
Wednesday – Community of Faith (Isa. 66:21)
Isaiah 66:21
21 And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites,” says the
Lord.
Exodus 19:6
6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are
the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
Matthew 28:19
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Acts 26:20
20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout
all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent,
turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
Galatians 3:28
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:11
11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
1 Timothy 3:16
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached
among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
Galatians 3:28, 29
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is
neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you
are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the
promise.
1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His
own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you
out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Isaiah 66:19
19 I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send
to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and
Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My
glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.
Matthew 20:1-16
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the
morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the
laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went
out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4
and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I
will give you.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the
ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and
found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing
here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said
to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will
receive.’ 8 “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his
steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the
last to the first.’ 9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh
hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they
supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a
denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they complained against the
landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you
made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13
But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did
you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way.
I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for
me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am
good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are
called, but few chosen.”
Romans 3:2
2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of
God.
Romans 11:17, 18
17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive
tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the
root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches.
But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root
supports you.
Thursday - So Shall Your Seed and Your Name Remain (Isa. 66:22–24)
Isaiah 66:22-24
22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain
before Me,” says the Lord, “So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one
Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the
Lord. 24 “And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who
have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is
not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Genesis 2:2, 3
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested
on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed
the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work
which God had created and made.
Revelation 22:2
2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree
of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.
The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Read Revelation 20
Revelation 21:1-4
All Things Made New
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first
earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the
holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven
saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with
them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be
their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall
be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for
the former things have passed away.”
Isaiah 65:17-19
The Glorious New Creation
17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall
not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in
what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people
a joy. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of
weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying.
Friday: Further Study
Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 674-678.
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first
earth were passed away.” Revelation 21:1. The fire that consumes the wicked
purifies the earth. Every trace of the curse is swept away. No eternally
burning hell will keep before the ransomed the fearful consequences of sin.
One reminder alone remains: Our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His
crucifixion. Upon His wounded head, upon His side, His hands and feet, are
the only traces of the cruel work that sin has wrought. Says the prophet,
beholding Christ in His glory: “He had bright beams coming out of His side:
and there was the hiding of His power.” Habakkuk 3:4, margin. That pierced
side whence flowed the crimson stream that reconciled man to God—there is
the Saviour’s glory, there “the hiding of His power.” “Mighty to save,”
through the sacrifice of redemption, He was therefore strong to execute
justice upon them that despised God’s mercy. And the tokens of His
humiliation are His highest honor; through the eternal ages the wounds of
Calvary will show forth His praise and declare His power. “O Tower of the
flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto Thee shall it come, even
the first dominion.” Micah 4:8. The time has come to which holy men have
looked with longing since the flaming sword barred the first pair from Eden,
the time for “the redemption of the purchased possession.” Ephesians 1:14.
The earth originally given to man as his kingdom, betrayed by him into the
hands of Satan, and so long held by the mighty foe, has been brought back by
the great plan of redemption. All that was lost by sin has been restored.
“Thus saith the Lord ... that formed the earth and made it; He hath
established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited.”
Isaiah 45:18. God’s original purpose in the creation of the earth is
fulfilled as it is made the eternal abode of the redeemed. “The righteous
shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.” Psalm 37:29. A fear of
making the future inheritance seem too material has led many to spiritualize
away the very truths which lead us to look upon it as our home. Christ
assured His disciples that He went to prepare mansions for them in the
Father’s house. Those who accept the teachings of God’s word will not be
wholly ignorant concerning the heavenly abode. And yet, “eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which
God hath prepared for them that love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. Human language
is inadequate to describe the reward of the righteous. It will be known only
to those who behold it. No finite mind can comprehend the glory of the
Paradise of God. In the Bible the inheritance of the saved is called “a
country.” Hebrews 11:14-16. There the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to
fountains of living waters. The tree of life yields its fruit every month,
and the leaves of the tree are for the service of the nations. There are
ever-flowing streams, clear as crystal, and beside them waving trees cast
their shadows upon the paths prepared for the ransomed of the Lord. There
the wide-spreading plains swell into hills of beauty, and the mountains of
God rear their lofty summits. On those peaceful plains, beside those living
streams, God’s people, so long pilgrims and wanderers, shall find a home.
“My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and
in quiet resting places.” “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land,
wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls
Salvation, and thy gates Praise.” “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: ...
Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.” Isaiah 32:18; 60:18;
Isaiah 65:21, 22. There, “the wilderness and the solitary place shall be
glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.”
“Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier
shall come up the myrtle tree.” “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; ... and a little child shall
lead them.” “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” saith
the Lord. Isaiah 35:1; 55:13; Isaiah 11:6, 9. Pain cannot exist in the
atmosphere of heaven. There will be no more tears, no funeral trains, no
badges of mourning. “There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying: ... for the former things are passed away.” “The inhabitant shall
not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their
iniquity.” Revelation 21:4; Isaiah 33:24. There is the New Jerusalem, the
metropolis of the glorified new earth, “a crown of glory in the hand of the
Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.” “Her light was like unto a
stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” “The
nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings
of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.” Saith the Lord: “I
will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people.” “The tabernacle of 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.” Isaiah 62:3; Revelation
21:11, 24; Isaiah 65:19; Revelation 21:3. In the City of God “there shall be
no night.” None will need or desire repose. There will be no weariness in
doing the will of God and offering praise to His name. We shall ever feel
the freshness of the morning and shall ever be far from its close. “And they
need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them
light.” Revelation 22:5. The light of the sun will be superseded by a
radiance which is not painfully dazzling, yet which immeasurably surpasses
the brightness of our noontide. The glory of God and the Lamb floods the
Holy City with unfading light. The redeemed walk in the sunless glory of
perpetual day. “I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the
Lamb are the temple of it.” Revelation 21:22. The people of God are
privileged to hold open communion with the Father and the Son. “Now we see
through a glass, darkly.” 1 Corinthians 13:12. We behold the image of God
reflected, as in a mirror, in the works of nature and in His dealings with
men; but then we shall see Him face to face, without a dimming veil between.
We shall stand in His presence and behold the glory of His countenance.
There the redeemed shall know, even as also they are known. The loves and
sympathies which God Himself has planted in the soul shall there find truest
and sweetest exercise. The pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious
social life with the blessed angels and with the faithful ones of all ages
who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,
the sacred ties that bind together “the whole family in heaven and earth”
(Ephesians 3:15)—these help to constitute the happiness of the redeemed.
There, immortal minds will contemplate with never-failing delight the
wonders of creative power, the mysteries of redeeming love. There will be no
cruel, deceiving foe to tempt to forgetfulness of God. Every faculty will be
developed, every capacity increased. The acquirement of knowledge will not
weary the mind or exhaust the energies. There the grandest enterprises may
be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations reached, the highest ambitions
realized; and still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to
admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of
mind and soul and body. All the treasures of the universe will be open to
the study of God’s redeemed. Unfettered by mortality, they wing their
tireless flight to worlds afar—worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the
spectacle of human woe and rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a
ransomed soul. With unutterable delight the children of earth enter into the
joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. They share the treasures of knowledge
and understanding gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of God’s
handiwork. With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation—suns
and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of
Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator’s name
is written, and in all are the riches of His power displayed. And
the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more
glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive,
so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of
God, the greater will be their admiration of His character. As Jesus
opens before them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements
in the great controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed thrill
with more fervent devotion, and with more rapturous joy they sweep the
harps of gold; and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of
thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise.
“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.”
Revelation 5:13. The great controversy is
ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One
pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him
who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms
of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all
things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect
joy, declare that God is love.
2 Peter 3:10-14
The Day of the Lord
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the
heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with
fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of
persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and
hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be
dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth in which righteousness dwells.
Be Steadfast
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be
found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
Read Isaiah 66