ISAIAH 60:19 -22

FEBRUARY 13, 2008
 

WHAT IS HEAVEN LIKE?

19 "The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory.
20 Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended.
21 Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified.
22 A little one shall become a thousand, And a small one a strong nation.
I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." Isaiah 60:19-22 (NKJV)

As a Pastor, I have been asked many times, "WHAT IS HEAVEN LIKE?" At times I wonder why more people don’t ask the question. Is it because they really are not interested and just don’t care? Is it because when they have asked the question in the past they have either been brushed off by a Pastor saying they will find out when they get there or has given some answer in fancy words that they cannot understand.

I hope that none of those reasons are the cause of never seeking an answer again. As Christians we must seek through prayer, devotions and Bible Study to discover what God has revealed to us about Heaven. Any person who believes that Jesus died for his or her sins should have the desire to know what God has said about heaven and also should be able to share those beautiful answers with any who ask.

In September, it will be 50 years since I entered Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. The Rev. Dr. Julius Bodensieck made a statement in a class on the New Testament that I have never forgotten. He taught the New Testament many, many years. One morning as he was teaching, he told us that as he was reading the Bible in preparation for that day’s lesson, he understood for the first time what a particular passage meant, I thought to myself, is that possible? It was not many years before I discovered that for myself.

I have done things with Isaiah 60 before but never have verses 19-22 given me such insight into WHAT IS HEAVEN LIKE? These answers come from the Words of God, given through Isaiah, the Prophet.

Verse 19 - We will no longer need the sun nor the moon for light. Isaiah does not say here what will happen to the sun and the moon, just that they will not be needed. The Everlasting Light, the Glory of the Lord will provide the brilliance of light that we need, We get a glimpse of the brightness of this light in the Christmas Gospel with the Shepherds on the hillside. "And the Glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid." How bright that light must be. In Heaven that Light will not just come and go away. Isaiah tells us that it will be an Everlasting Light and THE GLORY OF GOD WILL BE OURS.

VERSE 20 - Here we are told that it will be a steady, eternal light, It will not rise and set like the sun and moon. Even though it is not so stated, it gives me the idea that in my Heavenly Body, I will not become tired and thus have no need for darkness in which to sleep. Commentators suggest that the days of mourning will be ended because the Bridegroom will have returned and all are rejoicing. Christ as the returning Bridegroom is mentioned in the New Testament.

Verse 21 - I really like this one -- All the people who are there will be righteous. No longer will we have to worry about the sinful acts of man for all who believe in Him, keep His Commandments and follow in His Name will become righteous when washed in the Blood of the Sacrificed Christ. Not only that, but the righteous will inherit everything that God planted and created and as we enjoy them we will be glorifying God.

Verse 22 - There will be nothing known to man on earth that can begin to describe how the small flock of believers in the triune God could become such a strong nation. As Christians who live our faith, we are often looked upon as being behind the times and cast aside. At times in the past, the present and the future believers face persecution. But fear not, the believers of God will become the mighty heavenly nation. If we ask, Lord when will that be? We may not be happy about it, but we must in faith accept and rejoice in His answer: "I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time." St. Paul says this in another way, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we shall all be changed," When it happens, the Lord will hasten it and there will no longer be time to prepare.

WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, thank you for this brief glimpse of Heaven. I know that all I need do is believe, follow and walk as you would have me walk. I know that I don’t need proof, but thank you for the brief glimpses that are found in your Holy Word. AMEN

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

There is nothing in our life that is more important for us to do than to prepare for the Lord’s return. Not only prepare ourselves but also help others to prepare. Recommit yourself to a time of prayer and Bible Study. When you Read the Bible in a year or when you study selected verses, pray before you read the first word, pray when you come to a word or a thought that you don’t understand or don’t agree with, and then pray after you have read the last word in your study for the day.