Isaiah and the New Earth

As if it weren't difficult enough to understand a poetic and prophetic book, Isaiah often gets into end times theology. In the final chapters of his book, Isaiah delves into the rescue of Israel. As with many other prophetic passages, there seems to be a near and distant future fulfillment implied. The people of Israel would be returned to their homeland and their cities rebuilt, which happened both in the decree of Cyrus, 70 years after their captivity, and the re-established of Isreal as a nation in 1948. But some of what Isaiah describes (no longer will babies die, or adults die young, the wolf and the lamb will feed together) cannot possibly refer to either of those occasions. The mention of the new heavens and new earth (verse 65:17), is linked to what John speaks of in Revelation as the millennial kingdom of Christ (where Jesus reigns for 1000 years and Satan is restrained). During this time, the burden of sin and it's consequences are lifted, though not entirely as Satan will not yet have been defeated. Bear with my limited understanding of end-times doctrine, but it seems that following this millenial reign, Satan is unleashed for a period of seven years before being ultimately defeated at Armageddon. This defeat ushers in the New Earth, where there will be no sorrow, sin, or death.

I've got until December to figure out where the Rapture fits in there...

tomorrow's reading: 2Kings 21-22:2, 2 Chron. 33-34:7, Jer. 1-2:22