Daily Bible Reading - December 29, 2018

Today's Reading:

Luke 4:31-44

Ezekiel 46-47

Isaiah 65

Listen to the Bible

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts and Commentary on Today's Reading   

In Isaiah 65 we find some beautiful and encouraging descriptions of the New Earth and the sinless eternity which God has promised.

Isaiah 65:17-18 "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the 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 a rejoicing, and her people a joy."

There are some parts that are confusing, however, and should be addressed... Consider Isaiah 65:20:

“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” (Isaiah 65:20 NKJV).

How can Isaiah 65:20 speak of a child dying at one hundred, when the Bible tells us repeatedly that there will be no more death in the sinless Eternity which God has prepared? Before we look into that more completely, let's start by showing that the Bible teaches there will be no death in Heaven or in the New Earth:

Isaiah 25:8 "He will swallow up death for all time, And Yahweh GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For Yahweh has spoken."

1 Corinthians 15:26 "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." 

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." 

Not only will there be no death in Heaven or the New Earth - the promise is quite the opposite! We are promised Eternal Life (which means that every saved person will live forever):

John 3:15  "That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." 

Romans 6:23  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Yahshua Christ our Sovereign." 

1 Timothy 6:12  "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." 

Daniel 12:2  "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

How then are we to understand Isaiah 65:20, with its strange reference to children dying at one hundred years old? There are many parts of Scripture which, if taken literally, are terribly misunderstood. For example, in Psalm 50:10, we read that Yahweh owns the cattle on a thousand hills. If taken for its literal meaning, someone might start counting hills, 1... 2... 3...   998... 999... 1000! There are more than 1000 hills upon the earth. So what should be understood about the cattle on hill number 1001, or 1002...? Doesn't Yahweh also own these? Of course! As Creator of all, He owns everything! 

Psalm 50:10 is using poetic language. In Hebrew, numbers have meaning - whole sermons of meaning, in fact. This is just one small way in which we see that the Word of God is amazing. 

Throughout the Scriptures, there is patterns and symmetry that prove that it is inspired. We can see God’s designs and patterns not only through types and parallels but also in numbers and the meaning of names of people and places. I believe these are part of the “deep things of God”:

1 Corinthians 2:7-10 (KJV) – “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, 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. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”

It is important to note that parallels and patterns should never be used to form doctrine. However, they should be used to support what has been revealed by God’s Spirit through the clear teaching of the Word.

Symbolism of the Number 1000

The number one thousand (1,000) symbolizes “immensity,” “fullness of quantity” or “multitude.” The number evokes a very long time according to most Bible passages. It is often used in scripture to specify an indefinite quantity. Many early Church fathers saw in the number 1,000, “the totality of the generations and the perfection of the life.” The number sometimes is used in a reference to paradise and everlasting happiness. (Scripture Revealed)

Similarly, in Isaiah 65:20, poetic language is being used along with a deep understanding of the meaning in Hebrew numbers - which, in this case, is the number 100.

Isaiah is using poetic language here, therefore, a literal meaning can’t be derived from his passage. Here is another translation from the “Message Bible” that gives a clearer understanding to his passage: 

“No more babies dying in the cradle... One-hundred birthdays will be considered normal...”

What's the point of the 100? Is it to say that a person won't have more than 100 birthdays? No! Just as the Bible doesn't teach that Yahweh only owns 1000 hills worth of cattle... The 100 here has a much deeper meaning and message.

To see the value of 100 in Hebrew, I recommend reading this article on the Qof. Qof is the Hebrew letter which also represents 100 (letters have numeric value in Hebrew, which is the original language of the Old Testament). Qof is the letter of holiness. It is a special promise to the Bride of Christ (His final people).