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The somber truth is that our world is headed for judgment. In the end, God will reign. Although much of humanity believes we are self-sufficient and in control of our own destiny, reality tells a different story. Since the beginning of time, man has wrestled with himself. We are masters of deflection, pointing our finger at everything else as the root cause of our problems.
In this chapter, Isaiah makes it clear that God is the single and sovereign force that governs all humanity. God’s people should not place their hope in nations, they are to place their hope in Him alone. All of creation will wither away in a trumpet’s sound. In God is complete control of time, space, and matter. He created it!
This kind of somber reality leaves no room for hope. Like a ticking time bomb, we wait for everything to come caving in as we know it will. This is why the Gospel is good news. Thanks be to Jesus who makes all things new. I am reminded of Ephesians 2:4-10.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV
Is it not amazing that Christians all over the world can read this chapter of Isaiah and not fear death and destruction because of what Jesus has done? In fact, for those of us in Christ, we rejoice at the coming judgment of the enemies of God, and we have compassion on those who do not know Jesus right now. Because of what Christ has done, we dedicate our lives to serving Him and serving others.