Question 1

What does “new heavens and a new earth” mean in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The phrase “new heavens and a new earth” points to God bringing in a whole new order of things. It is not just a quick repair of the old world, but a fresh work of God where sin, sorrow, and frustration no longer rule. In this new reality, the past troubles are so healed that they “shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” It begins even now where the good news changes people and gathers them as God’s new people, and it looks ahead to the final, perfect renewal in God’s presence forever.

Question 2

Why is Jerusalem called “a rejoicing” and her people “a joy”?

Accepted Answer

Jerusalem here stands for God’s renewed people. God says he creates “Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy” to show that the whole community will be marked by gladness. It is not only that they will rejoice, but that God himself will rejoice in them. He delights in their salvation, their peace, and their holiness. The city that once knew judgment, tears, and exile will instead be known for joy and praise, because God lives among his people and has restored them.

Question 3

What does it mean that there will be no more weeping or crying?

Accepted Answer

When God says the voice of weeping and crying will no more be heard, he is showing that the deep causes of grief will be taken away. In this promised future, there will be no more crushing loss, no unjust taking of what people build, and no empty or wasted lives. Even death and weakness are pictured as losing their sting. This points both to the peace and comfort believers taste now in God’s care and to the full comfort in the world to come, where every tear will be wiped away.

Question 4

Why does the passage talk about a child dying at a hundred years old?

Accepted Answer

This verse uses the picture of long life to show how rich and secure God’s blessing will be. The wording here has been understood in more than one way, but the main idea is clear: in this new order, life will no longer be cut short by sudden disaster, and old age will no longer be marked by misery. A person living to a hundred is still called a “child,” which hints at a quality of life that is strong and full. At the same time, it warns that hard-hearted sinners have no share in this blessing.

Question 5

What is the promise about building houses and planting vineyards?

Accepted Answer

God promises that his people will build houses and live in them, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. In the past, enemies often took what they built and grew. Here God assures them that this pattern of loss will end. Their work will be safe, and they will enjoy what they have labored for. This speaks of security, rest from oppression, and the removal of the curse where work can feel empty. It points to a time when God’s blessing rests on everyday life and nothing is wasted.

Question 6

What does “they shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble” teach?

Accepted Answer

This line means that God’s people will no longer pour their strength into things that are snatched away or end in sorrow. Their work will have lasting fruit, and their children will not be born into a future of fear and disaster. God calls them “the seed of the blessed of the Lord,” showing that his favour rests not only on them but also on their offspring. It is a picture of steady, generational blessing in place of the painful patterns of loss and futility that came from sin.

Question 7

What does it mean that God answers before his people call?

Accepted Answer

When God says, “before they call, I will answer,” he is showing how close he is to his renewed people. Their prayers are not met with silence or delay. He already knows their needs and is ready to help even as they begin to speak. This does not remove the need to pray, but encourages prayer with confidence and warmth. It shows a healed relationship, where God is no longer distant but near, attentive, and eager to do good for those who belong to him through his saving work.

Question 8

Why do the wolf and the lamb feed together in this vision?

Accepted Answer

The picture of the wolf and the lamb feeding together, and the lion eating straw, shows a deep peace that reaches into creation itself. Natural enemies are no longer at war. This is a way of saying that, under God’s rule, the old patterns of fear, danger, and harm will be undone. It reflects both changed hearts among people and a world where violence is removed. The serpent still eats dust, hinting that evil is put in its place. In all God’s holy mountain, nothing will hurt or destroy anymore.

Question 9

How should believers today read these promises of new creation?

Accepted Answer

Believers can read these promises as both present comfort and future hope. Already, through the good news about Jesus, God gathers a people who know his joy, peace, and nearness in prayer. We taste something of the new creation when God changes hearts, heals relationships, and blesses our work. At the same time, we know these words point beyond this life to a final renewal where sin, death, and pain are gone forever. So we are called to trust God’s promise, live in hope, and reflect this peace in how we treat others.

Question 10

Why does this passage still speak about sinners and a curse in a hopeful vision?

Accepted Answer

This passage is full of comfort, but it also reminds us that not everyone shares in these blessings. When it speaks of the sinner being a hundred years old and accursed, it shows that a heart that stays in rebellion against God cannot enjoy the peace described here. This verse has been read in more than one way, but the warning is plain: there is a sharp difference between the “seed of the blessed of the Lord” and those who refuse him. The promise invites us to seek God, not assume we belong while we cling to sin.

Isaiah 65:17

¶ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

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Isaiah 65:17

¶ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

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A New Heaven and a New Earth

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