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Isaiah 51:11 - Conflicts, Then Peace.

Isaiah 51:11 (KJV) Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

INTRODUCTION

The precious Saviour will send help just when we need it. The way to heaven is consecrated by His footprints. Every thorn that wounds our feet has wounded His. Every cross that we are called to bear He has borne before us. The Lord permits conflicts, to prepare the soul for peace. {GC 633.1} [Remnant SB]

COMMENTARY PEARL

No Big Freeze
   Secular scientists have collected quite the number of theories on the end of the universe: Our universe could burn out, or tear apart into bitty pieces, or collapse into something no bigger than a human fist. In a recent favorite, dubbed the Big Freeze, the universe's temperature will eventually reach absolute zero. One article even noted the Big Freeze's diametrical opposition to the Bible's description of the end of the world.
   God, who knows "the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10), has revealed to us the fallacies of these scientific arguments. The universe will not end; only sin and death and all its vestiges will (Revelation 20:14, 15). Our sinful earth will be destroyed, but God will "create new heavens and a new earth" without any sin (Isaiah 65:17).
   Did you know that God has already fulfilled today's promise once in literal Israel, who He caused to "return" to Jerusalem after being captives in Babylon? There is every reason to believe that this promise will also be fulfilled for spiritual Israel when God shall cause us to "come to Zion," the New Jerusalem, at the end of the world (Revelation 20:9; 21:2, 10, 24-27).
   There will be no mass extinction of all life. Instead, God promises that "the ransomed of the LORD:" the redeemed, will, in the end, experience "everlasting joy." What will be made extinct are "sorrow and sighing" (See also Revelation 21:4.) When we realize the abundant love God has demonstrated to us sinful beings, is it even possible that the universe would simply peter out as though no Creator were caring for it every moment of every day?
   Creator God, I trust not in baseless theories but in Your promise to ultimately provide "joy and gladness" for those who love You. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts]

COMMENTARY

   How does a Christian who is bruised and battered by very deep trials remain tender toward God instead of becoming bitter or cynical? By remembering this: Our God suffered first, and He has suffered more. No other God of any other religion can claim that. It all comes into focus in the person of Jesus. He suffered first, He suffered most, and He suffered for us - the indescribable agony of the cross and the crushing burden of carrying the sins of the whole world on His shoulders. Soon, Jesus will return to earth to close the curtain on suffering - forever. In today's Scripture, we read, "They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away." In the meantime, as we yield to Him in our brokenness, He authenticates our faith, refines it, and makes it strong.
   Lord, You have never asked me to go where You haven't gone Yourself. If I find myself on a path of pain or sorrow, I can see Your footprints ahead of me. And I know where this path leads - to joy! Just around the bend, all of the suffering will be over forever - little more than a thin memory on a fresh, eternal morning. [A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry Libby taken from Isa. 35:10]

CLOSING THOUGHTS

As you wait for these physical blessings, you can enjoy them in a spiritual way. God can give you deliverance, fruitfulness, strength, holiness, and joy as you yield to Him. [Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe taken from Isa. 35:10]

Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. [from hymn: Come, Ye Disconsolate]

SPECIAL SCRIPTURE SONG

Therefore The Redeemed of the LORD Shall Return
Isaiah 35:10 & 51:11 w/lyrics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp7HZ1My3II

TESTIMONY

I fell in love with this passage in 1995 when my godly mother was dying from breast cancer. The thoughts; "return to God with singing and everlasting joy upon our heads;" "we will obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away." These concepts just melt your heart. Fred Gibbs

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY

Isaiah 35:10 - Sorrow And Sighing Shall Flee Away.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170510-1318.html

Isaiah 61:3 - Beauty for Ashes.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221226-1017.html

Jeremiah 31:13 - God Will Turn Mourning Into Gladness And Sorrow Into Joy.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2006/20061103-0921.html

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/