As one whom his mother comforts, So I will comfort you; And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. Isaiah 66:13

Judgment and Hope

Isaiah closes his book of prophecy by restating his message of judgment and hope.  What pleases the Lord?  Not ritual worship but the humble and contrite spirit of a person who responds to God’s word.  Those who are faithful to God will triumph.  Like a woman whose birth pains precede the joy of delivery, so the pangs of judgment foretell a joy that will comfort Jerusalem.  God promises that he will comfort his people and that their hearts will rejoice.

In the end God’s people will be regathered from throughout the world, and the new heavens and earth which he shapes will endure.