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Isaiah 35:1 - Where Would You Rather Live?

Isaiah 35:1 (NKJV) The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;

Isaiah 35:1 (NLT) Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.

CONTEXT AND INTRODUCTION

   In Isaiah 1-34, the prophet has delivered a message of judgment on all nations, including Israel and Judah, for rejecting God. Although we have seen glimpses of relief and restoration for the remnant of faithful believers in these chapters, the climate of wrath, fury, judgment, and destruction has prevailed. Now Isaiah breaks through with a vision of beauty and encouragement. God is just as thorough in his mercy as he is consistent in his judgment. His complete moral perfection is revealed by his hatred of all sin, and this leads to judgment. This same moral perfection is revealed in his love for all he has created. This leads to mercy for those who have sinned but who have sincerely loved Jesus and put their trust in him.
   This chapter is a beautiful picture of the final Kingdom, in which God will establish his justice and destroy all evil. This is the world the redeemed can anticipate after the judgment, when creation itself will rejoice in God. Isaiah 34 speaks of great distress when God will judge all people for their actions. Isaiah 35 pictures the days when life will be peaceful at last and everything will be made right. Carmel and Sharon, mentioned in 35:2, were regions of thick vegetation and fertile soil. They were symbols of productivity and plenty. [Life Application SB 2019]

COMMENTARY PEARL

The Only Power to Create True Peace.
   Men cannot manufacture peace. Human plans for the purification and uplifting of individuals or of society will fail of producing peace, because they do not reach the heart. The only power that can create or perpetuate true peace is the grace of Christ. When this is implanted in the heart, it will cast out the evil passions that cause strife and dissension... and life's desert "shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." Isaiah 55:13; 35:1. DA 305
[Remnant SB]

COMMENTARY

The Perfect Home
   An Amazing Fact: Biosphere 2 was a state-of-the-art greenhouse built on three acres in the Arizona desert. It was a giant, computer-controlled environment intended to be a miniature version of the much larger biosphere I, better known as Earth. Completed in 1991 at a cost of 0 million, it included five wilderness areas, ranging from a rainforest to a desert, and was stocked with thousands of exotic plants and animals.
   Eight humans ("biospherians") were to learn how to live off the land, isolated from the outside world except for communications. The designers envisioned Biosphere 2 as the first step toward human colonization of Mars.
   But when this landlocked Noah's Ark set sail for its two-year voyage of discovery from 1991 to 1993, it ran aground from a host of unforeseen environmental and human disasters. Oxygen levels inside the complex dropped so low that emergency oxygen was pumped in - violating the main tenet of isolation. And crop production was so poor that the starving crew got hungry enough to steal food from one another or have it smuggled in. Nearly all the birds and animals that were supposed to thrive inside died - except for "crazy ants" and cockroaches that now fill the place. Their proud vision of man making utopia on Earth became a joke - today Biosphere 2 is a tourist attraction masquerading as science.
   The Bible describes the restoration of God's people and land. It depicts the perfect home for us in which to thrive. "The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the pine, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; And I will make the place of My feet glorious" (Isaiah 60:13).
   Someday, when Jesus returns, He will restore our planet to its state before the fall of mankind. We will enjoy the ideal environment, where all of our needs will be abundantly provided. There will be no need for stealing food. Death will be gone. The air will be pure. And we will live forever. [Moving Mountains by Amazing Facts]

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/