Isaiah 11:6-9. 6In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling (a young dear) will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. 7The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. 8The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. 9Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord.
Isaiah was a prophet. Do you know what a prophet was? In Bible times, a prophet was someone who spoke for God. Sometimes they even told what would happen in the future, and yes, that is very cool.
Isaiah 11 contains a prophecy from God, through Isaiah, and to us about the future. Isaiah is talking about a future day – in that day – when even the natural world will be turned upside down.
Wolves and lambs living together?
Leopards lying down with baby goats?
Baby cows and baby deer safe around lions?
Lions eating hay and grass instead of other animals?
Babies playing with venomous snakes?
This sounds like a movie I just saw recently, Zootopia 2, where snakes, and bunnies, and foxes all worked together in harmony to save the world. But Zootopia 2 is a Disney cartoon, not a documentary. The truth is wolves eat lambs, leopards eat goats, lions eat calves and yearlings, and snakes bite babies.
None of the things Isaiah is describing are true…right now. But that’s his point. One day they will be true – in THAT day.
What day?
The day of Jesus’ advent. No, not his first advent at Christmas 2000 years ago. His second advent. His second coming. The one we are still looking forward to.
But remember, there is no second advent if there hasn’t already been a first advent. Isaiah gives a major hint about the first advent (Christmas) too – and a little child will lead them all. Jesus came to us as a little child who will lead us all to God’s holy mountain where nothing will hurt us, and everyone will know God.
But to get to God’s holy mountain at Jesus’ second advent, you have to trust what Jesus did at his first advent. What did he do? He died on the cross so that the curse of sin would be broken and the whole world might be returned to its original goodness by Jesus alone. Do you believe this?
Questions: Are you looking forward to the return of Jesus? When Jesus returns to fix everything and bring peace, what “wild” animal will you most want to play with?
TLICfamily 