Isaiah 65:17

17 "Look, I will make new heavens and a new earth, and people will not remember the past or think about those things.

Isaiah 65:17 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 65:17

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth
This prophecy began to have its accomplishment in the first times of the Gospel, when through the preaching of it there was a new face of things appeared in Judea, and in the Gentile world, so that the whole looked like a new world; and this was all the effect of creating power, of the mighty, powerful, and efficacious grace of God attending the word, to the conversion of many souls; a new church state was formed, consisting of persons gathered out of the world, the old national church of the Jews being dissolved, and Gospel churches everywhere set up; new ordinances appointed, to continue till Christ's second coming and the old ones abolished; a new way of worship observed, at least in a more spiritual and evangelic manner; a new covenant exhibited, or the covenant of grace held forth in a new form of administration, the former waxen old and vanished away; and the new and living way to the Father, through Christ, made more manifest: this will have a further accomplishment at the conversion of the Jews, which will be as life from the dead, and things will look like a new world with them; their blindness will be removed, the veil will be taken away from them; they will part with all their legal rites and ceremonies, and the traditions of the elders, and embrace the Messiah, and all his truths and ordinances; old things shall pass away, and all things become new: and it shall have its complete accomplishments in the New Jerusalem state, when not only Christ will appear, and make all things new in a spiritual sense, and that completely; but even in a literal sense there will be new heavens, and a new earth, which John in vision saw; and which Peter says he and other believers expected, according to the promise of God, when these heavens and earth shall be dissolved and pass away; and unless this passage is referred to by him, it will be difficult to find where this promise is; see ( Revelation 21:1 Revelation 21:2 Revelation 21:5 ) ( 2 Peter 3:13 ) : and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind;
either the old heavens and earth, which shall pass away, and be no more seen; or the former state both of the Jewish, and Gentile world; or the former troubles, as in the preceding verse, taken in the sense of affliction and persecution; all antichristian troubles shall cease in the latter day, after the conversion of the Jews, and especially in the New Jerusalem state; see ( Isaiah 2:4 ) ( 11:9 ) ( Revelation 7:16 Revelation 7:17 ) ( 21:4 ) .

Isaiah 65:17 In-Context

15 Your names will be like curses to my servants, and the Lord God will put you to death. But he will call his servants by another name.

16 People in the land who ask for blessings will ask for them from the faithful God. And people in the land who make a promise will promise in the name of the faithful God, because the troubles of the past will be forgotten. I will make those troubles go away.

17 "Look, I will make new heavens and a new earth, and people will not remember the past or think about those things.

18 My people will be happy forever because of the things I will make. I will make a Jerusalem that is full of joy, and I will make her people a delight.

19 Then I will rejoice over Jerusalem and be delighted with my people. There will never again be heard in that city the sounds of crying and sadness.