Isaiah 10,11

We're reading Narnia to Noah. We've just finished The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

! And you know that story, don't you, for many of us. The four Pevensey children have travelled

! to a home outside London during the war, where it's safer. And in that home they find

a large wardrobe. And here is how C.S. Lewis describes the scene of the novel. Looking into the inside

of the cupboard, she saw several coats hanging out. Mostly long fur coats. There is nothing

Lucy liked so much as the smell and feel of fur. She immediately stepped into the wardrobe.

This must be an enormous wardrobe, thought Lucy. Going still further in, she pushed the soft

folds of the coats by to make room for her. And she noticed that there was something crunching

under her feet. Stooping down to feel it with her hand, she felt something soft and powdery

and extremely cold.

This is very queer, she said, and went on a step or two further. Something cold and soft

was falling on her.

A moment later she found that she was standing in the middle of a wood at night time, with

snow at her feet and snowflakes falling through the air. She began to walk forward, crunch,

crunch over the snow, and through the snow towards the light. And in about ten minutes she reached

it and found that it was a lampurst. She stood looking at it, wondering why there was a lamp

post in the middle of a wood, and wondering what to do next. She heard the pitter patter of feet

coming toward her. Soon after that a very strange person stepped out from among the trees into the

light of the lamp post. It was of course at that moment as a fawn named, namely Mr. Tunness, that Lucy

realized she was not in England anymore. But she'd entered the magical world of Nadia.

There are a few scenes in literature as magical as that, are they? As that entrance by Lucy

through the wardrobe into that enchanting world of Nadia. Why does that resonate with so many of us?

Why does it resonate with millions of readers? And if you're not a reader maybe you saw the film.

Is it that in some way all of us have imagined ourselves to be a Lucy? Maybe not in a world like

Nadia, but definitely different from the world that we're in now. Indeed we don't just dream and

imagine about a different world, but we dream and imagine about a better world, don't we?

There is this deep longing inside every single one of us, and it is expressed in various ways.

You could say that whatever your politics are. Whether you are adamantly part of the Remain group,

or you are furiously part of the Brexit group. There is a desire, isn't there, in both of those,

whether it is Remain or Brexit, for a better world. Behind all the protests and all the arguments

that take place is a desire for a better world. You move from the political sphere to the secret

loins of our hearts. And the desire is still there, isn't it? You think about the struggles

in your life. The financial struggles. The health concerns. The employment pressures. The relationship

angst. And some of you, and some of us at some stage, will say, if only my life were different.

If only this world was different. And our minds start to dream, don't they, of a vision of a

better world. Well, here in Isaiah 11, the prophet provides such a vision, doesn't he? And if Narnia

was a complete contrast for Lucy to the war-torn world of England that she was used to, the vision

of a better world that Isaiah presents is even more of a contrast to the people of Judah at that time.

So you remember, we've been going through the early chapters of Isaiah, and we've seen for Judah,

judgment is coming, that is certain. It is coming from God, from forsaking God.

But the people, instead of trusting God, have forsaken him. Rather than trusting in him, they've forsaken

Judah. Judah has failed. And its kings have decided not to trust in the Lord God Almighty, the Lord of hosts,

but to trust in the superpower of Assyria, against the threat of neighbouring nations.

And Isaiah announces that God is not only going to bring judgment upon Judah through Assyria,

but then, as we saw in chapter 10, he's going to bring his wrath to bear against Assyria as well.

And so at the end of chapter 10, right before, right at the end of that section, can you see

verse 33 and 34 of chapter 10?

Behold, the Lord God of hosts will lock the bows with terrifying power.

The great in height, they'll be hewn down.

The lofty will be brought low.

He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an axe,

and Lebanon will fall by his majestic one.

God is going to cut down.

God is going to cut down the size of the king of Assyria.

And by implication, all those who have aligned themselves with Assyria,

which would actually include Judah.

But those who thought themselves high and mighty,

like the cedars, the tall trees of Lebanon,

they'll be cut down to stumps.

And from the perspective of the people of Judah,

it really couldn't have gone much worse.

But out of the darkness,

Isaiah wants to point again to the light,

which is what he does here in chapter 11.

Isaiah is going to point to the people,

to a world of rest,

ruled by a righteous king.

To a world of rest,

a world of peace,

ruled by a righteous king.

And I want to suggest to you,

what you find in Isaiah 11

is what everyone is looking for.

It's what you are looking for.

Whether you realise it or not.

It's what your Muslim neighbours,

it's what your Hindu friends,

it's what your non-religious colleagues

are looking for.

So first of all,

let's see the world of peace.

Isaiah points to the world of peace.

Look at verse 6

of Isaiah 11.

Verse 6

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together,

and a little child will lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze,

their young shall lie down together,

and the lion shall eat straw like ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hold of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adders down.

They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cleverly see.

Now this passage,

it's got to ring bells for you, isn't it?

If you know your Bible at all,

it certainly points to a return to the Garden of Eden

prior to the fall.

But as you look at the images,

they are startling,

although you can have great fun with these images.

You've got this play of the wolf and the lamb.

The prey gives hospitality to the predator.

It's like the lamb says,

oh, come in, Mr. Wolf,

take a seat,

what can I get you for dinner?

It's like the wolf in the story of the three pigs,

he says,

I will huff and I will puff

and I will blow your house down.

Oh, please come in, Mr. Wolf,

what can we get you for your tea?

In the world we live in,

it is bizarre,

it is impossible.

Padres was a Roman writer at the time of Christ

who wrote fables in the tradition of Aesop.

And one of his fables,

probably the most famous one,

is of a wolf

who's standing upstream in a river

who accuses a lamb

who is downstream of muddying the waters.

And all of which leads to the wolf

seizing the lamb and killing it.

Now that is what you'd expect,

isn't it?

The wolf and the lamb,

they're not friends.

The wolf,

the predator,

kills the prey.

But here Isaiah says,

there is a world

in which a lamb

will offer hospitality

to the wolf.

He'll say,

come back to mine for lunch.

And Isaiah goes on

with these animal analogies.

And we realize

that this is not just

an upgraded version

of our world.

This is not iPhone 6

when you've been used to

iPhone 4S

for the last three years

or something like that.

No, this is radically different.

It's not an upgrade.

And some of you may be thinking,

well, no offense, Paul,

but when I think of a new world,

of a better world,

my mind doesn't exactly

run to animals

offering hospitality

to each other.

I want something much bigger.

But I grant that.

So let me take you

to the key picture

of the passage.

Can you see it?

It's right in the middle.

It's deliberately right

in the middle.

In verse 8,

you have this infant,

this young child

playing at the hole

of a cobra.

This tiny tot

playing with the viper.

And the reason

that is significant

is because Isaiah

is picking up

on the theme

that is back

in Genesis 3.

We read that

in the Garden of Eden,

the devil comes

in the form of a

serpent,

of a snake.

and he deceives

Adam and Eve

to rebel against God

and as a result,

God's curse

falls on Adam and Eve

and on the serpent.

And the world

has been under

the curse of God

ever since.

And you and I,

by nature,

are under that curse.

We are under

the stern

wrath

and judgment

of God

because of our

rebellion against Him.

so that everything

in your life

and my life,

everything in this world

is not as it's

meant to be.

And that can be

traced back

to the forehole.

Here is the

fundamental problem

that we deal with

in this world.

But Isaiah says,

on that day,

the infant

will play

without fear

near the cobra's

hole.

And the young

child

will treat

the viper

like a plaything.

He says,

this is the

peaceful kingdom.

It's a world

of peace.

And it's a world

of peace because

the curse

from the fall

has been removed.

All the effects

of the fall

are now gone

in this image

right there 11.

All the consequences

of sin

have been removed.

They've been

sucked out of the

world on that day.

That everything

you wish was

different about

your life right now

will be different

on that day.

And most importantly,

God's judgment

and wrath

which we fully

deserve

will be no more.

And the effects

will not just

be in your life

and in my life.

Isaiah says

they will be

worldwide.

They will be

cosmic.

You see,

salvation is not

just about you

and my personal

relationship

with the Lord.

God is the

cosmic God.

And salvation

is cosmic.

Because it says,

doesn't it,

the whole earth,

for the earth

shall be full

of the knowledge

of the Lord

as the waters

cover the sea.

It's a world

of peace

because it's a

world of peace

with God.

So here's my

first point.

Here's a world

of peace.

But secondly,

we see that it

is a world

of peace

that is inhabited

by a people

at rest.

It is a world

of peace

that is inhabited

by a people

at rest.

Look at verses

10 to 13.

In that day,

the root

of Jesse,

who shall stand

as a signal,

as a banner,

is a much

better translation,

as a rallying

point for the

peoples.

Of him shall

the nations

inquire,

and his resting

place shall be

glorious.

In that day,

the Lord will

extend his hand

yet a second

time to recover

the remnant

that remains of

his people

from Assyria,

from Egypt,

from Pathros,

from Cush,

from Elam,

from China,

from Hamath,

and from the

coastlands of the

sea.

He will raise

a signal,

a banner for

the nations,

and will assemble

the banished

people of Israel

and gather

the dispersed

of Judah

from the four

corners of the

earth.

And the jealousy

of Ephraim

will be cast,

and those who

harass Judah

will be cut

off,

and Ephraim

will not be

jealous of Judah,

and Judah

shall not harass

Ephraim.

Isaiah looks

to the future,

the future

day,

and he says

God is going to

rescue his people.

Can you see that

verse 11 for a

second time?

And if you're

unclear over what

was the first time

when God rescued

his people,

it's there in

verse 16.

the Lord will

utterly destroy the

town of the

sea of Egypt,

isn't it

beautiful language,

and will wave

his hand over

the river with

his scorching

breath,

and strike it

into seven

channels,

and he will

lead the people

across in

sandals.

It's got to be

a giveaway,

isn't it?

And there will

be a highway

for Assyria,

for the remnant

and the remains

of his people,

as there was

for Israel

when they came

up from the

land of Egypt.

There's going

to be a

reversal of

the curse.

But there's

also going to

be another

exodus.

There'll be

another Eden,

and there'll

be another

exodus.

There'll be

another

deliverance,

just as God

promised to

bring the

people to

the promised

land,

the first

land,

so now he's

going to

deliver them,

or a remnant

of them to

return to the

promised land.

There's going

to be a

reversal of the

curse of the

exile.

But this

time, the

deliverance is

not going to

be from Egypt,

it's not going

to be from one

part of the

world, it's

going to be a

wider exodus,

isn't it?

It's going to

be a worldwide

dispersion.

So with the

nations and

places that he

mentions, Isaiah

covers, doesn't

he, the four

points of the

compass.

From north,

from south,

from east,

from west,

that's where

those nations

are from,

to indicate that

God is going

to gather his

people from the

four corners of

the earth,

verse 12,

and wherever

they've been

scattered.

But once he's

gathered them,

look at verse

13, these

nations are

not going to

turn the same

as when they

left.

That is,

they departed

and strife with

each other,

but now they

are at peace.

The nations,

all jealousy

and hostility

will vanish

because God's

people will be

at peace with

each other.

It's a

wonderful,

wonderful picture

picture that

the fruit of

peace with

God is

peace with

each other.

We know that

in a small

little way in

the church

life, the

fruit of

peace with

God is

peace with

each other.

But in a

much greater

way, we

look forward

to that.

So it is a

world of peace

inhabited by a

people at

rest.

And the

question does

arise, who

are these

people that

Isaiah is

writing of?

And interestingly

we see at the

beginning of this

section that

these people at

rest are not

restricted to

one or two

nations.

But we get

verse 10,

In that day

the root of

Jesse will

stand as a

banner, as a

signal for the

peoples, for

the nations.

And of him

the nations

will inquire,

they will come

to him and his

resting place will

be glorious.

Do you see how

extensive this is?

Along with a

remnant, with a

part of ethnic

Israel, there

will be the

nations.

But it will be

just as the

book of

Revelation promises

that every tribe

and every tongue

and every people

and every nation

will be there.

And he says

there will be no

strife.

There will be no

ethnic animosities

anymore.

On a personal

level, there will

be no gossip.

There will be no

cold shouldering.

There will be no

animosity.

There will be no

jealousy.

There will be no

inferiority complexes.

Can you imagine

that?

Think of how much

of the stress and

anxiety of your

life is caused

by relationship

tensions.

Hurt that is

caused by

careless words.

Spiteful words.

Or having been

ignored or maligned

or misunderstood

or taken for

granted.

and in all our

lives, it's a huge

amount of stress to

deal with that, to

navigate that.

That in fact is,

particularly in

ministers, there's a

kind of theory at the

moment that actually

it's overwork kind of

causes ministers to

break down.

Actually, I don't

think that is true.

I think it is the

stress of broken

relationships that

causes that.

God's

for all the

angst that we

have with people.

One day, I

say, it will be

God.

It will be

God.

We're going to get

on famously.

We'll send emails to

each other and we'll

perfectly understand

those emails.

I pray there will

be no email in the

new creation.

But we will get

on famously.

It will be a world

of peace inhabited

by a people at

rest.

And I don't know

about you, that

sounds pretty good

to me.

I mean, who

wouldn't really

want a world like

that?

And yet some

people will say

today, Eucharist

is all pie in the

sky, it's all

make-believe.

In 1516, Sir

Thomas More wrote

a book called

Utopia.

I have not read

it, but I know

an illustration

about it.

And it was in

essence a critique

of England at the

time.

500 years later,

we still use the

term, not

we?

And then he

coined for his

title, Utopia.

And the way

that we commonly

use the word is

to refer to a

perfect place where

everything is the

way it should be

all the time.

But Sir

Thomas More

actually intended

it as a pun.

So sometimes in

the book he would

spell it with the

prefix, EU.

Because in

Greek that means

good, that means

it was a good

place.

But at other

times, Thomas More

would spell it

utopia, OU,

with the prefix

OU, which in

Greek means no.

Or not meaning.

Not a place.

And his point

was that there is

no such perfect

place.

But Isaiah says

there is a day

coming, one day,

such a perfect

place, such a

world of peace

inhabited by a

people at rest,

that it is

coming.

But it all

depends on one

person.

One person.

So third point,

this is a world

of peace

because it is

inhabited by

people at rest

and it is

ruled by a

righteous king.

It is ruled by a

righteous king.

Let's go back to

the start of the

chapter.

Verse 1.

Now do you

remember, at the

end of verse 34

there is a

massive great

tree that has

been cut down.

So there is a

stump in the

middle of the

field.

Get the picture.

There is a

massive great

tree stump.

And the tree

has been cut

down.

And then in

verse 1 there

shall come forth

a shoot.

A shoot from

the stump of

Jesse.

And a branch,

a little tiny

branch from

his roots shall

bear fruit.

The spirit of

the Lord shall

rest upon him.

See that?

It's a shoot.

It's a branch.

Verse 2.

It's a hem.

The spirit of

the Lord shall

rest upon him.

The spirit of

wisdom and

understanding.

The spirit of

counsel and

might.

The spirit of

knowledge and

the fear of

the Lord.

And his

delight shall

be in the

fear of the

Lord.

He shall not

judge by what

his eyes see

or decide

disputes by

what his

ears hear.

But with

righteousness

he will

judge the

poor and

decide with

equity for

the meek of

the earth.

And he shall

strike the

earth with the

rod of his

mouth.

With the

breath of his

lips he shall

kill the

wicked.

So we

saw earlier

at the end

of chapter 10

it ends

with a

judgment.

Judgment on

these proud

kings.

On the

high and

mighty.

The proud

kings of

Israel.

God chops

them down

like trees.

But here at

the beginning

of chapter 11

I told them

there's a

tiny shoot

that comes

up from

the stump

of Jesse.

And from

the roots

of that

shoot a

branch

will come

that will

bear fruit.

And as

we've

seen Isaiah

do several

times again

we have in

the midst

of darkness

a glimmer

of hope.

And what

is interesting

here is that

the stump

comes from

the shoot

of Jesse.

The shoot

comes from

the stump

of Jesse.

You say

it was Jesse.

Well Jesse

was the

father of

King David.

And so the

question,

the obvious

question is

why does

Isaiah,

the shoot

come from

the stump

of David?

In the

Old Testament

and the

New Testament

David was

far more

important than

Jesse.

And we

usually make

the connection

don't we

between the

coming king,

King David's

greater son

and King

David.

Why does

Isaiah not

say there

shall come

forth a shoot

from the

stump of

David?

Well because

he wants

his audience

to understand,

he wants his

readers to

understand that

this is not

just another

king in the

line of

David.

There are

quite a few

kings mentioned

in the Old

Testament that

were sons of

David, they

were of

David's

lineage.

They were

from David.

Some did

quite well,

to put it

mildly,

some did

not so well,

some were

awful.

But Isaiah's

point is that

another David

is coming.

Another David

is coming.

In fact,

a greater

David is

coming from

the stump of

Jesse,

that the

golden

king of

the past

was just

a shadow

of the

true

God that

was still

to come.

And look

at how this

greater David

is described

in verses

2 and

3.

The spirit

of the

Lord will

rest on

him

permanently.

It will

never depart

from him.

And it

will give to

him these

gifts.

Wisdom.

Well what is

wisdom?

It is the

capacity to

have the

right judgment

in all

things.

What is

understanding?

Someone with

understanding has

the ability to

see to the

heart of the

issue.

They will

be able to

devise the

right course

of action.

They will

be able to

achieve it

perfectly.

He will

have knowledge.

That's not

just head

knowledge but

the enjoyment

of a personal

intimate

relationship with

a person and

in this context

with God.

And fear.

This person

will have

fear.

They will

live life in

complete conformity

to the will

of God.

In fact,

we're told,

aren't we,

this person

will delight,

verse 3,

as delight will

be the fear

of God.

And these

endowments,

they will

just come and

go.

The spirit of

the Lord is

upon him all

the time,

so he is

this all the

time.

And then

Isaiah teases

it out,

doesn't he,

by saying he

will not judge

by what he

sees with his

eyes or decide

what he hears

with his ears.

And you

think to

yourself,

what kind

of judge is

that?

Do I

really want a

judge who's

not going to

use his eyes

and his ears

when he's

considering the

evidence?

Isn't that a

bit dodgy?

But you

see,

this judge,

this judge

doesn't have

to use his

eyes or his

ears because

he already

knows all

the evidence.

Isaiah seems

becoming awfully

close,

doesn't he?

If not up to

attributing deity

to this righteous

king.

Because in the

end, there is

only one who

can judge,

isn't that?

And it is

only God can

judge.

Only God can

judge without

seeing the

case.

And because

this righteous

king does

know all the

evidence,

we are told

he judges

all cases,

especially for

the needy

and poor,

with justice

and righteousness.

And part of

the injustice

of Judah at

that time

involved the

rich being

able to put

off the

judges in

order to

avoid justice.

And they

got away

with everything.

They could

pay off the

judges.

But Isaiah

says there

is a judge

who will not

be paid

off.

There is a

righteous

king who

will come

to judge with

perfect equity

for everyone.

And his

rule will not

simply be by

his word.

Sorry,

his rule will

simply be by

his word.

The rod of

his mouth

will be no

physical weapons.

They will be

needed because

the power of

his word will

be the weapon.

And you see

gradually through

these first

11 chapters of

Isaiah,

Isaiah has

been leaking

clues,

hasn't he,

about somebody

who is going

to come and

fix this world.

chapter 7

he is described

as a child

born to a

virgin called

Emmanuel.

He is God

with us.

In chapter 9

I told him

of a light

that is coming

into the deep

darkness.

I told him

of a son

that is born

for us who

is a wonderful

counsellor,

who is mighty

God, everlasting

father, prince of

peace.

And now we see

this one who is

coming, this

righteous king,

who Isaiah

says is the

greater David,

is endowed

with divine

ability.

that here is

one who can

and will

deliver us

to a world

of peace

inhabited by

a people of

rest.

And Isaiah

isn't finished

yet, look at

his description

in verse 10

and in that

day the

root of

Jesse,

the root

of Jesse

who shall

stand as a

signal for

the peoples

of him

shall the

nations

inquire and

his resting

place will

be glorious.

Now can

you see the

difference between

verse 1 and

verse 10?

what's he

described of

in verse 1?

Can you see

it?

What is he in

verse 1 of

Jesse?

He's the

shoot.

Verse 10,

what is he?

He's the root.

How on earth

does that work?

He is saying,

and this is so

wonderful isn't

it, that the

one who will

come from

Jesse is the

one from whom

Jesse came.

Can you get

that?

Write that down.

The one

who will

come from

Jesse is

the one from

whom Jesse

came.

The one who

entered into

creation

was the one

by whom all

of creation

was made.

The word

became

flesh.

And Isaiah

says this

root of

Jesse will

now stand

as a banner

to the

nations and

the nations

will run

to it.

But this

righteous

king will

be a

gathering

place.

He'll

be a

place of

rest,

a

promised

land,

a

sanctuary.

There will

literally be

glory for

those who

come.

There is

utopia.

There is

EU-topia.

There is a

good place.

There is a

world of

peace, but

it depends

upon a

person.

And it is

Jesus, if

you've not

guessed it.

Jesus, who

when he was

told by his

disciples,

Philip and

Andrew came

to him,

they said

there are

some Greeks

that want

to see

you.

Some Greeks,

they are not

Jews.

Well, they are

people from the

Gentiles.

They are Gentiles

who want to

see you,

Jesus.

And Jesus

says these

words, he

says, when I

am lifted up

from the

earth, I

will draw

all men,

all people

to myself.

And we

read that,

and maybe it's

not the

clearest thing

in our minds,

what Jesus is

talking about.

And it

wouldn't have

been the

clearest thing

in the

minds of

his audience.

Because

immediately

after having

quoted

Jesus, John

writes this,

Jesus said

this to show

the kind

of death

that he's

going to

die.

I, when

I am

lifted up

from the

earth, will

draw all

men to

myself.

I will

be a

signal for

the peoples.

I'll be a

banner for

the peoples.

And suddenly

it comes

together.

But as I

was speaking

of a world

of peace

inhabited by

a people of

rest, ruled

by a

sovereign

king, and

the sovereign

king is the

crucified one.

And the

nations come,

we come this

morning to the

one lifted up,

we come to

the banner, we

come to the

signal over the

nations.

And you say,

who would

rally to a

crucified person

on a cross?

And the

answer is those

who come to

Jesus.

And for

any of us to

enter that

world of peace

which we all

desire, we

need a

champion.

We need a

king who

will crush

the serpent.

We need a

king who

will defeat

sin and

death that

entered into

this world

of the

fallen.

You and

I cannot

do it.

You cannot.

And you

cannot create

your perfect

world.

You cannot

and God

will not let

you do it.

And you

and I are

under the

judgment

ourselves and

we cannot

fix the

problem.

We need

someone to

come in

who is not

under the

judgment.

God.

And this

king comes

into this

world of

sin and

he turns

the weapons

of the

devil on

himself.

Death

itself and

in his own

death he

takes the

wrath and

the judgment

of God

that was

ours to

take.

you see

Isaiah wants

you to know

that there

was a world

of peace but

you cannot

you will

not.

God will

not let

you create

that world.

You get

what you

want.

You get

that partner.

You get

that child.

You get

that home.

You get

that job.

It will

never be the

world that

you want.

It never

will.

You win

the lottery.

And it

will not be

the world

that you

want.

But Isaiah

wants you to

know there

is a world

of peace

in which

people are

at rest.

But the

only way

into that

world is

to stand

under the

banner of

the crucified

root of

Jesse.

It's to

stand under

the banner

of Jesus.

And those

that rally

to that

banner are

those that

say, we

do say

don't we

as

Christians,

we long

for a

better world

don't we?

But now

I see that

the greatest

obstacle to

that world

is

sin.

Including

my sin.

so that

my only

hope for

that

better

world

is to

trust in

the one

who

defeated

sin.

Jesus,

I'm going

to stand

under the

banner of

your cross

which promises

me a

world of

peace

inhabited

by a

people of

rest.

hope.

Because only

under that

banner is

hope.

I read

an

obituary

this week

and in

that

obituary

there was

a

critic,

I don't

know her,

Judith

Shulevitz

observed that

life unlike

fiction has

neither crisp

beginnings nor

redemptive

endings.

Is that

brilliant?

life is

messier than

fiction.

And life

doesn't look

like it has

a redemptive

end.

the great

news of

Isaiah is

that under

the banner

of Jesus,

under the

root of

Jesse,

life ultimately

does have a

redemptive

ending.

It is a

glorious ending

and it is a

resting place

called glory.

And that is

the world that

you and I

dream of and

because at

its centre is

Jesus the

righteous king,

it is a

world that

when we

enter it,

it will

only get

better.

It will

only get

better.

So in

that sense

it is a

little bit

like Narnia,

the final

volume of

the series,

The Last

Battle,

where Lewis

writes,

this is the

end of all

the stories

and we

can most

truly say

that they

all lived

happily ever

after.

But for

them it was

only the

beginning of

the real

story.

All their

life in

this world

and all

their

adventures

in Narnia

had only

been the

cover and

the title

page.

And now

at last

they were

beginning

chapter one

of the

great story

which no

one on

earth has

read,

which goes

on forever,

in which

every chapter

is better

than the one

before.

Because

it's a

world of

peace

inhabited

by a

people at

rest

ruled by

a

righteous

king.

Let's

pray.