The grass wither, the flower fades: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
– Isaiah 40:8

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

This verse tells us that the grass withers, the flower fades, but God’s words shall never disappear and will remain until forever. This is true. From the work of God, we can see the fact that “He is as good as His word, and His word shall be accomplished, and that which is accomplished lasts forever”. In the time of Noah, after God used a flood to destroy the world because of man’s corruption, He established the covenant of the rainbow with Noah as a sign that He would never again destroy the world using floods. The rainbow we see today is a reflection of the authority of God’s words. Abraham was willing to offer up his only son Isaac to God, so God promised him that his progeny would be as numerous as the stars of heaven, and as plentiful as the sand on the sea shore. Until now, his progeny is all over the world; God’s promise is accomplished. Additionally, in the Age of Law, God decreed laws through Moses to lead the people to live on earth. These commandments and laws also laid a foundation for the perfection of legal systems for subsequent generations. Their influence remains till today.

Think back to the late Age of Law. People couldn’t abide by the laws, and were in danger of being condemned and cursed by the laws. God asked prophets to foretell that the Messiah would come to save Israelites from affliction. Then in the Age of Grace, God personally became flesh to be nailed to the cross as a sin offering for humanity, thereby redeeming us from sin. His words “It is finished” meant we were no longer of sin, and would not be condemned by the laws. We would be qualified to come before God and pray to Him. God’s work of salvation in the Age of Grace was thus finished. Although we have been redeemed, our sinful nature still exists. We still live helplessly in a cycle of sinning during the day and confessing at night. The Lord Jesus prophesied, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20). “And, behold, I come quickly; my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be” (Revelation 22:12). “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:47-48). “And I will come near to you to judgment…, said Jehovah of hosts” (Malachi 3:5). And “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God” (1 Peter 4:17). From these verses, we can understand that in the last days, God makes a promise to us mankind. He surely comes to express words to do a stage of work of judgment beginning at the house of God, and uses His words to judge and purify man’s corruptions, so that man can gain His promise. Meanwhile, God also judges man through His words so that all will follow their own kind. God will repay each man according to his deeds. This is determined by God’s words, for once God’s words issue forth, everything that God wants done will be accomplished in accordance with His words. This is the truth that never changes. Then how should we approach God’s promise?