βFor the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melodyβ (Isaiah 51:3).
The third verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights todayβs Scripture.
βNo more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.β
Godβs Word to Adam just after he sinned included the following pronouncement, ββ¦[C]ursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to theeβ (Genesis 3:17,18). This is part of the βbondage of corruptionβ of which Romans 8:21 speaks. Sin tainted creation. Thorns and thistles began to grow, making Adamβs labor in the field even more grueling. Paradise was indeed lostβ¦but not forever!
When God created the heaven and the earth, He selected a special location on Earth as His home. Exodus 15:17,18 say: βThou shalt bring them [Israel] in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O LORD, which thy hands have established. The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.β Isaiah 40:22 says God βstretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.β While Adamβs sinful actions delayed Godβs earthly kingdom, God would take care of those mistakes and still accomplish His original intention.
Israelβs mistakes further delayed Godβs earthly kingdom. However, God will restore Earthβs ecology to its original, pre-Fall (pre-sin) conditions. This is true especially of Zion, Jerusalem, which will be the global and universal capital city. There will be joy and gladness, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. All believers in heaven (Body of Christ) and earth (redeemed Israel) will join the angels in song. The curse has been lifted, and Jesus Christ has been exalted (Isaiah 11:1-9)! source
