Continue with Reasons for Confidence

Let us now examine the remaining instance of the expression "new heavens and a new earth," At Isaiah 66:22-24:  " 'Just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making are standing before me,' is the utterance of Jehovah, 'so the offspring of you people and the name of you people will keep standing. And it will certainly occur that from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath all flesh will come in to bow down before me," Jehovah has said.  'And they will actually go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that were transgressing against me; for the very worms upon them will not idle and their fire itself will not be extinguished, and they must become something repulsive to all flesh.' "

This prophecy had an application among the Jews reestablished in their land but there would be another fulfillment.  That had to be down the stream of time from when Peter's  second letter and the book of Revelation were written, for they pointed  to a future  'new heaven and earth.'  We can look for that grand and complete fulfillment in the new system.  Consider some of the conditions that we can look forward to enjoying. 

Revelation 21:4 indicated that death will be no more. The passage in  Isaiah chapter 66 agrees with that. We can see from verse 22 that Jehovah knows that the new heavens  and the new earth will not be temporary, of limited duration.  Furthermore, his people will  endure; they will "keep standing" before him. What God  has already done for confidence. True Christians  have faced vicious persecution, even fanatical efforts to wipe them out. (John 16:2; Acts 8:1)  Yet, even very powerful enemies of God's people, such as Roman Emperor Nero and Adolf Hitler, have not been able to eradicate God's  loyal ones, who bear his name. Jehovah has preserved the congregation of his people, and we can keep it standing lastingly.

Next time: Conclusion of Reasons for Confidence

From the Watchtower magazine, 2000