Isaiah 65:17-25

17 “See, I will create
    new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
    nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
    in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
    and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
    and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
    will be heard in it no more.

20 “Never again will there be in it
    an infant who lives but a few days,
    or an old man who does not live out his years;
the one who dies at a hundred
    will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach[a] a hundred
    will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
    they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
    or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
    so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
    the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,
    nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
    they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer;
    while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
    and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
    and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
    on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.

Listening guide

What makes you glad?  

__________________, _________________________, _____________________ 

“I will create new heavens and a new earth.”  

______________ is a better, more wonderful _______.  

God gives _______________ we ask and we learn heaven is __________.  

“______ will be with _______.”  

Eternity is awesome.  

Discussion questions

Notes 

  1. Depending on the number of people discussing, it may be easier to split into same gender groups.  

  2. You will not have time to discuss all the questions. Discuss those that interest you. 

Getting talking 

  1. Share a worry and a success from your life right now.  

  2. What do you look forward to the most about eternal life?  

 

Getting into Isaiah 

  1.  According to verse 17, what will God create after the end of the world?  

  2. According to verse 17, once people enter into eternity what will people think about their life before the end? What does that mean in your own words?  

  3. Many people ask, “Will I recognize my loved ones 

  4. According to verse 18, what will God create Jerusalem to be? Do you feel that way about where you live now? What do you think about that?  

  5. From verses 17-19 as well as the rest of your biblical knowledge, how would you summarize the place of our eternal life?  

  6. In verse 20, is God saying that people in eternal life will die at some point?  

  7. In verse 23, what will still be part of eternity? How does that make you feel?  

  8. From verses 20-25 as well as the rest of your biblical knowledge, how would you summarize the people of eternal life?  

  9. How does hope for a renewed creation and eternal life with the Lord matter to your life now?  

Prayer 

  1. Pray for one another  

 

Wrap up 

  1. How did you see God at work in your life this week?  

  2. What has God been teaching you in his Word?  

  3. What’s something that you would like someone else to check in with you about this week?  

  4. What kind of conversations are you having with non-Christians?