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.