The Year I Read the Bible with Laurie Larsen

Episode 5: What is the Paradise Isaiah 35 Promises Us?

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Laurie begins with a dramatic scene of a hot, thirsty traveler stumbling through the desert.  That's how she felt during her Bible in a Year project by the time she'd reached Isaiah 35! But this chapter was like a beautiful oasis providing her water and beauty just in time!

Isaiah 35 is described by some as being one of the greatest chapters in the Bible.  Is that Paradise Isaiah describes what we have to look forward to in heaven?

Laurie's guest today is Cindy Jolly. Cindy is a blogger and an author of beautiful and inspirational devotionals. Listeners won't want to miss checking her website/blog and her book. 

Thanks for tuning in to The Year I Read the Bible podcast! If you're interested in the book in all formats, take a look here.  

Hi, I'm your host Laurie Larsen, and this is The Year I Read the Bible. Welcome! A Lifelong Christian, I thought I was familiar with the Bible, but in 2023 I accepted the challenge of reading the whole thing, cover to cover. Whenever I encountered something I didn't understand or wanted to learn more, I jotted it down, but I kept reading to stay on schedule. When I finished reading.(Imagine confetti raining down on me and a huge sigh of relief.) I had more than 50 topics to research. In 2024. I started diving into all those topics. I did research, I wrote blogs, and I shared them with whoever might wanna learn too. And in 2025, the project continues. I published a book containing my essays, and now a podcast. Is there something you can learn from that dusty book that sits on all of our shelves? Yes. Yes, there is. Let's dive into The Year I Read the Bible. What is the paradise? Isaiah 35 promises us. Imagine this with me. You're hiking through a desert. The hot sun is beating down on you, sweat dripping off your brow. You reach for your bottle of water, but you forgot to bring it. As you push yourself forward, your feet begin to ache. Your Ill-fitting shoes are causing a blister, making you wince with every step. Sunburn now causes your skin to be heated and sore to the touch you pray for a cool breeze and just a drop of water for your dry tongue. You wonder if you'll survive this treacherous hike. Will this be the end? Just then an unexpected fellow hiker jaunts up beside you and delivers a water bottle just in time. You think I never would've made it. Another yard. You drink and drink, but then your savior points out a stream of natural, cool, refreshing water. You jump into it. Gulp it into your mouth, savoring the wonderful healing it provides your body, soul, and mind. Okay, this is somewhat dramatic, but bear with me. I'm a fiction writer. This scene describes me when I reached Isaiah chapter 35 in my Bible journey. Isaiah is one of the most prolific prophets in the Old Testament, and his book lasts 66 chapters of predictions for the people of Israel. The vast majority of the prophecies were negative, torturous, scary, and then like the sun rising over a dark land. Comes Isaiah 35. Henry h Halle describes it in his book, Halley's Bible Handbook, quote, one of the greatest chapters in the Bible. A poem of rare and superb beauty. It presents a picture of the last times when the redeemed, after long suffering finally shined forth in all the radiance of their heavenly glory. I. End quote, Isaiah 35 is the longed for oasis in that trek through the hot, thirsty desert. Let me share some of my favorite parts. The desert and the parched land will be glad. The wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Verse one. They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God. Verse two. Say to those with feeble hearts. Be strong. Do not fear. Your God will come. He will come with a vengeance. He will come to save you. Verse four, A highway will be there. It will be called the way of holiness. It will be for those who walk on that way, the unclean will not journey on it. Verse eight. All kinds of physical maladies that we suffer on earth will be cured in this new time and place. Strengthen the fetal hands, steady the knees that give way. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped? Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy verses three, five, and six. It goes on to describe the water gushing forth the burning sand, becoming a pool, and only the holy will journey through the land. No violence will exist. No wickedness. No foolishness, no sorrow or tears. Only everlasting joy. Wow. It's exciting. It brings us hope that whatever we're dealing with here and now in this imperfect world is temporary. For the people who love God. We have a peak at what is coming, but when and where. What exactly is Isaiah describing in his prophecy? Of course there is a great deal of commentary written about this chapter of Isaiah, but I'd like to propose that Isaiah, who my chronological Bible tells me, wrote this section between seven 40 and 6 86 before Christ was describing. The very same post-judgment world that the disciple John describes in his book of Revelation chapter 22, quote. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life as clear as crystal flowing from the throne of God and of the lamb. Down the middle of the great street of the city on each side of the river stood the tree of life bearing fruit, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the lamb will be in the city and his servants will see his face. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun for the Lord God will give them light. This was verses one through five, written in the mid sixties through the mid nineties ad. Of course we don't know when we'll be living in this paradise and people of God have differing opinions about who will be there and how we will get there. Sometimes God's ways are a mystery, but why don't we just focus on the fact that sometimes somehow paradise will be there for those of us who believe and meanwhile. When we feel like we are in the middle of that hot trek across the desert without water, wondering how much longer we'll survive. We can pick up these written accounts at any time and gain hope from them. It will be a glorious time and place when God decides he's ready and I treasure in my heart his invitation to us to join him there. Meanwhile, we can get a tiny taste of paradise right here on earth. What are those activities or times in your life when you experience everlasting joy? Holding your new baby or grand baby close to your face and whispering words of love, jumping into a cool pool on a hot day, or floating in the calm waves of an ocean. Surrounding yourself with people with like interests and engaging in the things you love. A concert, a theatrical production, a football game, a worship service, whatever defines everlasting joy to you. Seek out those opportunities as often as you can and give a moment's thought to, is this what paradise will be like? Let's end with a word of prayer. Dear God, thank you for giving a glimpse of what your heavenly kingdom will be like someday, when in your timing you are ready to offer it to us. Keep us diligent and faithful in this life to serve you and others and share love and joy, use us and our skills to do the work of the kingdom here on earth. Amen.

Laurie:

And we are back and I am so excited to introduce you to my next guest. Her name is Cindy Jolly. She is a friend, a fellow author, and one of the most inspirational bloggers and Christians that I know here in P'S Island, South Carolina. It's been such a blessing for me to have, met Cindy and to get to know her. So Cindy, welcome to the podcast.

Cindy:

Thank you.

Laurie:

Can you start by just telling us a little bit about yourself and then also how you and I have become acquainted?

Cindy:

Sure. I'm a retired school teacher. I taught elementary school for 30 years. I have two adult daughters and six grandchildren. Oh. And the two sons-in-law that go with the two adult daughters,

Laurie:

them.

Cindy:

I've been retired since 2011.

Laurie:

How exciting. Are you enjoying retirement?

Cindy:

Absolutely. It's everything I thought it would be and more.

Laurie:

It's the reward for all those school years where you went in every day and did all the homework at night.

Cindy:

Absolutely.

Laurie:

And how did you and I become acquainted with each other? I know, but at least you can tell the listeners how.

Cindy:

Well, our church puts out, uh, sometimes it's a Lenin devotional and sometimes an Advent devotional. This year they did both. So in the Advent Devotional, they ask different church members to write each day's devotion. And I. I was a writer, and Lori was a writer too, but I had, not only did I not know her, I had never heard of her, but her devotion really stuck out to me during Advent. And then during Lent, the same thing happened only during the Lent one. You mentioned that you were a writer, which I didn't know before, and that you had published some fiction and. I was so taken by your devotional. I went straight to the library to see if they had your books. They did. I checked out number one in your Poll's Paradise Series, and loved it and determined that I was going to meet you on a Sunday because I knew you went to my church. I looked you up in the pictorial directory online. I knew who I was looking for. Little did I know that. I don't know for how many years you've been sitting. Several rows behind me.

Laurie:

rows behind you for at

Cindy:

That's right. So I went over and I just said to you, Laurie Larson, you were like, I am. And a friendship began.

Laurie:

did. And actually I was aware of you because in the women in the Word series that I actually talked about here on the podcast, which was such a inspiring, women's Bible study program in our church. You spoke once a couple years ago, a special guest. You spoke about journaling, and I know that you have, a very heartwarming blog. Could you tell us just a tiny bit about that?

Cindy:

Uh, sure. So I never thought I was a writer. I never wanted to be a writer. I am a reader. I do love. To read, but my husband was diagnosed with brain cancer and during the seven years that I took care of him, towards the beginning of that, the Lord started speaking to me about writing and I had no idea what he was talking about at all. At the same time, he challenged me to read the Bible from page one to page, whatever, thousand one, two.

Laurie:

Yes.

Cindy:

I didn't think the two things were related at all, but I took a online class on writing and heard about blogging. I thought you had to have a recipe blog. I didn't realize you could blog about anything you want to, and it was really, the Lord's idea. It was his challenge. I started a blog and it was really not a blog for caregivers per se. It was a blog of scriptural refreshment, which. Caregivers need. And that's how it started. I took a break when Ron died and I thought I was finished, but the Lord was not of the same idea, and so the blog is back and I changed my website and I changed the name of the blog, and now I'm blogging again.

Laurie:

That's awesome. And just like I did, you incorporated the writings on your blog and combined them and published them in a book. What is your book called?

Cindy:

My book is called Until the World Feels Real Again, and I wrote it. It was my blogs from the year after Ron died.

Laurie:

And it is wonderful. Oh my gosh, it

Cindy:

Thank you.

Laurie:

so heartwarming. Any of you who are listening, if that appeals to you or it it applies to you, I would highly recommend that you look into it'cause it is definitely just one of those. gonna whip through it. It's only gonna take you a couple hours to read, but you're gonna be so glad that you did. It'll make you feel so much better. Okay, thank you for that update of, how we know each other and why don't we dig into this essay titled, what Is The Paradise? Isaiah 35 Promises Us. So I started my essay a dramatic story about a hot, thirsty. Traveler Scholar Henry h Halle describes this chapter, Isaiah 35, as one of the greatest chapters of the Bible. What did you think of it? What were your impressions of it?

Cindy:

I will be perfectly honest. As I was reading your book, this is a chapter I went and moved on to the next chapter. I didn't think about it at all, which is surprising because after Ron died, I used to stand on my porch and stare at the sky and say, where are you? I, I knew he was in heaven, but. Where are you? Exactly? Where are you and I, I guess I should have been a little more interested in this chapter. So when you asked me to talk about it, I went back and found that I was intensely interested in your chapter and in Isaiah 35, I.

Laurie:

Isn't that hilarious that, I mean, the one essay that I asked you to comment on was the one that really didn't appeal to you at all.

Cindy:

It didn't, but now it does.

Laurie:

So after you've reread it, what do you think about when you read Isaiah 35.

Cindy:

When I went back and read it and dug into it a little harder, the word paradise really just jumped off the page at me this time. And so I looked in the New Testament to see where the word paradise occurs. It does not occur in Revelation, although that may be what John is talking about, but paradise occurs. Two other times. One is on the cross where Jesus promises one of the thieves, on the cross next to him that today you will be with me in paradise. And if you look up that word in the Greek, it will explain that paradise in that circumstance refers to a garden, but it is a walled garden and it's a beautiful garden. So it's a garden where, where you're very protected.

Laurie:

Oh.

Cindy:

Like the Garden of Eden. I think it's the same type of thing. And then in second Corinthians 12, Paul talks about when he was taken up to the third heaven and he uses the word paradise in that window. In Jewish thinking. And I didn't know this before, but I know now the first heaven is the sky. Where birds fly. The second heaven is the starry heavens. You know, the moon stars sun, and the third heaven is the seed of God, and that's the one that he refers to as paradise.

Laurie:

Oh, that's very interesting. Now, that in the Bible or is that something that you researched outside of the Bible

Cindy:

Which part? The part about,

Laurie:

le, the three levels of heaven.

Cindy:

well, actually the three levels of heaven are in the Bible. They're not right there in second Corinthians, but they're in the Old Testament.

Laurie:

have missed that in the year I read the Bible.

Cindy:

Here's what I'll tell you. I think you have to know what you're looking for.

Laurie:

true. true. The chapter gives us. Beautiful assurance that all illnesses and humanly problems that we experience here on Earth will be resolved and we will experience only everlasting joy. How does that strike you? Was Isaiah prophesying about heaven?

Cindy:

I think so. I do. I'll tell you a quick, anecdote that I was, sitting with a friend's mother who has very serious dementia. I. And as I was sitting with her, my phone rang and it was my granddaughter who has a million questions, about a million things at all times. So the person that I was sitting with had fallen asleep, so I went to the next room and there were windows in between the two rooms so I could watch her and talk to my granddaughter at the same time. Well, my granddaughter's never heard of dementia and she. Question after question about dementia. And then she got quiet and she thought about it and she thought about it and finally she said, I've been thinking about your friend with dementia, and I've been picturing her when she gets to heaven, she's gonna be so excited to have her memory back.

Laurie:

my

Cindy:

I think she's gonna, this day

Laurie:

Wow.

Cindy:

from the, of an 11-year-old,

Laurie:

years

Cindy:

that's, that's what I think of when I think of heaven now.

Laurie:

she's a sponge and she's got the creative mind and

Cindy:

Mm-hmm.

Laurie:

applying, you know what I love about that? She doesn't have the adult cynicism about, oh, well, you know, it's not gonna be like that. Or, you know, I, I read this one time. No, she's just imagining it in her mind. It's the way she sees it or wants it to be.

Cindy:

Mm-hmm.

Laurie:

Isn't that beautiful?

Cindy:

I think, honestly, the way that Isaiah promises it will be.

Laurie:

Absolutely. Well, you mentioned Revelation. In Revelation, John described what heaven will be like. Are they similar to what's listed in Isaiah 35? Uh

Cindy:

Parts of it. Yes. And, parts of it. No, but, it's like anything else that two different people see the same thing and they see two different. Parts of the same thing.

Laurie:

Yeah, there were some that I, pulled out in that essay that I thought, okay, we're, hearing these from two different. you know, hundreds of years apart and these things are, similar and there's other things in the Bible. I'm going off script here, but I think Daniel, had a, prophecy about heaven as well, and a lot of that has similar components. I think God was trying to do his best to warn us or prepare us to make. Us think about it. So, in the essay I talked about, we have the ability to, create our own little version of heaven here on earth by engaging in our favorite activities. The ones I listed in the essay were my personal ones, which are being with my grandchildren, hugging and kissing those little babies and. Going to the beach and walking and looking at the beauty. What are some of the things that you, would consider your favorite activities?

Cindy:

You know, you sent me the question and I made a list. I was, you know, number one, number two, number three, number four, and in the end, I crossed every single one of them out because I thought of the one. Thing that I think feels the most like heaven. And as a Christian romance writer, you're probably gonna identify with this, but I think the feeling of being in love, which isn't surprising because John one, John four, eight says, God is love. So it doesn't surprise me at all that that feeling of being in love would be the most heavenly feeling you could have.

Laurie:

that's beautiful. I like that. Is there anything else that you wanted to bring up about this Isaiah 35 that we haven't really covered?

Cindy:

You know, towards the end of it, in the verses eight through 10, when he talks about going home along the road to Zion, I was thinking about my grandmother in her Baptist church and that old Baptist hymn about marching to Zion. And I used to really not be able to connect with it at all, but I had a friend who was sitting with her husband as he was dying. And he was going kind of in and out of being lucid, but he suddenly became very lucid. And he said to her, he said, I see you sitting right here beside me and there's a doorway, and on the other side of the doorway is heaven. And all I have to do is walk through the doorway when I'm ready. That's when the picture of marching Zion started making all kinds of sense. Our minister says that we are not waiting for eternal life. It's already begun. He sees it as a continuous thing and her picture with her husband and what, Isaiah says about marching design, it all makes sense. It's a just a continuous march from here to Paradise,

Laurie:

I love

Cindy:

which is. Stop lifting.

Laurie:

it sure is. You've been through, a horrific experience of your husband getting sick and being sick for years and you helping him and watching him disintegrate. And I know a lot of. People have too. I mean, just this past Sunday in church, we had a guest speaker of one of our church members who was a Vietnam veteran, a widely decorated war hero who, I mean, if you look at him, he's been through so much physically, he's missing an arm. His one hand is also deformed. He is missing an eye. He just shared during the, presentation that he's suffering from Agent Orange. He experienced all this because of his love for and dedication to his country. But you know what? That man. His wife introduced him and she said, I have never heard him in 58 years they've been married. I've never heard him complain about what is missing. I only hear him be thankful for what is left wow. I mean, it's just, amazing that he has put up with so much here on Earth and I would love to hear him or anyone else who has been through a lot of suffering. Who is holding tight to their faith in Jesus knowing that what's next for them is eternal paradise. It's a reward. It's a present, it's a gift that God provides to us believers, which is so generous. I would like to thank you so much for being here with me. You are going to be, with us also next week for our next episode. So I look forward to having that as well.

Cindy:

Thank you so much. This has just been a lot of fun.

Laurie:

it is so fun to have you and I can't wait to, see you again. Thank you, Cindy.

And that's it for today. Thank you very much for being here with me on The Year I Read the Bible Podcast. We'll be back with another episode next week. If you enjoy this podcast, please do all the normal things to spread the word: like it, review it, share it with your friends. If you are interested in additional The Year I Read the Bible resources such as the book, the video channel, and the blog, I will certainly include the links in the show notes. And I'd love to hear about your own journey to read the Bible cover to cover. Have you done it or are you doing it right now? Please reach out to me and let me know how it's going. Until next time, it's Laurie Larsen with The Year I Read the Bible. Bye.

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