Deconstruction and Reconstruction

“Their feet rush after evil; they hasten to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are preoccupied with mischief; havoc and disaster follow in their wake. They are unacquainted with the way of perfection; integrity is not within their bounds. They have made crooked their paths; none who treads them knows peace.” (Isaiah 59:7–8)

“Jehovah of Hosts has a day in store for all the proud and arrogant and for all who are exalted, that they may be brought low. [It shall come] against all the lofty cedars of Lebanon that lift themselves up high, and against all the oaks of Bashan, against all high mountains and elevated hills, against every tall tower and reinforced wall, against [all vessels at sea,] both merchant ships and pleasure craft. The haughtiness of men shall be abased, and man’s pride brought low; Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.” (Isaiah 2:12–17)

“Jehovah will lay waste the earth and empty it; he will disfigure its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be with priest as with people, with master as with servant, with mistress as with maid, with seller as with buyer, with borrower as with lender, with debtor as with creditor—when the earth is sacked, it shall be utterly ravaged. Jehovah has given word concerning it.” (Isaiah 24:1–3)

“The earth shall be crushed and rent; the earth shall break up and cave in; the earth shall convulse and lurch. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, sway back and forth like a shanty; its transgressions weigh it down, and when it collapses it shall rise no more.” (Isaiah 24:19–20)

“A voice calls out, In the desert prepare the way for Jehovah; in the wilderness pave a straight highway for our God: every ravine must be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the uneven ground must become level and rough terrain a plain. For the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed and all flesh see it at once.” (Isaiah 40:3–5)

“Jehovah will direct you continually; he will satisfy your needs in the dearth and bring vigor to your limbs. And you will become like a well-watered garden, like a spring of unfailing waters. They who came out of you will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the foundations of generations ago. You shall be called a rebuilder of fallen walls, a restorer of streets for resettlement.” (Isaiah 58:11–12)

“Behold Zion, the city of our solemn assemblies; let your eyes rest upon Jerusalem, the abode of peace—an immovable tent, whose stakes shall never be uprooted, nor any of its cords severed. None who reside there shall say, I am ill; the people who inhabit it shall be forgiven their iniquity.” (Isaiah 33:20, 24)

“I will lay antimony for your building stones and sapphires for your foundations; I will make your skylights of jacinth, your gates of carbuncle, and your entire boundary of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by Jehovah, and great shall be the peace of your posterity. You shall be firmly established through righteousness; you will be far from oppression and have no cause to fear, far from ruin, for it shall not approach you.” (Isaiah 54:11–14)

“See, I create new heavens and a new earth; former events shall not be remembered or recalled to mind. Rejoice, then, and be glad forever in what I create. See, I create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.” (Isaiah 65:17–18)