Context for Isaiah 41
The end of Israel’s exile is a judgment in itself. This judgment of God is that He will restore His people to their place, not because they have done something to deserve that restoral, but because God promised He would restore them.
We sometimes forget that death is not the end. Indeed, the Second Coming is not the end. Even being taken to Heaven is not the end. While each of these events represent a part of God’s judgment against sinful mankind, each of them represent the beginning of something else, eventually leading to our eternal life with God.
It is the realization of our own eternity that must factor into the exercise of our faith. We work to produce fruits of faith to protect that faith so that we can reach the real end, which is our promise of eternity in Heaven. In truth, we work hard in this short period of our own existence simply so that we can get to the good part later on.
DLH
