From cover to cover, the Bible proclaims the greatest news of all: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It declares that a repentant sinner can be eternally saved; a guilty person can be set free from sin; an empty person can be filled with the Holy Spirit; a desperate person can rejoice again; a sorrowful person can be comforted; a life, whether short or long, can be meaningful; a soul can live forever with Jesus in heaven. That's the Good News of the Gospel revealed through the Bible in its entirety. 

When Israel persisted in rebelling against Him, worshiping idols and scorning calls to repentance for hundreds of years, our longsuffering, loving God finally permitted His people to be taken into captivity by the Babylonians. Then, as time wore on, God's people grew used to the Babylonian lifestyle. They enjoyed the godless living, the materialism, the sensuality, the entertainment, the idols. They forgot about their homeland and their God. However, there was always a faithful remnant who looked for the good news of deliverance, when they would once again be physically and spiritually in the presence of God.

This is indeed a picture of our day, when so many of God's people are wrapped up in all that this world has to offer—false belief systems, entertainment, politics, sports, and more. But there yet remains a remnant, just like in Isaiah's day, of those who long for freedom from sin and addiction; those who are desperate to know the Truth that will set them free; those who have been misled by false teachers and long for the true Gospel—the only Gospel with power to save eternally. It's a message God has called His people to deliver boldly and faithfully (see Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Corinthians 5:20).

So Isaiah exclaims, "How beautiful!" regarding the feet of messengers of the Good News. He was rejoicing in the beauty of the Good News and the speed by which it is delivered—the beauty of the Gospel message as it transforms lives, moving from mountain to mountain, valley to valley, town to town, and home to home. Today we echo Isaiah: "How beautiful is the courage of the believer who shares Christ with his neighbor. How beautiful are the voices that fill an empty life with the Word of God!"

My friend, the Gospel knows no geographical boundaries. No language or culture can hinder its power to save when it is faithfully proclaimed. It redeems people indifferent to God into passionate lovers of Jesus—terrorists into saints, atheists into evangelists, selfish people into selfless individuals. That is the power of the Good News that "God reigns!" (Isaiah 52:7).

You see, God reigns in the hearts of all who repent and receive Christ as Lord—whether a repentant Muslim, agnostic, secular humanist, backslidden Christian, or church-going American. There is no royal road to God; man and woman, rich and poor, every tribe, tongue, and nation, all receive salvation in the same way—through the blood of Jesus—making them no longer enemies of God but co-heirs with Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit.

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, . . ." (Isaiah 52:7). Today is the day to share the Good News of Christ Jesus—the message that every page of Scripture proclaims. The time is short; the hour is now; the opportunity is today, for the Good News is only good news if it gets there on time.