Isaiah 11:8
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
The verse means that even a very young and most vulnerable child will play by the lair of venomous serpents and put his hand upon it without danger or fear. It is part of Christ's work of judging with righteousness and equity and slaying wickedness by his word, whose result is complete safety and harmlessness under his reign. Nothing shall hurt nor destroy in all God's holy mountain because the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. It belongs to the prophecy of the restored, renewed earth to come, when creation is subdued to Jesus and wild creatures and humanity live together in universal peace and harmony. That peaceful life is fulfilled under his rule at his second coming when groaning ceases, while it is also placed in life on the new earth after the thousand years and on the journey toward Mount Zion.
Christ's Reign of Peace
Isaiah 11:8 is part of the account of Christ's work and its results, in which He judges with righteousness and equity and slays wickedness by His word. That work brings a peace that reaches even wild and venomous creatures, so that the sucking child can play on the hole of the asp and the weaned child can put his hand on the cockatrice's den in complete safety and harmlessness under His reign without harm from poisonous serpents. Nothing shall hurt nor destroy in all God's holy mountain, because the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
Safety in the Renewed Earth
The verse belongs to the prophecy and picture of the restored, renewed earth, the peaceful world to come where the fear and harm found in the present world will be gone. In that renewed earth creatures that are now dangerous live in peace, formerly dangerous animals live together without threat, and children are safe among them even near venomous creatures. The child at ease beside the asp's hole shows that danger and fear are gone and that no harm threatens in the world to come. It will be fulfilled under Jesus' rule at His second coming, when creation is subdued to Him and the transformed animal kingdom lives in universal peace. Then even poisonous creatures will no longer threaten children, universal peace will prevail, the groaning and lamentation of creation will cease, and the earth will again be very good.
This scene is presented as life on the new earth after the thousand years, where beasts live together in peace and people pass among them without fear. It is presented as part of the saints' journey toward Mount Zion, with beasts living together in perfect union in a safe, glorious wilderness. In that restored world wild beasts live in harmony and perfect peace, with no creature threatening or harming another. The vision of a child among dangerous snakes shows that even the most vulnerable are safe, and that children will be safe even near poisonous serpents.
Humanity will be restored to its lost kingship and the lower order of beings will again recognize human authority, with the fierce become gentle and the timid trustful. In the earth made new nothing in God's holy mountain will harm or destroy, and even a small child can play beside venomous snakes without danger under humanity's restored rule. Even a sucking and weaned child, a very young and most vulnerable child, will play on the hole of the asp and put his hand on the cockatrice's den and approach a venomous snake's lair without danger. This fearlessness shows that danger and fear are gone and illustrates complete safety and freedom from harm among living creatures in God's holy mountain.