1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days
the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.
The "Last days" is seen by some to mean the time since Jesus was crucified, others including myself see it to refer to the "1000 year reign of peace". The Mountain is Israel and it will be the seat of rule for the rest of the nations. Chief among the mountains indicates the 1 tribe (mountain) of the 12 tribes (mountains) will be above the others. The House of David will be this Chief Mountain among mountains. I see the "hills" as referring to the other nations/peoples of the world. Israel is called "Chosen" and referred to as a mountain while all other peoples/governments/nations are referred to as hills. It is an indication of God"s esteem of his Chosen people. During the Reign of Peace all nations will seek out rule and guidance from Israel, it will finally be apparent to the world that Israel is God"s choice to speak to mankind on God"s behalf.
3 Many peoples will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Here we see that people of differing nations will seek out spiritual rule from Israel. Notice that at this time they aren"t seeking to become members/citizens of Israel, but they do finally understand that God is speaking and instructing through Israel. This is the law that will go out from Zion.
4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.
All nations will accept the rule of Israel as Law and the final word in any dispute. There will be no war to settle a dispute during this time, there will be no need for it. Consider the huge amounts of resources world-wide that go into making and preparing for war. If those resources were put to better use we can see why the Reign of Peace will be a time of world-wide prosperity.
5 Come, O house of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Isaiah has seen the Glory that one day will be Israel and he is making a plea to Israel begin fulfilling its future role. The Day of the Lord
6 You have abandoned your people,
the house of Jacob.
They are full of superstitions from the East;
they practice divination like the Philistines
and clasp hands with pagans.
We still see this world-wide today, even amongst the advanced nations, just about every newspaper has horoscope printed in it. Charm bracelets are something still sold, numbers are considered lucky or unlucky, folks still throw that pinch of salt over their shoulder when the shaker is knocked over.
7 Their land is full of silver and gold;
there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is full of idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their fingers have made.
Israel has became just like any other nation ,there is nothing left to set them apart as Holy.
9 So man will be brought low
and mankind humbled"
do not forgive them. (Or; not raise them up)
Isaiah is asking God to refuse to relent and begin earnestly humbling mankind, not just Israel. He saw that not only was it time for Israel to begin living up to its chosen purpose, but that it was time for mankind to start living up to its purpose. That purpose is stated in these two Laws; To Love the Lord and To Love one another. The "not raise them up" is referring to being raised up or restored to a position of honor and respect, in other words "don"t relent".
10 Go into the rocks,
hide in the ground
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty!
In this verse along with verse 19 we see a reference to Revelation 6:15 Rev. 6:15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
11 The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled
and the pride of men brought low;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
The Lord alone will be exalted; this shows that God has fulfilled his desire himself. At this point Israel has yet to fulfill its role and therefore will not share in this exaltation yet.
12 The LORD Almighty has a day in store
for all the proud and lofty,
for all that is exalted
(and they will be humbled),
God has told the world that Israel is the chosen people and that the world is to hold them in higher regard than other nations, in this way he had exalted them. They too were to humbled one final time.
13 for all the cedars of Lebanon, tall and lofty,
and all the oaks of Bashan,
14 for all the towering mountains
and all the high hills,
15 for every lofty tower
and every fortified wall,
16 for every trading ship (Or; Hebrew text, every ship of Tarshish)
and every stately vessel.
Being among the chosen people, even the Noble or Leadership positions would be humbled.
17 The arrogance of man will be brought low
and the pride of men humbled;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
18 and the idols will totally disappear.
The whole world will endure this humbling and turn to God and follow his rule.
19 Men will flee to caves in the rocks
and to holes in the ground
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.
20 In that day men will throw away
to the rodents and bats
their idols of silver and idols of gold,
which they made to worship.
21 They will flee to caverns in the rocks
and to the overhanging crags
from dread of the LORD
and the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to shake the earth.
Refer to Revelation 6 to understand just how dreadful this humbling will be.
22 Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?
Once anyone comes to the knowledge that man has a soul, of what further use is any instruction that doesn"t come from God? Of what account is any man that doesn"t understand this?
Thanks
Mr-Pirk
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A proud owner of a Flying Vee. Bestowed by the fine Gentleman VC1111 himself.
Very good Mr. Pink. I am enjoying and learning from your study. I like the part where wepons will be turned into plow shares. Only God can bring a peace like this where no nation will practice war aganist another. Thanks again.
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Arrows and Words. Use them wisely, once released they can't be brought back.
Chris Miles
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Isaiah 2
