The Prophecy of Isaiah - Part 9 Discussion

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Isa 2: 1-5 The Mountain of The LORD'S House Shall Be Established In The Top of The Mountains

Isa 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isa 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

These words are always applied by the churches of Babylon to the thousand year reign of "our Lord and His Christ". It is also affirmed that the physical nation of Israel will be ruling over the nations of this earth at that time. I hope in our study today to demonstrate that nothing could be farther from the truth of the scriptures simply because there is a great battle at the end of the thousand year reign, and because Israel will "return to [her] former estate... when Sodom... returns to [her] former estate" and "all Israel [will remain] in... blindness... until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Eze 16:55 and Rom 11:25).

First let's take note of the words of the first verse of this second chapter, and notice how similar they are to the opening words of this prophecy of Isaiah. Here are the first two verses of chapter one:

Isa 1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.

Compare these words to the first verse of this second chapter:

Isa 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Notice that chapter one tells us Isaiah "saw... the vision... concerning Judah and Jerusalem", while chapter two tells us he "saw... the word... concerning Judah and Jerusalem". Applying "the dream is one" principle (Gen 41:26), it is clear that seeing "the vision... concerning Judah and Jerusalem, and seeing "the word... concerning Judah and Jerusalem" are one and the same, and both are telling us what is the word of the Lord concerning Judah and Jerusalem, His people.

Jeremiah's prophecy is addressed to the same audience:

Jer 22:2 And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:

The admonition is to "Hear the word of the Lord", and in verse 22 of this same chapter is speaking to the same audience, but instead of "O king of Judah... and your people", we see the people of God called 'earth, earth, earth':

Jer 22:29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.

The 'earth' was raised up out of the waters of the sea on the third day and was placed just a little bit closer to the heavens in that position. That is the position of God's nominal people:

Gen 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
Gen 1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

When Isaiah tells us he "saw... the Word" of the Lord, what he is telling us is that we are to "hear the word of the Lord" he has been given to 'see' with the eyes of his understanding. That is what the 'vision' Isaiah had, and that is what the 'words he saw' concerning God's people are telling us.

The apostle Paul brings 'the vision' and 'the word' together in these words:

Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

It is "the eyes of our understanding" which give us to have and to see "the vision" which the Lord wants us to have and to 'see'.

But now we have been blessed to be spoken to not just by prophets like Isaiah, but by God's own Son.

Heb 1:1 God, who formerly spoke in many portions and in many ways to the fathers by the prophets, spoke to us in these last days by a Son,
Heb 1:2 whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the ages. (ACV)

Through His Son, through Christ, we are given a much clearer 'vision' than with His words that Isaiah was given to see and to share with us. This serves to make this verse of scripture much more meaningful:

Pro 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Here we have 'no vision' being contrasted with 'hearing' and being obedient to the Lord's Word, and disobedience is being equated with having no vision leading to the people perishing. He who keeps the Lord's Words has been given vision because the eyes of His understanding have been enlightened to "know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints".

The "word [Isaiah] saw, [and] the vision of Isaiah concerning Judah and Jerusalem" is a type of "the eyes of [our] understanding being enlightened; that [we] may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power".

Christ tells us:

Luk 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

King Solomon, the son of King David, received his kingdom from his father just as Christ was "appointed... a kingdom [from His] Father. But where is Christ's kingdom located? Here is the answer to that question:

Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Christ confirms His words here through the pen of the apostle Paul:

Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Christ's "inheritance is... within you... the kingdom of God is within you".
That "great... power" is working at this very moment in "the mountain of the Lord's house" within those in whom the kingdom of God dwells. "The kingdoms of this world" (Rev 11:15), are also within us, and those kingdoms are being subdued at this very moment, in this age within all of those who will be given to rule over the outward kingdoms of this world at the time of the first resurrection and the beginning of the thousand year reign of "our Lord and His Christ" (Rev 11:15).

In the inward sense, our next verse is being fulfilled now, in this age.

Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

As we subdue the nations within us, those 'nations' within will be subdued "according to the working of His mighty power", by which power we are given to "over[come] all the power of the enemy". As has been so graphically demonstrated time and time again, any of us can easily be conquered by the beast, and that beast can take back the very throne of his kingdom which is not rightfully his, and when that happens we will find ourselves outside the gates of the city of God and outside His kingdom. At that point we will have been swallowed up by the earth and destroyed by the serpents and scorpions, which are all the false doctrines and the arrows of the adversary. Whether we overcome the adversary or whether we are overcome by the adversary, and we will experience both as next week's study will demonstrate, God has already written our days in "[His] book" (Psa 139: 16 ASV). As has been graphically illustrated for us time and again, we must be careful never to take our standing with Christ for granted because all we do is all being done "according to the working of His mighty power... after the counsel of His own will", which we are not yet given to know (Eph 1:11)

1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

We are all first the victims in the Lord's work within us, and then we are all the blessed of these words each in our own appointed time:

Exo 15:12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
Exo 15:13 Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation.

Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

If indeed we are given "power... over all the power of the enemy" and we are granted to remain faithful to the end of this age as one of that "blessed and holy... few [who are] chosen" in this age (Rev 20:6) to be "the very elect" of God, then this next verse will be ours, as those who were faithful to His law and His Word in this age. After our fiery trials in this age we will be given to bestow these blessings upon the "many" at their appointed time:

Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Notice the stark change in tone from the dire warnings against Jerusalem and Judah as the city that has become a harlot in verses 21-28 of chapter one:

Isa 1:21 How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.
Isa 1:22 Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water:
Isa 1:23 Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
Isa 1:24 Therefore saith the Lord, the LORD of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies:
Isa 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:
Isa 1:26 And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Isa 1:27 Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness.
Isa 1:28 And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.

The book of Revelation has its foundations in the books of the prophets of the Old Testament. They one and all tell the same three-step story of a nation that was 1) delivered from bondage by God, then 2) became proud and fat and reverted right back to their sins. Then we are told that they, as "types of us", 3) will be judged with a great judgment, and will again become a "righteous [and] faithful city". "Zion shall be redeemed with judgment..."

In Revelation 22 that "law, and... word of the Lord from Jerusalem" is called "a pure river of water of life":

Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Revelation 22 is the product of the judgment of the seven churches of Asia. It is the product of the judgment of Jerusalem and Judah who are those who are redeemed through the three steps of being delivered, falling away in fatness and corruption, and being judged for that corruption, to become "the word of the Lord from Jerusalem... a pure river of water of life".

It is only as "kings and priests" that anyone can "[send] forth the law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem":

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

It is manifested that being 'ruled with a rod of iron' is not the same as being judged, because the nations do indeed rise up to do war with Christ and His Christ after the thousand year are expired:

Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

If Satan can "gather together... the nations which are in the four quarters of he earth... to battle", then it is manifested that this is not yet the time when it can be said "neither shall they learn war any more."

Isa 2:4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

It will only be after "the thousand years are expired", and all the nations of all time will be raised up from the dead to be "judged... according to their works", that it can be said "He shall judge among many nations and shall rebuke many people... nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more".

Judgment is now, first upon the house of God (1Pe 4:17). There is not another 'judgment' until the "great white throne... judgment" which does not take place until after the thousand year reign of Christ. The millennium is not a "time [of] judgment... upon the house of God". Rather it is a time of ruling carnal people "with a rod of iron".

Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

This thousand year reign with a rod of iron has nothing in common with Isaiah 2:4 or with what Micah repeats for us here:

Mic 4:3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

If that is true then when will God bring the physical nation of Israel to repentance for their sins and for rejecting their Savior? God has revealed to us the timing of that event. But like all the doctrines of Babylon, their doctrines simply do not line up with the doctrines of scripture. The churches of Babylon teach that Isa 2:4 and Mic 4:3 are both prophecies of Christ's millennial reign, during which they teach that all physical Israel will be raised up from the dead to be the dominant nation on earth, and that physical Israelites will rule this world during that thousand year reign of Christ on this earth.

But is that what the scriptures teach? No, it most definitely is not what the scriptures teach us! This rather is "when" the scriptures do teach us that "all [physical] Israel shall be saved". We are actually told 'when' that will take place, and 'when' physical Israel will all be brought back 'to [their] former estate':

Eze 16:53 When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy [physical Judah and Jerusalem] captives in the midst of them:
Eze 16:54 That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
Eze 16:55 When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then [and not until then] thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.

Christ knew these verses in Ezekiel, and this is how He said the same thing:

Mat 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Mat 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

Paul affirms this doctrine in the book of Romans:

Rom 11:7 What then? [Physical] Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.

Here is how Paul sums up the timing of the salvation of his "kinsmen according to the flesh", the salvation of all physical Israel (Rom 9:3):

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

"The fulness of the Gentiles" includes "Sodom... return[ing] to [her] former estate", which Biblical doctrine destroys two of the false doctrines of Babylon. 1) Not only are Sodom and Samaria to be redeemed, but 2) physical Israel will not be redeemed until Sodom and Samaria are also returned to their former estate; "until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in". And that will not be until after "the thousand years are expired".

Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. [eons of the eons]
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

As is always the case, the first physical man is destroyed, and through that destruction the new spiritual man is born. The first seed of Abraham, Ishmael, is cast out, and through that casting away, the last seed of Abraham, Isaac, in type becomes the child of promise (Gal 4:28). So it is with Israel. The first physical Israel is "blinded [and] broken off", and through their "cut[ting] off" the true Jew and "the [true] Israel of God" is brought forth. (Rom 11:22)

Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

But no one can take for granted their citizenship in Israel, because that blessing is given only to those who live lives that bring forth fruits fit for repentance from dead works, and that brings us to the last verse of our study today:

Isa 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Now we know that only "When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then [and not until then] thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate."

Galatians 6:16 says "walk according to this rule", and Isaiah 2:5 tells us we must "walk in the light of the Lord". If we are not yet given to bring forth that walk, then it simply has not yet be given us to truly be the "house of Jacob... the Israel of God".

When we read...:

Isa 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

...What we are being told is that the kingdom of God "within" is being placed above, or "in the top of", the kingdoms of this world within us, and the desire to please that kingdom of God is "exalted above" every other physical desire we may have in this life. If "the eyes of our understanding [are] being enlightened" to understand that all of this must happen inwardly first, then we will say, "Yes Lord", when we are beseeched on Christ's behalf: "O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD." It is only those who have this experience within first, who will be granted to rule and reign over the physical nations of this world during the thousand year reign of "our Lord and His Christ" over the kingdoms of this world (Rev 11:15).

So Isaiah 1 and Isaiah 2 are both saying the same thing to us all. Both chapters, as we will see next week, are speaking to us about the process of being judged, as does all of scripture:

1Co 11:32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [for judgment]

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1Pe 4:18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection [is judged now, in this age]: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

It is my prayer that these words apply to everyone who is hearing this study and everyone who may read it.