That We May Walk in His Paths

Isaiah 2:1-2 NASB

 

The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

 

Now it will come about that

In the last days

The mountain of the house of the Lord

Will be established as the chief of the mountains,

And will be raised above the hills;

And all the nations will stream to it.

 

The last (or the latter) days are in specific reference to the Messianic age and the time period between Jesus’ resurrection back to heaven, and him coming back to take his bride, his faithful ones, to be with him for eternity. And the mountain of the house of the Lord is a specific reference to Zion, and Zion is now a term used in reference to describe both Jesus Christ and his church. And the house of the Lord (the temple of God) is now Jesus Christ and his church (John 2:19-21; 2 Corinthians 6:16).

 

Now the old temple of God under the Old Covenant was a physical temple in Jerusalem where the people of God came to worship the Lord and to hear the word of the Lord taught, and where physical sacrifices were made for the sins of the people. The temple housed the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, which is where the presence of God was experienced. Yet, we who believe in Christ to be Lord of our lives today are of the heavenly Jerusalem, and we are now the children of promise (See: Galatians 4:21-31).

 

And Jesus Christ will be and has been established as superior to all other gods, and things that are worshiped, and also places of worship (Reference: mountains as high places of worship). He will be and has been exalted above the heavens (Hebrews 7:26). And “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name…” (Philippians 2:9). And all nations will stream (run) to him – to his gospel of salvation – people from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues (Revelation 7:9-17).

 

So this “mountain” of the house of the Lord is really and mainly Jesus Christ, but as his body we are also part of that mountain, plus we and the Lord are the house of the Lord, his temple. But specific references here are made only to him, which will become clear if they are not already. For this is about lifting up Jesus Christ and giving him the place of highest honor, and he is to be raised above all other gods which are worshipped, and people from all over the world will flock to Jesus Christ and to his true church.

 

Isaiah 2:3,5 NASB

 

“And 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;

That He may teach us concerning His ways

And that we may walk in His paths.”

For the law will go forth from Zion

And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.’”

 

“Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

 

Now this is where it becomes even more clear that this is talking about an individual person and not about a literal physical mountain. For they reference the mountain of the Lord and the house of the God of Jacob as a “he,” and as someone who will teach us His ways. And in the Messianic age it is Jesus Christ who is teaching us his ways via the Holy Spirit who dwells in the lives of Christ’s followers. And it is the ways of the Lord which we must now walk in, and not the ways of the flesh and of human beings.

 

And in these last days there are people who are turning their hearts to Jesus Christ, in truth. But in our day and time, and in America where I live, I would not say that “many” are wanting to be taught the ways of the Lord so that they can, in truth, walk (in conduct, in practice) in his paths. Perhaps in other nations, where Christians are being persecuted, many are streaming to the Lord Jesus, desirous to know his ways so that they can walk in them, but I would say right now those numbers are few where I live.

 

But, time is not up, and Jesus has not yet returned, and from what I read in the book of Revelation, people will still be coming to faith in Jesus Christ even in the time of tribulation, and the bride of Christ will be making herself ready for the Lord’s return. And the true church, the body of Christ, will be experiencing great persecution and tribulation, which perhaps is needed for the church to be revived and for many others to come to faith in Jesus before he returns and he takes his bride to be with him for eternity.

 

Persecution of Christians in last days: [Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

 

And the “Law” being spoken of here in the Messianic age is the gospel of our salvation and not the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, purification, sacrificial, and dietary laws. So, out of Jesus Christ has come forth and is going forth the gospel of our salvation. And from the witness of the church in the world is going forth the gospel and the word of the Lord. And many are being taught the ways of the Lord so that they can walk in them. But in America, the many are being taught a diluted and an altered gospel.

 

But I have confidence that those who are sharing the truth of the gospel, that what they are sharing is going out to the people of the world, and that people are believing in Jesus Christ, in truth, and they are forsaking their lives of living in sin in order to follow our Lord in obedience to his ways. And I believe that, even though it appears that “the many” in America are rejecting the truth of the gospel now, that some or many of them will one day turn from their sins and follow Jesus in obedience.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

For Our Nation  

 

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

 

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

 

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

 

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

 

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

 

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