His peace, not the peace that the world gives, His peace in truth and righteousness will reign over all the earth.
Isaiah 2:3 Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
We study to get closer to God by following the ways of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament prophets warned Israel about trouble, but they also promised blessings if they listened to God. The last 7 years of the tribulation will lead to the return of our King, Jesus. God always disciplines those He loves. The truth is, Israel was becoming just like their neighbors. Idols were everywhere, and people worshiped things made by human hands. The day of the Lord will come to those who live in arrogance and pride, without caring about others. Then they will throw away their idols and greed because they are afraid of God’s judgment.
In the final days, the southern kingdom of Judah will witness Jesus’s triumphant return. The entire world will bask in His benevolence, where they’ll be enlightened about the truth of creation and God’s profound love for them. Jerusalem will become the global capital, ushering in an era of unparalleled peace and truth.
Isaiah 3:9 The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves. 10 “Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.
The righteous will be rewarded, while the wicked will face consequences. God blessed the tribe of Israel with everything they needed to live comfortably. They were to use the blessings to care for others. They knew that God hates arrogance and pride.
Amos 9:13 Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. 14 I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15 I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,” Says the Lord your God.
There will be a bounty of blessings in all aspects of life for those who embrace Jesus as the Savior to the Gentiles and the King of the Jews.
Jeremiah 31:31 31 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
The world is finally going to find peace! God is going to make a new covenant with Israel, and this time, it’s going to be unbreakable. He’s going to put His law right in their hearts, and they’ll be His people forever. Everyone will know Him.
Even though there will always be a remnant who stay true to God’s laws and His righteousness, the rest of the world will finally understand and respect God’s gift of salvation in Jesus the Christ the King of the Jews. Carla
Judah has turned away from God’s teaching, but one day all the nations will seek it eagerly. The Hebrew word for “teach” is a verbal form of the word “Torah,” meaning “law” or “instruction.” The book of Proverbs teaches that right living comes from following God’s ways or moral and ethical principles for living (Prov 3:6; 20:24). Divine decrees originated on God’s holy mountain. God’s mountain will be a center for international justice. From there, God’s sovereignty over all things will be acknowledged. Judah has been under threat of war for years; one day, God’s righteous reign on earth will be accompanied by international peace. Weapons of war will be refashioned into agricultural implements. Faithlife Study Bible
By quoting the people’s words, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, Isaiah vividly depicts their regenerated hearts, since the unregenerate do not seek God. One glorious day there will be an end to all weapons, an end to all warfare. This will be possible only because of the reign of the Prince of Peace, the Savior King whose name is Jesus. The NKJV Study Bible
The calling of the Gentiles, the spread of the gospel, and that far more extensive preaching of it yet to come, are foretold. Let Christians strengthen one another, and support one another. It is God who teaches his people, by his word and Spirit. Christ promotes peace, as well as holiness. If all men were real Christians, there could be no war; but nothing answering to these expressions has yet taken place on the earth. Whatever others do, let us walk in the light of this peace. Let us remember that when true religion flourishes, men delight in going up to the house of the Lord, and in urging others to accompany them. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Joel 3:10
Beat your plowshares into swords
And your pruning hooks into spears;
Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’ ”
Isaiah 11:6–9
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
The calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze;
Their young ones shall lie down together;
And the lion shall eat straw like the ox…
Hosea 2:18
In that day I will make a covenant for them
With the beasts of the field,
With the birds of the air,
And with the creeping things of the ground.
Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth,
To make them lie down safely.
Zechariah 9:10
I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace to the nations;
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Today I’ve carried Maya Angelou’s words with me, “My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.”
Yes, and amen. Today I was writing about her words sitting along the Douro River in Porto. While I wrote, the busker is singing John Lennon’s words, “You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man”
When he finishes, I stand and say, “Amen.”
Sabbath Moments
1 Timothy 6:6 (ESV) "But godliness with contentment is great gain ..."
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