Isaiah 2:1-4

 

In Isaiah Chapters 2 – 4, Jerusalem is described in 3 different ways:

 

  1. 2:1-4 gives a prophetic description of Jerusalem in its new spiritual state, which we know is the church.
  2. 2:5 – 4:1 describes the current corrupt condition of Judah and Jerusalem and the doom that awaits it.
  3. 4:2-6 describes the Branch of the Lord, who is Jesus. and how the remnant of Jews will be blessed at the time of Jesus.

 

For our time this evening, we will just look at the first perspective in verses 1-4:

 

Isaiah 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.  2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.  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.

 

Isaiah introduces himself again and professes that he is speaking the word that he saw, which came from God. Verse 2 is a prophecy of the church and it has several elements to it:

 

  1. It would happen at a certain time “latter days.”
  2. It would be an institution “the mountain of Lord’s house.
  3. It would be built at a location “established on the top of the mountains.”
  4. It would be exalted above others “exalted above the hills.”
  5. It would involve all nations “all nations shall flow to it.”

 

This same prophecy is repeated by Micah in Micah 4:1-3. The “latter days” would be some time in the future. As we examine these 5 points, we will see this prophecy would also happen on the same day as part of Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled, which says:

 

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.  29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days..

 

Daniel also talks about the latter days as well:

 

Daniel 2:28 "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:

 

Daniel goes on to describe the future empires based on the image the king had saw in 31-34.

 

Head of gold – King Nebuchadnezzar

Breast and arms of silver– Medo-Persians

The belly and thighs of brass – Greece

Legs of Iron and feet of iron mixed with clay – Roman Empire (63 BC – 476AD)

 

In Verse 44, Daniel tells of an everlasting kingdom (the church) that would be set up during the 4th kingdom, which was the Roman Empire: 

 

Daniel 2:44 "And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

 

All of the prophecies about “latter days”, “those days”, those things that take place “afterward” all point to the great event that happened on the day of Pentecost during the Roman Empire. Peter specifically tells us when Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled:

 

Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.  15 "For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.  16 "But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:  17 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams.  18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.

 

By Peter stating that Joel’s prophecy was being fulfilled means that all other prophecies that had to do with the Messiah and His kingdom were also being fulfilled. The reign of Christ would be in the “latter days’ and His reign would never be succeeded by anyone else. There will be no other age or dispensation of time. There is a easy way to remember this. The prophecies of Isaiah 2, Joel 2, and Daniel 2 were fulfilled in Acts 2.

 

  1. It would be an institution “the mountain of Lord’s house.

 

The term mountain is used figuratively as a kingdom in verses like Psalm 76:4 and Jer. 51:25. I believe Isaiah is using the word mountain in the same way and that is referring to the Messianic kingdom that the Jews were looking forward to. This everlasting kingdom would be ruled by someone who came from the seed of David.

 

2 Samuel 7:12 " When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

 

As I mentioned earlier, this is that same everlasting kingdom that Daniel spoke of in Dan. 2:44. Of course, all of these prophecies are talking about the church/kingdom of God that was established on the day of Pentecost that Jesus reigns over. Jesus was from the seed of David since He was born from Mary. Jesus knew exactly who He was and what He was doing:

 

Matthew 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

 

This shows that Jesus was the one who built His church, and He uses the term “the kingdom of heaven” synonymously with the church. His church is the same as saying His kingdom.

 

  1. It would be built at a location “established on the top of the mountains.”

 

To the Jews this would literally mean Zion, their holy city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was built on the highest peak in Judah. This is why in the Bible when read about someone going to Jerusalem it always refers to them going up to Jerusalem no matter which direction they come from. When you combine the location of Jerusalem along with the description of this place from verse 3 and 4 our text in Isaiah 2, which specifically mentions Zion and Jerusalem itself, it becomes clear that the place that this everlasting kingdom would be established was Jerusalem.

 

The Book of Hebrews confirms that this eternal kingdom, which is the church, is the antitype of the literal Mount Zion in Jerusalem:

 

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,  23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven,

 

Hebrews 12:28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,

 

All of these verses simply show the place that the church/kingdom would be established would be Jerusalem.

 

  1. It would be exalted above others “exalted above the hills.”

 

Homer Hailey simply said: “It would transcend all the kingdoms of the world in greatness and grandeur.” Jesus gives a great example of just how great this new kingdom would be in:

 

Matthew 13:31 "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,  32 "which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."

 

No doubt, the spiritual kingdom that Jesus established is greater than any kingdom that has been, is, or will be. Only the kingdom of God can prevail against the gates of Hades, and only the kingdom of God can offer eternal salvation through Jesus.

 

  1. It would involve all nations “all nations shall flow to it.”

 

Unlike the old covenant, the new convent would allow all nations to become part of this new kingdom that Jesus built. So, both Jews and Gentiles can be part of it. This idea goes all the way back to the promise God made to Abram:

 

Genesis 12:3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

 

It was several years after Pentecost before the apostles understood that Gentiles were to be included in the kingdom of God, but without realizing it, Peter proclaimed the acceptance of the Gentiles on the Day of Pentecost as He spoke by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

 

 Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

 

Peter was telling the Jews what they needed to do to be saved and become part of this new kingdom, but notice this promise of salvation was not just for the Jews, their children, and their future generations, it was also for those who are afar off, which is reference to the Gentiles as can be seen Eph. 2:17. Furthermore, all those who would be called by God through His gospel (2 Thess. 2:14), would be part of the new kingdom, which clearly included everyone.

 

Even the Great Commission showed that all nations would be included in the good news of Jesus:

 

Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

 

 

All this shows that God’s plan from the beginning was to eventually include every person in His new kingdom.

 

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. 

 

The “many people” spoken of here is referring to both Jews and Gentiles. However, when the message of this new kingdom and what it offers was being taught, there were many more Gentiles that wanted to be part of it than the Jews. In fact, Paul saw this first hand because he talks about how the Gentiles were willing to accept this new kingdom while his fellow Jews were not:

 

Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.  46 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.  47 "For so the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.' "  48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.  49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region.

 

Isaiah also said in verse 3:

 

For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 

 

This is saying the same thing since the Word of God is His law. His word/law would go forth from Jerusalem because that is where it first began to be revealed in Acts 2. Notice what Jesus told His disciples in:

 

Luke 24:46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,  47 "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

 

Notice what Jesus tells His disciples shortly before His accession to heaven:  

 

Acts 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;  5 "for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."  6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"  7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.  8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

 

Jesus makes it easy for us to see that this new law was not the same law of the O.T. but it was something different and its would have it beginning at Jerusalem, and then it would go forth from their to all places and all nations. This would also fulfill the prophecy Jeremiah who said:

 

Jeremiah 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.  34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."

 

So this new law and its teachings would happen at the establishment of the kingdom/church that would begin at Jerusalem.

 

Let’s examine our last verse:

 

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.

 

This is one of the more difficult sections of the prophecies to understand, but here is the way understand it. The way that God will judge between the nations and rebuke them is through His Word. Keeping things in context, His Word/law will go forth from Jerusalem and its message is for all nations and it will rebuke and judge them all. We will all be judged by the words of this new law according to Jesus in:

 

John 12:48 "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 

 

When Isaiah said:

 

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.

 

This is simply a message of peace. It is not saying that there would be no more wars among men, it was saying those who enter into to this new kingdom and live by the Word that is taught from it will be at peace with one another within the kingdom of God. As Jesus said:

 

Matthew 5:9  Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

 

As Paul said:

 

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

 

Jesus is our example because He was our peacemaker who came to make peace between us and God.

 

Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,  15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,  16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.  17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.  18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

 

When we keep verse 4 in context with the prophecy of the new kingdom/church it becomes easier to understand this prophecy made by Isaiah. When we do live according to God’s Word there will always be peace within God’s kingdom, but unfortunately man can mess that up and cause strife and division through their arrogance of their own opinions, and they can upset the peace within the church, but men and women who do this are to be marked and avoided (Rom. 16:17-18).

 

In these short 4 verses, Isaiah gives us the most detailed prophecy in the O.T. about the coming of the kingdom/church that Jesus would reign over. I also want to mention that Micah gives this same prophecy in Micah 4.  I know I have covered a lot of material, so let me summarize it: 

 

  • We learned that Isaiah is prophesying about the coming kingdom/church.
  • It would happen in the latter days, which Daniel 2 said would happen during the Roman Empire and Joel 2 said that God’s Spirit would be poured out in those days, which Peter said happened on the Day of Pentecost.
  • This kingdom would be established in Jerusalem and its word/law would go forth from that place, which is exactly what we see happening on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
  • It is the greatest kingdom there is because it is eternal and offers those who are part of it eternal life in heaven.
  • It is a kingdom that is available for everyone who will seek it out.
  • When we live by its word/law, we will be at peace.

 

This prophecy that Isaiah made could not have been made by any man. The details he gives of the coming kingdom/church combined with the prophecies of Joel, Daniel, Micah, and others that all came to pass in Acts 2 proves to me that God is the one that gave them that information. So, these 4 short verses, offer strong evidence of the existence of God and His infinite wisdom.

 

Before I close out this lesson, I want offer you a few more facts about the establishment of the eternal kingdom the Isaiah spoke of.

 

The kingdom was not set up while Jesus was on the earth.

 

Mat. 3:1-3 John said the kingdom was at hand.

Mat. 4:17 Jesus said the kingdom was at hand.

Mat. 6:9 Jesus prays for the coming of the kingdom.

Mat. 10:7 Jesus sent the 12 out and told them to preach that the kingdom was at hand.

 

In Mark 9:1 we learn that the kingdom would come with power.

Luke 24:44-49 teaches that the Spirit and the power were to come together.

 

If we can show when the Spirit came, we can show when the kingdom came.

 

In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells the apostles to wait in Jerusalem to receive power from the HS

In Acts 2:1-4, The spirit came on Pentecost. So, the kingdom came at Pentecost.

 

When you read the N.T., you find that kingdom is spoken of as coming before Acts 2, but after Acts 2, the kingdom is spoken of as present reality (Col. 1:3; Acts 8:12).

 

These points just further prove that the kingdom/church the Isaiah prophesied of happened on the Day of the Pentecost in Acts 2.

 

I hope you have found this information helpful and interesting, I know that I did.