or the scripture that I would
bring to your attention this morning is found in Isaiah chapter
2 and verses 2 to 4 Isaiah chapter 2 verses 2 to 4 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. 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, 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. Nations shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. The prophet Isaiah has, with
good reason, I think often been called the fifth evangelist. There is so much of the gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ in this book, and there are many prophecies
concerning the Lord Jesus in this book. And here in chapter 2, we have a prophecy concerning
the gospel dispensation. Now in chapter 1, there was this
terrible word of denunciation. A terrible word of condemnation.
Verse 4, for example, in that chapter. Our sinful nation, a people laden
with iniquity. a seed of evildoers, children
that are corrupters, they have forsaken the Lord, they have
provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they have gone away
backward. was compared to Sodom and Gomorrah
in that chapter. In fact, more than that, they
were not only compared to Sodom and Gomorrah, they were actually
called Sodom and Gomorrah. Verse 10, Hear the word of the
Lord, ye rulers of Sodom, give ear unto the law of our God,
ye people of Gomorrah. This is addressed to Judah. Their worship, which they were
required to offer under the law, is denounced, verse 11, To what
purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, saith the
Lord? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat
of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks,
or of rams, or of he-goats. when ye come to appear before
me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts?
Bring no more vain oblations, incenses and abomination unto
me, the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies I cannot
away with, it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new
moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth, they are a trouble
unto me, I am weary to bear them. And when you spread forth your
hand, I will hide mine eyes from you. Yea, when you make many
prayers I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.
What a terrible word of denunciation. The nation is compared to a sick
body. Verse 5. The whole head is sick
and the whole heart faint, from the sole of the foot even unto
the head. There is no soundness in it,
but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been closed,
neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. The capital, Jerusalem, is compared
to a whore. Verse 21. How is the faithful
city become an harlot? It was full of judgments, righteousness
lodged in it, but now murderous. Her religious... Her princes, it says, which are
her civil and religious leaders, are denounced in verse 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." They were corrupt. And an awful judgment is pronounced
against this city and against this nation. Verse 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,
and I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy
dross, and take away all thy tin. And again, verse 28, And
the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together,
and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed, For they shall
be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall
be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall
be as an oak, whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no
water, and the strong shall be as toe, and the maker of it as
a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall
quench them. What awful judgments are pronounced
against this city and against this people! Ah, but how different
is the vision which we have here in the second chapter. The word that Isaiah, the son
of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem and it shall come
to pass in the last days that the mountain of the LORD'S house
shall be established in the tops of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.
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, and he shall judge among the nations, and
shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
any more. It's a complete change. You might say it's such a difference
as there is between law and gospel. Well, I'll consider five things
briefly with you this morning from the words of our text. I
trust with the Lord's help and with his blessing, which we all
of us depend upon. Firstly, what are the last days
spoken of here by Isaiah? Secondly, what is the Lord's
house that is spoken of here? And then thirdly, the flowing
of the nations onto it, we shall consider, and then fourthly,
the law that goes forth out of it, then fifthly, the blessed
effect of this law amongst the nations. So firstly, what are
the last days? Spoken of here by Isaiah. 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 mountain. and
shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto
it." What are these last days? Spoken of here by the Prophet.
Well, the Apostle John assures us that we are now in the last
days. 1 John chapter 2, verse 18. Little children, it is the last
time And as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now
there are many Antichrists, whereby ye know that it is the last time. And this of course was written
before the rise of the papacy. We have now witnessed the rise
of Antichrist, that man of sin, that wicked one. But John is
there saying that even then, as he was writing, we're in the
last time, the last days. Paul tells us that these gospel
days are the last days. To the Hebrews he writes, God,
who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto
the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son. These last days. They began with
the incarnation of the Son of God. when He who was the Son
of God from all eternity took upon Himself human flesh. It
was in the last days of the earthly temple that the spiritual temple
was raised up. It was in the last days of the
Aaronic priesthood that Christ came, a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. It was in the last days of the
Levitical sacrifices that Christ offered Himself. without spot
to God. The one sacrifice for sins forever. The first coming of Christ ushered
in the beginning of the last days. The second coming of Christ
will be the end of the last days, for then time shall be no more. That will be the end of time.
The very last day will be the day of judgment, when Christ
shall come again in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory, when the dead shall be raised, some to everlasting life
and some to shame and everlasting content. These gospel days are
the last days. The gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ is the full and final revelation of the mind and will
of Almighty God. 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, and many
people shall go and say, And let us go up to the mountain
of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. So in the second
place, what is the Lord's house spoken of here? Well, what is
a house? A house is a dwelling place,
isn't it? It's a habitation. Paul writing
to the believers at Ephesus says, Ye also are built together for
an habitation of God through the Spirit. The Gospel Church
is the habitation of God. It is His dwelling place. The
Lord's house, then, is the Church. And every true individual member
of the true Gospel Church is a living stone. chosen and put
into the building by God himself, because God is the builder and
maker of it. Peter, writing to the elect,
as he addresses them in his first epistle, says, Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house. Ah, this is the Lord's
house. The gospel church. Made up of
elect, ransomed sinners. Dr. Gill says that the church
is, and I quote, called the Lord's house because of his building
and where he dwells and which he will at his time beautify
and glorify. The materials of it are lively
stones or true believers laid on Christ the foundation into
which there is no right entrance but through faith in him who
is the door and where is plenty of provisions. The pillars and
beams of it are the ministers of the gospel and its windows
are the ordinances where Christ is as a son over his own house. He is the master of it, the high
priest and prophet of it, in it. And his servants are the stewards
of it, to give to everyone their portion. And happy are they who
have a name and a place Happy are they who have a name and
a place in it. Blessed are they who have a name and a place in
it. I wonder, are you among that happy people who have a name
and a place in the gospel church? Can we say with David that I
will dwell in the house of the Lord forever? Ah, but you notice
that it is also called a mountain. the mountain of the Lord's house.
And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain
of the Lord's house shall be exalted. So the mountain of the
Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains and
shall be exalted above the hills. In verse 3 we read that 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. So why a mountain? Why is the Gospel Church here
called a mountain? Well, the mountain of the Lord's house,
it shall come to pass It says here, in the last days
that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in
the top of the mountains and shall be established above the
hills. Why a mountain? Well, surely mountains are firm,
they are settled, they are unmovable. And so it is with the Gospel
Church. Jesus said, I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. All the gates
of hell, they do try, don't they? They do come against the gospel
church, they do try to overthrow it, they try to persecute it,
they try to put it down, they try to stamp it out. Well, they
might as well chip away at the foot of Mount Everest, because
they cannot destroy that which Christ is building. It's impossible. And surely there is a reference
here to the temple, which was built on Mount Zion. And that
temple, of course, was a type of Christ, but it was also a
type of the gospel church. As the temple was built upon
the mount, so the church is founded on the eternal and unchangeable
love of God in Christ Jesus. It is settled forever on the
eternal covenant of grace. and in the eternal decree of
an unconditional election. Of course it has for its foundation
the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the Rock of Ages. For other foundation
can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Well might
the hymn writer and well might the Lord's blood-bought chosen
people sing glorious things of thee are spoken Zion city of
our God he whose word cannot be broken formed thee for his
own abode on the rock of ages founded what
can shake thy sure repose and we notice also that the mountain
of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the
mountains it shall be established above the hills This is something,
you see, which will be clearly visible to all the world. And so the psalmist says, The
Lord hath made known his salvation, his righteousness hath he openly
showed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy
and his truth toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the
earth have seen the salvation of our God. the Lord Jesus Christ
said to his disciples and he still says to his church and
to his people ye are the light of the world a city that is set
on a hill cannot be hid this mountain of the Lord's house
shall be established in the top of the mountains for all to see and shall be exalted above the
hills that is above all those who would rise up against her
she is untouchable As I said, they will make the
attempt, and they do persecute, but yet the Church remains firm. It shall be exalted far above
all the vain philosophies of this world and all the enemies
of the Gospel, including those three unclean, frog-like spirits. that come out of the mouth of
the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the
mouth of the false prophet, which I would suggest are atheism,
Romanism, and Mohammedanism. The great persecutors, surely,
of the Church. The kingdom of our Lord Jesus
Christ far excels all the kingdoms of this world. All the kingdoms
of this world, all the great empires, pass. They go. They finish, they end. Great
nations rise, they fall. Is it not the case with our own
nation? The Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ far excels all the
kingdoms of this world because He is the blessed and only Potentate,
the King of Kings and Lord of Hosts and His Kingdom is an everlasting
Kingdom and all dominions shall serve Him. all dominions shall
serve him. It's written in the Psalms, Why
leap ye ye high hills? This is the hill which the God
desireth to dwell in. Yea, the Lord will dwell in it
forever. And so it is written here in
Isaiah, 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. So let
us consider thirdly the flowing of the nations unto it. We read
here, and all nations shall flow unto it. 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. Here we see the
gracious in-gathering of God's elect, not of the Jews only,
but of every nation under heaven. We see them there in the Revelation
as well, don't we? In Revelation 7 verse 9, after
this, I beheld a low, a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations and kindreds, and people and tongues, stood
before the throne and before the Lamb, and clothed with white
robes and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice,
saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne
and unto the Lamb! Oh, these are those who were
redeemed from among men, as the Scripture says. Not all are redeemed,
you see, but these are redeemed from among men. And here in Isaiah
we see them flowing, as it were, like a river, or like streams
of water to the house of the God of Jacob. And this is the
picture that we have here set before us, the flowing of a river. In Proverbs 21 we read, the king's
heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water. He turneth
it with us whoever he will. If the heart of the king is in
the Lord's hand, then surely the hearts of all lesser men
are likewise in the Lord's hand. And the Lord our God is able
to turn the hearts of all men as easily as he turns the rivers
of water, whithersoever he will, whithersoever he will. The hearts
of the elect amongst the nations are effectually turned by the
free and sovereign grace of God, as the rivers of water, and they
flow unto the house of the Lord. These are a people made willing
in the day of His power, as we read in the 110th Psalm. Thy
people shall be willing in the day of His power. I like that
hymn of Kent. We'll conclude the service with
it this morning. It's one of my favourite hymns.
There is a period known to God when all his sheep, redeemed
by blood, shall leave the hateful ways of sin, turn to the fold
and enter in. The appointed time rolls on apace,
not to propose, but call by grace to change the heart, renew the
will, and turn the feet to Zion's hill. And that's what we see
here, isn't it? The renewing of the will, the
turning of the feet to Zion's hill, 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. And we notice that those who
are effectually called by grace have a zeal and a concern for
the Lord's house and for the worship of God. 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. Oh, they would
willingly go to worship, and they would willingly encourage
others to do so too. Come ye, and let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,
and see how the Lord's people encourage one another. I was
glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the
Lord, says the psalmist. But we are to encourage one another.
Well, to encourage one another and let us consider one another
to provoke unto love and to good works, as Paul says, not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but
exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the
day approaching. What day? The last day. That's what we see the Lord's
people doing here. They're exhorting one another. here let us go up
to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob
we all need encouragement we all need encouragement you see
although there is a flowing onto the Lord's house yet this flowing
is supernatural for the flowing of this stream is upwards let
us go up to the mountain of the Lord as the flowing of a stream or
a river up a mountain would be against the law of gravity. Well, so our going up to the
mountain of the Lord's house is contrary to the flesh. It's
contrary to the flesh. There is resistance from our
old fallen Adamic nature. Oh, it's much easier to sit at
home, isn't it? than sometimes to come out on
a Thursday evening to the prayer meeting we have a nature that is bent
on backsliding that's why we must constantly be exhorting
one another and encouraging one another come ye and let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob
and you know their expectation and he will teach us of his ways
and we will walk in his paths. Oh, they come not to be taught
for doctrines the commandments of men, no. They come to be taught
of the Lord. He will teach us. He will teach
us. As Isaiah says again in another
place regarding the Lord's people, the gospel church, and all thy
children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace
of thy children. But what is the means by which
the Lord would teach his people? Well, we see it here in verse
3, that is, by means of the law, the word of the Lord. And he
would 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. So let us go on then, fourthly,
to consider this law, the law that goes forth out of Zion. What is this law? Well, the next
clause tells us. It says, if we're out of Zion,
shall go forth the law. Then the next clause gives us
the explanation of what that law is. The word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The word of the Lord from Jerusalem. This is the law that is spoken
of here. It's the word of the Lord. Often
in the scriptures, The law of the Lord refers to the word of
God in its entirety. We see it for example in Psalm
19. At verse 7, the law of the Lord
is perfect, converting the soul, the testimony of the Lord is
sure, making wise the simple, the statutes of the Lord are
right, rejoicing the heart, and so on. And if you read throughout
the Psalm 119, you'll see the same. The holy scriptures, the
word of God in its entirety is referred to as the law. Well,
so it is here, although I think more specifically, This law,
the word of the Lord, is really the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ. As Peter says, but the word of
the Lord endureth forever and this is the word which by the
gospel is preached unto you. And there are several instances
in the New Testament, of course, where the gospel is referred
to as a law. In Romans 3, verse 27. Where is boasting then? It is
excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, but
by the law of faith. And chapter 8 of Romans, verse
2. For the law of the spirit of
life in Christ Jesus that made me free from the law of sin and
death Galatians chapter 6 the second verse bear one another's
burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ it's the gospel James calls it the perfect law
of liberty the perfect law of liberty now I like William Gadsby's
hymn where he calls it the Law of the Lamb. The Gospels, the
Law of the Lamb, my soul of its glories shall sing, with pleasure
my tongue shall proclaim the Law of my Saviour and King. Oh, this law is not to be confused
with the Law of Moses, as promulgated on Mount Sinai. No, this law
was first promulgated from Jerusalem, as the Lord instructed his apostles
Remember how he said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus
it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third
day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached
in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And so it is written here, For
out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord
from Jerusalem. or the law of Moses promulgated
from Mount Sinai brings condemnation and death. The soul that sinneth it shall
die is the strict language of the law engraven on stones given
at Mount Sinai are but the gospel published from Mount Zion reveals
the forgiveness of sins and eternal life no more condemnation, no
more death No! Justification and life, eternal
life. And so Paul speaks of the appearing
of our God, of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who have abolished death,
have brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.
Oh, the law is written, this law is written not in tables
of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. And it is by this
means that this law of Christ. This is by means of this law,
I should say, that the Lord Jesus Christ judges among the nations. For it's written here, for out
of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem and he shall judge among the nations. This is the
means by which he judges among the nations. It is by his gospel.
You see, the preacher of the gospel reveals who they are who
are eternally saved by the grace of God, and who they are who
are eternally lost. To the one we are the saver of
death unto death, and to the other the saver of life unto
life. It is in this sense that Christ is said to judge among
the nations by means of His royal law. He that believeth on him is not
condemned but he that believeth not is condemned already because
he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God
again John says he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the
wrath of God abideth on him there's the judgment there's the judgment
again in John John 5 verse 24 verily, verily I say unto you
he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting
life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from
death unto life and in his first epistle John
says in 1 John 5 verse 12 he that hath the Son hath life and
he that hath not the Son of God hath not life we'll see what the risen Christ
says to his disciples in Mark's gospel what a solemn word this
is Mark 16 verse 15 and he said unto them go ye into all the
world and preach the gospel to every creature he that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall
be damned there's the judgment And the Gospel makes this division,
you see. It separates. There are those
who believe and who are saved, there are those who do not believe,
are lost. It is in this sense, then, that
the Lord judges among the nations. It is by means of His Gospel.
Many presume to sit in judgment on the Word of God as it's preached.
But little do they realize that the word of God is judging them.
For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem, and he shall judge among the nations, and
shall rebuke many people. Or remember the word of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth
not my words, hath one that judgeth him. The word that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in the last day. now you cannot say
to me here this morning that you have not heard Christ's word
you have heard it now fifthly and finally the blessed
effect of this gospel among the nations we see it here in verse
five and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their
Spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword
against nation. Neither shall they learn war
anymore. Now this is not to be understood
as some earthly paradise or some imagined millennial kingdom. No. This is not some earthly
paradise from which war has been banished. No, the Lord has told us that
wars would continue throughout the
dispensation of the Gospel. Matthew 24, verse 6, And ye shall
hear of wars, and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled,
for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. These things continue through
to the end, you see, but the end is not yet. for nation shall
rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there shall
be famines and pestilences pestilences, mark that and earthquakes in
diverse places all these are the beginning of sorrows so what are we to understand
then here in Isaiah's prophecy nation shall not rise up against
nation and so on Well surely, Isaiah is here speaking of the
Gospel Church. He is speaking of the effect
of the Gospel in the hearts of those who believe it and receive
it. That is the elect. He is speaking of the Gospel
Church. In the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, people of
all nationalities are able to worship side by side, at peace
with God and at peace with one another. And so Paul writes to
the Gospel Church at Colossae, where there is neither Greek
nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor
free, but Christ is all and in all. It is in the Gospel Church,
and it is only in the true Gospel Church, that this scripture is
fulfilled. And 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
any more. It's the same as Isaiah says
later on in this book. In chapter 9. Sorry, chapter 11, verse 6. The
wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie
down with the kid and the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow
and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together,
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking
child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child
shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den. they shall not hurt nor
destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of
the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Now
these creatures would naturally devour one another just as those
of different nations naturally fight with one another. Ah, but
here in the Gospel Church, here called My Holy Mountain, they're
at peace with one another. They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all My Holy Mountain, for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. These Scriptures
are now fulfilled. and they are being fulfilled
in the house of God, in the gospel church, in the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Such is the blessed effect of
the gospel and the preaching of it amongst the nations. Now the question we have to ask
ourselves as we draw to a conclusion is this. Do I have a name and
a place in the Lord's house, the gospel church? Has the gospel
of the grace of God had such a blessed effect in me as to
change my heart, renew my will, and turn my feet to Zion's hill? Have you been so taught of God
as to forsake your own works, both good and bad, to rest wholly
and entirely upon the finished work of the Redeemer, the Lord
Jesus Christ? Have you been brought to rely
totally upon His matchless grace? It is written in the prophets,
and they shall be all taught of God. Every man that hath heard
and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me, said Jesus. Have you been brought to Him? He is the door, as Dr. Hill said,
we mentioned him earlier. He's the only door into this
house. There's no entrance into the
Lord's house but through Him and by faith in Him. Surely all those who know anything
of that great salvation that is in Christ, surely all those
who know something of that deliverance from the power and the guilt
of sin, by the blood of a crucified Savior,
surely all those who know what it is to be quickened together
with Christ, who rejoice in a finished salvation, surely all such would
say with the psalmist, I will go in to thy house with burnt offerings
I will go into thy house with burnt offerings. I will praise
the Lord. It's my heart's desire to worship
this God who has dealt so bountifully with me, who has granted me so
great a salvation. Oh, we would willingly present
our bodies, a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which
is our reasonable service. I will go into the house of the
Lord with burnt offerings. May the Lord bless to us his
word and may he teach us his ways. May we walk in the paths
of gospel obedience. You know it says here in the
words of our text that he shall rebuke many people. He shall
rebuke many people. Well so Christ says in the Revelation,
doesn't he? As many as I love I rebuke and
chasten. Be zealous therefore and repent. Be zealous therefore and repent.
What are we to be zealous for? Well, surely one thing we should
be zealous for is the Lord's house. Did not Christ have a
zeal for his Father's house? The zeal of thine house hath
eaten me up, he said. Surely then, if we are truly
the Lord's, then we will have a true zeal for his house, for
his worship, May the Lord bless his word to us each and give
us an ear to hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 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. 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. And he shall judge among the
nations, and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations
shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn
war, Anymore. Amen.