9-28-18 Today in the Word

Today in the Word
September 2018
Spiritual Geography: Mountains and Valleys in Scripture
THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD, PART 1
Friday, September 28, 2018 | Isaiah 2:1–5
In the north garden at the United Nations in New York City stands a sculpture entitled, “Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares.” A gift from the former Soviet Union, this bronze artwork was created in 1957 by Evgeniy Vuchetich. It shows a blacksmith hammering a sword into a plow, “symbolizing man’s desire to put an end to war and convert the means of destruction into creative tools for the benefit of all mankind.”
This sculpture is based on the prophet Isaiah, especially verse 4 in today’s reading: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” This marvelous prophecy will be fulfilled when Christ establishes His kingdom after His Second Coming.
At that time, “The mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains” (v. 2). The “mountain of the Lord” or “Mount Zion” is Jerusalem. The nations will go there to learn about God, not merely out of intellectual curiosity but for the purpose of obedience (v. 3). This includes even the enemies who had attacked Jerusalem before Christ returned (see Zech. 14:16). He will rule, judge, and keep the peace with perfect justice (v. 4). “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord” (Isa. 11:9).
Another picture of this time is of a feast or a banquet. “On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples” (Isa. 25:6). This is a banquet suitable for the coronation of the King and for the “wedding supper of the Lamb” (see Rev. 19:9). Death and sorrow will be no more. We will sing: “This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation” (Isa. 25:9; Rev. 19:7).
APPLY THE WORD
In light of these glorious truths, “let us walk in the light of theLord” (v. 5). Walking is a metaphor for living life. To walk in this way of the Lord means to love, worship, and obey Him now, as all the world will do one day. By doing so we become the “aroma of Christ” and bring glory to God (see 2 Cor. 2:14–15; 1 Peter 2:12).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more