“The word which Isaiah the son of Amotz saw upon (the subject of) Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, the mountain of the house of Jehovah is set up in the summit of the mountains, and is exalted more than the hills; and all the goyim shall flow unto it. And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, Come, go, up unto the mountain of Jehovah, unto the house of the God of Jacob, and He shall teach us out of His ways, and we shall go in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth law and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:1-3, Heb.)

I.The Church’s Glory. 1. The establishment of the Christian Church. The subject of this prophetic word is the same as the title of the book, except that there Isaiah saw a vision, where here he saw the word. “The word which he saw” refers to the spiritual insight he had into what was divinely revealed., Like John the Apostle, what was too blinding to, behold with the physical eye he saw “in spirit” (Rev. 1:10).

“And it shall come to pass in the last days. . .” This is a prophecy of the last days, which are the gospel times, when the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22) that is, the above-Jerusalem (Gal. 4:26) would be established. We are now living in the last days. (See Heb. 1:1-2; I John 2:18; Acts 2:17; I Pet. 1:19-20). This is the time in which Christ appeared in His first coming (Heb. 9:26) and in which also we must look for His second coming (Heb. 9:28). This is the time when the church would be exalted and the Gentile world brought into it (Isa. 2:1-4; see Mic. 4:1-4; Isa. 4:2-6; Isa. 9:1, 2), and looks down to the end, to the heavenly Jerusalem of the last days (Is. 1:26, 27), to the destruction of Antichrist and his minions (Is. 2:12, 18-21 with Dan. 8:9-14, 24, 25; Rev. 6:12-17), and to the kingdom of glory (2:4) and the New Jerusalem of the New Earth (Rev. 21:10, 24, 26). Isaiah has no earthly millennium in his view.

“In the last days shall be set up the mountain of the house of Jehovah.” By the mountain of the Lord’s house is meant the kingdom of Christ. A mountain in scripture symbolism represents a kingdom, as in Dan. 2:35, “the stone that smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Cp. Rev. 17:9, 10). This is not an earthly millennial kingdom, for “it shall stand” not just for a thousand years, but “forever” (Dan. 2:44). The Christian Church and Christianity (the religion of Jehovah) will in those days be the mountain of the Lord’s house, “which shall never be destroyed.” The gates of hell cannot prevail against it. “The Lord’s house” is the church, as the very word church itself literally means “the Lord’s house.” (From kuriake: kuriou, the Lord’s, plus oikos, house. Cp. Ger., Gotteshaus).

“The mountain of the Lord’s house shall be set up in the summit (head) (i.e., Zion. v. 3) of the mountains.” Christ’s kingdom tops all kingdoms, and He himself is the head and ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev. 1:5). His kingdom is “secured in the everlasting and electing love of God, and in the unalterable covenant of grace, founded on the Rock, Christ” (John Gill). Christ is the Head over all things, and in the last day, in His church He alone shall be exalted (2:11, 17). “And (it is) exalted (lifted up) from (more than) the hills.” The false gods had their mountains; Mt. Olympus, the Seven Hills of Rome; Capitol Hill and even Mt. Sinai are superceded by the spiritual Zion. The disciples of Christ are like a city on a hill which cannot be hidden (Matt. 5:14). So the wisdom of God, the mystery of the gospel, outshines all the world’s wisdom, philosophy and politics.

2. The Gentiles Entering into It. “And all the goyim shall flow into it.” At the tower of Babel the nations were scattered in judgment over the face of the earth. On Pentecost the nations by grace flowed into the church at Jerusalem. Then was, and throughout this age of the last days, is fulfilled, “unto Him shall the gathering of the people be” (Gen. 49:10). Goyim were forbidden to come to the temple at Jerusalem, but Isaiah prophecies they shall come to it. Now the middle wall of partition is broken down, and all the (elect) goyim flow into the Lord’s house.

3. The Mutual Encouragement of Its Members in their desire to be instructed in the religion of Jehovah, and in the only place where they may learn of the true God, Zion, the church. For it is in the, church where God will teach them. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was the center of truth. In the New Testament, the heavenly Zion is the center of truth, and the spiritual Zion is made up not only of one nation, but “many nations,” in fact, of “all nations” (v. 2). Gentile converts, speaking here, persuade others to join them in the spiritual Zion to share and enjoy the gospel of salvation. They enthusiastically encourage one another: Let’s go! go up to the mountain of Jehovah! to the House of God of Jacob! and He shall teach us of His ways! Where there is true spiritual life prevailing, there will be great diligence in taking huge delight in going up to the house of the Lord, and in exciting others to go along! (Ps. 122:1). When grace is in the soul there will be a delighted concern for the house of God and His worship in it. Going to God’s house frequently and regularly will be regarded with pleasure, and though perhaps not without its difficulties, as duty, and privilege. God’s ways are learned in His church, in communion with His people, and in the use of the sacraments.

At this point Calvin says, “And shall say, Come. ‘By these words he first declares that the godly will be filled with such an ardent desire to spread the doctrines of religion, that every one not satisfied with his own calling and his personal knowledge will desire to draw others along with him. And indeed nothing could be more inconsistent with the nature of faith than that deadness which would lead a man to disregard his brethren, and to keep the light of knowledge choked up within his own breast. The greater the eminence above others which any man has received from his calling, so much the more diligently ought he to labor to enlighten others.

‘This points out to us also the ordinary method of collecting a Church, which is, by the outward voice of men; for though God might bring each person to himself by a secret influence, yet he employs the agency of men, that he may awaken in them an anxiety about the salvation of each other. . . Next Isaiah shows that those who take upon them the office of teaching and exhorting should not sit down and command others, but should join and walk along with them as companions; as we see that some men are very severe instructors, and eager to urge others forward, who yet do not move a step. But here believers, instead of addressing to their brethren the command, Go up, rather lead the way by their own example. This is the true method, therefore, of profitable teaching, when, by actually performing what we demand, we make it evident that we speak with sincerity and earnestness.'”

“We will walk in his paths.” When taught of God’s ways men will want to walk in his paths. True doctrine motivates conduct in God’s paths. Right doctrine always results in right living. Doctrine and life are inseparable in the Christian scheme. Christian life, if it is stable and solid, is based on Christian doctrine. True doctrine is here described as “His paths” and “His ways,” showing that without pure doctrine we go astray from God. These paths go back to eternity where they were ordained that we should walk in them. These paths continue in Christ’s goings forth in time, when God sent forth His Son into the world to bring salvation, and sent forth His Spirit to apply it. All these paths converge in Christ. “So walk ye in Him,” and go on in the church of God.

4. The means through which this instruction shall be given: “the law and the word of the Lord.” The law is the law of Christ, the law as you have its exposition in the New Testament, the law of faith. The word of the law is to go out from Jerusalem (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; Rom. 15:19). The apostles were commanded to go and preach the gospel in the temple (on Mt. Zion, Acts 5:20), then from there to take the word of the Lord to the ends of the earth. This was the fulfillment of “Jehovah shall send forth the rod of Thy strength out of Zion” (Ps. 110:2). The rod of Christ’s strength is the law of Christ, the word of Christ, the “commandment of the Lord” (I Cor. 7:25; “his commandments,” I John 3:24), the testimony of Jesus, which went out from Jerusalem “in these last days.” The Church of Christ on earth had its establishment out of Zion in Jerusalem. The Christian Church has no heathen origin, not even as to country. Opponents of the Church cannot validly argue that it is the invention and product of heathenism. The Old Testament church, scattered among the nations, was regathered to its center and origin in Zion at Jerusalem. The New Testament church began in Zion at Jerusalem, and through persecution by the Jews was scattered abroad, going everywhere proclaiming as good news the word. This word is the rod of Christ’s strength, the scepter to which Gentiles bow submitting to His sovereign rule of grace as He holds sway over the nations from His throne at the right hand of God. The preaching of the gospel to the gentiles is, then, the fulfillment of Psalm 110 and the prophecies of Isaiah. That everlasting gospel is Christ’s strong rod, His own Word preached in the power of the Holy Spirit. Finally, that word of the Lord from Jerusalem is no less than the word of the King. Christ, who is Ring of nations, Ring of saints, the Ruler of the kings of the earth, the King of kings and Lord of Lords is most surely King of the Church. The comparing of the two texts, Psalm 2:6 with Heb. 12:22, 23 is proof of that!