10-22-2023 Sunday Sermon Message

Devotional of the Week: Psalm 91:1-16

Text: Isaiah 2:1-5

Title: Extreme Suffering, and Glory of Israel Before Peace of Jerusalem

       The prophet Isaiah prophesied that in the distant future, after the Israelites had gone through great suffering, the peace that God would give them would finally come to Jerusalem and the glory of Zion would shine in the morning:

” The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.² 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.³ 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.”(Isaiah 2:1-3)

        Jesus looked forward to this day, the day when his kingdom would be fulfilled in Jerusalem. He proclaimed the Word to His disciples as they came up the mountain:

” And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:² And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,³ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.⁴ Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.⁵ Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.⁶ Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.⁷ Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.¹⁰ Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”(Matthew 5:6-10)

       As the prophet Isaiah foretold, when Christ establishes the kingdom in the future, the law will come forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord will come forth from Zion, Jerusalem, and the mouth of Jesus Christ Himself will speak, and these words will become the constitution of the kingdom that He will establish.

        The prophet Isaiah also said that before Christ’s kingdom is established in Jerusalem, He would judge all the nations that did not believe in Him, and that all nations would cease to be wars and live in His kingdom in peace:

”  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: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”(Isaiah 2:4)

       But before the glory of Zion come, Jesus Christ, the Anointed One the Israelites were cut off by his death after sixty-nine weeks, before the seventy weeks (490 years) prophesied through the prophet Daniel, in order that they might be convicted of their sin of not believing in Jesus, their King and Messiah, and that they would suffer under the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation.  And through prophet Jeremiah, the day of Jacob’s trouble was prophesied:

” Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.”(Jeremiah 30:7)

          Prophet Hosea prophesied that Israelites shall seek the Lord when they are in the midst of suffering in the Great Tribulation:

”  I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.”(Hosea 5:15)

           Prophet Zechariah prophesied that Israelites shall repent upon seeing their Mesiah that they pierced:

” And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.¹⁰ And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.¹¹ In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.¹² And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;¹³ The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart;¹⁴ All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.”(Zechariah 12:9-14)

       When all the people of Israel mourn and repent  of their sin of killing their King and God, Jesus Christ, God will forgive the sins of the nation of Israel immediately on that day:

” In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness”(Zechariah 13:1)

       When the day comes when the Lord God forgives them all their sins, the glory of Zion will finally come upon all Jerusalem and the land of Israel. The prophet Isaiah prophesied of the peace and glory that would come to the land of Israel after this day:

” Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.² Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord‘s hand double for all her sins.”(Isaiah 40:1-2)

” Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.”(Isaiah 49:22)

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!⁸ Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.⁹ Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.¹⁰ The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”(Isaiah 52:7-10)

“Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;³ For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.⁴ Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

⁵ For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”(Isaiah 54:2-5)

“ Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.² For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.³ And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.⁴ Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.”(Isaiah 60:1-4)

“For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.² And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.³ Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.⁴ Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.”(Isaiah 62:1-4)

” For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.¹⁸ But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.¹⁹ And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.²⁰ There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.²¹ And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.²² They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.²³ They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.²⁴ And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.”(Isaiah 65:17-25)

“Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:¹¹ That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.¹² For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.”(Isaiah 66:10-12)

        Yeah! When the millennial kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ finally comes, peace will come to Jerusalem, and the capital of all the earth shall be Jerusalem, not Washington anymore. At that time, all the roads shall lead to Jerusalem, not Rome anymore. But the Bible says of the judgment that will come upon those who deny the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ over all the earth and do not believe:

“For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.¹⁶ For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.…  And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.”(Isaiah 66:15-16,24)

Amen! Hallelujah!