“People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.”
Isaiah 2:3-4 NLT
As most people will know, there is a prominent inscription on a wall directly opposite the United Nations building in New York City, which is a quotation from Isaiah 2:4. It reads, “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”. The wall was erected out of granite in 1948, and the inscription was added in September 1975. Finally, the name “Isaiah” was added in 1985, giving the massive block of granite the name “The Isaiah Wall”. There is also a statue close by called the “Ploughshares Statue”, with the inscription “let us beat our swords into ploughshares”, which was a gift to the UN from the Soviet Union in 1959. Sadly, as we all know, we are a long way from such a noble aim, with Europe rearming at an alarming rate, and wars going on in various parts of the world.
But there is a time coming when there will be no more wars. We read about that time in Isaiah 11:6-9, “In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord”.
This Utopian vision will come to pass one day, when Jesus comes to rule and reign for a thousand years in a kingdom of righteousness, justice and peace. With satan chained and incarcerated in a bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-2), his influence over mankind no longer present, there will be peace, and in the next chapter in Revelation, we read about the new Jerusalem where God will dwell with His people. A wonderful time, and Jesus said its coming will be “soon”.
In Isaiah 2, we see that the Lord will mediate between nations and settle international disputes. He will have the power to do this through His Word going out from Jerusalem. The nations of the world will desire to go to Jerusalem to hear the Lord’s teaching and learn how to walk in His ways. What is that other than a worldly spiritual revival centred on Jerusalem? No more wars. No more evil leaders. Peace prevails everywhere.
But we pilgrims must do more than sit in our homes waiting for the day when we pass into God’s presence. There is much work to do, as we prepare the way of the Lord. Mark wrote, “ … Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’” (Mark 1:2-3). This verse refers to the coming of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus, who burst onto the religious scene in Palestine with His message of hope for a people lost in their sins. We pilgrims have the same commission as we prepare for Jesus’ return, His second coming. There are lost people around us who need to hear that Jesus is their only hope for salvation. John relayed the same message of repentance to the people of Judah, and we have the same message for the people around us today.
So, what steps are we taking to reach out to people? It may be only one or two, but we must be prepared to share our testimonies of God’s saving grace. He loves us so much, so how can we not tell others about that love while we still have the opportunity? I met a man a few days ago who asked me how I became a Christian. It didn’t happen overnight, but it was the culmination of a series of contacts over a period of months as we occasionally met at random in the local park. He now knows about God and what He has done for me, and I pray that my friend will come to make the decision to turn to Christ. We too must grab every opportunity while there is still time.
Dear Heavenly Father. Your saving grace is alive and well in this age. Please help us to share Your message of hope to anyone who will listen. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 