Isaiah Chapter 2    

“the last days.” Isaiah 2:2 is very similar to Micah 4:1 (Isa. 2:1-4 is very similar to Mic. 4:1-5). In this context, the “last days” are the Millennial Kingdom, although at the time Isaiah was writing God had not revealed that there would be a 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom followed by the Everlasting Kingdom, which has a gigantic city that will come down from heaven and land on earth (Rev. 21, 22). Thus Isaiah thought of the “last days” as one everlasting time, the Messianic Age; the kingdom of Christ on earth.

In Isaiah, we see how the hope for Christ’s Kingdom on earth was not just a vague idea, but a living hope that burned in the souls of people like Isaiah, and so verses about the hope would pop up seemingly without warning or introduction in all kinds of different contexts. Isaiah had wonderful revelations about the future kingdom of Christ, and because of that, as we see here, he can quickly insert information about it into the text and expect people to understand it. Sadly, as people began to teach and believe erroneous things about the future, such as that when good people die they immediately go to heaven and live there forever, the prophecies of the Millennial Kingdom began to be misunderstood. Today many commentaries written by scholars treat these verses about the future earth as only figurative language instead of taking them literally and using them to build an understanding of what the future life of all the saved people will be—a wonderful life on a restored earth.

Prophecies of the Millennial Kingdom when Christ rules the earth appear throughout Isaiah, sometimes taking up a large number of verses at a time. For example, Isaiah 2:2-4 is about the Millennial Kingdom, as are many other verses in Isaiah (cp. Isa. 1:26; 2:2-4; 4:2-6; 9:3, 4, 5, 7; 11:3-16; 12:1-6; 14:1-2, 30; 16:5; 19:18-25; 25:6-9; 27:6; 28:5-6; 29:17-24; 30:19-26; 32:1-5, 15-20; 33:24; 35:1-10; 41:18-20; 42:4; 44:3-5; 49:8-23; 51:3-6; 54:1-17; 56:4-8; 57:13, 18, 19; 59:19; 60:1-22; 61:4-9, 11; 62:1-12; 65:9, 13-25; 66:10-13, 18-24). This is an impressive list, and the references to the future kingdom of Christ are throughout Isaiah and thus are an example to us about the importance of our future hope and how it should never be far from our mind.

[For more on the coming kingdom of Christ on earth, the Millennial Kingdom, see Appendix 3, “Christ’s Future Kingdom on Earth.” For more on the chronology of the Last Days, see commentary on Matt. 25:32. For more on the terrible death and destruction in the Great Tribulation and Armageddon, see commentary on Dan. 12:1. For more on the first and second resurrection, see commentary on Acts 24:15. For more on people being dead when they die and not alive anywhere in any form, see Appendix 4, “The Dead are Dead.”]

“chief.” Not just the highest, but the most important, because the Temple will be on the top, and the city of Jerusalem where Christ will have his palace will be on the south side of the Temple. That Jerusalem and the palace of Christ will be on the south side of Mount Zion is significant because in the biblical culture, “east” was straight ahead and so south was on the right and north was on the left. For Christ to be “on the right hand” of God as the prophecies state, he will have to live and reign south of the Temple where God dwells. Mount Zion will be the highest mountain in the world (Isa. 2:2; Mic. 4:1; Ezek. 20:40).

“all nations.” In the future, people from every nation will come to Jerusalem to worship and to be blessed (Ps. 86:9; Isa. 56:6-8; Jer. 3:17; 16:19).

“stream.” The Hebrew word translated “stream” is nahar (#05102 נָהַר), to flow or stream, and it is related to the Hebrew word for “river.” When God is in His Temple in Jerusalem and Christ is reigning as king, the nations won’t just “trickle” into Jerusalem, they will come as a river of people.

“And many peoples will come and say.” Isaiah 2:3 is almost identical to Micah 4:2, except Isaiah says “peoples,” referring to people groups or nations, while Micah says “nations” (for information on this verse, see commentary on Micah 4:2)

“train for war.” The Hebrew is literally, “learn war.”

“For you.” Here the subject abruptly switches from Israel to God.

“idols.” The Hebrew text has the word 'eliyl (#0457 אֱלִיל), more literally “Worthless Ones” or “worthless things,” a sarcastic name for “idols” (see commentary on Hab. 2:18, “Worthless Ones”).

“worship.” The Hebrew word translated “worship,” shachah (#07812 שָׁחָה), is the same Hebrew word as “bow down.” This verse could be translated the way it currently is, or “They bow down to the work of their own hands.”

[For more on bowing down, see commentary on 1 Chron. 29:20.]

“For there will be a day of Yahweh of Armies.” In this context, the “day of Yahweh” refers to the Great Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon, and then the Day of Judgment for the unsaved.

“idols.” The Hebrew text has the word 'eliyl (#0457 אֱלִיל), more literally “Worthless Ones” or “worthless things,” a sarcastic name for “idols” (see commentary on Hab. 2:18, “Worthless Ones”).

“People will go into the caves of the rocks and into the holes of the earth.” This is specifically referred to in Revelation 6:15.

“In that day.” This is a common way of referring to the Day of the Lord, and this verse looks forward to the tribulation and kingdom of Christ on earth. This prophecy is similar to Isaiah 31:7.

“each person.” The Hebrew is singular. This will not be a collective action, but an action on the part of individuals.

“will cast away their idols.” There have been various reforms throughout history when people tried to get rid of idols, but they have at best been temporary and very limited in location. Furthermore, when all the “superstitions” that make things and actions into objects of respect and/or veneration, it can truthfully be said that idolatry has never been eradicated from human existence since the fall of Adam and Eve. This will change when Jesus reigns as king on earth. There will be no more idols. God will get the glory He deserves and the Shema, “Yahweh is our God, Yahweh alone” (Deut. 6:4), will be realized on earth. Other verses also give the same message as Isaiah 2:20, that idols will be gone (cp. Isa. 30:22; 31:7; Zeph. 1:4).

“idols.” The Hebrew text has the word 'eliyl (#0457 אֱלִיל), more literally “Worthless Ones” or “worthless things,” a sarcastic name for “idols” (see commentary on Hab. 2:18, “Worthless Ones”).