What A Day That Will Be

Micah 4:1-3

I don't know about you, but it is easy for me to get drug down by all the bad news. Many of us have a natural curiosity to want to know stories, and so we read, watch, and scan social media for details. In the process, we immerse ourselves in negativity. Pretty soon we realize that we are angry, sad, or even depressed by the circumstances of the world. We have to be intentional about focusing on good things throughout our day.

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Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; 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.

Micah 4:1-3

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When Micah talks about "the latter days" in this passage, he means the Millennial reign of Jesus. As this passage describes, Jesus is going to sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem, and He will reign as King of the World. That is going to be a wonderful time for all of God's creation. Verse one goes on to describe the "mountain of the Lord's house" being established on the mountains and people flowing to it. This is speaking of a literal temple, but also of the fact that God (Jesus) is physically on the earth living among men. His presence is not something that is spoken of, but rather is something that is seen and felt. Masses of people will go to the temple to be in the presence of Jesus.

When the previous temples stood in Jerusalem, they were places for the Jews to worship. There was a court of the Gentiles, but it was equivalent to standing around in the parking lot at a major league ball park. You could get close, but you were not permitted to enter. This temple will be different. People from all over the world will go to the temple to see Jesus, to hear His teaching, and to hear His judgments on matters. What a wonderful thought!

The disputes He judges will be matters between individuals and matters between nations. He will rule over the entire world and even countries on the other side of the planet will be under His authority. From a literal geographic standpoint, Jesus will rule over Jerusalem and on the other side of the planet, He will have total authority over Hawaii as well. This verse gives the impression that countries like China (strong nations afar off) will come to Jerusalem and be rebuked by Him. Even better, all weapons of war will be destroyed. They will be turned into farming implements that will cultivate life instead of death.

As good as all of this sounds, what we need to understand as believers is that this isn't even heaven yet. There is still sin in the world, and there are still sinners in the world. That is why Jesus serves as the Judge and why He rebukes nations. As crazy as this sounds, these people will even rebel against Jesus when this 1,000 year reign is over (Revelation 19:11-20). Reader, if you are not sure which side of this battle you will be on, then today is the day to establish that. The Bible says, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10). There is great assurance in knowing that we do not have to fear being on the wrong side of God in judgment. There is great peace in being able to read Micah 4 from a position of victory, rather than defeat.

God, thank You for giving us Your Word that assures us of victory now and in the future. Help us to not boast as though we did anything, but let us lift up the Name of Jesus. It is in His Name only that we have salvation. Thank You for Your Son. Thank You for Your plan of Salvation. We love you, and we praise You!