“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 over the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 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 2:2,3)In the Bible, mountains represent kingdoms or systems of authority (i.e. governments, strongholds, obstacles in general) both in the earth and in the supernatural (Eph 6:12). These are the mountains which our faith is to cast into the sea. There is authority both in the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Darkness, so there are 'mountains' in both. The Kingdom of Heaven is often represented by the mountain of the Lord or Mount Zion. This mountain is the dwelling place of God.
The Christian life is like unto climbing this mountain of the Lord (check out Rick Joyner’s The Final Quest and The Call). This endeavor begins the moment we are saved, and ends at the end of our life. Therefore, ‘climbing the moutain’ is a lifelong journey. It says here in Isaiah that in the last days, a call would go forth, people crying out to others that they would come up to the mountain of the Lord. The reason is, the mountain of the Lord (his kingdom), is also his home. It is where we encounter Him, just as Moses did, and just as Peter and John did when they witnessed the transfiguration.
Therefore, the mountain is not only a place of authority, but also intimacy. Since it is the place where we meet God, it is the place where we are close to Him. In the Kingdom of Heaven, true intimacy yields greater authority. As we draw closer to Him, we become more like Him; does faith not work by love? If it does, then loving Him grows and matures our faith as the closer we want to be to Him, the closer He is (James 4:8).
The people are calling others up to the mountain because that is where “he will teach us of his ways.” In a place of intimacy and holiness, we become familiar with His nature, with who He is. This changes us and makes us more like him by the working of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 3:18, Col 3:10). But there is a cost to becoming more like Him: becoming less like yourself.
John the Baptist declared: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) Note that John declared that Jesus would have to increase before he would deccrease. As Jesus ‘increases’ in our lives, we ‘decrease’ without having to struggle. It is not our place to change ourselves, but God’s. If we attempt to become more like Him without first drawing closer to Him, we become religious and shallow as our motivations cannot be pure.
God says, through Isaiah, that there is a “mountain of the Lord’s house.” This is the Kingdom of Heaven in the earth: the Church. However, the present condition of the church is not on level with the prominence she is destined for, or even the power that she began with. But here He says that “the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted over the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.” God is going raise up a church who walks in the reality of being founded in the heavenlies, being seated and placed above all principality and power and every name that is named (Eph 1:21). As we gain understanding of our true position and authority with God, we will have more faith in our ability to carry out God’s will and show his power.
One of the paradoxes of the Church is that it’s foundation (it’s base) begins at the top of the mountains.
“His foundation is in the holy mountain.” (Ps 87:1, KJV)
“On the holy hills stands the city [of Jerusalem and the temple] God founded.”
(Ps 87:1, AMP)This city (also a structure of authority) of God is founded above this earth, in eternity.
In I Cor 3:11, Paul writes that “There is no foundation any man can lay than the one that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Jesus is the foundation of the Church, and, in truth, the foundation of all of Christianity. Everything about Him is what our faith is founded on. He is the rock that the wise man built on, and He told Peter that the divine revelation of Him was the rock the church was to be built on (Matt 7:24-27, 16:13-18).
“...Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be counfounded.” (I Pet 2:6)
The cornerstone, the foundation, Jesus Himself is ‘laid’ in Zion, in the holy mountain. This place is a place of separation, protection, and power. And the instant we are saved through our faith, we are seated there with Him. The only problem is, most of us don’t know it. We must get an understanding of our true relationship with God, and then make it real by faith. And that faith is going to grow as we draw closer to Him, become more like Him, and, in essence, ascend the mountain of God.
Everyone is called up to the mountain, but not everyone responds. There are those who would rather remain complacent at the lower levels than ascend to the top and pay the price. Remember the words of the Lord:
“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matt 16:24,25)
