On that day, when the sun of righteousness shines forth, those who once faced distress shall be gathered, and those who were in exile shall be welcomed back. Simultaneously, the distressed shall unite to become part of the remnant, while the forsaken shall be brought together to form a mighty nation. For indeed, 'If the Lord of hosts had not left us seed, we would have been like Sodom, and would have been like Gomorrah' (Rom. 9:29). The Hebrew text aptly states, 'I will gather the lame, and those who have walked in wickedness,’ as Elijah the prophet admonished, ‘Till ye be lame' (3 Kings 18:21), referring to the one whose foot was tempted and severed (Mark 9:45).
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I will bring back the one whom I cast away, the one given a bill of divorce, who has suffered through various forms of captivity, or been surrendered to the adversary and his angels. However, if a diligent reader might protest, ‘How can you claim that the lame are gathered and the outcasts are joined when Judah remains in disbelief?’ let it be observed that this refers to the original Church of Christ, formed from the believing Jews, from whom the Apostles were drawn. Luke writes in the Acts of the Apostles that on one day three thousand believed, and on another five thousand (Acts 2:41; Acts 4:4). James said to Paul, 'Brother Paul, thou seest how many thousands there are of believing Jews, and they are all zealous doers of the law' (Acts 21:20).
Moreover, it is crucial to understand the prophet's words: he does not declare, ‘I will entirely save the lame,’ but rather, ‘I will place the lame among the remnant,’ indicating that the remnant and the chosen few shall be saved, while those who have endured great suffering will unite into a robust nation, namely a Christian nation, which cannot be vanquished by sword, fire, or dreadful torments. Observe the faith and sufferings of the martyrs, and you will realize the resilience of this people. The Lord will reign over them, encompassing many nations, including the lamed remnant of Israel on Mount Zion, which symbolizes the Church and signifies the elevated state of virtue from this time until the age to come.
If anyone wishes to interpret the phrase, ‘I will gather what is broken and receive the rejected,’ as pertaining to the soul of man—specifically regarding how before Christ's advent it was ensnared by various passions and vices, as a feeble and lost sheep torn by wolves—such a reader will not err if they view in the broken and downtrodden soul the one who will eventually come under the Lord's dominion, dwells in Zion, and is restored to its former glory in the embrace of the Good Shepherd (Luke 15:5). Yet, it must be noted that the Jews and their followers misinterpret this section, as well as a similar passage in Isaiah, applying it to the millennial kingdom of Christ and the saints. That scripture which states, ‘All nations shall walk each in the name of the Lord their God,’ is misconstrued to mean that every nation shall be cursed by its idols and condemned to the fires of eternal torment. The fallacy of this interpretation is revealed by the context, indicating that this speaks of Christ's first coming, during which the remnant of the lame will be gathered, and even prior, the Gentiles will be saved.
The prophet Isaiah elaborates: ‘The word that came to Isaiah the son of Amos concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And the mountain of the Lord and the house of the Lord shall be revealed in the last days on the heights of the mountains, and shall be lifted above the hills, and all nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall go and say: ‘Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of our God; and He will show us our path, and we will walk in it; for out of Zion shall come forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem' and He shall judge between many peoples, and shall settle disputes for strong nations far away. They shall turn their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore’ (Is. 2:1-5). Here, it is significant that the words express that the word of God going forth from Jerusalem will judge among many nations, but will only correct the people of Judah. Indeed, as sinners, He will judge us according to our deeds; however, for the wicked and rejected, He will not condemn them as He does the righteous, but instead offer mere rebuke.
Given that the leaders of the Jews disregarded justice, distorted righteousness, and established Zion upon injustices and bloodshed; they did not only engage in this behavior but also rendered judgments based on bribes. The priests of Jerusalem provided counsel for payment, and the prophets spoke for money. Consequently, Zion was plowed like a field, Jerusalem became a heap of debris, and the mountain of God’s temple was laid to waste, turning into a wooded hill. Thus, their house was made desolate when the Son of God emerged from the temple, declaring, “Arise, let us go hence” (John 14:31), and “Behold your house is left desolate” (Luke 13:35). Additionally, the angels, as Josephus interprets, proclaimed, “Let us depart from our saddles,” or “from the dwelling place”; instead of Zion, the mountain of the Lord will rise, as referenced to the head of Tyre, “And thou art smitten on the mountain of the Lord” (Ezek. 28:16). This mountain of the Lord becomes evident in the final days when the kingdom of heaven approaches; during the culmination of the ages, our Savior appeared to humiliate sins through His sacrifice, arriving at the eleventh hour to engage the laborers. Once His sufferings were complete, John affirmed, “the last hour is” (1 John 2:18), for if we assign every five hundred years within the span of six thousand years to the day’s hours, this last hour truly represents the time of the faith of the Gentiles. “And revealed,” he states, “shall be the mountain of the Lord prepared on the top of the mountains.” What was previously concealed will come to light and be made manifest not only among the mountains but above them, that is, beyond Moses and the Prophets who foretold it. Despite their accounts of holy matters, they are minuscule compared to the prophecy announcing the Lord’s advent, which elevates others to a lower stature and cannot ascend the peaks of proclamation. “And he shall be exalted,” he conveys, “above the hills” (Phil. 2:8, 9). Indeed, He appeared as a man, took on the form of a servant, and humbled Himself to death, even death on a cross. Yet the Father exalted Him and bestowed upon Him a name surpassing every name, as all human life pales in the presence of His path. Hence to this mountain, towering above the highest peaks, “shall hasten,” or, as the Hebrew states, “all nations shall flow,” signifying countless multitudes drawn together like rivers. The nations will hasten—illustrated as the Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia and Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the regions of Libya near Cyrene, along with Romans, both Jews and converts, Cretans, and Arabs all believing in Him alike (Acts 2:8-11). Do not those to whom it was said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men,” appear to be hastening towards the mountain? (Matt. 4:19, 20). They promptly followed the Savior, with Scripture attesting that James and John hastened to the mountain, leaving their father, their boat, and the worries of this life behind. Likewise, upon hearing “Follow Me” (Matthew 9:9), Matthew, the tax collector, immediately followed. The Gospel also points to the throngs rushing to Him, noting that many from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan followed Him, and He healed them (Matt. 4:25). When the nations rush forth, a multitude of Gentiles will converge upon the mountain, namely, the entire world that believes in Him, uniting in calling to the banner of the Crucified One, “Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord.” Ascension is necessary for anyone wishing to approach Christ and the house of the God of Jacob, that is, the church, serving as the pillar and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). Furthermore, as previously noted, Jacob proclaimed, “Jacob is My boy, I will receive him” (Is. 2:3; Is. 41:8; Is. 42:1). Those who invited others to “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob” will also say: “that they may show us their way,” which refers to the angels overseeing the churches or the sacred Scripture revealing the way of the Lord, for He declares, “I am the way” (John 14:6). We shall walk in His ways, namely, in the footsteps of the Apostles, through whom we came to believe in Christ. Indeed, from Zion emerged the spiritual law, and from Jerusalem arose the word of God to the Gentiles, for the Father entrusted all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). He shall illuminate many nations at great distances (Ps. 93:10), for the Lord will confound the wise in their schemes and recognize their futile thoughts. He will assess which nations are worthy of salvation and which are not, and at His coming, all warfare concerns will transform into peace (Isaiah 2:4): swords shall turn into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks; nations will no longer war against each other, and no one will learn to engage in battle, as the necessity for strife vanishes. The nature of this peace will ensure safety for all, not only in cities but also in rural areas and fields; this promise, for which the mouth of the Lord has declared, will be fulfilled. In the beginning, to grasp the literal meaning, before the tyrant arose, in whose dominion the world was engulfed with bloodshed, nations fought fiercely against one another; kings clashed with kings, tribes battled tribes. The Roman state itself was marred by internal strife: Cinna and Octavius and Carbunus, Marius and Sulla, Antony and Catiline, Caesar and Gnaeus Pompey, Augustus against Brutus, and Augustus opposing Antony—events leading to widespread bloodshed across kingdoms. By the time of Christ’s arrival, only one kingdom existed—the Roman Empire; thus, the apostles found the entire world opened before them, cities unlock their gates, and a singular state formed to proclaim the one God. Yet those words, “They turn their swords into ploughs and their spears into sickles” (Joel 3:10), can also be understood metaphorically; at the moment of faith in Christ, fury and unyielding curses were discarded, urging everyone to take up their plough without looking back in fear, having shattered their weapons of swearing, seeking to reap spiritual harvests. Hence, as others labor, let us engage in their work (John 4:38), so that it may be said of us, “They went forth in joy bearing their sheaves” (Ps. 125:6). Now, no one contends against another, as it is written: “Blessed are the peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9). No one seeks to undermine those who listen; rather, they silence their mouths and remain still, for the time is wicked. Each one rests beneath the vineyard, treading the wine that brings joy to the heart of man (Psalm 103:15), beneath that vine, of which the Father is the cultivator (John 15:1), and beneath his fig tree, gathering the sweet fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, and more. All these things will surely come to fruition—reflecting both interpretations—because the Lord’s words are true, and His word is deed. All nations will walk, each in their own paths; yet we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. While all nations follow their erroneous ways, we quicken the path and invite: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob” (Isaiah 2:3), and we will walk in the name of Christ our Lord, for He embodies the mountain that is God.
THEOSIS