“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Ps. 122:6).

“I have set watchmen upon they walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are Jehovah’s remembrancers, take ye no rest, 7 and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. 8 Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies; and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored: 9 But they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary” (Isa. 62: 6-9).

In verse 6 of this quotation the Lord stated that he had set a watchmen upon the walls of Zion, Jerusalem, of whom it is said that they shall never hold their peace day nor night. Who are the ones referred to in this statement? Generally there are two answers given. The word rendered watchman usually refers to a sentry or sentinel who is attached to an army, doing guard duty. Of course, in Biblical times there were watchmen not only upon the walls of Zion but upon the walls of all the fortified cities of the land. Especially was this true in troublesome times. Those watchmen were placed in their positions by the order of men, but the watchmen of whom the prophet is speaking are placed on duty by the Lord Himself. Concerning them we are told that they hold not their peace day nor night. No man is able to do this. He can be on watch for a certain length of time; then he must rest. Furthermore, watchmen are placed on duty not to talk but to observe and see that no enemy approaches. The special duty of these watchmen is to speak—they do not hold their peace. This fact would lead one to the conclusion that they are not military sentinels. When one reads this in the light of certain passages, such as Daniel 4:13,17, and 23, which speak of angelic beings as watchers, he naturally draws the conclusion that in all probability Isaiah was talking about similar creatures. Especially is this position confirmed when one notes the statement that “they hold not their peace day nor night.” This seems to be an attribute of angels and not men.

We know that God at various times sent angels as protectors of His people. For instance, in II Kings 6 we read an account of Elisha’s being in the city of Dothan and of his seeing, together with his young attendant, the hill covered with chariots of fire. When this passage is studied in the light of other Scriptures, it becomes evident that the angels were those who assumed for the time being on this occasion the appearance of fiery chariots. The angels administer God’s government throughout the universe. Especially do they render a service to those who shall inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14). The angel of Jehovah encamps round about those that fear Him and delivers them (Ps. 34:7). In view of these facts and many others that might be presented, we are safe in concluding that these watchmen on the walls of Zion are probably angels who have been stationed there to do service in guarding that city. They assist in working out the problems with reference to this eternal city, which will yet be the metropolis of the world.

Having spoken of these watchmen, the prophet then addressed those whom he called “Jehovah’s remembrancers” and urged them to take “no rest, and give him no rest till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” The question immediately arises: Who are meant by Jehovah’s remembrancers? This word is a very good translation of the Hebrew. But a better one would be “you who remind Jehovah.” The term in the original is a participle in the Hiphil verb-stem and indicates causation. They cause God to remember certain things. Isaiah was talking to the people of Jerusalem and addressed them as the ones who remind Jehovah. These, of course, are the Hebrew people who remind Him of His word, His promises, and His plans—especially as they relate to the Chosen People. Of course, this exhortation primarily referred to praying Hebrews; but it also includes those of the Gentiles who are on praying terms with Jehovah. Only those who really know how to pray can remind God of His plans and His promises as they are revealed in His Word. They can call His attention to certain things that have transpired and can apply the principle to some given situation. We do that constantly in our praying.

He urged them that they take no rest and that they give God no rest until He makes Jerusalem the joy of the whole earth.

We may never understand the philosophy of prayer. I cannot see why it is necessary for us to ask God even for our daily bread. Our inability to fathom this great mystery in no wise militates against the facts. It seems that God has tied up His blessings with the prayers of His people. He gives the world its sustenance because of the prayers of faithful people of God whose hearts are enlarged and who are interested in all mankind. Our motto, “Prayer changes Things,” expresses a marvelous truth. Prayer does change things. Prayer likewise brings victory. Prayer does many things. It works wonders because it takes hold of Him who is the great Wonder-worker.

When the Lord appeared to Abraham and announce His intention of destroying the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah together with the cities of the Plain, He obviously made this announcement to Abraham in order to lead him out in prayer. Otherwise there would have been no purpose in making His intentions known to Abraham. Furthermore, Abraham's response by engaging in an intercessory ministry substantiates this position. The Lord’s statement to Moses that He would destroy the Children of Israel when they made the golden calf and worshiped it was but an invitation to him to enter the breach and intercede for the transgressors. He did this and thus spared sinning Israel. These and many other examples from the Scriptures might be brought forward to prove the importance of the intercession of those who know God and who believe that prayer changes things.

Prayer warriors are urged not to take any rest nor to give God any rest until He has made Jerusalem the capital city of the world. In other words, the Lord urges continuance in prayer on this point. This is the same lesson that was taught by our Lord, as is recorded in Luke 18. The importunate widow kept coming to the unrighteous judge until he, because of her insistence, granted her request. Her example is used as an illustration of the power of perseverance in prayer. George Mueller said that God delights to exercise the faith of His children. This I have learned in a special way to be true during the eleven years of the work of the biblical Research Society. Many have been the times when God did not send in funds, or very little. This fact always puts us more definitely on our knees. He always responds. Jesus never fails; neither does God, nor the Holy Spirit. Whenever there is a failure, the trouble is with us and not with the Lord.

God here enjoins upon His people to bring before Him constantly the matter of Jerusalem’s being established as the joy of the whole earth. The implication of this passage is that when the people of God generally make this a matter of continual persevering prayer, He will act and will make Jerusalem the joy of the whole earth. Whenever the people of God get the vision of Israel’s place in the almighty’s program and bring the petition regarding His plan for Jerusalem constantly before Him, as the angels continually are doing, the tempo of events will be quickened. The almighty will work and will hasten the affairs of the world to a grand consummation, at which time He will intervene and will establish Jerusalem as the metropolis of the world.

When I was in Rome in 1936, '37, and '39, I constantly was reminded of the Italian claim that Rome is the eternal city. This of course, is the idea of the old Ceasars. Modern Italians have inherited that conception. The nations try to make their capitals most attractive. Much money is spent on beautifying sites and public buildings. Rome is not the eternal city; neither is Moscow, nor Berlin, nor London; but Jerusalem is the eternal city so far as this earth is concerned, and the Jew the nation of destiny.

God urges those who believe in prayer not to take any rest nor give Him any rest till He makes Jerusalem the praise of the earth. What is the significance of this statement—the praise of the earth? This can mean only one thing: Jerusalem in Palestine is destined to be the greatest city in the world and will be the object of praise among the peoples of the earth. It certainly has never been thus far, but earth’s golden era has never dawned. When it does, Jerusalem will be the leading city. It will be the most beautiful, the most attractive of all the cities of the great Millennial Age. This thought is expressed in Isaiah 65:17-19: “For, behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for, I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.” That these verses refer to the millennial heavens and earth and to the city of Jerusalem in Palestine is clear from the context. I am perfectly aware that many commentators understand the new heavens and the new earth mentioned by Isaiah as a reference to the eternal order, but that interpretation cannot possibly be correct, for the facts of the context will not permit such an explanation. A careful study of the first sixteen verses of this chapter shows that Isaiah is talking in verses 1-7 about this age of grace during which Israel is rejected and those among the Gentiles who are thirsting for God are acceptable. In verses 8-12 he discusses the Tribulation, out from which a remnant will come forth to inherit the mountains of Israel. Then in verses 13-16 he gives by way of contrast the condition of the apostate portion of the nation of Israel in the Tribulation and that of the faithful remnant. Upon the wicked there will fall the judgements of God. Their suffering will indeed be great. On the contrary, the faithful remnant, which will refuse to bow to the dictates of the Antichrist but will rather give up their lives than surrender their faith, will be sustained miraculously during the Tribulation. God met all the needs of Israel during her forty years of wilderness wandering. He took care of Elijah and provided the necessary sustenance for him during the three and on-half years of the drought. He likewise promises that He will take care of His faithful servants during the Tribulation.

In verse 16, however, He tells about the new situation that that will obtain in the Millennial Age and further explains this new spiritual, moral, and social order by stating that God will create the heavens above anew and the earth anew. The present heavens and the earth, as is set forth by many passages of Scripture, will be wrecked during the Tribulation. No age of glory could exist upon this earth after the Tribulation, unless the Lord puts forth some special creative activity repairing and remodeling the heavens and the earth. But in order that there may be such a glorious era, Isaiah affirms that God will create both the heavens and the earth anew. From the context, therefore, we see that Isaiah is speaking of the Millennial Age. Furthermore, a glance at verses 20-25 of this same chapter—the verses which follow the ones under consideration—likewise make it very clear that Isaiah is talking about the kingdom Age.

But in the verses quoted above God says that He creates Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy. The word create here is used in its ordinary, usual meaning of bringing into existence that which had no prior form or substance. Upon the basis of this passage we may take our stand that God will actually create the city of Jerusalem anew. The present city, as it is being built up by the Zionists, will be completely wiped out during the Tribulation, or practically so. It will become a desolation and a waste under the terrific judgements that will fall upon the earth during the latter half of the Tribulation; but God has promised to create it anew. A very vivid picture of it in the Millennial Age may be seen in Isaiah 54:11,12: “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of precious stones.” This passage is to be taken at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning. In addition to the information which we gather from these passages there is a further description of what Jerusalem will be during the Millennial Age, as set forth in Isaiah 4:5,6: “And Jehovah will create over the whole habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory shall be spread a covering. And there shall be a pavilion for a shade in the daytime from the heat, and for a refuge and for a covert from storm and from rain.” From this statement we see that there will be created a canopy or a pavilion over the millennial Jerusalem. No rain nor sunshine will fall upon its streets. This will be the city of the great king. The resting place of His feet shall be glorious (Isa. 11:10). Also compare Isaiah 60: 19, 12.

A very marvelous description of what Jerusalem will be in the Millennial Age is likewise set forth in Isaiah 60: 15-22. In view of these many predictions concerning the rebuilding of Jerusalem, there is no wonder that the Psalmist spoke of it in these words: “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined forth” (Ps. 50:2). Again he in Psalm 48 said: “Great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, in his holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.”

The prophets, Isaiah (chapter 2:14) and Micah (4:1-8), were granted visions of Jerusalem when it shall be the praise of all the earth. According to Isaiah 60, the great millennial temple will be in the city of Jerusalem and will be the center of attraction. In it the Lord Jesus Christ, the Hebrew Messiah, the God of Jacob, will be present. The people of earth will go up to Jerusalem to worship Jehovah of Hosts, the great King, and will listen to Him as He teaches the great lessons of life. Thus pilgrimages from the four corners of the globe will be made by the peoples to this international shrine.

“Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be for food for thine enemies; and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou has labored; but they that have garnered it shall eat it in the courts of my sanctuary” (Isa. 62:8,9).

According to verse 8, we see that Jehovah has sworn by His right hand relative to the security of Israel and her land when Jerusalem has been made a praise in the earth. What is the significance of this oath? When Abraham offered Isaac, or rather attempted to do so, God swore with an oath by Himself that He would bless and multiply his seed and bless all nations in and through them (Gen. 22: 15-18). Again the Lord made and oath to David concerning the establishment of his throne forever—so long as the sun, moon, and stars endure (II Sam. 7 and Ps. 89). Here God speaks through Isaiah in our passage that He has sworn by His right hand and by the arm of His strength. When all the facts of the context are taken into consideration, it is to be understood that Jehovah here is the one who is known in the New Testament as God the Father. But what is meant by His swearing by His right hand and the arm of His strength? One possible interpretation is that the Lord speaks of Himself in terms of man’s anatomy and thinks of His raising His hand heavenward and taking the oath. This is altogether a possible explanation. There is yet another reasonable interpretation, which is that the right hand here is a reference to the Messiah—the second person of the Holy Trinity. In Isaiah 51:9-11, He is called “the arm of Jehovah.” Again, the Lord Jesus Christ is referred to as “the arm of Jehovah” in Isaiah 53:1: “who hath believed our message? And to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?” Without a doubt these two passages show that the arm of Jehovah is used in a personal sense as a reference to the second person of the Trinity—the Lord Jesus Christ. Since there are no positive evidences in this special passage, we cannot know positively which is the correct idea. Either one is true and will fit the facts of the context. It is not necessary for us to understand the exact reference in order to comprehend the message.

The import of this oath is that when God makes Jerusalem the praise of the earth, the grain and food supplies raised by the Israelites in their land will no longer be given over to foreigners who invade their country. On the contrary, those who raise their crops will enjoy them to the full and will realize that everything which they have comes from Jehovah. With a feeling of conscious dependence upon Him they will appear in the sanctuary of God at that time and will eat of their produce in a religious festal way, giving thanks to God for His bounties and blessings. This oath, when studied in its particulars, will be seen to be but the fulfillment of the promises made to Israel at Sinai, as found in Leviticus 26:1-13 and in the corresponding verses in Deuteronomy 28. A careful perusal of these two passages shows that God promised a genuine rest to Israel if she would but be faithful to Him. This promise included abundant crops, for, as Moses said, the harvester would still be reaping the grain when the vintage season arrived. In other words, the harvest, which begins in Palestine the latter part of May, would be so very abundant that it would take reapers until August or September to harvest their grain. In turn the vintage would be so very abundant that the harvesters could not store their crops until the early rains—in the late fall. Moreover, the Lord promised that he would not lay upon the obedient Israelites any of the evil diseases of Egypt. Furthermore, He would not allow any of the enemies to cross their borders and to devastate their country. But Israel never was obedient to the Lord; she forfeited, therefore, these most highly desirable blessings.

But when the time arrives, here foreseen, and Jerusalem becomes the capital of the world and the joy of the whole earth, Israel will enjoy the full fruitage of her labors. When this passage is studied in the light of others, we can see its full import. At that time the curse, which fell upon all nature at the time of Adam’s sinning, will be lifted. The earth will bring forth its full increase. Wars will stop, and there will be universal peace under the beneficent reign of King Messiah. Israel, because of disobedience, never enjoyed these blessings, but, when she repudiates her national sin, accepts her Messiah and Saviour, thus becoming a born-again nation, she will hearken to His voice and will enjoy the fullness of these blessings. Thus, Israel will enjoy her sabbath rest. Then will the glory of the Lord encircle the earth, as the waters cover the sea.
 

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