This declaration is emblematic of the Final Redemption and the Messianic Era. We can understand the “end of days” in two ways. We can see it as the end of the fractured human consciousness trapped in the constrains of ego’s material illusions, where we have lived thousands of years. Also as the final remaining days of God’s Creation, endless “final” days we will live forever, knowing the Eternal Presence of the Divine. The multidimensional time and place — where the end of days occurs — have an anchoring point, both in consciousness and the material world named Zion, where the Temple of Jerusalem stands.

Our Hebrew Scriptures refer to it as the mountain of the Lord, the house of God, Luz, mount Moriah (lit. from the Light of God). Abraham our father called it “God will appear” (which also means “God will see”), and Jacob called it the house of God (Beit El). This site is surrounded by a city named Jerusalem ([God] Will see peace, [God’s] peace will appear). Together, the mountain of the Lord, Zion, Jerusalem and its Temple, are part of this anchoring place. The meanings of each one complement each other.

The mountain of the Lord is God’s place in world, but let’s keep in mind that our Sages say that “God is the place of the world, and the world in not the place of God” (Bereshit Rabba  68:9) Thus we understand that the mountain of the Lord is the connecting point between the Creator and the world. This Talmudic statement remarks that our place is God. This explains that one of His Names in Hebrew is HaMakom, The Place.As the living human shape of the world we reach out to our Creator, for we come from Him and belong to Him: God is our place because He is The Place. In a deeper meaning we learn that whereas God is our place, we compel ourselves to also know His place. As a learning process to realize our Essence and true identity, we must know our Creator. As we come to know Him through His ways and attributes, we come to know our common bond with Him. This is the beginning of the endless journey of knowing God, what we call here the Messianic Consciousness.

This knowledge as our permanent connection with God is the foremost of all wisdom. Whatever we have learned in life becomes subservient to this connection. This makes it the top of the mountains and hills that symbolize principles, beliefs, ideologies, philosophies, sciences, ideas and values by which we discern, think, speak and act. In this context, the “nations” represent emotional qualities we imprint to the “mountains” and “hills” we refer to. Together they all flow into the mountain of the Lord and are subservient to it.

“And many peoples shall go and say: ‘Come you all, 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 Torah, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (2:3)

The nations as well as the peoples represent emotional aspects and levels of consciousness usually lured by ego’s fantasies and illusions, and filled with ego’s negative trends. In the Final Redemption, all aspects, levels and dimensions of life will be united and directed by our permanent bond with the Creator — the house of the God of Jacob –, to know Him by learning His ways and walk in His paths. This is Zion, our connection to Him, from where His knowledge is revealed to us. This knowledge indeed is His instruction, His Torah, the word that comes from Jerusalem.

Our Sages also interpret this statement as Jacob (Israel) teaching the nations and peoples God’s ways for them to walk in His paths. Zion, Jerusalem, the Promised Land and the Torah belong to Israel. The Torah was given to Israel as an eternal legacy: “Moses commanded us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 33:4) Thus we the Jewish people are bestowed with the privilege, the right and the obligation to teach the Torah to the world. When the nations fulfill the content of this verse (Isaiah 2:3), by their own will and accord they will come to Jerusalem to learn from us. We will lead the nations and peoples into the Messianic Consciousness to make them also part of the endless knowledge of the Creator.

We have to remark again that Jerusalem is the city, the fundamental principle on which our permanent connection with God — the Temple — stands. This principle not only supports this connection but sustains it, and this principle is Love. We continually quote Maimonides, the Rambam, saying that the First Temple was destroyed due to murder, idolatry and incest; the Second Temple was destroyed due to uncalled for hatred; and the Third and final Temple will be build on uncalled for Love. Again we repeat that Love is our common bond with God, and the Temple of Jerusalem in the Messianic Era stands by the permanent connection of our Love and God’s Love.

In the Oneness of our unity with the Creator we become aware of the eternal bond with Him. Thus we realize that Jerusalem is the constant awareness of Love, in which all aspects, levels and dimensions of consciousness are filled and guided by Love’s ways and attributes. In this context Israel is the chosen one. Historically we have been the people who are and represent the goodness of Love as the material manifestation of God’s Love. Everything related to Israel is about Love. The Promised Land God gave us is the goodness of life and for life. The Torah is our Essence and identity by which we are commanded to love, and we love by being and doing what is right, just, fair, correct and uplifting. Doing justice and righteousness if an act of Love that motivates and encourages us to be good and do good.

Love’s ways and attributes compel us to be against everything negative, demeaning, undermining, corrupting, oppressive, abusing and destructive; all that attempts against human dignity. The people of Israel, as the inheritors and bearers of the goodness of Love the Creator wants to prevail, are destined to reveal God’s Love — the Divine Presence — in the material world. In spite of endless persecutions, massacres and genocides our people have suffered, the goodness of our manifold contributions to the betterment of humankind have been without parallel in history. We have fulfilled God’s commandment to be Light onto the nations, in spite of them. When we rebuild and unite Jerusalem within us and in our Land, the State of Israel, we will do even more and greater in our destiny as commanded by the Creator.

We do this by expelling and removing those who are against what the Torah, Israel, Jerusalem, the Promised Land, and the Final Redemption mean. Those peoples who are trapped and enslaved in negative and destructive beliefs, ideologies, philosophies and religions. We are commanded to remove them from our midst since our ancestors received the Torah and the Promised Land, the life of the goodness of Love. In Jerusalem united and indivisible we will be redeemed as our Prophets proclaim. We must unite our consciousness in the encompassing and comprising power of Love. This is the first step into our Final Redemption being led by its ways and attributes towards God’s Love.

“And He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and 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 any more.”  (2:4)

The Love of God is the fire that burns and never consumes. The fire that transforms our consciousness under Love’s ways in order to be guided by them. This is how God’s Love judges the nations and sets the path for the peoples. Love turns violence into peace, negative and destructive tendencies into positive and productive fields of creative potentials and deeds. As Love reigns there are no wars, disputes or conflicts. All human actions, tasks and endeavors are motivated by goodness and aimed to goodness.

“O house of Jacob, come you all, and let us walk in the Light of the Lord.” (2:5)

The goodness of Love’s ways are the Light by which we will walk in our redeemed and renewed consciousness. Thus we realize that Light, Love, goodness, peace, joy, plenitude, abundance, prosperity, solidarity, compassion, righteousness, justice, fairness, loving kindness, and the positive expressions of Love are all inherent to each other. We have peace because we have Love, justice, compassion, loving kindness, etc. We have prosperity and happiness, because we have all their complements.