Sacred Way
Isaiah 35:8
A highway shall
appear there,
Which shall be called the
Sacred Way . . .
Isaiah 35:9
The redeemed
shall walk it;
And the ransomed of the Lord
shall return,
And come with shouting to
Zion,
Crowned with joy
everlasting.
A sacred highway ‘appears’
on which the faithful remnants make their way to Zion (Jerusalem). Zion refers to the highest of the
mountain eminences on which Jerusalem was built. It is surrounded on all sides
by deep valleys except to the north where the temple mount lies. Zion is
sometimes used in the Old Testament to denote Jerusalem in general. It literally
means ‘sunny’ and ‘height’. It is just south of the temple mount and is also
called the City of David.
It may be necessary for
those who follow God’s will, to separate themselves from the opinions, people,
and possessions of our present culture to follow the truth on an isolated,
lonely, and perhaps dangerous road. Family fault lines may sever; persecution, ridicule
and danger could be ahead. Such painful and
trying choices will act to establish our priorities and expose them to view.
Choosing God’s will in the face of such trials will be the "flame of
affliction," which will soften our mettle (metal) for the anvil of adversity and
the hammer of mercy. And so we will
count the cost and remember that this road is also called the ‘Sacred Way’, and
that the ‘redeemed shall walk it.’ Consider further this
road:
Road
Isaiah 57:14
Build up, build
up a highway!
Clear a
road!
Remove all
obstacles
From the road of My
people
This "road" is referred to
and described in many places and by many prophets in the Old Testament. God will
be removing obstacles to its use by those who elect His
will.
Isaiah 62:10
Pass through,
pass through the gates!
Clear the road for
the people
Build up the
highway,
Remove the
rocks!
See, the Lord has
proclaimed
To the end of the
earth…
Your deliverer is
coming!
And they shall be called
"The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the
Lord"
The "people" are the remnant
of "Israel," the people who love God and seek his guidance within and without.
The road has rocks on it that need to be removed so that "the people" can
proceed to Zion, where they will meet up with the Deliverer who is the World
Messiah. "The Holy People" are probably the group referred to as the elect,
elsewhere. This group is made up of those who "elect" to do God’s will in
the trial period when many others abandon Him. There is both a physical road and
a spiritual road or way. They are fused in Isaiah’s poetic
imagery.
Isaiah 35:8
And a highway
shall appear there
Which shall be called the
Sacred Way…
But it shall be for His
people
No traveler, not even fools,
shall go astray…
But the redeemed shall walk
it;
And the ransomed of the Lord
return,
And come with shouting to
Zion.
The "ransomed" people of God
are those who stand up for and do God’s will amidst the "powers and
principalities" that rule during the trial period. Many of "His people" are
persecuted, and possibly imprisoned. Thus, when the Messiah arrives he pays
"ransom" to release these captives who then:
Isaiah 35:10
Come with
shouting to Zion,
Crowned with joy everlasting.
They shall attain joy and
gladness,
While sorrow and sighing
flee
Isaiah 42:16
I will lead the
blind
By a road they did
not know.
Isaiah 43:19
I (God) am
about to do something new…
Suddenly you shall perceive
it;
I will make a road
through the wilderness
And rivers in the
desert.
As we ponder this way, ‘this
road’, the repeated decisions of a lifetime bring their weight to bear on the
fulcrum of our will. What will we do? If we have been faithful before, we
will be faithful again. The crown follows those who elect God’s
will.
Isaiah 40:3
The voice of him
who cries in the wilderness, prepare
KJV
the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway
for our
God.
John the Baptist, took up
this verse unto himself to prepare the people for the Lord Jesus’ arrival.
"Another and greater John the Baptist" (UB 1866) the Final Prophet, will use this
same verse to prepare the way for the Lord Melchizedek’s arrival. This highway
in the desert is a literal road, the Sacred Way, that will be used by the
remnants to travel to Canaan to be reunited by Melchizedek. The term God in
Isaiah 40:3 is an error of designation by which Lord God is confused with Lord
Jesus or Lord Melchizedek. Further about this road or
highway:
Jeremiah 31:2
Set thee up
waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine
KJV
heart toward the
highway, even the way which thou wentest,
turn again, O virgin of
Israel, turn again to these thy cities.
Jeremiah 31:2 describes
"Lost" Israel as they leave Canaan and the Lord tells them to "set up waymarks",
which are the stone altars called dolmens discussed in the chapter on Isaiah.
Israel (The Lost Ten Tribes) told by the Lord that someday they will use these
"waymarks" as markers on the highway (The Sacred Way) to "turn again" and return
to "these thy cities" of Canaan. These are modern day Christians (The Lost Ten
Tribes), the remnant of "Israel" that returns to Canaan for reunion with the
Jewish remnant. This highway/road is one and the same as the "highway made
straight in the desert" for Lord Melchizedek, and previously
for, Lord Jesus. Consider further:
Isaiah 19:23
In that day
shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria,
KJV
and the Assyrian shall
come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into
Assyria, and the Egyptians
shall serve with the Assyrians.
Here, Isaiah 19:23, we are
told that there will be Egyptian and Assyrian remnants using this road as well.
All who love and respect the true God will be gathered. To confirm
this:
Isaiah 27:13
And it shall
come to pass that day, that the great trumpet shall
KJV
be blown, and they shall
come which were ready to perish in the
land of Egypt, and shall
worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem.
"In that day" and the
blowing of the "great trumpet" indicate that these verses apply to the messianic
end of the age. Melchizedek is said to arrive at the beginning of the tenth
Jubilee, on the day of atonement, as discussed in the last sentence of 11Q13;
The Coming of Melchizedek. There will be remnants coming from many countries
all over the world. Their
commonality will be their love and respect for God. Also note that both Egypt
and modern Syria are slated to be foremost among the countries who come against
Modern Israel during the near future. The leaders make the wars, but the
people may still be among the faithful.
But who will make this road; this Sacred Way?
Isaiah 43:19
Behold, I will
do a new thing; now it shall spring forth;
KJV
shall ye not know it? I
will even make a way in the wilderness,
and rivers in the
desert.
God seems to make this road
for His returning sons and daughters. He tells us:
Isaiah 43:5
Fear not, for I
am with thee.
KJV
Isaiah 43:6
bring my sons
from afar and my daughters from the ends of
KJV
the
earth.
Isaiah 43:7
even everyone
who is called by my name.
KJV