6 And in this mountain [Har Hazeh [i.e., Mt Tziyon] shall Yahweh [Tzva'os] make unto all people [kol HaAmim] a feast [mishteh] of fat things , a [mishteh] of wines on the lees [finest, aged wines,], of fat things full of marrow, [finest meats] of wines on the lees well refined [best wines of finest vintage].

It appears, from Ezek. 43., that the Lord will visit, at stated times, the Temple of Jerusalem, and that the house shall be filled with his glory. We may therefore suppose that so great an occasion as that of the Feast of Tabernacles will not be overlooked.

When all nations are assembled at Jerusalem, this manifestation of Divine glory will undoubtedly take place, and complete the grandeur and brightness of the scene. It appears also, from Isaiah, that some remarkable display of Divine Power will be made in providing for the wants of so vast a multitude.

It occurs at first sight at least, to a political economist, that it will be impossible for the land of Israel to sustain so immense an assemblage. Such a concourse of nations, and still more from year to year, would be sufficient to exhaust the most fertile country, and to drain it of all its resources.

But, independently of the increased productiveness of the land, there is a remarkable indication of some supernatural provision to be found in Isaiah 25. There it is written, [v6]

This chapter is immediately preceded by that terrible description of judgment which occupies the whole of chap. 24. There can be no doubt that these two chapters are as consecutive in time as they are in arrangement, and that the 24th foretells the tremendous judgments of the Day of the Lord—the great tribulation—while the 25th describes the period of prosperity and blessing which is immediately to follow.

This being the case, the Feast described in verse 6, may be taken literally as an exercise of Divine Hospitality on a scale worthy of God.

The Lord himself has invited all nations to meet him at Jerusalem. They all assemble as his guests; and the preparations for their reception will, no doubt, be worthy of the Host. A feast, on a scale that the world has never witnessed or conceived, will be provided for the guests of the Lord.

It is said that Cæsar entertained the whole multitude of the Roman people at a single feast; and he defrayed the expenses out of the spoils of the world. But the Lord Jesus, the successor of Cæsar, will entertain all the nations of the earth in annual succession, and without the spoil or oppression of the humblest of his subjects.

At this stupendous feast, "wines on the lees" form a prominent item of the entertainment.

...The aspect of Jerusalem, under the reign of the Age to Come, presents to us the most perfect picture of felicity and beauty that the earth can offer, and one in every way adapted to its end. The magnificent city, fifty miles in circumference, the present circumference of London—Editor of the Herald), and perfect in all its building; the Temple raised above, on the precipice of Mount Moriah; the Feast of Tabernacles prepared in the streets and courts of Jerusalem: the boughs of goodly trees, fresh from the forests (newly created—Editor); the assembled crowds, composed of every variety of the human race, from the western sons of Gomer to the dark-haired race of Ham.

The soft air breathing through the leaves of a thousand bowers; the blue tranquillity of the sky. All this is peaceful and beautiful; but it is far from being the whole; the Lord himself will appear in the midst of his subjects, attended by the thousands of his saints. He is to assume his place as Son of David and King of Israel, and to fill the Temple with his glory. The wonders of his presence will be revealed to all the multitude; and all the natural pleasures of the feast will be sanctified by his approbation.

In that great day the Lord of lords shall be the Host, and all mankind his guests. He whom the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain, will be seen on that speck of his creation which is occupied by the Temple.

What a sublime answer to return when a stranger inquires, "Who is your King? Who is the master of this feast?—God himself!" The Creator of the ends of the earth stands, in human manifestation, upon one narrow spot of his creation. He who feeds oceans with waters, and volcanoes with fire, condescends to spread a feast for feeble, sinful men.

The grandeur of the thought; the beauty of the scene; the beneficence of the Lord of the Land, shall fill the whole earth with admiration. Every man, as he returns to his native city, shall proclaim the marvels he has witnessed; and thus, from mouth to mouth the glories of the Feast of Tabernacles shall be published throughout the earth! All nations shall be awakened by the same holy desire to witness the presence of the Lord, and to go up to Jerusalem.

"The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising,"

"therefore thy gates shall be open continually;" "they shall not be shut night nor day; that men may bring into them the wealth of the nations, and that their kings may be brought." "Thy sun shall go down no more; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light; and the days of thy mourning shall be ended."

A bond of perpetual union shall be woven at Jerusalem, and diffused through every heart. All men shall be bound together by a common interest and a common pride: for all that glory shall glory in the Lord. And Jerusalem shall be made the Capital of the World, and become the centre of empire by becoming first the centre of attraction.

... A nation of saints, a city of palaces; a festival of unrivalled grandeur! the King of Kings descending to his subjects; the light of Jerusalem, then a Heavenly City, radiating glory into the skies; the presence of the Prince of Peace pacifying the wildness of creation; and thus without violence he takes possession of the avenues of the heart, and shuts out every tumultuous passion.

"For in this place will I give peace, saith Yahweh."

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, July 1856