Who said, “…neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain…“? Martin Luther King, Jr. He was quoting an amazing prophecy of Isaiah who had been given a peek at God’s endgame. He saw the future we yearn for, the Day of no more tears, no disease or death. The day when humans somehow can live in perfect harmony and peace.
How, somehow? Hear it straight from Isaiah as he received it from God:
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9)
Knowing, in Bible speak, is frequently a term for intercourse, the deepest and most intimate expression of a relationship of love. When we attain full knowledge of God, when we know Him fully, our hearts and actions will effortlessly resonate with His. It will be the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer, “…Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There will be real peace and joy.
Even though our capacity for knowing God, knowing Jesus, is limited, the day of full knowledge and consent is truly coming. Isaiah saw a vision of it. Martin Luther King, Jr. wept for it.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)