One of the prophecies of Isaiah (2:2-5) says that "many people" "in the last days" shall talk about peace as if it were coming soon by the conversion of the world. The marginal reading of Isaiah 2:16, calls such talk "pictures of desire," and says they shall "be brought low" (verse 12).
Verses three to five tell what the "people" are saying. Verses six to twenty-two are the prophet's declarations because of what the people have said. He foretells destruction for those who do not repent, the same as does the prophet Joel. It will be a time of general war. Here are the people's sayings and the Lord's sayings, side by side. They are direct opposites; yet both refer to "the last days," when "the day of the Lord is near:"
"It shall come to pass in THE LAST DAYS that . . . MANY PEOPLE shall say, Come ye, 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: . . .
"And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
"O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord." Isaiah 2:2-5.
Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles. Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
"Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say I am strong. . . . Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, . . . for their WICKEDNESS is great.
"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." Joel 3:9-16.
The DAY OF THE LORD "shall come as A DESTRUCTION from the Almighty." Isaiah 13:6-11.