Main news for 2 August 2025

Mount Zion is small, and Jerusalem, too, is smaller in area than many great cities. And yet it is not by size, not by outward grandeur, that they will be set at the head of all nations. The Lord's truth is not always shown in outward greatness; often it is not immediately noticeable. But perhaps those who can discern the trace of His presence in what is small and outwardly plain will be able to share in Him sooner than those who look for mandatory outward magnificence.

In one and the same chapter we see both the condemnation of nations that have taken up arms against Zion and a prophecy about the peaceful life of other nations. The closeness of such different sayings may appear to be a glaring contradiction, a joining of things that cannot be joined. But here we see how a view of the reality of the near future stands side by side with a view of what must become reality by the will of the Creator, who desires peace for all nations. Yes, today the surrounding nations, following pagan ways, are hostile not only to Israel but also to Israel's Lord. But He loves them too and wants to gather them into one, and therefore He reveals Himself and His will on Zion and in Jerusalem not only for Israel, but for all nations.

And it is no accident that it is here that we see the prophecy of the One who will appear in Bethlehem, a small town where the Creator's greatness will be revealed. The prophetic speech about the siege of Zion by pagans suddenly turns into a narrative about the Savior, who will save not only the Israelites but also those who are still hostile to them. Let us note that the prophet does not say that He will bring peace, but that He Himself is peace. People will habitually expect Him to fulfill their immediate requests, and fulfillment of them will not be refused. But what will be saving is not the receiving of something that comes from Him, but the receiving of Him Himself.

The prophets speak of what they see. Their accounts of what God will give humanity often provoke bewilderment and protest. The history of the world and the prophets' visions do not correspond to one another. People have already experienced the coming of what was promised. Where, then, is the continuation? The Messiah came into the world, but the final verse of today's reading from the prophet Micah still seems not to have been fulfilled.

Yet this very example shows us the difference between the way we see and the way God sees. He tells us what the world looks like through His eyes. The changes taking place on His level are invisible to us, but they must become our primary and most important reality. Changes that cannot be documented are nevertheless the foundation for the transformation of the whole world.

There are certain “special points” on the face of the earth that are pivotal in human history. One such point is Jerusalem. It is pointless to ask why this is so—it is simply a fact. And now, in these very days, we see especially clearly that Jerusalem is to the world like the solar plexus in the human body—a point where a vast number of nerve fibers converge, and a blow to it can paralyze the whole body. Almost three thousand years ago, the prophet Micah was shown this significance of Jerusalem, and above all he connected it with the coming of the Messiah, “the One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.” This Messiah is born in a small town near Jerusalem—Bethlehem. He becomes “great to the ends of the earth,” raising the mountain of the house of the Lord above all the mountains.