And it must occur in the final part of the days that the mountain of the house of Jehovah will become firmly established above the top of the mountains, and it will certainly be lifted up above the hills; and to it all the nations must stream.

Isaiah 2:1-5.

 5. In the face of the Republic of Israel’s course of action, from what standpoint must Isaiah’s prophecy concerning “the house of Jehovah” be viewed?

⁵ Today we do not see this wonderful prophecy fulfilled in Middle Eastern Jerusalem, the capital of the Republic of Israel. On what used to be called Mount Zion, we see no temple of Jehovah but, rather, the Muhammadan Dome of the Rock and a mosque dedicated to Allah. Tourists from many nations visit this religious site, not for the purpose of worship, but merely to inspect this beautiful Islamic structure. Undeniably, then, now in “the final part of the days” of this mortally sick system of things, Isaiah’s prophecy is not being fulfilled at all in the case of the modern state of Israel. It is not meant to be the “all Israel” that is saved for the blessing of all mankind, in fulfillment of Jehovah’s promise to Abraham. Hence, the prophetic expression “the mountain of the house of Jehovah” has to be viewed from a spiritual standpoint with regard to “the Israel of God.”​—Galatians 6:16.

 6. (a) How did Peter show what kind of nation “the Israel of God” is? (b) During what world development did “all the nations” begin to stream up to “the house of Jehovah”?

⁶ This “Israel of God” is a spiritual nation, even as the apostle Peter indicated in writing: “You are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that you should declare abroad the excellencies’ of the one that called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) The present-day remnant of this “holy nation” stands as a symbol of the “house of Jehovah” and makes up the nucleus of Jehovah’s Witnesses today. It was 21 years into “the final part of the days”​—when Roman Catholic fascism and Hitlerian Nazism were raging in Europe—​when “all the nations” started to stream toward the spiritual “house of Jehovah” that had been lifted up above the top of the mountains, as it were, by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

 7. Why was it no insignificant affair when the nations started streaming up to “the house of Jehovah”?

⁷ This significant start was marked by a general convention in the late spring of 1935 at Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States of America. During a very noteworthy talk at that convention, a member of “all Israel”​—J. F. Rutherford, then president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society​—corrected a misunderstanding that had obtained among the International Bible Students. He pointed out that the “great multitude,” or “great crowd,” to be gathered out of all sections of mankind and that was to worship God at His spiritual temple (inasmuch as the material temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.) was to be an earthly class. (Revelation 7:9-17, Authorized Version) This class had the prospect of surviving Har–Magedon and entering the new system of things during the approaching Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ, who has been ruling in the heavens since 1914.

 8. (a) What epoch-making event took place at the Washington, D.C., convention in 1935? (b) Why may it be said that “all the nations” are streaming up to “the house of Jehovah”?

⁸ The response to this revealed light was epoch making. At that dramatic assembly, 840 conventioners got baptized in symbol of their dedication to Jehovah God through Jesus Christ. How many nations were represented in that group was not ascertained, but they had in mind an earthly paradise hope. Today, more than 49 years later, Jehovah’s Witnesses number far in excess of “all Israel.” They are active in 205 lands around the globe. In broad terms, then, “all the nations” are streaming toward Jehovah’s exalted house of worship.