Part IV<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Interval<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chart #8<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d8\u05d5<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FIVETEEN<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Seventy-five Day Interval<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Millennium will not begin the day immediately following the last day of the Great Tribulation because there will be a seventy-five day interval. During this time between the Great Tribulation and the start of the Messianic Age, a number of events will occur. The existence of this interval is demonstrated in Daniel 12:11\u201312:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn previous discussions, the figure of 1,260 days has often appeared, which is equivalent to 3\u00bd years. Sometimes it is in reference to the first half of the Tribulation, from the signing of the seven-year covenant to the takeover of the Jewish Temple and the commitment of the Abomination of Desolation. Other times it refers to the second half of the Tribulation, from the Abomination of Desolation to the Second Coming, during which time the Antichrist will rule the world. The demise of the Antichrist and the end of the Tribulation will come 1,260 days after the midpoint of the Tribulation.
\nIn this Daniel passage, two other figures are given. The first is 1,290 days, an addition of thirty days, during which time the Abomination of Desolation remains in the Temple before its removal. The second figure is 1,335 days, which is 45 days beyond the 1,290-day period and 75 days beyond the 1,260-day period. A special blessing is pronounced on those who will make it to the 1,335th day. The blessing is that those who survive until the 75th day of the interval will enter the Messianic Kingdom. That this is indeed a blessing will be seen in this chapter. There will be many who will fail and die before the 1,335th day comes, although they did survive past the 1,260th day.
\nA number of events will transpire during the seventy-five day interval, but it is impossible to determine the chronological sequence of these events. Therefore, these events will be studied thematically rather than chronologically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. The Removal of the Abomination of Desolation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event that will signal the beginning of the second half of the Great Tribulation will be the Antichrist\u2019s takeover of the Jewish Temple, from which he will declare himself to be the Almighty God. He will then have the False Prophet set up his image in the Temple, and thus commit the Abomination of Desolation. The Antichrist will retain control for 1,260 days, after which he will be killed. But the image which had been made alive will be allowed to continue another thirty days, as Daniel 12:11 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe desecration of the Temple is allowed to remain for thirty days beyond the end of the Tribulation. Then it will be destroyed, bringing the Abomination of Desolation to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B. The Antichrist<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regarding this member of the counterfeit trinity, Revelation 19:20 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image: they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone: \u2026<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIt is declared that the Antichrist will be cast alive into the Lake of Fire. In the previous chapter, passages were cited that state that the Antichrist will be killed as one of the first casualties of the Second Coming. Therefore, this verse requires that the Antichrist be resurrected at this time and then be cast alive into the Lake of Fire. It is for this reason that Isaiah 14:20 declared that the body of the Antichrist will never see burial.
\nThere is some irony to be found in this fact. As will be seen later in this chapter, the term the first resurrection applies to the resurrection of all the righteous, although it comes in stages. The term the second resurrection applies to the resurrection of all the damned, and this, too, will come in stages. Jesus was the firstfruits of the first resurrection. The irony to be found here is that he who would be the counterfeit son will be allowed to act out the counterfeit role to completion by becoming the firstfruits of the second resurrection. But the result of his resurrection will be the Lake of Fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C. The False Prophet<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also according to Revelation 19:20, the False Prophet\u2014the counterfeit holy spirit, who will have a counterfeit gift of miracles by which he will do his work of deception, calling men to worship the Antichrist, to take upon themselves the mark of the Beast and to worship his image\u2014he, too, will be cast alive into the Lake of Fire.
\nFor the first thousand years that the Lake of Fire will be inhabited, the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be there all by themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D. Satan\u2019s Fifth Abode<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for Satan, the counterfeit father, he will be cast into his fifth abode, as described in Revelation 20:1\u20133:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis passage records the binding of Satan into his fifth abode. The binder will be a member of the rank of common angels (v. 1), the lowest order of celestial beings, yet he will be able to bind a cherub who was the anointed cherub and sealed up the sum in wisdom and beauty. The duration of Satan\u2019s confinement will be one thousand years (v. 2). Verse three spells out the place, purpose, and promise regarding the binding of Satan. As to the place, it will be the Abyss, the temporary place of confinement for fallen angels. As to the purpose, it is that he should no longer be free to do his work of deception among the nations. But the binding is done with the promise that he will be released for a short while to test mankind at least one more time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E. The Judgment of the Gentiles<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though a great many Gentiles will be killed through the course of the Tribulation, and Gentile armies will suffer slaughter in the Campaign of Armageddon, a number will still be living. All these will now be gathered together for a judgment described in two passages of Scripture. The first passage is in Joel 3:1\u20133:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring back the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment upon them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations: and they have parted my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe timing of this judgment is given as being in conjunction with the final restoration of Israel (v. 1). All the Gentiles will be gathered into the Valley of Jehoshaphat for the judgment (v. 2a). The very place where the Campaign of Armageddon will end is the same place where the Gentiles will be judged. A judgment of this nature, resulting in a destiny of eternal life or eternal Hell, cannot be taken as a national judgment, but is an individual one. The word translated nations also means Gentiles, and this is the way it should be translated. The basis for this judgment will be anti-Semitism or pro-Semitism (vv. 2b\u20133). All these Gentiles will be judged on the basis of their treatment of the Jews during the Great Tribulation. The sins committed against Israel listed in this indictment are: first, scattering the Jews (in the middle of the Tribulation); second, parting the land (Campaign of Armageddon); and third, selling the Jews into slavery (Zech. 14:1\u20132). Each Gentile living at that time will be judged on the basis of his participation in or his refusal to participate in these deeds.
\nThe results of this judgment are given in the second passage in Matthew 25:31\u201346. The judge, the judgment, and those judged are identified in 25:31\u201333:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe judge (v. 31) will be none other than the Messiah, Who will sit on a throne encompassed by His glory in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. All the Gentiles still living will be gathered before Him for the judgment (v. 32). The Greek word translated nations is also the common word for Gentiles. The latter is the way it should be taken, for this is an individual judgment on the basis of anti-Semitism or pro-Semitism. In this judgment, all the Gentiles will be divided into two camps: the pro-Semitic sheep camp or the anti-Semitic goat camp (v. 33).
\nMatthew 25:34\u201340 concerns the pro-Semitic sheep:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you hungry, and fed you? or athirst, and gave you drink? And when saw we you a stranger, and took you in? or naked, and clothed you? And when saw we you sick, or in prison, and came unto you? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe pro-Semites are those who will provide help for Jesus\u2019 brethren, the Jews, during the Great Tribulation, a time when it will be very dangerous to do so. The Jews who will have to flee into the wilderness without anything with them will often be provided with food, clothing and shelter by the sheep Gentiles. They will identify themselves with the Jews by visiting the Jews in prison and will perform other acts of kindness to the Jews. Because of these acts, they will be allowed to enter the Messianic Kingdom (v. 34). It is the sheep Gentiles who will be involved in the destruction of Babylon (Is. 13:1\u20135). They will attain the 1,335th day and will be the ones who will populate Gentile nations in the Messianic Kingdom.
\nAs for the anti-Semitic goat Gentiles, Matthew 25:41\u201345 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand. Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we you hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto you? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe anti-Semites, who will aid the Antichrist in the program of Jewish destruction, will be killed and sent to Hell (v. 41). They are the ones who will fail to attain the 1,335th day and, consequently, lose out on the millennial blessing.
\nThe basis of the judgment will not be salvation or lack of it, but anti-Semitism or pro-Semitism. The fact stirs up a question when compared with 25:46:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe goats will be sent to Hell, whereas the sheep will not only enter the Kingdom (v. 34), but they will also inherit eternal life. Is their salvation, then, based on their works, be they anti-Semitic or pro-Semitic? Not at all. The Scriptures make it quite clear that salvation is always by grace through faith totally apart from works. During the Tribulation, the Jews will become the dividing line for those who are believers and for those who are not. Only believers will dare to violate the rules of the Antichrist and aid the Jews. Their pro-Semitic acts will be the result of their saved state. As James would say it, they will show their faith by their works. But the unbelievers will demonstrate their unbelief by their anti-Semitic acts. The judgment of the Gentiles, then, will determine who among the Gentiles will be allowed to enter the Messianic Kingdom. Only believing Gentiles will be allowed, and the evidence of their faith will be their pro-Semitic works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
F. The Resurrection of the Old Testament Saints<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Rapture will include only the Church saints and it will occur before the Great Tribulation. Later, during the seventy-five day interval, the Old Testament saints will be resurrected. This is stated by two Old Testament passages, the first being in Isaiah 26:19:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for your dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis is a general statement of the fact that a resurrection will some day take place. A clearer picture is found in the second passage in Daniel 12:2:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nA more literal rendering of this passage would read as follows: \u201cAnd [at that time] many [of your people] shall awake or be separated out from among the sleepers in the earth\u2019s dust. These who awake shall be unto life everlasting, but those [the rest of the sleepers who do not awake at this time] shall be unto shame and contempt everlasting.\u201d
\nThis passage draws a clear distinction between the resurrection of the righteous and the resurrection of the unrighteous. Only the righteous saints will be resurrected at this time in order to partake of the blessings of the Millennial Kingdom. These are the friends of the bridegroom (Jn. 3:29) who will be invited to the wedding feast with which the Millennium will begin.
\nIn the context of Daniel 12:2, Daniel is speaking of events after the Tribulation and, therefore, this is the time that the Old Testament saints will be resurrected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
G. The Resurrection of the Tribulation Saints<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only will there be a resurrection of Old Testament saints, but also a resurrection of those saints who will be killed in the course of the Great Tribulation according to Revelation 20:4:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this verse, John sees two groups of saints co-reigning with Messiah. First are those to whom judgment was given. The judgment spoken of here is the Judgment Seat of the Messiah. These saints, then, will be the Church saints who will be resurrected at the Rapture of the Church and will receive their rewards in the course of the judgment.
\nBut the second group of saints that John sees are identified as those who have been beheaded because they did not worship the Antichrist or his image, nor were they willing to consent to receive the mark of the Beast. Obviously, then, these cannot be anyone else but the Tribulation saints and they, too, will be resurrected at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
H. The First Resurrection<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first resurrection involves the resurrection of believers only. It is recorded in Revelation 20:5\u20136:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: over these the second death has no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAccording to verse five, the resurrection of the Tribulation saints completes the first resurrection, and it is separated from the completion of the second resurrection by one thousand years. The point of verse six is that the first resurrection involves believers only, and that is why it is blessed and holy to be a participant in the first resurrection.
\nHowever, the first resurrection is not a general one-time resurrection of righteous ones, but comes in stages in an orderly progression, according to 1 Corinthians 15:20\u201323:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But now has Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ\u2019s, at his coming.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAfter declaring that a resurrection of the righteous will occur (vv. 20\u201322), Paul states that the righteous will be resurrected each in his own order (v. 23). The word translated order is a military term used for a sequence of troops of soldiers marching in a procession or in battle. There is one troop division first, followed by another troop division, and so on. The point is that all the righteous will not be resurrected at the same time, but rather in a definite sequential order. The first resurrection includes the following five stages: The first was the resurrection of Jesus (v. 23)\u2014He is the firstfruits of the first resurrection; the second is the resurrection of the Church saints at the Rapture of the Church (1 Thes. 4:16) prior to the Great Tribulation; the third will be the resurrection of the Two Witnesses in the middle of the Tribulation; fourth will come the Old Testament saints (Is. 26:19; Dan. 12:2) during the seventy-five day interval after the Tribulation; and fifth, the Tribulation saints (Rev. 20:4). The resurrection of the Tribulation saints completes the first resurrection. There will be no such thing as a resurrection of millennial saints for reasons to be discussed in Chapter 17, General Characteristics of the Messianic Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I. The Marriage Feast of the Lamb<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fourth stage of the Jewish wedding system is the marriage feast which lasted seven days. As noted earlier, while the Church is the Bride, the Old Testament and Tribulation saints make up the friends of the bridegroom. Now that they have been resurrected, the wedding feast can take place. The invitation has already gone out in Revelation 19:9:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he says unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he says unto me, These are true words of God.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe result of the invitation is their resurrection and the wedding feast, which will also last at least seven days, and will either conclude the seventy-five day interval, or may inaugurate the Messianic Kingdom itself for its first seven days\u2014perhaps the more likely scenario, since the wedding feast parable was connected with the Kingdom. One such wedding feast parable is found in Matthew 22:1\u201314:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jesus answered and spoke again in parables unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, who made a marriage feast for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the marriage feast: and they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made ready my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage feast. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his merchandise; and the rest laid hold on his servants, and treated them shamefully, and killed them. But the king was wroth; and he sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then says he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore unto the partings of the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage feast. And those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to behold the guests, he saw there a man who had not on a wedding-garment: and he says unto him, Friend, how came you in hither not having a wedding-garment? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few chosen.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe point of the parable is that those who were originally bidden to the wedding feast, the Pharisees and the Jewish generation of Jesus\u2019 day, will not partake of the feast (the Kingdom) due to their commitment of the unpardonable sin. However, the Jews of the Tribulation generation will. But this will include only the believers; the unbelievers will be cast into the outer darkness and excluded from the Messianic Kingdom.
\nA second parable is in Matthew 25:1\u201313:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For the foolish, when they took their lamps, took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out. But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe contrast here is not between two types of believers, but between believers and unbelievers. The believers (wise virgins) have oil, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, while unbelievers (foolish virgins) take no oil with them. Thus the foolish ones were excluded from the marriage feast (the Messianic Kingdom), for them the Lord knew not, while the wise virgins went in with him to the marriage feast. Based upon the application of the parable given in Matthew 25:31\u201346, these two sets of virgins represent believing and unbelieving Gentiles in the Tribulation. The first parable deals with Jews who will or will not enter the Kingdom, while this one deals with Gentiles who will or will not enter the Kingdom.
\nIsaiah also connects a feast with the Kingdom and with a resurrection from the dead in Isaiah 25:6\u20138:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering that covers all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He has swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah has spoken it.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn a sense then, there will be a double wedding feast: One for the Church as the Bride of the Messiah and one for Israel as the remarried Wife of Jehovah.
\nThese are the events of the seventy-five day interval leading up that long, special period of history the faithful look forward to\u2014the Millennium or the Messianic Age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part V<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Messianic Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chart #9<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d8\u05d6<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SIXTEEN<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Basis for the Belief in the Messianic Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Premillennialists have often been criticized for basing their belief in a Millennium entirely on one passage of Scripture, Revelation 20. Because it is found in a book well noted for its high use of symbols, they say it is foolish to take the one thousand years literally. But that is hardly a valid criticism.
\nTo begin with, while it is true that the Book of Revelation uses many symbols, it has already been shown that the meaning of all those symbols is explained either within the Book of Revelation itself or elsewhere in the Scriptures. Furthermore, never are years used in a symbolic way in this book. If they are symbolic, the symbolism is nowhere explained. The mention of 1,260 days, 42 months, and 3\u00bd years are all literal and not symbolic. Hence, there is no need to take the one thousand years as anything but literal years. The desire to spiritualize the text always places the burden of proof on the interpreter. Without objective proof it will result in a subjective interpretation.
\nIt is, of course, true that the figure of one thousand years is only found in Revelation 20. But it is recorded six different times in this one text, and if repetition tries to do anything, it certainly endeavors to make a point.
\nWhile it is true that the millennium (that is, one thousand years) is found only in Revelation 20, the belief in the Messianic Kingdom does not rest on this passage alone. In fact, it hardly rests on it at all. The basis for the belief in the Messianic Kingdom is twofold. First: there are the unfulfilled promises of the Jewish covenants, promises that can only be fulfilled in a Messianic Kingdom. Second: there are the unfulfilled prophecies of the Jewish prophets. There are numerous prophecies of the Old Testament that speak of the coming of the Messiah Who will reign on David\u2019s Throne, and rule over a peaceful Kingdom. There is a great amount of material in the Old Testament on the Messianic Kingdom, and the belief in a Messianic Kingdom rests on the basis of a literal interpretation of this massive material.
\nThe only real contribution that the Book of Revelation makes to the knowledge of the Kingdom is to disclose just how long the Messianic Kingdom will last\u2014namely one thousand years\u2014for which the term Millennium is used. This is the one key truth concerning the Kingdom that was not revealed in the Old Testament.
\nIt is in light of this that it is possible to understand why so much of the book is spent on the Great Tribulation and so little on the Millennium. While much of the material in Revelation 4\u201319 is found scattered in the pages of the Old Testament, it is impossible to place these events in chronological sequence using only the Old Testament. The Book of Revelation provides the framework by which this can be done. A great portion of the Book of Revelation was used to accomplish this goal.
\nOn the other hand, all of the various features and facets of the Messianic Kingdom have already been revealed in the Old Testament. It portrays the general characteristics of life in the Kingdom, which do not raise the problem of an order of sequence. Hence, there was no reason to spend a great deal of time on the Messianic Kingdom in the Book of Revelation. Most of what was needed to be revealed was already known from the Old Testament.
\nHowever, there were two things about the Messianic Kingdom which were not revealed in the Old Testament. The first was the length of the Messianic Kingdom. While the Old Testament prophets foresaw a long period of time of a peaceful messianic reign, they did not reveal just how long this would last. To answer this question, the Book of Revelation states that it will be exactly one thousand years. A second thing that was unknown from the Old Testament prophets was the circumstances by which the Kingdom would come to an end and how this would lead into the Eternal Order. This is also revealed by the Book of Revelation. These two items are all that Revelation 20 added to the knowledge of the Messianic Kingdom. The belief in a Messianic Kingdom does not rest on this passage, but is based on the numerous prophecies of the Old Testament prophets.
\nAnother basis for the belief in a coming Kingdom rests on the four unconditional, unfulfilled covenants God made with Israel. These covenants are unconditional and so rely solely on God for their fulfillment and not on Israel. They are also unfulfilled, and since God is One Who keeps His promises, they must be fulfilled in the future. They can only be fulfilled within the framework of a Messianic Kingdom or a Millennial Kingdom. More will be said about these covenants in chapter 19, Israel in the Messianic Kingdom, but the main points will be summarized here.
\nThe first of these is the Abrahamic Covenant, which promised an eternal Seed developing into a nation that will possess the Promised Land with some definite borders. While that nation\u2014the Jews\u2014continues to exist, never in Jewish history have they possessed all of the Promised Land. For this promise to be fulfilled, there must be a future Kingdom. Besides, the possession of the Land was not merely promised to Abraham\u2019s seed, but to Abraham personally when God said, to you will I give it, and to your seed for ever (Gen. 13:15). For God to fulfill His promise to Abraham (as well as to Isaac and Jacob), there must be a future Kingdom.
\nThe second covenant is the Palestinian Covenant, or Land Covenant, that spoke of a worldwide regathering of the Jews and repossession of the Land following their dispersion. While the dispersion has already occurred and is in effect today, the regathering and repossession of the Land still awaits fulfillment in the future. This, too, requires a future Kingdom.
\nThe Davidic Covenant is the third covenant, and it promised four eternal things: an eternal house (dynasty), an eternal throne, an eternal kingdom, and one eternal Person. The Dynasty became eternal because it culminated in a Person Who is Himself eternal: Jesus the Messiah. For that reason the Throne and Kingdom will be eternal as well. But Jesus has never yet sat on the Throne of David ruling over a Kingdom of Israel. The reestablishment of the Davidic Throne and Messiah\u2019s rule over the Kingdom still awaits a future fulfillment. It requires a future kingdom.
\nThe last of these covenants is the New Covenant, which spoke of the national regeneration and salvation of Israel, encompassing each individual Jewish member of that nation. This, too, awaits its final fulfillment and requires a future kingdom.
\nIt is the extensive prophetic writings, as well as all of these covenants, that provide the basis for the belief in a future Messianic Kingdom, and not merely one chapter of a highly symbolic book.
\nTo summarize, the basis for the belief in a Messianic Kingdom is twofold: the unfulfilled promises of the Jewish covenants, and the unfulfilled prophecies of the Jewish prophets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d9\u05d6<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SEVENTEEN<\/p>\n\n\n\n
General Characteristics of the Messianic Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A great many of the Old Testament prophets directed their attention to the details of the Messianic Kingdom, providing an overall, comprehensive picture of life during that time. This chapter will be concerned with those passages dealing with the general characteristics of the Messianic Kingdom that will be true for both Jews and Gentiles alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. Psalm 15:1\u20135<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jehovah, who shall sojourn in your tabernacle? Who shall dwell in your holy hill? He that walks uprightly, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart; He that slanders not with his tongue, Nor does evil to his friend, Nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors them that fear Jehovah; He that swears to his own hurt, and changes not; He that puts not out his money to interest; Nor takes reward against the innocent. He that does these things shall never be moved.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis passage describes the righteousness that will characterize a citizen in the Kingdom. Although not every individual in the Kingdom will necessarily be characterized with this kind of righteousness, for reasons to be discussed later in this chapter, most will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B. Psalm 24:1\u20136<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The earth is Jehovah\u2019s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein. For he has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah? And who shall stand in his holy place? He that has clean hands, and a pure heart; Who has not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from Jehovah, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek after him, That seek your face, even Jacob.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis passage describes the establishment of the Kingdom and the righteousness that will characterize a man who will be rightly related to God at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C. Isaiah 2:2\u20134<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of Jehovah\u2019s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. And he will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this passage, Isaiah describes one of the major characteristics of the Messianic Kingdom, that of universal peace. While differences between nations will arise, such differences will no longer be settled by military conflicts, but only by the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Even the art of warfare will be forgotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D. Isaiah 11:6\u20139<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder\u2019s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe universal peace described in the earlier passage will extend even to the animal kingdom. All animals will return to the Edenic state and become vegetarians (vv. 6\u20137). The oldest of enemies, man and snake, will be able to live in compatibility in that day (v. 8), for the knowledge of God will permeate throughout the entire world, affecting man and animal alike (v. 9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E. Isaiah 65:17\u201325<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that has not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent\u2019s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis passage begins with the announcement of the creation of new heavens and a new earth (v. 17). These new heavens and new earth are not to be confused with those of Revelation 21\u201322. The latter describes the new heavens and new earth of the Eternal Order, while the Isaiah passage describes those of the Messianic Kingdom which will be a renovation of the present heavens and earth. Those of the Revelation are not a renovation, but a brand new order. Hence, for the Millennium, there will be a total renovation of the heavens and the earth. The fact that the term create is used shows that this renovation will be a miraculous one, possible by God alone. The result of this renovation will be a continuation of many things of the old order and a number of new things. A good example of the old and the new is to be seen in what the Scriptures say about the Land of Israel. Israel will also undergo the renovation process. Some things of the old order will remain, such as the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea. But a number of things will be brand new, such as the exceedingly high mountain (the highest in the world) in the center of the country. Following this announcement of new heavens and a new earth, there is a description of the millennial Jerusalem (vv. 18\u201319). The millennial Jerusalem will be studied in detail in chapter 19, Israel in the Messianic Kingdom.
\nVerse 20 is especially significant, for it discusses life and death in the Kingdom. This verse teaches several things. First: there will no longer be any infant mortality in the Millennium; everyone who is born in the Kingdom will reach a certain age. Second: the specific age at which one may die is the age of one hundred. With infant mortality removed, everyone born in the Millennium will live at least until his hundredth year of life. Because of the prolongation of life in the Millennium, those who die at the age of one hundred will be considered as having died young. Third: this verse limits the people dying at the age of one hundred to those who are sinners; namely, unbelievers, as only they would be considered accursed. So, then, death in the Kingdom will be for unbelievers only.
\nComparing this passage with what is stated about salvation in other passages, the entire concept of life and death in the Kingdom can be summarized as follows. When the Kingdom begins, all natural men, both Jews and Gentiles, will be believers. The Jews in their entirety will be saved just prior to the Second Coming of the Messiah. All unbelieving Gentiles (goats) will be killed during the seventy-five day interval between the Tribulation and the Millennium, and only believing Gentiles (sheep) will be able to enter the Kingdom. However, in the process of time, there will be birth in the Kingdom of both Jews and Gentiles. These newly born, natural people will continue to inherit the sin nature from their natural parents and will also be in need of regeneration. Although Satan is confined, thus reducing temptation, the sin nature is quite capable of rebelling against God apart from satanic activity. In time, there will be unsaved people living in the Kingdom in need of regeneration. As in the past, the means of salvation will be by grace through faith and the content of faith will be the death of Messiah for sin and His subsequent resurrection. Those born in the Kingdom will have until their hundredth year to believe. If they do not, they will die in their hundredth year. The unbeliever will not be able to live past his first century of life. However, if they do believe, they will live throughout the Millennium and never die. Thus, death in the Millennium will be for unbelievers only. This is why the Bible nowhere speaks of a resurrection of millennial saints. This is why the resurrection of the Tribulation saints is said to complete the first resurrection (Rev. 20:4\u20136). It is also clear from the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31:31\u201334 that there will be no Jewish unbelievers in the Kingdom; all Jews born during the Kingdom will accept the Messiah by their hundredth year. Unbelief will be among the Gentiles only and, therefore, death will exist only among the Gentiles.
\nVerses 21\u201324 continue to describe life in the Kingdom as a time of personal peace and prosperity. It will be a time of building and planting. He who builds and plants is guaranteed the enjoyment of the labors of his hands, for many of the effects of the curse will be removed (vv. 21\u201322a). Life will be characterized by longevity (v. 22b), absence of calamity and turmoil (v. 23), and instantaneous response from God (v. 24). As in Isaiah 11:6\u20139, the animal kingdom will be at peace with each other and with man (v. 25).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
F. Micah 4:1\u20135<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But in the latter days it shall come to pass, that the mountains of Jehovah\u2019s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow unto it. And many nations shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from Jerusalem; and he will judge between many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of Jehovah of hosts has spoken it. For all the peoples walk every one in the name of his god; and we will walk in the name of Jehovah our God for ever and ever.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe first three verses of this passage are the same as those found in Isaiah 2:2\u20134 that speak of the Mountain of Jehovah\u2019s House becoming the center of attention to the world\u2019s Gentile population, the Kingdom being characterized as a time of messianic teaching, and the absence of war as universal peace permeates the entire Kingdom. Micah adds that the Kingdom will be a time of personal peace and prosperity (v. 4), with Israel\u2019s total allegiance being to God (v. 5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To summarize the general characteristics of the Messianic Kingdom, it will be a time when Satan will be bound, causing a reduction of both sin and death, though neither of these two will be eliminated at that time. It will be a time of universal and personal prosperity and peace between man and man, between animal and animal, and between man and animal, with many (but not all) of the effects of the curse removed. It will be a time characterized by truth, holiness and righteousness, with justice continually being dispersed from Jerusalem. It will be a time of labor in building and planting, with guaranteed results and promised enjoyment of these labors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d9\u05d4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
EIGHTEEN<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Government of the Messianic Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Messianic Kingdom will be administered through an absolute monarchy with a definite chain of command and lines of authority. The absolute monarch will be the Person of Jesus the Messiah. The delegated authority will be split into two branches: a Jewish branch of government and a Gentile branch, each in turn having a chain of command. It can be charted out as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This chapter will be concerned with various Scriptures that speak of the system of government in the Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. The King: The Lord Jesus the Messiah<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That the Messiah is to sit upon the Throne of David and rule in a kingdom over Israel with a dominion extending over all the Gentiles is the clear teaching of the Old and New Testaments. The Davidic Covenant upon which the physical reign of the Messiah is based will be discussed in the next chapter. In this chapter, only those passages that develop the Davidic Covenant and those that speak of the Messiah as king over a literal kingdom will be dealt with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Establishment of the Throne<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
That it is in the program of God to set up His Son as the King in Jerusalem is the clear teaching of Psalm 2:6\u20138:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, You are my son; This day have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAlthough the Throne of Messiah will be established in Jerusalem, His dominion will not stop at the border of Israel, but will extend throughout the entire earth with every Gentile nation falling under His domain.
\nThe Messiah\u2019s ruling upon the reestablished Throne of David and ruling over a kingdom is the theme of Isaiah 9:6\u20137:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it and justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nA child is born into the Jewish world Who is a Son of the House of David upon Whom the reins of government will rest (v. 6a). Yet names are given to this child that can only be true of God Himself (v. 6b). The eternality of the Davidic Dynasty, Throne, and Kingdom is assured, for it rests in the God-Man. As to His humanity, He is a descendant of David. As to His deity, He is eternal and so is His Throne. With these facts clearly established, Isaiah proceeds to describe the establishment of the rule of the Messianic King. The government that will be set up will increase in authority and in peace, and there will be no end to the Throne of David or of the rule of the Messiah, for it is the God-Man Who will establish it and Who will uphold it. It will be characterized by justice and righteousness forever. The guarantee that it will be so established is the burning zeal of God, a zeal that will continue to burn until the Kingdom is realized. Because God\u2019s zeal intends to perform it, it will surely come about.
\nTo this statement, Isaiah 16:5 adds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And a throne shall be established in lovingkindness; and one shall sit thereon in truth, in the tent of David, judging, and seeking justice, and swift to do righteousness.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAs if to reiterate his previous statement, Isaiah declares again that a throne will surely be established on the basis of God\u2019s loyal love. The One sitting on the Throne will be a member of the House of David Who will be characterized by truth. He will be the King and Judge, ensuring that justice is carried out\u2014a justice springing from the righteousness of the King.
\nVery similar to Isaiah are two prophecies found in Jeremiah. The first is Jeremiah 23:5\u20136:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAgain, there is a descendant of David Who will sit on David\u2019s Throne. Yet this descendant is called Jehovah our righteousness, so the One sitting on David\u2019s Throne is none other than the God-Man. And because it is the God-Man, His reign will be characterized by wisdom, justice, and righteousness. It is in Him that the security of Israel will lie.
\nThe second passage, Jeremiah 33:14\u201317, adds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will perform that good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and concerning the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause a Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name whereby he shall be called: Jehovah our righteousness. For thus says Jehovah: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; \u2026<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nBeginning with the reaffirmation of God\u2019s intention to fulfill His covenant with David (v. 14), Jeremiah restates the basic points of his statements in 23:5\u20136 (vv. 15\u201316). Under no circumstances will the House of David be allowed to become extinct (v. 17). The rest of Jeremiah 33 continues to reaffirm God\u2019s intention to fulfill all the conditions of the Davidic Covenant, and these passages will be dealt with in the next chapter.
\nThough the Throne of the Messiah is to be established in Jerusalem, the reign of the Messianic King will extend over the entire earth, according to Zechariah 14:9:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jehovah shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall Jehovah be one, and his name one.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn that day, Zechariah points out, the Messiah will be the head of the world and will be considered by all humanity to be the one God.
\nThat the reestablishment of the Davidic Throne with the Messiah reigning over the Kingdom of Israel is not strictly an Old Testament doctrine is clear from Luke 1:30\u201333:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God. And behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAfter declaring to Mary that she is to give birth to a son in spite of her virginity (vv. 30\u201331), Gabriel goes on to explain the future authority of that Son. As in the Isaiah and Jeremiah passages, the Son will be born into the Jewish world and is to sit on David\u2019s Throne as the God-Man (v. 32). As to His deity, He is the Son of God, but as to His humanity, He is a descendant of David. The Son will be given the Throne of David by divine appointment. He is to reign over Israel, and there is to be no end to His rule (v. 33). This announcement of Gabriel concerning the establishment of Jesus as a King on David\u2019s Throne is clearly rooted in the prophecies of the Davidic Covenant and in the prophecies of the Old Testament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Character of His Reign<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
A number of passages portray the characteristics of the reign of the Messianic King. One major characteristic, stemming from the absolute monarchy that will exist, is that He will rule with a rod of iron. Revelation 12:5 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis is reaffirmed by Revelation 19:15:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And out of his mouth proceeds a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis iron-handed rule is rooted in Psalm 2:9 and will be a necessity due to the fact that nations will exist and the people populating them will still have their sin nature. It has already been pointed out in the previous chapter that, after the first generation, there will be unbelievers present in the Kingdom. The natural outworking of this sin nature will have to be restrained. The Kingdom will not be a democracy, but an absolute monarchy. The reign of the Messianic King will be a strict one, and the righteous and just laws emanating from Jerusalem will have to be obeyed.
\nThe beginning of His reign will be marked by a procession of the King into the millennial Jerusalem described in Psalm 24:7\u201310:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory will come in. Who is the King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? Jehovah of hosts, He is the King of glory.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAn extended treatment of the character of His reign is in Psalm 72:1\u201319:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Give the king your judgments, O God, And your righteousness unto the king\u2019s son. He will judge your people with righteousness, And your poor with justice. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness. He will judge the poor of the people, He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear you while the sun endures, And so long as the moon, throughout all generations. He will come down like rain upon the mown grass, As showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace, till the moon be no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; And his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall render tribute: The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; All nations shall serve him: For he will deliver the needy when he cries, And the poor, that has no helper. He will have pity on the poor and needy, And the souls of the needy he will save. He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence; And precious will their blood be in his sight: And they shall live; and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: And men shall pray for him continually; They shall bless him all the day long. There shall be abundance of grain in the earth upon the top of the mountains; The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure for ever; His name shall be continued as long as the sun: And men shall be blessed in him; All nations shall call him happy. Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things: And blessed be his glorious name for ever; And let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis entire Psalm describes the reign of the righteous King. His reign will be characterized by justice, holiness, and righteousness so that the innocent will receive justice, while the guilty will be condemned (vv. 1\u20137). The extent of His domain will clearly be universal and international (vv. 8\u201311). It will extend from sea to sea, a reference to the western (Mediterranean Sea) and eastern (Dead Sea) boundaries of the millennial Israel. Furthermore, it will extend from the River, that is, the Euphrates, which is the prophesied northern boundary of the restored Jewish State. One would expect the next phrase to describe the southern boundary as the \u201cbrook of Egypt,\u201d but instead, the Psalmist writes unto the ends of the earth. The point being made is that although the Throne is set up in the Land of Israel, as seen by the mention of the western, eastern, and northern boundaries, the rule will not be confined to Israel alone. It will overflow the boundaries of Israel, reaching to the ends of the earth (v. 8). His friends and enemies alike will do obeisance to Him (v. 9), and all other kings among the nations will subject themselves to His authority (vv. 10\u201311). Because He will rule with a rod of iron and in justice, holiness and righteousness, any and all injustices against the righteous will be severely rectified, and the righteous will be exalted (vv. 12\u201315). His reign will be further characterized with an abundance of productivity (v. 16). All will be blessed in the King and they will bless Him, for He is the eternal God-Man (vv. 17\u201319).
\nIsaiah 11:1\u20135 provides yet another description of the character of His reign:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit: and the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah; and his delight shall be in the fear of Jehovah; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither decide after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIsaiah begins by describing the origin of the King, namely that of the House of David (v. 1). He is endowed with the fullness of the Holy Spirit depicted by the sevenfold manifestations of the Spirit of God (v. 2). This endowment of the fullness of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated in the five results mentioned in verses 3\u20134. Finally, the King and His reign are characterized by righteousness and faithfulness (v. 5).
\nSo, the Lord Jesus will be both the King of Israel and the King of the world. Under His absolute authority and monarchy there will be two branches of government established, the Gentile branch and the Jewish branch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B. The Gentile Branch of Government<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Church and the Tribulation Saints<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The part that the Church is to have in the millennial reign of the Messiah is found in Revelation 20:4\u20136:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: over these the second death has no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn verse four, John describes the saints who are to co-reign with the Messiah. First, there are those to whom judgment has been given. This would be a reference to the Church saints who were raptured at some time preceding the Great Tribulation. The judgment spoken of is that of the Judgment Seat of the Messiah, the judgment of the believer\u2019s works. In fact, it is the outcome of this judgment that will determine the position of each Church saint in the Kingdom. A second group of saints who are to co-reign with Him are those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus. These are the believers who will be martyred during the first half of the Great Tribulation and were mentioned under the fifth Seal (Rev. 6:9\u201311). A third group are those who did not worship the Antichrist or his image, nor received the mark of 666 on their forehead or on their right hand. Since these things were initiated only at the middle of the Tribulation, this third group of saints are those of the second half of the Great Tribulation. So then, both Church and Tribulation saints will co-reign with the King for one thousand years. The Old Testament saints will have a different destiny, to be discussed in the next chapter.
\nThe facts of verse four mark the conclusion of the first resurrection. The first resurrection is the resurrection of all righteous ones and is separated from the second resurrection by one thousand years. Jesus was resurrected three days after His death, and thus He became the firstfruits of the first resurrection (1 Cor. 15:23). The Church saints will be resurrected at the Rapture some time before the Tribulation (1 Thes. 4:16). Finally, the Old Testament saints (Is. 26:19; Dan. 12:2) and the Tribulation saints (Rev. 20:4) will be resurrected in the seventy-five day interval between the Tribulation and the Millennium. It has already been shown that death during the Kingdom will be for unbelievers only. Therefore, since only unbelievers die during the Millennium, no resurrection of millennial saints will be necessary. As a result, the first resurrection will be totally complete with the resurrection of the Tribulation saints. One thousand years will pass before the second resurrection is brought to completion.
\nThe Church and Tribulation saints will co-reign with the Messianic King over the Gentile nations. They will be the King\u2019s representative authority and will carry out His decrees to the nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Kings<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
As has been mentioned earlier, in Psalm 72, the different Gentile nations will have kings over them. This fact will be seen in some other passages in the next chapter. These kings will have their natural bodies, while the saints who will be over them will have their spiritual, resurrected, and glorified bodies. While the individual kings will be the supreme rulers over their own nations, they themselves will be under the authority of the Church and Tribulation saints.
\nSo then, in the Gentile branch of government, the chain of command will be from Messiah to the Church and Tribulation saints to the kings of the Gentile nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C. The Jewish Branch of Government<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- David: The King and Prince<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The absolute monarchy of the Messiah will extend to Israel as well as to the Gentile nations. But directly under the Messianic King, having authority over all Israel, will be the resurrected David, who is given both titles of king and prince. He will be a king because he will rule over Israel, but he will be a prince in that he will be under the authority of the Messiah. Just as all the Gentile nations will have kings, so will Israel. The difference is that the Gentile kings will all have their natural bodies, while David will have his resurrected body.
\nThere are several passages that speak of David as being king over Israel and prince under King Messiah, such as Jeremiah 30:9:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they shall serve Jehovah their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nNot only will Israel in the future serve Jehovah their God, but they will also serve David their king.
\nAnother passage is Ezekiel 34:23\u201324:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I, Jehovah, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Jehovah, have spoken it.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWhen the restoration of Israel comes, it will no longer be in the form of two kingdoms with each one having their own king. They will be a reunited nation with only one head, and that head will be the resurrected David, who will serve as their prince. So while Jehovah will serve as their God and absolute King, David will serve under Him as God\u2019s prince over Israel.
\nLater, in Ezekiel 37:24\u201325, the prophet writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And my servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers dwelled; and they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children\u2019s children, for ever: and David my servant shall be their prince for ever.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nEzekiel reiterates the fact that they will have David to function as the king of Israel. He is to be their prince and shepherd. Under his guidance, Israel will be able to keep the righteous commandments of God. The Land will be restored to them as well as David their king.
\nOne final passage that points to this aspect of the government of the Millennium is Hosea 3:5:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek Jehovah their God, and David their king, and shall come with fear unto Jehovah and to his goodness in the latter days.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nMaking the same points as Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Hosea states that in the future restoration, Israel will not only be subservient to Jehovah their God, but also to David their king.
\nWhile all these passages are often explained as actually referring to David\u2019s greater Son, nothing in the text indicates that David is to be taken symbolically. If the prophets wanted to refer to the Messiah in connection with David, they used terms such as \u201cRoot of Jesse,\u201d \u201cBranch of David,\u201d \u201cSon of David,\u201d or \u201cSeed of David.\u201d None of these expressions are used here. The text simply states, David. In keeping with literal interpretation, it is best to take the text as it reads, meaning the literal David, who, in his resurrected form, will function as the king over Israel and as a prince in subjection to the King of the world. It is in this sense that David will serve both as king and prince. From the viewpoint of Israel, David will be their king ruling over them. But from the viewpoint of the Messiah, David will be a prince.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Twelve Apostles Over the Twelve Tribes<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
On two occasions, Jesus promised the Twelve Apostles that in the Kingdom they will be in authority over the Twelve Tribes. The first of these passages is Matthew 19:28:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe time referred to is that of the regeneration or renovation of the earth, when Jesus will sit upon the reestablished Throne of David in His glory. It is then that twelve other thrones will be set up, one over each of the Twelve Tribes, and the Apostles will sit on these thrones and exercise rule.
\nThe second passage is found in Luke 22:28\u201330:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But ye are they that have continued with me in my temptations; and I appoint unto you a kingdom, even as my Father appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and ye shall sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe Millennial Kingdom that the Father appointed for the Son was extended by Jesus to the Twelve Apostles. The difference is that Messiah\u2019s domain will be over all the world, David\u2019s rule over all Israel, while the Apostles\u2019 jurisdiction will be over particular tribes. The Twelve are promised two privileges with this appointment. The first is that they will be continually with Jesus and eating and drinking at His table throughout the Kingdom period. The second privilege is to have their own thrones from which they will rule over the Tribes of Israel.
\nUnfortunately, nothing is said as to which Apostle is to rule over which tribe. the answer to that question awaits the fulfillment in the future Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Princes<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
In addition to the already-specified positions of government, there is the mention of other rulers simply entitled as princes. One such passage is found in Isaiah 32:1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe king reigning in righteousness will be the Lord Jesus. Along with Him there is the mention of princes who will be in positions of authority and just in character.
\nA second passage is Ezekiel 45:8:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the land it shall be to him for a possession in Israel: and my princes shall no more oppress my people; but they shall give the land to the house of Israel according to their tribes.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe entire context of this passage (Ezek. 40\u201348) will be discussed in the next chapter. But for now, it should be noted that, once again, there is the mention of princes who are in positions of authority in the Millennium. Unlike princes in the past, these will not be characterized by oppression. Involved in their authority will be the partitioning of the Land of Israel into its twelve tribal divisions.
\nThe resurrected Zerubbabel, mentioned in Haggai 2:20\u201323, will very likely be among these princes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the word of Jehovah came the second time unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. In that day, says Jehovah of hosts, will I take you, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, says Jehovah, and will make you as a signet; for I have chosen you, says Jehovah of hosts.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe time of Zerubbabel\u2019s exalted position will be after the shaking of the heavens and the earth (vv. 20\u201321) and the destruction of the invading armies (v. 22). Both of these will occur at the Second Coming. It is after these events that Zerubbabel is promised an exalted position (v. 23) which will make him as close to God as a signet ring is to a king. Zerubbabel has been chosen for an exalted position in the Kingdom and will apparently be among the princes mentioned by the other two prophets. Zerubbabel is also of the House of David.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Judges and Counselors<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Another group of rulers in the Kingdom will be the judges and counselors mentioned in Isaiah 1:26:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning: afterward you shall be called The city of righteousness, a faithful town.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis position of authority will be particularly related to the City of Jerusalem. These rulers will be responsible for the dispensing of justice in a judicial sense, and there will be no perversion of this justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Israel Over the Gentiles<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The final link in this chain of command in the Jewish branch of government is that Israel is to become the head over the Gentiles. More will be said on this in the next chapter, but mention of it must be made here.
\nThe fact that Israel is to become the head of the Gentiles was part of God\u2019s promises to Israel in the Book of Deuteronomy. One such passage is Deuteronomy 15:6:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Jehovah your God will bless you, as he promised you: and you shall lend unto many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe leadership over the Gentiles is to be part of Israel\u2019s reward for obedience in Deuteronomy 28:1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass, if you shall hearken diligently unto the voice of Jehovah your God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command you this day, that Jehovah your God will set you on high above all the nations of the earth.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSuch obedience and headship awaits Israel\u2019s national regeneration. This promise is reiterated in Deuteronomy 28:13:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jehovah will make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath; if you shall hearken unto the commandments of Jehovah your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nBesides the statements found in the Law of Moses, the Prophets also described Israel\u2019s future headship over the Gentiles. One such passage is Isaiah 14:1\u20132:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Jehovah will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the sojourner shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the peoples shall take them, and bring them to their place; and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of Jehovah for servants and for handmaids: and they shall take them captive whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe Gentiles will not only conduct the Jews back to the Land of Israel, but they will be possessed by Israel. They will become servants to Israel. Similar passages are found in Isaiah 49:22\u201323 and 61:6\u20137.
\nThe chain of command in the Jewish branch of government is from the Messianic King to David, to the Twelve Apostles, to the princes, to the judges and counselors, over all Israel, which will be serving as the head of the Gentiles.
\nThe rod of iron that will characterize the rule of the government in the Kingdom will be implemented through various spheres and positions of authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d9\u05d8<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NINETEEN<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel in the Messianic Kingdom<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel within the period of the Messianic Kingdom is a major theme of the Old Testament Prophets. Indeed, it was the high point of Old Testament prophecy and every writing prophet with the exception of Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Malachi had something to say about it. The latter two did make reference to the Second Coming and the Tribulation, which, in the wider context of the Prophets, implied a kingdom to follow. To spiritualize and allegorize away such a great amount of Scripture is to confuse the whole science of interpretation. There is no reason to spiritualize any of these prophecies any more than there is reason to do so to those prophecies dealing with the First Coming of the Messiah such as the virgin birth, the birth in Bethlehem, His death, or His physical resurrection, etc.
\nBecause of the amount of revelation available on Israel in the Messianic Kingdom, this chapter will be divided into eight major divisions: First, the four facets of the final restoration of Israel; second, other characteristics of Israel\u2019s final restoration; third, the Millennial Mountain of Jehovah\u2019s House; fourth, the Millennial Temple; fifth, the millennial system of priesthood and sacrifice; sixth, the millennial river; seventh, the Millennial Israel; and eighth, the Millennial Jerusalem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. The Four Facets of the Final Restoration of Israel<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are four primary facets to Israel\u2019s final restoration, with each being based on a specific covenant. Each of these covenants are fully developed in later prophetic revelation. This section will survey each covenant as it relates to Israel\u2019s final restoration along with the prophetic development of these covenants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Regeneration of Israel<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
a. The Basis: The New Covenant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first facet of Israel\u2019s final restoration is the national regeneration of Israel. The timing of this regeneration has already been discussed in Chapter 14, The Campaign of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah. This section is concerned with the development of that motif. The basis of Israel\u2019s final regeneration is the New Covenant, in Jeremiah 31:31\u201334:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, says Jehovah. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, says Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe announcement of the New Covenant begins with a declaration that it will be a Jewish covenant, for it will be made with both houses of Israel (v. 31). It will be in sharp contradistinction with the older Mosaic Covenant (v. 32). Of the five Jewish covenants, the Mosaic was the only conditional one. Although God had been faithful in keeping His terms of the covenant, Israel had not been so faithful, resulting in the Mosaic Covenant\u2019s being broken. For while the Mosaic Covenant showed the standard of righteousness which the Law demanded, it could never impart to the Jew the power to keep it. But that problem will be rectified in the New Covenant (v. 33) through regeneration, which will provide the internal power necessary to meet and to keep the righteous standards of God. The result of the New Covenant will be a total national regeneration of Israel (v. 34). Jewish missions and Jewish evangelism will not be needed in the Messianic Kingdom because every Jew will know the Lord, from the least to the greatest. The sins of Israel will be forgiven and forgotten. While there will be Gentile unbelievers in the Kingdom, there will not be Jewish unbelievers in the Kingdom. To a man, all the Jews will believe. There will be no need to tell a Jew to \u201cknow the Lord\u201d because they will all know Him.
\nIt is upon this New Covenant that the first facet of Israel\u2019s restoration, the regeneration of Israel, is based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
b. The Prophetic Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That Israel was to undergo a national regeneration is not confined to the words of the New Covenant alone. Some passages were already discussed under the Campaign of Armageddon. But there are many others. Isaiah 29:22\u201324 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore thus says Jehovah, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name; yea, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel. They also that err in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmur shall receive instruction.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nA promise is made to the patriarch Jacob. Although for most of Jewish history Jacob would have been ashamed of the waywardness of his descendants, when the national regeneration comes, he will have much to be proud of.
\nAnother passage is Isaiah 30:18\u201322:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of justice; blessed are all they that wait for him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; you shall weep no more; he will surely be gracious unto you at the voice of your cry; when he shall hear, he will answer you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not your teachers be hidden any more, but your eyes shall see your teachers; and your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. And ye shall defile the overlaying of your graven images of silver, and the plating of your molten images of gold: you shall cast them away as an unclean thing; you shall say unto it, Get you hence.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAccording to this particular passage, the regeneration will be a result of the judgments of the Great Tribulation, which will be God\u2019s discipline upon the nation of Israel in order to correct them. It will be by way of the judgments of the Tribulation that Israel will come to a saving knowledge of her Messiah.
\nLater, in Isaiah 44:1\u20135, the prophet wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: thus says Jehovah that made you, and formed you from the womb, who will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your seed, and my blessing upon your offspring: and they shall spring up among the grass, as willows by the watercourses. One shall say, I am Jehovah\u2019s; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto Jehovah, and surname himself by the name of Israel.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIt was God Who chose Israel from the very beginning (vv. 1\u20132), and Israel has yet to become the chosen vessel which she was ordained to be. God will pour out His Spirit upon the entire nation (v. 3) with the result that Israel will begin to bear fruit (v. 4) and will remain ever loyal to her God (v. 5). Later in this chapter, in verses 21\u201323, Isaiah emphasized the removal of Israel\u2019s sins:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel; for you are my servant: I have formed you; you are my servant: O Israel, you shall not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed you. Sing, O ye heavens, for Jehovah has done it; shout, ye lower parts of the earth; break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for Jehovah has redeemed Jacob, and will glorify himself in Israel.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIsrael\u2019s everlasting salvation and freedom from shame is emphasized in Isaiah 45:17:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be put to shame nor confounded world without end.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe two other Major Prophets also spoke of this final regeneration. Jeremiah 24:7 records:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWhen God regenerates Israel, He will give them a heart to know the Lord. With this regenerated heart, they will be able to return to God with an undivided heart. At the time of Israel\u2019s regeneration, her sins will no longer be found, according to Jeremiah 50:19\u201320:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will bring Israel again to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead. In those days, and in that time, says Jehovah, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I leave as a remnant.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nEzekiel also emphasized that future regeneration of Israel, and in Ezekiel 11:19\u201320 he wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh; that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAt the time of Israel\u2019s regeneration, they will be given a new heart and a new spirit as their human spirit will be reborn (v. 19). The result of this work of God on the heart and spirit of man will be an enablement to walk in and to keep the righteous standards of God.
\nLater, Ezekiel 36:25\u201327 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my ordinances, and do them.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nRepeating aspects stated earlier and then adding some more information of his own, Ezekiel further describes the coming regeneration. All of Israel\u2019s sins will be cleansed (v. 25). A regenerate heart and spirit will be given so that Israel can walk in newness of life (v. 26). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit will indwell the Jews so that they will be empowered to walk in the commandments of the Lord (v. 27).
\nThe regeneration of Israel is also a prominent theme in the Minor Prophets. Hosea, who spoke a great deal about God\u2019s punishment for Israel\u2019s sins, did not fail to speak of Israel\u2019s regeneration. One such passage is Hosea 1:10\u20132:1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass that, in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint themselves one head, and shall go up from the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel. Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThough judgments will decimate the ranks of Israel, nevertheless, the time will come when Israel will increase tremendously in population (v. 10a). Even though for a long period of time they were Lo Ammi (not my people), they will once again become Ammi (my people), the people of God (v. 10b). When the reunification comes, they will be God\u2019s people who have obtained God\u2019s mercy (1:11\u20132:1).
\nHosea not only begins his book with Israel\u2019s regeneration, but he also ends with it in Hosea 14:4\u20138:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for my anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the grain, and blossom as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have answered, and will regard him: I am like a green fir-tree; from me is your fruit found.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIsrael\u2019s backslidings will all be thoroughly healed (v. 4), for only then will Israel receive the manifold blessings of God (vv. 5\u20137). All worship of other gods will cease when the regeneration comes (v. 8).
\nThat this regeneration of Israel will be a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the point of Joel 2:28\u201332:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah has said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah does call.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOnce the Holy Spirit is poured out on all Israel, then they will call upon the Name of the Lord. God will respond to that call by delivering and saving them.
\nThe national regeneration of Israel will result in the total forgiveness of Israel\u2019s sins, according to Micah 7:18\u201320:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who is a God like unto you, that pardons iniquity, and passes over the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retains not his anger for ever, because he delights in lovingkindness. He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abraham, which you have sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nGod\u2019s loyal love for Israel will cause Him to pardon and to pass over the sins of Israel when He will return to them in all compassion (vv. 18\u201319). He will do so on the basis of the Abrahamic Covenant (v. 20), especially as it is developed in the salvation aspect of the New Covenant.
\nAnother prophecy that spoke of Israel\u2019s regeneration is Zephaniah 3:9\u201313:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring my offering. In that day shall you not be put to shame for all your doings, wherein you have transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of you your proudly exulting ones, and you shall no more be haughty in my holy mountain. But I will leave in the midst of you an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the name of Jehovah. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThroughout the dispersion, the Jews will begin to call upon the Name of the Lord. It is important to note that regardless of where the Jews are, they will respond, so that the regeneration will indeed be total.
\nOne final passage is Romans 11:25\u201327:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part has befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAs Paul brings to a conclusion his lengthy treatment of the place of Israel in the program of God, he points out that the present blindness and hardening of Israel is not a permanent one. It is temporary, until the full number of Gentiles preordained for the Body of the Messiah is reached (v. 25). It is then that the hardening of Israel will be removed, and all Israel living at that time will be saved (vv. 26\u201327).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Regathering of Israel<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
a. The Basis: The Land Covenant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second facet of the final restoration of Israel is the regathering of Israel from all over the world. This is based on the Land Covenant of Deuteronomy 29:1\u201330:20. Traditionally, this covenant has been known as the Palestinian Covenant, for it largely concerns the Land that for centuries was called Palestine. It was an appropriate term at the time it was coined, and even Jews called the Land \u201cPalestine.\u201d This is now an unfortunate term for two reasons. First: it was a name given to the Land by the Roman Emperor Hadrian after the second Jewish revolt under Bar Cochba (A.D. 132\u2013135) for the purpose of erasing any Jewish remembrance of the Land as part of his policy to \u201cde-judaize\u201d the Land. Second: due to the historical events in the Middle East in the twentieth century, the name is associated more with Arabs than with Jews. For these reasons (and others), the author prefers to call it \u201cthe Land Covenant.\u201d However, it should be noted that in other writings it is still called the Palestinian Covenant.
\nThe passage begins with a clear statement that the Land Covenant is distinct and different from the Mosaic Covenant (29:1). The former is eternal and unconditional, while the latter is both temporal and conditional. Moses then records in summary form the forty years of wilderness experience leading up to the point of being about to enter into the Promised Land (29:2\u20139). But before entrance into the Land can occur, another covenant needs to be made in order to warn them of things to come (29:10\u201313). They are warned against turning away from the Lord (29:14\u201321). Then the passage proceeds to state that they will do exactly that, resulting in the dispersion out of the Land into the Gentile nations to endure a long period of many persecutions (29:22\u201329). But this dispersion out of the Land is not going to be permanent, because eventually there will be a regathering, as described in Deuteronomy 30:1\u201310:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, whither Jehovah your God has driven you, and shall return unto Jehovah your God, and shall obey his voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul; that then Jehovah your God will turn your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the peoples, whither Jehovah your God has scattered you. If any of your outcasts be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will Jehovah your God gather you, and from thence will he fetch you: and Jehovah your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and he will do you good, and multiply you above your fathers. And Jehovah your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love Jehovah your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live. And Jehovah your God will put all these curses upon your enemies, and on them that hate you, that persecuted you. And you shall return and obey the voice of Jehovah, and do all his commandments which I command you this day. And Jehovah your God will make you plenteous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, for good: for Jehovah will again rejoice over you for good, as he rejoiced over your fathers; if you shall obey the voice of Jehovah your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law; if you turn unto Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAfter the long period of persecution described in chapter 29, there will ultimately be the regeneration of Israel as the people return to the Lord (vv. 1\u20132). Following the regeneration of Israel will be the regathering from all over the world (v. 3), so that even if Jews should be found in the uttermost parts of the heavens, they will nevertheless be returned (v. 4) and brought back into the Promised Land (v. 5). But this regathering will occur only after the regeneration of Israel (v. 6), at which time the punishments previously applied to Israel will now be applied to the Gentiles (v. 7). Although curses may fall on the Gentiles, there will only be blessings for Israel (vv. 8\u20139) because they will totally return to the Lord (v. 10). The Land Covenant ends with some further admonitions, warnings and promises (30:11\u201320).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
b. The Prophetic Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The regathering of Israel, following the regeneration, is another high point of prophetic revelation to be found in many of the Prophets. In Isaiah 11:11\u201312:6, the final regathering is described as the second of two worldwide regatherings of Israel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and they that vex Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. And they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines on the west; together shall they despoil the children of the east: they shall put forth their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And Jehovah will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind will he wave his hand over the River, and will smite it into seven streams, and cause men to march over dryshod. And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria; like as there was for Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. And in that day you shall say, I will give thanks unto you, O Jehovah; for though you were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and you comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid: for Jehovah, even Jehovah, is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto Jehovah; for he has done excellent things: let this be known in all the earth. Cry aloud and shout, you inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAlthough many commentators identify the first regathering as the return from the Babylonian Captivity, that could hardly be described as a worldwide regathering. The first regathering is the one in unbelief prior to the Great Tribulation, and this has been happening since 1948. The first regathering is in unbelief in preparation for judgment. The regathering described in this passage is the second one (v. 11a), in faith in preparation for the millennial blessings. This regathering is not merely local, from the nations of the Middle East (v. 11b), but from all over the world (v. 12). Isaiah then goes on to develop certain characteristics of Israel\u2019s final regathering. First: the unity between Israel and Judah will be restored (vv. 13\u201314). Ephraim\u2019s envy of Judah will cease (v. 13), an envy that developed over the placing of the House of God in Judah (Ps. 78:9\u201311, 67\u201368). This unity will enable them to overcome their opponents (v. 14). Second: the final regathering will be accompanied by miracles (vv. 15\u201316). The tongue of the Egyptian Sea, the Gulf of Suez, will dry up, while the Euphrates will be smitten and split up into seven smaller streams so as to make it easy to cross. As a highway was made for Israel at the Exodus, there will likewise be one again in the final regathering. Immediately after the Exodus, Israel sang the song found in Exodus 15:1\u201318. In the same way, after the final regathering, Israel will sing the song found in Isaiah 12:1\u20136. The song is in two stanzas. In the first stanza (vv. 1\u20133) Israel gives a thanksgiving to God for turning away anger (v. 1). They now realize that salvation is in Jehovah (v. 2) Who has poured out the waters of salvation freely (v. 3). In the second stanza (vv. 4\u20136) they wish to make known God\u2019s deeds to all the world, so they give thanks (v. 4), sing (v. 5) and shout out loud of God\u2019s goodness (v. 6).
\nLater, in Isaiah 27:12\u201313, the prophet wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will beat off his fruit from the flood of the River unto the brook of Egypt; and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great trumpet shall be blown; and they shall come that were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and they that were outcasts in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship Jehovah in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe emphasis in this passage is on the totality of the regathering, for every Jew one by one will be brought back into the Land of Israel. As in the previous Isaiah passage, the key locality of the regathering will be from the Middle East nations since, as a result of the fall of Israel in the middle of the Tribulation, the majority of the Jews will be located in this vicinity and it is here that they will have suffered the most. And so the Jews will be taken one by one out of Egypt and Assyria (modern Iraq). Jews are still to be found in various Arab countries suffering tremendous persecutions. But in the regathering they will be rescued from the land of their enemies. The regathering will be from all over the world, but with special emphasis on the Middle East nations.
\nThe magnitude of the final regathering of Israel is described in Isaiah 43:5\u20137:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fear not; for I am with you: I will bring your seed from the east, and gather you from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the end of the earth; every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAs far as locality is concerned, the regathering will be worldwide, and to emphasize the fact, all four points of the compass are mentioned (vv. 5\u20136). Then the magnitude is illustrated by the usage of three words: created, formed and made (v. 7). These three words were used interchangeably in the creation account of Genesis 1\u20132. Hence, from God\u2019s perspective, the final regathering will be on the magnitude of the original creation.
\nThe comparative magnitude of the final regathering with previous works of God is something Jeremiah also pointed out. In Jeremiah 16:14\u201315, it is compared with the Exodus:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that it shall no more be said, As Jehovah lives, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, As Jehovah lives, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries whither he had driven them. And I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThroughout Jewish history, the Exodus has been considered the high point of Jewish history, but after the final regathering this will change (v. 14). In the future it will be the final regathering of the Jews that will become the high point of Jewish history (v. 15).
\nLater, in Jeremiah 23:3\u20134, the prophet stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and multiply. And I will set up shepherds over them, who shall feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking, says Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nFrom all over the world the Jews are to be regathered into the Land, where they will produce much fruit (v. 3). Furthermore, God will provide righteous leaders who will feed the people with righteousness, justice, and understanding (v. 4). Then there is another comparison with the Exodus in Jeremiah 23:7\u20138:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that they shall no more say, As Jehovah lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, As Jehovah lives, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries whither I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOne other passage in Jeremiah that speaks of the regathering is found in 31:7\u201310:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For thus says Jehovah, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Jehovah, save your people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travails with child together: a great company shall they return hither. They shall come with weeping; and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by rivers of waters, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Hear the word of Jehovah, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off; and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his flock.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nFollowing the regeneration of Israel (v. 7) all the Jews will be regathered, regardless of their state of health and regardless of their location (v. 8). There will be no hindrances whatsoever to the regathering (v. 9), for the same One Who was able to scatter them will also be able to regather them (v. 10).
\nEzekiel picked up the same motif in Ezekiel 11:14\u201318:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, your brethren, even your brethren, the men of your kindred, and all the house of Israel, all of them, are they unto whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, Get you far from Jehovah; unto us is this land given for a possession. Therefore say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Whereas I have removed them far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they are come. Therefore say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe same God Who scattered Israel (v. 14\u201316) has every intention of regathering them back into their own Land (v. 17) so that regenerate Israel can cleanse the Land of all pollution (v. 18).
\nLater, the prophet restated this doctrine in Ezekiel 36:24:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe Minor Prophets were not remiss in speaking of the regathering. One such prophecy is in Amos 9:14\u201315:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, says Jehovah your God.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe emphasis of Amos is on permanency. Israel is to be regathered in order to rebuild the Land (v. 14). In the final regathering, God will plant them in the Land so that they will never again be uprooted and dispersed out of the Land (v. 15).
\nThe Prophet Zephaniah, whose whole theme was one of judgment, closed his book with a promise of the final regathering in Zephaniah 3:18\u201320:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of you; to whom the burden upon her was a reproach. Behold, at that time I will deal with all them that afflict you; and I will save that which is lame, and gather that which was driven away; and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame has been in all the earth. At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes, says Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe judgment meted out against Israel is the result of her sins (vv. 18\u201319). These judgments will not have a destructive effect, but a corrective one. Once correction takes place, the regathering will indeed occur, and the final regathering will cause Israel to be a name and a praise among the Gentile nations (v. 20).
\nThe final prophet of the Old Testament to speak of the regathering is Zechariah, in 10:8\u201312:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them; and they shall increase as they have increased. And I will sow them among the peoples; and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and shall return. I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and place shall not be found for them. And he will pass through the sea of affliction, and will smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall dry up; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart. And I will strengthen them in Jehovah; and they shall walk up and down in his name, says Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAs Zechariah portrayed the final regathering, he saw it in terms of hissing, which is the call of a shepherd for his sheep (v. 8a). The regathering will be a result of the redemption and regeneration of Israel (vv. 8b\u20139). While the regathering is to occur from around the world, there will be a special emphasis upon the Middle East nations (vv. 10\u201311). Once all the Jews are regathered, they will never again depart from the Lord (v. 12).
\nIn the New Testament, the final regathering revealed by the Old Testament prophets is summarized in Matthew 24:31:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this passage, with the background of Isaiah 27:12\u201313, Jesus stated that the angels will be involved in the final regathering and they will bring the Jews back into the Land. As to locality, the emphasis is on the worldwide regathering. The Matthew passage is a rather simple summary of all that the prophets had to say about the second facet of Israel\u2019s final restoration. Its purpose was to make clear that the worldwide regathering predicted by the prophets will be fulfilled only after the Second Coming. The parallel passage in Mark 13:27 adds a detail:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then shall he send forth the angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWith the additional background of Deuteronomy 30:3\u20134, Jesus added that the regathering will be from the uttermost part of the earth (living Israel) and the uttermost part of Heaven (resurrected Israel).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Possession of the Land<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
a. The Basis: The Abrahamic Covenant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The third facet of the final restoration of Israel is the possession of the Land, encompassing two aspects: its total boundaries and its productivity. The basis for this facet is the Abrahamic Covenant, as found in various passages of the Book of Genesis. There are too many to cite them all. Therefore, only those passages that deal with the Land aspect will be cited. The very beginning of the Abrahamic Covenant is in Genesis 12:1\u20133:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get you out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father\u2019s house, unto the land that I will show you: and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and be you a blessing: and I will bless them that bless you, and him that curses you will I curse: and in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAt the time that the covenant was initially made, Abram was simply told to leave for a land that God would show him. At this point, Abram is promised only to be shown a land and nothing more. When he arrived in the Land, God again revealed Himself to Abram in Genesis 12:7:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jehovah appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto your seed will I give this land: and there built he an altar unto Jehovah, who appeared unto him.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this verse, the promise is stated in such a way that it is Abram\u2019s seed that is to possess the Land. So from this passage alone, it might be concluded that Abram himself was never to possess the Land.
\nBut that is not the case, as another passage on the Abrahamic Covenant makes clear, in Genesis 13:14\u201317:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jehovah said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward: for all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed for ever. And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then may your seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto you will I give it.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAlthough for the time being the area of grazing was divided between Abram and Lot, ultimately all the land that Abram could see is to be possessed by him (vv. 14\u201315). The promise is clearly made that the Land is to be possessed by Abram personally as well as by Abram\u2019s seed. Yet Abram died having never possessed any part of the Land, except for a few wells and a burial cave which he had to purchase with good money. In order for God to fulfill His promise to Abram, two things have to occur. Abram must be resurrected, and the Land must be restored to Israel. Since Abram\u2019s seed is to possess the Land as well, the population of Israel will greatly increase at that time (v. 16). Abram was then directed to walk throughout the Land in order to get to know it very well, for some day he will possess it (v. 17).
\nIn the above passage, Abram was told that all the land he could possibly see would be possessed by him, but no exact boundaries were given. Later, however, as God signed the covenant, the exact boundaries were given, in Genesis 15:12\u201321:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that your seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. But you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto your seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAt the time of the signing and the sealing of the Abrahamic Covenant, God spelled out the future history of Abram\u2019s seed prior to their initial possession of the Land (vv. 12\u201316). Then God signed and sealed the covenant (v. 17) and declared what the boundaries of the Land will be (vv. 18\u201320). The borders are to extend from the Euphrates River in the north to the River of Egypt in the south. There is no problem with the identity of the Euphrates in the north, but there has been some confusion over the identity of the River of Egypt. Some have identified the River of Egypt as being the same as the Brook of Egypt mentioned in other passages. Both have at times been identified with the Nile River, making it the southern border. But none of these suppositions are correct. First of all, the Brook of Egypt and the River of Egypt are not the same. The latter refers to a continuous flowing river, while the former is a wadi, a dry river bed that only has water in it periodically during the rainy season. The words for river and brook are two different Hebrew words, also forcing one to keep the two distinct. The Brook of Egypt is the modern Wadi-el-Arish running south to north in the central Sinai Peninsula. Just as the River of Egypt is not the same as the Brook of Egypt, neither is it the Nile River. If that were the case, the Jews would have already been in the Promised Land before they ever left Egypt. Rather, it refers to one of the \u201cfingers\u201d of the Nile River. As the river flows from the south to the north before reaching the Mediterranean Sea, it enters an area known as the Nile Delta, where it breaks up into a number of fingers or branches. The most eastern branch or finger was the one known as the River of Egypt. Today, the River of Egypt is along the line of the modern Suez Canal. Hence, according to this passage, Israel\u2019s southern boundary is to extend down to about where the Suez Canal is today. This raises some questions concerning consistency with other passages. In this passage, the southern boundary is given as the River of Egypt, while the passages in the Prophets, when dealing with the Jewish settlement of the Land in the final restoration, give the southern boundary as the Brook of Egypt. This is not really a contradiction. The difference is simply between the extent of possession and control as over against the extent of actual settlement. In the final restoration of the Land, Israel will possess all the way south to the River of Egypt and will control down to the area of the modern Suez Canal. But as far as where the Jews will be living, the actual boundary of this settlement will only extend as far south as the Brook of Egypt or the modern Wadi-el-Arish.
\nAfter Abraham, the covenant is reconfirmed through Isaac in Genesis 26:2\u20135:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jehovah appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell you of: sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for unto you, and unto your seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore unto Abraham your father; and I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto your seed all these lands; and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIsaac is commanded to stay in the Land and not to leave it (v. 2), for it is to Isaac and to Isaac\u2019s seed that the Land will be given (v. 3). It should be noted that the promise is not merely to Isaac\u2019s descendants, but to Isaac himself, requiring Isaac\u2019s future resurrection and possession of the Land. As for Isaac\u2019s seed, it will be greatly increased in population (v. 4). It is to Isaac and not Ishmael, or to the six sons of Keturah, that the Abrahamic Covenant is reconfirmed (v. 5).
\nAfter Isaac, the Abrahamic Covenant is reconfirmed to Jacob in Genesis 28:13\u201315:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed; and your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in you and in your seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you whithersoever you go, and will bring you again into this land; for I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken to you of.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIt is to Jacob and not to Esau that the covenant is now reconfirmed (v. 13a). The promise is made that the Land will be given to both Jacob and to Jacob\u2019s seed (v. 13b). So again the possession of the Land is not a promise to the seed only, but to the individual Jacob as well. For this reason Jacob must also be resurrected and possess the Land. As previously, the seed will be greatly multiplied at that time (v. 14). As for Jacob himself, who was now departing from the Land, God will bring him back in his own lifetime (v. 15).
\nSo then, it is on the Abrahamic Covenant, which is reconfirmed through Isaac and Jacob and then to all of Jacob\u2019s descendants (Gen. 49), that the third facet of Israel\u2019s final restoration is based.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
b. The Prophetic Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This third facet of Israel\u2019s final restoration, the possession of the Land, was further developed in both the Law and the Prophets. As far as the Law is concerned, it is found in Leviticus 26:40\u201345:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their father, in their trespass which they trespassed against me, and also that, because they walked contrary unto me, I also walked contrary unto them, and brought them into the land of their enemies: if then their uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity; then will I remember my covenant with Jacob; and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. The land also shall be left by them, and shall enjoy its sabbaths, while it lies desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity; because, even because they rejected my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes. And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them; for I am Jehovah their God; but I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nFollowing the regeneration of Israel (vv. 40\u201341) God will fully carry out the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant concerning the Land (v. 42). On the basis of the Abrahamic Covenant He will restore to them the Land that has lain desolate for so long (vv. 43\u201345).
\nIn another part of the Law, the possession of the Land is also part of the Land Covenant, in Deuteronomy 30:5:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jehovah your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and he will do you good, and multiply you above your fathers.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe prophets of Israel developed this facet even further in both the Major and Minor Prophets. Among the Major Prophets, Isaiah 27:12 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will beat off his fruit from the flood of the River unto the brook of Egypt; and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this passage, the first aspect (the borders of the Land) is brought out. The northern (Euphrates River) and southern (the Brook of Egypt) boundaries are possessed for the first time in all of Israel\u2019s history. Israel will be able to settle in all of the Promised Land.
\nIn another passage, Isaiah 30:23\u201326, the second aspect (increased productivity of the Land) of the third facet is stressed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he will give the rain for your seed, wherewith you shall sow the ground; and bread of the increase of the ground, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall your cattle feed in large pastures. The oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat savory provender, which has been winnowed with the shovel and with the fork. And there shall be upon every lofty mountain, and upon every high hill, brooks and streams of waters, in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah binds up the hurt of his people, and heals the stroke of their wound.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe Land will be well watered and will produce abundant food both for men and animals (vv. 23\u201325). Furthermore, there will be a tremendous increase of light, with the moon shining as brightly as the sun, while the light of the sun will be increased seven times what it is today. It will be a time of total healing of all physical infirmities (v. 26).
\nAs for the deserts of Israel, Isaiah 35:1\u20132 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of Jehovah, the excellency of our God.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIsaiah later brought out the productivity aspect again in 65:21\u201324:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWith the possession of the Land of Israel, not only will the Jews be able to build houses and plant vineyards and crops (v. 21), but they will also enjoy the work of their hands, for no enemy will take it from them (vv. 22\u201323). They will enjoy it until a ripe old age.
\nAnother Major Prophet, Jeremiah, also stressed the greater productivity of the Land in the final restoration. In Jeremiah 31:1\u20136 he wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At that time, says Jehovah, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus says Jehovah, The people that were left of the sword found favor in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. Jehovah appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you. Again will I build you, and you shall be built, O virgin of Israel: again shall you be adorned with your tabrets, and shall go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Again shall you plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit thereof. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto Jehovah our God.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nBecause of God\u2019s everlasting love for His people (vv. 1\u20133), He intends to restore and build them again (v. 4). Once again for Israel there will be a time of plenty (v. 5), and the hills of Ephraim will echo with the call to come and worship God in Jerusalem (v. 6).
\nLater in the same passage, Jeremiah returned to the theme in 31:11\u201314:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Jehovah has ransomed Jacob, and redeemed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of Jehovah, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, says Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAfter the redemption of Israel (v. 11), they will be restored to the Land, which will produce an abundance (v. 12), giving joy to all the inhabitants of the Land (vv. 13\u201314).
\nAfter Jeremiah, the next Major Prophet, Ezekiel, picked up the motif of the possession of the Land and stated in Ezekiel 20:42\u201344:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country which I swore to give unto your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have polluted yourselves; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have dealt with you for my name\u2019s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, says the Lord Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIsrael is to be brought back into their land in accordance with the promises of God to the forefathers in the Abrahamic Covenant (v. 42). Israel will turn away from her sins of the past and will detest them (v. 43) and now serve God alone (v. 44).
\nLater, Ezekiel 28:25\u201326 adds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thus says the Lord Jehovah: When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the nations, then shall they dwell in their own land which I gave to my servant Jacob. And they shall dwell securely therein; yea, they shall build houses, and plant vineyards, and shall dwell securely, when I have executed judgments upon all those that do them despite round about them; and they shall know that I am Jehovah their God.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nFollowing its regeneration and regathering, Israel will then possess the Land in accordance with the Abrahamic Covenant (v. 25). The security in which Israel will live and enjoy the works of her hands is then emphasized (v. 26).
\nThe security aspect along with the element of increased productivity is the theme of Ezekiel 34:25\u201331:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in its season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield its fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land; and they shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and have delivered them out of the hand of those that made bondmen of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the beasts of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up unto them a plantation for renown, and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more. And they shall know that I, Jehovah, their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord Jehovah. And ye my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, says the Lord Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSince there will no longer be any wild beasts in the Land, Israel will be able to enjoy the Land in total security (v. 25). The rains will come in their proper time and in proper amounts (v. 26), increasing the productivity (v. 27a). Not only is Israel to be secure from the wild beasts, but also from all her enemies of the past (vv. 27b\u201328). None will come to destroy the crops (v. 29). In every way Israel will be rightly related to God and will be His peculiar possession (vv. 30\u201331).
\nNor is this the end of the subject, as the prophet continued in Ezekiel 36:8\u201315:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown; and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded; and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your former estate, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess you, and you shall be their inheritance, and you shall no more henceforth bereave them of children. Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Because they say unto you, You land are a devourer of men, and have been a bereaver of your nation; therefore you shall devour men no more, neither bereave your nation any more, says the Lord Jehovah; neither will I let you hear any more the shame of the nations, neither shall you bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shall you cause your nation to stumble any more, says the Lord Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn spite of years of desolation, the Land is to be tilled again (vv. 8\u20139) and populated for the inhabitants of the Land will be greatly increased (vv. 10\u201311). Israel will again possess the Land (v. 12), and the production of the Land will be tremendous (vv. 13\u201315).
\nLater in this passage, the prophet further elaborated, in Ezekiel 36:28\u201338:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations. Then shall ye remember your evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sake do I this, says the Lord Jehovah, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord Jehovah: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited. Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Jehovah, have built the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, Jehovah, have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus says the Lord Jehovah: For this, moreover, will I be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock. As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nEzekiel declared that Israel will again possess the Land (v. 28) as a result of her regeneration (v. 29). The reproach of Israel will be removed (v. 30), and Israel will detest her past sins (v. 31). It is not for Israel\u2019s glory (v. 32) that the regeneration (v. 33) and the tilling and rebuilding of the Land (vv. 34\u201335) will occur, but it is for God\u2019s own glory among the nations (v. 36). As for Israel, the population will increase and the desolate places will be rebuilt (vv. 37\u201338).
\nThe repossession of the Land is also promised in the Minor Prophets, such as in Joel 2:18\u201327:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then was Jehovah jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. And Jehovah answered and said unto his people, Behold, I will send you grain, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations; but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive it into a land barren and desolate, its forepart into the eastern sea, and its hinder part into the western sea; and its stench shall come up, and its ill savor shall come up, because it has done great things. Fear not, O land, be glad and rejoice; for Jehovah has done great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree bears its fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he gives you the former rain in just measure, and he causes to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain, in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and shall praise the name of Jehovah your God, that has dealt wondrously with you; and my people shall never be put to shame. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God, and there is none else; and my people shall never be put to shame.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nGod will be jealous for His Land (v. 18), and this burning jealousy will bring about a great productivity in the Land (v. 19). The Land will be secure from any further invasions (v. 20), and it will produce abundantly (vv. 21\u201322). The rains will come at the proper seasons and in proper amounts (v. 23), causing a tremendous amount of surplus in their storages (v. 24) and recuperation from all previous losses due to pestilences (v. 25). Israel will never again be shamed (v. 26), but will have a special relationship to God (v. 27).
\nLater, in Joel 3:18, the prophet declared that there will be an abundance of water in the Land:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of Jehovah, and shall water the valley of Shittim.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe increased productivity of the Land is again pointed out in Amos 9:13:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nTo summarize, for the first time in Israel\u2019s history, she will possess all of the Promised Land while the Land itself will greatly increase in its productivity and be well watered, all on the basis of the Abrahamic Covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Reestablishment of the Davidic Throne<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
a. The Basis: The Davidic Covenant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fourth facet of the final restoration of Israel is the reestablishment of the Davidic Throne. This is based upon the Davidic Covenant, found in two passages of Scripture. The first is in 2 Samuel 7:11b\u201316:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover Jehovah tells you that Jehovah will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, that shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before you: your throne shall be established for ever.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this covenant, David is first of all promised that he will be the head of a dynasty (v. 11b). After David dies, the throne will go to one of his sons (Solomon) and the kingdom will be established in his hand (v. 12). It is Solomon who will build the Temple, and so God will establish his throne (not Solomon himself) for eternity (v. 13). Solomon will sin and God will have to punish him, but God\u2019s loyal love will not be removed from Solomon as it was from Saul (vv. 14\u201315). Nevertheless, the Davidic House or Dynasty, the Davidic Throne and the Davidic Kingdom will be eternal (v. 16).
\nThe emphasis in this first account of the Davidic Covenant has been on Solomon. But a slightly different emphasis is given in the second passage, in 1 Chronicles 17:10b\u201314:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover I tell you that Jehovah will build you a house. And it shall come to pass, when your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before you; but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe emphasis in this passage is not on Solomon, but on the Messiah. David is promised a dynasty (v. 10b). Some time after his death, a descendant of one of his sons will be established in the kingdom (v. 11). The Samuel passage spoke of one of David\u2019s own sons, Solomon; but Chronicles speaks of a descendant of one of David\u2019s sons, namely, Jesus, Who was a descendant of Nathan, a son of David. This descendant of David, the Messiah, will also build God a temple, the Millennial Temple, and His Throne will be established forever (v. 12). God\u2019s mercy will never be removed from this One (v. 13). Since the Samuel passage emphasized Solomon, there was the possibility of sin. But since the Chronicles passage emphasizes the Messiah, there is no possibility of sin, and hence, no mention of sin. Finally, it is this Person Himself Who is established forever, and not merely the Dynasty, Kingdom, and Throne (v. 14).
\nIn essence, then, the Davidic Covenant promised four eternal things: an eternal Dynasty, an eternal Kingdom, an eternal Throne, and an eternal Person. The eternality of the Dynasty, Kingdom, and Throne are guaranteed only because the Seed of David culminated in the Person Who is Himself eternal.
\nThe Messiah holds three offices: prophet, priest, and king. However, He does not function in all these offices simultaneously. Rather, the functioning of these three offices is to be carried out in a chronological sequence. During His ministry on earth at His First Coming, Jesus functioned in the office of a prophet. But this ceased at the time of His death. Since His death and resurrection, and until He returns, He is functioning in the office of a priest. This duty will cease at the Second Coming. Jesus has never yet functioned in the office of a king. For Him to do so, there must be the reestablishment of the Davidic Throne upon which He will sit to rule as King over Israel and King of the world. This duty will begin at the Second Coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
b. The Prophetic Development<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While this facet of Israel\u2019s final restoration has not been as fully developed as the others, it has not been totally ignored. Some of the prophetic developments, such as Jeremiah 23:5\u20136 and Isaiah 9:6\u20137, have already been discussed in Chapter 18, The Government of the Messianic Kingdom. But besides these, there are several other passages, such as Psalm 89:3\u20134:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant: Your seed will I establish for ever, And build up your throne to all generations.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this passage God states that He has made an eternal covenant with David (v. 3), including the establishment of an eternal dynasty and an eternal throne (v. 4).
\nThe eternality of the Dynasty and the Throne is restated later in the same Psalm, in verse 29:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His seed also will I make to endure for ever, And his throne as the days of heaven.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStill later, verses 34\u201337 state:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My covenant will I not break, Nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness: I will not lie unto David: His seed shall endure for ever, And his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, And as the faithful witness in the sky.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe continuation of the covenant is not dependent upon David or upon his descendants, but upon God\u2019s character (v. 34). Since God does not lie, the covenant is sure to stand (v. 35). For that very reason, the eternality of the Dynasty and the Throne is assured (vv. 36\u201337).
\nAnother prophetic passage is Jeremiah 33:17\u201326:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For thus says Jehovah: David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt-offerings, and to burn meal-offerings, and to do sacrifice continually. And the word of Jehovah came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus says Jehovah: If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, so that there shall not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me. And the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, saying, Consider you not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which Jehovah did choose, he has cast them off? thus do they despise my people, that they should be no more a nation before them. Thus says Jehovah: If my covenant of day and night stand not, if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; then will also cast away the seed of Jacob, and of David my servant, so that I will not take of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and will have mercy on them.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe emphasis in this passage is clearly on the eternality of and the impossibility of breaking the Davidic Covenant. Under no circumstances will the House of David ever become extinct (vv. 17\u201318), for the Davidic Covenant is both unconditional and eternal (vv. 19\u201321). Ultimately the seed of David will be greatly multiplied (v. 22). The reestablishment of the Davidic Throne will be the antidote to the poisonous teaching that God no longer intends to fulfill His covenants with Israel (vv. 23\u201326). God is not through with Israel (vv. 23\u201324), but will fulfill every promise of the Davidic Covenant (vv. 25\u201326a) and the Abrahamic Covenant (v. 26b).
\nOne other passage in the Old Testament is Amos 9:11\u201312:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the nations that are called by my name, says Jehovah that does this.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWhen the Kingdom is established, the ruins of the House of David will be repaired, and the Davidic Throne will again exercise all the glory of the days gone by (v. 11). But in addition to all the glory of the past, the authority of the reestablished Davidic Throne will extend to all the Gentile nations (v. 12).
\nIn the New Testament, the reestablishment of the Davidic Throne is found in Luke 1:32\u201333:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAll four key aspects of the Davidic Throne are mentioned here. The Son of Mary is to sit upon the eternal Throne over the eternal Kingdom, for He was born into the eternal Dynasty. The eternality of the Dynasty, Throne, and Kingdom is assured because they all culminate in the Person Who is Himself eternal: the Son of God.
\nThe promises that God made to Israel have not been rendered null and void. Israel is yet to enjoy all the promises of the four unfulfilled unconditional covenants, each of which points respectively to the four facets of Israel\u2019s final restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B. Other Characteristics of Israel\u2019s Final Restoration<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides the various features mentioned in the passages dealing with the covenants and their prophetic developments, other passages develop additional characteristics which may or may not necessarily be connected with any specific covenant. Some of these other characteristics that will be true at the time of Israel\u2019s final restoration will be dealt with in this section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Reunited as a Nation<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
One of the other major features of the final restoration is that Israel will be reunited as a nation, never to be divided into two separate kingdoms again. This is mentioned by Jeremiah 3:18:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I gave for an inheritance unto your fathers.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n