As students of Bible prophecy, we know that God has a future plan for Israel. Some Christians dispute that, but it really is an indisputable fact when you read the Scriptures, particularly Romans 9, 10 and 11. Much of our focus is on Israel’s current situation and, to some degree, on their soon coming situation during the Tribulation Period. But for the purposes of this article, I want to touch on Israel’s glorious future and their role during the Millennial Kingdom.
The first step necessary for God’s divine plan to unfold was to restore Israel to the land. Ezekiel’s famous “dry bones prophecy” (Ezekiel 37) symbolised the nation dispersed, dead and decayed - scattered among the nations of the world. “Can these bones live?”, God asked Ezekiel. In 1897 Theodr Herzl invited 204 Jewish leaders to Basel, Switzerland, for the First Zionist Congress. He opened the conference with these words: “There is a land without a people, there is a people without a land; give the people without a land to a land without a people.” Israelites who survived the Babylonian captivity of Ezekiel’s day and Jewish people down through the centuries have seen themselves as cut off from all hope of a national identity. They saw themselves with no hope of ever being “resurrected” and regaining nationhood status. But then, in 1948, Israel became a living reality once again.
But to truly be restored as a kingdom, a King will need to be present. During Israel’s history, they have experienced good kings and bad kings. In Jeremiah’s day each king was worse than the one who preceded him. How discouraging! But the King to come will reign righteously. In fact, He is called “Jehovah Tsidkenu”, which means “the Lord our Righteousness”. Jeremiah 23:5-6 says: “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgement and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
However, Jesus must be recognised by Israel nationally as the rightful heir to the throne before He can restore God’s kingdom and usher in the times of refreshing on earth. After all, the King of Kings cannot rule over people who are in rebellion. This is the point Peter made in Acts 3:19-21: Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.
People have often wondered whether Peter was referring to individual or corporate conversion and the context suggests he was referring to both. But although we rejoice that many individual Jews have come to a saving faith in Jesus, we also know that God is going to have to use extreme means to bring about significant change in the hearts of His people. In the past, Israel has relied on powerful allies and its own war machine to defend itself. But in the Tribulation Period, as the world turns against them, they will have nowhere to turn but to God. When they (a godly remnant) look upon Him whom they have pierced (Messiah), God will pour out His spirit of grace and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:10). This action is both corporate (the house of David) and individual (the inhabitants of Jerusalem).
It is also a point of rejoicing that God will reunite the nation. Throughout their history in the Promised Land, the children of Israel struggled with conflict among the tribes. We might be tempted to view the unity of the twelve tribes of Israel as natural and intrinsic but that is not the case at all. In fact, they were twelve independent tribal units and, sadly, allowed many things to drive them apart. However, this division will be erased in the Millennial Kingdom. Ezekiel 37:21-22 says: “then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations; nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.
In that glorious Millennial Kingdom, Israel will bring glory to the Lord. Isaiah 62:3 says: You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Note that Israel is not given a crown. Rather, it will be a crown. Although the Jerusalem of our day is still a beautiful city, it is nothing compared to how the city will be during the Millennial Kingdom. It will be adorned with the glory, grandeur and majesty of the Lord’s righteousness.
Finally, although many in the world violently oppose Israel and the Jewish people, the Millennial Kingdom will be vastly different. Zechariah 8:22-23 explains: Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
At present, Israel is a land affected by war, heartache and unrest. But in the Millennial Kingdom, those conditions will be reversed – it will truly be a time of peace, joy and comfort. What a day that will be.
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