The fortunes of Israel are restored.
The people of God is released from sin.
God pours out his Spirit upon the remaining tribes of Israel.
The Lord will gather them and bring them together.
God’s new, everlasting covenant with Israel: His law in
their hearts.
After the reorganization of heaven and earth, the last event in the preceding period of the
"Day of the Lord", the deliverance and gathering of the people of Israel in their land is – apart
from the First Resurrection of the martyrs – the first event in the period of the "Millennium".
Then not only the Israelites, but also many Gentiles will convert, who will then take the people of God to
Israel – "on their arms" as it says. These Gentiles will "belong to the house of Jacob",
that means they will be completely integrated into the people of Israel and God promises to take also out of
them priests and Levites.
But before the new people of God can start the reconstruction of the cities which were devastated as a result
of the catastrophes of the earthquakes at the reorganization of heaven and earth, it has to defeat its hostile
neighbors with the help of God.
There are groups of otherwise orthodox Christians who take the view that Israel had squandered
away its chance to get to salvation for ever when they did not accept their Messiah in those days, almost two
thousand years ago.
Now it is admittedly definitely that way that Israel has been impenitent up to this day and that still a veil
lies over their heart, when they are reading Moses, as Paul writes in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
Their minds were hardened, but whenever Israel turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
2Cor 3,14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the
reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. 3,15 But to this
day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; 3,16 but whenever Israel turns to the Lord, the veil
is taken away. 2Cor 3,14 – 16;
But Paul also tells us here at the same time that Israel will convert to the Lord. And then
this veil will be taken away, as we can also quite concretely infer from the Epistle to the Romans. Here
below, in Rom 11,13 – 24 it becomes apparent that some of the new Christians who had been Gentiles before
already at that time advocated the opinion that they are henceforth the chosen people and that Israel
"had squandered away its chance".
And just as the entire Epistle to the Romans is a masterpiece of argumentation with an undoubtedly somewhat
higher intellectual approach, which explains the truths of faith with an uncommonly conclusive logic as it
probably cannot be found in any other book of the Bible, Paul explains also here to the brothers and sisters
in Rome why this opinion of theirs is wrong, and even why it must be wrong.
The natural branches will be grafted into their own olive tree.
Rom 11,13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an
apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 11,14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and
save some of them. 11,15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their
acceptance be but life from the dead! 11,16 If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if
the root is holy, the branches are too.
11,17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and
became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 11,18 do not be arrogant toward the branches;
but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 11,19
You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." 11,20 Quite right, they
were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 11,21 for if
God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 11,22 Behold then the kindness and
severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness;
otherwise you also will be cut off.
11,23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft
them in again. 11,24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted
contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be
grafted into their own olive tree. Rom 11,13 – 24;
The deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.
Rom 11,25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery – so
that you will not be wise in your own estimation – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel
until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 11,26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is
written (Isaja 59,20; Jeremia 31,33), "the deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob." 11,27
"This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins." 11,28 From the standpoint of the
gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake
of the fathers; 11,29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 11,30 For just as you once were
disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 11,31 so these also now have
been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 11,32 For God has
shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. Rom 11,25 – 32;
The argumentation of the brothers and sisters quoted at the beginning that the Jews could
convert at any time and thus could come to the belief in Jesus Christ, is in principle completely correct. But
if we take a closer look at the text above, from Rom 11,25, we realize that Paul does not mean those Jews here
who come to the Christian faith anyway.
He says, "A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in"
and does not mean by that the other "part" of Israel that converts to Jesus Christ and is thus saved
"before its time" so to speak, but the inveterate, ultra orthodox, rigid Jews according to the Old
Covenant, who up to today have seen in Jesus Christ a prophet at best but by no means the Messiah and not at
all the Son of God.
This other part of the people of Israel that Paul means here, will convert to our Lord Jesus Christ only when
the last Gentile who is looking for his God has embraced the faith. Then – and only then – these sons and
daughters of the people of Israel will convert to their Messiah. We realize here that the Lord Jesus is not
only our Redeemer, that is to say the Redeemer of the Gentiles who have become Christians, but that he will
also come as the Redeemer for Israel, who will turn away all godlessness from Jacob. Also the parallel
passages say that the Lord will have mercy upon Israel and will establish a new covenant with them, too.
A Redeemer will come to Zion, and My Spirit is upon you.
Isa 59,20 " A Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from
transgression in Jacob," declares the LORD. 59,21 "As for Me, this is My covenant with
them," says the LORD: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth
shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s
offspring," says the LORD, "from now and forever." Isa 59,20 – 21;
He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.
Jer 31,9 " With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead
them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble; For I
am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn." 31,10 Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And
declare in the coastlands afar off, And say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him And keep him as
a shepherd keeps his flock." 31,11 For the LORD has ransomed Jacob And redeemed him from the hand of
him who was stronger than he. Jer 31, 9 – 11;
But on the other hand precisely the above statements about the gathering of the people of
Israel are also often abused for the other extreme of the spectrum of opinions. Again and again voices rise
that maintain that one could not ignore the development in Israel since the foundation of the state in 1948.
Therefore one would have to proceed from the assumption that the return of the people of Israel to their land
which is announced in the Scriptures is already well underway, if not even soon completed.
In giving the reasons for this statement all those passages from the Scriptures are listed, which relate to
the gathering of the people of Israel (Isa 11,11 – 12; Isa 14,1 – 2; Isa 43,5 – 7; Isa 49,12 – 13; Jer 3,14 – 15; Jer
16,14 – 15; Jer 31,7 – 8; Eze 11,16 – 17; Eze 20,41 – 42; Eze 34,12 – 13; Eze 39,27 – 28; Mi 2,12 – 13; Zeph 3,19 – 20; etc..), but those texts, which also refer to the concomitant circumstances and the characteristics of this
gathering and return are not listed at all.
When the people of God returns to its land Israel which is promised by God, the Israelites will be
"carried on the shoulders" by the Gentiles.
And they will bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
Isa 49,22 Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will lift up My hand to the
nations And set up My standard to the peoples; And they will bring your sons in their bosom, And your
daughters will be carried on their shoulders. Isa 49,22;
That means the Gentiles themselves will bring back the Israelites from the Diaspora to their
land. At the repatriation in the forties, the Jews had to rent ships for much money and these ships were then
bombarded and rammed even before the coast of Haifa by the English, who ruled in Palestine at that time, in
order not to have them let enter Palestine.
But as can be deduced from the following passages from the Scriptures, at that time the Israelites themselves
did not fulfill the conditions for these promises at all either.
You will find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jer 29,13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all
your heart. 29,14 ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes
and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares
the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’ Jer 29,13 – 14;
The sons of Israel and the sons of Judah will come, and it will be the LORD their God they will seek.
Jer 50,4 "In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, "the
sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and
it will be the LORD their God they will seek. 50,5 "They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their
faces in its direction; they will come that they may join themselves to the LORD in an everlasting
covenant that will not be forgotten. Jer 50, 4 – 5;
For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them.
Jer 24,6 ‘For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again
to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, and I will plant them and not pluck them up.
24,7 ‘I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and
I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart. Jer 24, 6 – 7;
I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land.
Eze 36,24 " For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the
lands and bring you into your own land. 36,25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will
be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Eze 36,24 – 25;
In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely.
Jer 23,5 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When
I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice
and righteousness in the land. 23,6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And
this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’ Jer 23, 5 – 6;
So, these are the characteristics of the gathering and return of the people of Israel to their
land promised by God
– They will search their Lord with all their heart.
– They will come weeping and seek their God.
– The Lord will give them a heart to know him and to return to him.
– They shall become clean from all their uncleanness.
– The branch of David will be king and will be called, "The Lord our
righteousness".
Now one can say many things of the present people of Israel, but certainly not that they would
have sought the Lord, their God, weeping. Let alone that it would look like as if they had been cleaned from
all their uncleanness. And much less that the branch of David, our Lord Jesus Christ, would be their king.
Therefore the Bible is also talking about this return only after the coming of the Messiah – a view that is,
by the way, also shared by the few orthodox Jews that are still left in the Diaspora and, of course, by the small group of the
Messianic Jews, that is to say by the Jews who believe in Christ (about 5,000 in Israel). So, for us
Christians this means: after the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The present people of Israel is, as it is already expressed in Rom 11,25, impenitent. And it will be that way
"until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in". So, as long as the way of salvation of God with
the non – Israelite peoples is not completed, the people of Israel will not convert and accordingly it will not
be possible for them to return to their land as it is promised by God either.
What has happened since the foundation of the state in Israel, is a reunion that is supported and pursued by
human will and aspiration. The present people of Israel does not differ in any way from the Gentile peoples.
It was and is not the Lord, their and our God, who guided them (Jer 16,15; 31,8; etc.). In Israel the Almighty
does not have any influence or rank neither in politics, nor in the economy and in some fields not even in
religion.
Many of the present Jews in Israel are Jews by origin, but not by the promise. On top of that, a large part of
the population of Israel is in fact unreligious. Therefore also the passages from the Scriptures of the Old
Testament apply, which do see the land of Israel in the last days inhabited by men, but which lament over the
people in Jerusalem that they do not want to recognize the Lord, their God, and worship idols (policy,
economy, finance, etc.).
In addition to that it must be said that since the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, in 70 A.D. by
Titus, up to this day a divine service conforming with the Scriptures has not been possible. According to
Jewish law, sacrifices and meal offerings can only be made if there is a temple with an altar in Jerusalem, on
Mount Zion.
So, up to today, Israel has been "without sacrifice", as it says in Hos 3,4.
For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice.
Hos 3,4 For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or
prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. 3,5 Afterward the
sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come
trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days. Hos 3, 4 – 5;
Only afterward, that is to say after this long period, the Israelites will convert, seek their
God, and come trembling to the Lord and to his goodness and to their king David, in the last days – and in
this respect this text completely corresponds with the above passages from the Scriptures.
So, the quite unambiguous conclusion can be drawn that the gathering and repatriation of the people of Israel
to their land which is promised in the Scriptures will begin only when the hearts of the Gentiles have
hardened in such a way that there is no chance any more that anyone of them converts. Then the Israelites in
the Diaspora will return to their God and seek him trembling and weeping. Today this is not only done by the
Israelites in Israel.
The most obvious indication for the fact that this repatriation which has taken place since 1948 is not the
gathering which is promised by God, is the fact that Israel has had to fight for this land against the
Palestinians since the very beginning and that thousands of people have been killed on both sides in this war
which has been going on now for already fifty years! This cannot be God’s will and this, actually, is not
God’s will, as it says in the relevant promise in the Old Testament – also with Hosea:
I will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen.
Hos 1,7 "But I will have compassion on the house of Judah and deliver them
by the LORD their God, and will not deliver them by bow, sword, battle, horses or horsemen."Hos 1, 7;
The gathering of the Jews, which God promised them, will not take place by fight and war –
and above all, it will not last for fifty years.
So, as the time of these promises has not come yet up to this day, but as the Israelites nevertheless have
returned to their land – in fact, of their own political accord and not at the command of their God – and as
on the other hand the prophecies of the gathering of the Israelites from all over the world have to be
fulfilled notwithstanding that, they will have to experience the horror and the agony of the deportation and
the dispersion once more, for a last time, if one takes the prophecies in this connection seriously.
The question in how far this dispersion they have to expect again would have been spared to them if they had
not returned to their land on their own authority and without the concomitant circumstances prophesied in the
Scriptures having been recognizable, reminds us of the lamentations of the Lord over this people,
"Therefore I was angry with this generation, and said, ’They always go astray in their heart, and they
did not know my ways’ as I swore in my wrath, ’They shall not enter my rest.’" (Heb 3,10).
So, only after this last trial God will gather them from the new dispersion and bring them back to their land.
The Israelites, who will then be left, are the remnant who will seek their God weeping and trembling. It is to
them that all these promises of the kingdom of God on earth and also the loving promise of God apply, "I
will put my law within their heart and I will wipe away all tears from their eyes. And they shall be my people
and I will be their God".
I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it.
Jer 31,31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 31,32 not like the covenant
which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My
covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 31,33 "But this is
the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, " I
will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My
people. 31,34 "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know
the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the
LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jer
31,31 – 34;
Starting out from the statements of Paul in Rom 11,25 – 26, we can find a strikingly large
number of texts in the Scriptures – especially in the Old Testament – which prophesy the gathering and
return of the people of Israel.
I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and will rebuild them as they were at first.
Jer 33,7 ‘ I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel
and will rebuild them as they were at first. 33,8 ‘I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which
they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and
by which they have transgressed against Me. 33,9 ‘It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before
all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and
tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’
33,10 "Thus says the LORD, ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, "It
is a waste, without man and without beast," that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of
Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, 33,11 the voice of joy
and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say,
"Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, For the LORD is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting"; and
of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land
as they were at first,’ says the LORD.
33,12 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, without man
or beast, and in all its cities, a habitation of shepherds who rest their flocks. 33,13 ‘In the cities
of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the
environs of Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who
numbers them,’ says the LORD. Jer 33, 7 – 13;
I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and plant them on their land.
Amos 9,14 "Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And
they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit. 9,15 "I will also plant them on their land, And they will not
again be rooted out from their land Which I have given them," Says the LORD your God. Amos 9,14 – 15;
Those passages from the Scriptures which are speaking of devastated cities in Israel and a
restoration of the land, are usually assigned to the past, where, of course, there also were such situations.
But the above text from Amos 9,14 – 15 for instance proves us that here there cannot be talk of the past. In
verse Amos 9,15 it says, "I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be rooted out
from their land Which I have given them,’ Says the LORD your God". This promise has not found any
fulfillment in the past! Israel was again and again destroyed and the people was driven out of its land.
And because of the reasons given above, also the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948 cannot be seen as
the fulfillment of the repatriation to their land promised by God. Therefore this event – the destruction
and dispersion as well as the restoration – has to be expected for the future. Only then their God will plant
them in a way that nobody can root them out any more.
I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.
Jer 33,23 And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, 33,24 "Have you
not observed what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the LORD chose, He has rejected
them’? Thus they despise My people, no longer are they as a nation in their sight.
33,25 "Thus says the LORD, ‘If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of
heaven and earth I have not established, 33,26 then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My
servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I
will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.’" Jer 33,23 – 26;
Days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.
Jer 30,3 ‘ For behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will
restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The LORD says, ‘I will also bring them back to
the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.’" Jer 30, 3;
The Lord will "restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel". We realize
in this formulation that we are here chronologically seen, still before the union of Judah and Israel to one
single people (see below) which is prophesied for the last days.
At that time the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are that devastated that nobody is there any
more, neither man nor animal. But probably this sight is presented all over the world, for we are here
immediately after the catastrophes and earthquakes on the day of the wrath of God, after the reorganization of
heaven and earth. So, it is the time before the gathering, before the crowd of people returns to Israel in
order to cultivate the land and to restore the cities.
Jesus Christ will bring Jacob back to the LORD, so that Israel might be gathered to Him.
Isa 49,1 Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. The
LORD called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me. 49,2 He has made My mouth like a
sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has
hidden Me in His quiver. 49,3 He said to Me, "You are My Servant, Israel, In Whom I will show My
glory." 49,4 But I said, "I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity;
Yet surely the justice due to Me is with the LORD, And My reward with My God."
49,5 And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so
that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My
strength), 49,6 He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of
Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My
salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Isa 49, 1 – 6;
The text above from Isa 49,1 – 6 finally also tells us who will bring Israel back and gather it
to its God. It is our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Messiah of Israel, who has not only become the
light of the Gentiles but will become also the Redeemer of the people of God from Israel in this last time. He
will raise up the fallen booth of David and rebuild it as it was in the days of old.
In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David.
Amos 9,11 " In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David,
And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old; 9,12 That they
may possess the remnant of Edom And all the nations who are called by My name," Declares the LORD who
does this. Amos 9,11 – 12;
The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies.
Zeph 3,11 "In that day you will feel no shame Because of all your deeds By
which you have rebelled against Me; For then I will remove from your midst Your proud, exulting ones, And
you will never again be haughty On My holy mountain. 3,12 "But I will leave among you A humble and
lowly people, And they will take refuge in the name of the LORD. 3,13 "The remnant of Israel will
do no wrong and tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; For they will feed and lie
down with no one to make them tremble." Zeph 3,11 – 13;
Here, in Zeph 3,11 – 13, for the time being, those Israelites are concerned who remained in
Israel itself after the day of the wrath of God. Below we learn then how the Lord gathers and repatriates the
remnant of his people all over the world.
The LORD has taken away His judgments against Israel, He has cleared away their enemies.
Zeph 3,14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice
and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 3,15 The LORD has taken away His judgments against
you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will fear
disaster no more. 3,16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: "Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let
your hands fall limp. 3,17 The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he
will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing
3,18 as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.
Zeph 3,14 – 18;
I will gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.
Zeph 3,19 "Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors,
I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the
earth. 3,20 "At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I
will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your
eyes," Says the LORD. Zeph 3,19 – 20;
With Zeph 3,14 – 18 we have an important hint at the fact that the entire context is a prophecy
of the last days. In verse 15 it says, "The Lord, the King of Israel, is in your midst", and in
verse 17 as well: "The Lord, your God, is in your midst". With that it is certain: The statements in
this text refer to the conversion and gathering of the people of Israel at the beginning of the Millennium,
when the Lord Jesus will be king in Jerusalem.
Also the promise: "I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it" cannot be
assigned to the past. Israel has borne its shame to have rejected its Messiah up to this day. This shame will
be wiped out only then when the spirit of mercy and prayer is poured out upon them and when they mourn for the
one whom they have pierced at his return.
They will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will weep bitterly over Him.
Zech 12,10 "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants
of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have
pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like
the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 12,11 "In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem,
like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo. Zech 12,10 – 11;
All the families that remain, will mourn for Him whom they have pierced.
Zech 12,12 " The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family
of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and
their wives by themselves; 12,13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the
family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves; 12,14 all the families that remain,
every family by itself and their wives by themselves. Zech 12,12 – 14;
(See also Chapter 06: "The Return of the Lord.")
And also Ezekiel is speaking of this shame and all their sins, with which they sinned against
their God and promises that they will be gathered to their land again. Below, in verse Eze 39,29 we then
recognize the reference to the last days again. It says there, "I will not hide my face from them any
longer, for I will have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel". Up to this day the face of the Lord
is hidden from Israel, and his spirit does work among the Gentiles who have become Christians, but not yet
among the people of Israel.
I will not hide My face from them any longer.
Eze 39,26 " They will forget their disgrace and all their treachery which
they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid.
39,27 "When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I
shall be sanctified through them in the sight of the many nations. 39,28 "Then they will know that I am
the LORD their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then gathered them again to their
own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer. 39,29 "I will not hide My face from them any
longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel," declares the Lord GOD. Eze
39,26 – 29;
The release from sin is one of the basic preconditions for the outpouring of the Spirit. The
Spirit of God can develop its effect only there where sin has been forgiven. And sin can only be forgiven
where the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ for that is called upon with gratitude.
This connection has been a certitude of faith and integral part of our faith for us Gentiles who have become
Christians for almost two thousand years. Because of the rejection of the Messiah this remission of sins has
not been accessible to the Jews up to this day. But God promises to take away their sin "in one
day", and to remember no more their lawless deeds. It will be the day when they "will look on him
whom they have pierced, and will mourn for him, as one mourns for an only son", as it says above in Zech
12,10 – 13.
I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant
Jer 50,19 ‘And I will bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on
Carmel and Bashan, and his desire will be satisfied in the hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. 50,20 ‘In
those days and at that time,’ declares the LORD, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but
there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon
those whom I leave as a remnant.’ Jer 50,19 – 20;
I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
Zech 3,9 ‘For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are
seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘ and I will
remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 3,10 ‘In that day,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘every
one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’ Zech 3, 9 – 10;
On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities.
Eze 36,33 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day that I cleanse you from
all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. Eze
36,33;
Jacob’s iniquity will be forgiven; and this will be the full price of the pardoning of his sin.
Isa 27,6 In the days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will blossom and
sprout, And they will fill the whole world with fruit. 27,7 Like the striking of Him who has struck them, has
He struck them? Or like the slaughter of His slain, have they been slain? 27,8 You contended with them by
banishing them, by driving them away. With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the east wind.
27,9 Therefore through this Jacob’s iniquity will be forgiven; And this will be the full price of the
pardoning of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones like pulverized chalk stones; When Asherim and
incense altars will not stand. Isa 27, 6 – 9;
And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.
Hbr 10,15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, 10,16
" This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My
laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them" He then says, 10,17 "And their sins
and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." Heb 10,15 – 17;
God who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession.
Mi 7,18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity And passes over the
rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He
delights in unchanging love. 7,19 He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under
foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea. 7,20 You will give truth to Jacob And
unchanging love to Abraham, Which You swore to our forefathers From the days of old. Mi 7,18 – 20;
Above, in Mi 7,18, the "remnant" are mentioned. This term can also be found in the
following texts, such as Isa 4,3; Isa 10,20; Isa 11,11.16; Jer 23,3; Jer 31,7; Jer 50,20; Mi 2,12; Mi 5,7;
Zeph 3,12 – 13; Zech 12,14. But the text below from Eze 36,1 – 5 proves that this is not meant as a specific and
exclusive characterization of the then living people from Israel. Also here, there is talk about the
"rest", but this time among the Gentiles. It says that the desolate wastes and forsaken cities of
Israel have become a prey and a derision to the rest of the nations.
Israel would become a possession of the rest of the nations.
Eze 36,1 "And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say,
‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD. 36,2 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, "Because the enemy
has spoken against you, ‘Aha!’ and, ‘The everlasting heights have become our possession,’ 36,3
therefore prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, "For good reason they have made you desolate and
crushed you from every side, that you would become a possession of the rest of the nations and
you have been taken up in the talk and the whispering of the people."‘ 36,4 ‘Therefore, O mountains
of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and to the hills, to the
ravines and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the forsaken cities which have become a prey and a
derision to the rest of the nations which are round about, 36,5 therefore thus says the Lord
GOD, "Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and
against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn
of soul, to drive it out for a prey." Eze 36, 1 – 5;
From this connection it can be perceived that here – in the case of the Israelites as well
as in the case of the Gentiles – those who are left from the catastrophes at the reorganization of heaven
and earth are meant here. Only "few men are left" at this event, as the text from Isa 24,1 – 6 tells
us.
(See also Chapter 08: "The reorganization of heaven and
earth.")
Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.
Isa 24,1 Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its
surface and scatters its inhabitants. 24,2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his
master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like
the debtor. 24,3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the LORD has spoken
this word.
24,4 The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade
away. 24,5 The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes,
broke the everlasting covenant. 24,6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are
held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. Isa 24,
1 – 6;
It is those who are left of the people of Israel of whom already Moses prophesied here below,
in Deut 4,27 – 31, that only few in number will be left. And he also tells them if they will then search for the
Lord with all their heart and all their soul, they will find him and they will return to their God and listen
to his voice.
You will be left few in number, but in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God.
5Mo 4,27 "The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be
left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you. 4,28 "There you will serve gods,
the work of man’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.
4,29 "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him
with all your heart and all your soul. 4,30 "When you are in distress and all these things have come
upon you, in the latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice.
4,31 "For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the
covenant with your fathers which He swore to them. Deut 4,27 – 31;
A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.
Isa 10,20 Now in that day the remnant of Israel, and those of
the house of Jacob who have escaped, will never again rely on the one who struck them, but will truly rely
on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. 10,21 A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. Isa
10,20 – 21;
The nations will come and say, "Our fathers have inherited nothing but falsehood".
Jer 16,19 O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, And my refuge in the day of
distress, To You the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers have inherited
nothing but falsehood, futility and things of no profit." 16,20 Can man make gods for himself? Yet
they are not gods! 16,21 "Therefore behold, I am going to make them know – This time I will make them
know My power and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD." Jer 16,19 – 21;
But also for the Gentiles the deliverance of Israel will be a day of salvation. As already
Paul says of the people of Israel in his Epistle to the Romans, "For if their rejection is the
reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead!" (Rom 11,15)
After the worldwide catastrophes on the day of the wrath of the Lord and the appearance of the Lord Jesus in
the sky so that all men could see him, the unfaithful among the Gentiles realized for the first time that
there actually is a God.
Then the remainder of His brethren will return together with the sons of Israel.
Mi 5,2 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the
clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity." 5,3 Therefore He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor
has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return together with the sons of Israel. (cs.
Buber) 5, 4 And He will arise and shepherd His flock In the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name
of the LORD His God. And they will remain, Because at that time He will be great To the ends of the earth. Mi
5, 2 – 4;
And all Gentiles who have converted to Jesus Christ, will return as brethren together with the
rest of the sons of Israel and come to Zion.
Then the nations will know that I am the LORD.
Eze 36,22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
"It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have
profaned among the nations where you went. 36,23 "I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which
has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know
that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.
36,24 "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own
land. 36,25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all
your filthiness and from all your idols. Eze 36,22 – 25;
After Israel has converted and was forgiven its sins, the time has finally come. Now all those
promises come true, which this people has been waiting for thousands of years and because of which they have
been again and again made fun of and derided by the godless Gentiles during that time when they rebuked them,
"Where is now your God?".
With the "outpouring of the Spirit on all mankind" in Israel the last chapter of world history, the
Kingdom of Peace of the Son of God on earth begins. With the Messiah as king of the world, the raised David as
prince in Israel and Israel itself as the "head among the nations", this kingdom will bring an
unparalleled period of peace on earth that will last for a thousand years.
It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.
Joel 2,28 " It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit
on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men
will see visions. 2,29 "Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
Joel 2,28 – 29;
The Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fertile field.
Isa 32,14 Because the palace has been abandoned, the populated city forsaken.
Hill and watch – tower have become caves forever, (cs. with Buber: "for world – time") A delight for
wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks; 32,15 Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the
wilderness becomes a fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest. Isa 32,14 – 15;
He who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy.
Isa 4,2 In that day the Branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and
the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel. 4,3 It will come
about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy – everyone who is
recorded for life in Jerusalem. 4,4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and
purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning,
4,5 then the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day,
even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. 4,6
There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the
rain. Isa 4, 2 – 6;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your descendant.
Isa 44,1 "But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, And Israel, whom I have
chosen: 44,2 Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, ‘Do not fear,
O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen. 44,3 ‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring And My blessing on your
descendants; 44,4 And they will spring up among the grass Like poplars by streams of water.’ 44,5
This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’S’ And that one will call on the name of Jacob; And another will
write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the LORD,’ And will name Israel’s name with honor. Isa 44, 1 – 5;
And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them.
Eze 11,19 " And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within
them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 11,20 that
they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be
their God. 11,21 "But as for those whose hearts go after their detestable things and abominations, I will
bring their conduct down on their heads," declares the Lord GOD. Eze 11,19 – 21;
I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel.
Eze 39,29 "I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have
poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel," declares the Lord GOD. Eze 39,29;
But also the remnant of Israel will be gathered from the remote parts of the earth and brought
to their land. And it will be such a mass of people that pours into Israel that the cities will "be
noisy" with men.
The following passages from the Scriptures concerning this subject are only a selection out of an
extraordinarily great number of such texts. Even if one excludes those texts which could refer to past events
and takes into account only those which do not seem to be fulfilled yet and thus refer to the future, there
are nevertheless between fifty and sixty prophecies left which refer to this event.
I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel.
Mi 2,12 " I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob, I will surely gather
the remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold; Like a flock in the midst
of its pasture they will be noisy with men. 2,13 "The breaker goes up before them; They break out,
pass through the gate and go out by it. So their king goes on before them, And the LORD at their head."
Mi 2,12 – 13;
Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the multitude of men and cattle within it.
Zech 2, 1 Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a
measuring line in his hand..2,2 So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To
measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is." 2,3 And behold, the angel who was speaking
with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, 2,4 and said to him, "Run, speak to
that young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the multitude of men and
cattle within it. " Zech 2, 1 – 4;
I will gather the remnant of Israel from the remote parts of the earth.
Jer 31,6 "For there will be a day when watchmen On the hills of Ephraim call
out, ‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion, To the LORD our God.’" 31,7 For thus says the LORD, "Sing
aloud with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise
and say, ‘O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel.’ 31,8 "Behold, I am
bringing them from the north country, And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among
them the blind and the lame, The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; A great
company, they will return here. Jer 31, 6 – 8;
The Lord Will again recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people.
Isa 11,11 Then it will happen on that day that the Lord Will again recover
the second time with His hand The remnant of His people, who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt,
Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, And from the islands of the sea. 11,12 And He will lift up a standard
for the nations And assemble the banished ones of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four
corners of the earth. 11,13 Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, And those who harass Judah will be
cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, And Judah will not harass Ephraim. Isa 11,11 – 13;
Also here, in Isa 11,11 – 13, we have a prophecy the message of which refers unequivocally to
the future. When it says in verse 11, "Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover
the second time with his hand the remnant of his people", this text refers on the one hand to the first
"redemption" of the people of Israel by the Lord from Egypt. In those days the Pharaoh was promised
the relief from the plagues if he lets the Israelites leave the country.
When it says here now "the second time", we realize that such a situation has not occurred for
"a second time" since then in the history of this people. In Babel the Israelites were not ransomed
by God, but Cyrus let them go home – without any return service. Furthermore, at that time they did not
return from Assyria, Egypt, etc. either and much less from the remote parts of the earth, but only from Babel.
Therefore it must be a promise for the future.
And exactly this view is also confirmed by the text below, in Jer 23,7. Also here the prophet is speaking of
the gathering of the people of Israel and he prophesies, "Therefore behold, the days are coming,’
declares the LORD, ’when they will no longer say, ’As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from
the land of Egypt!’, but, ’As the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of
Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’".
Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries.
Jer 23,1 "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep
of My pasture!" declares the LORD. 23,2 Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the
shepherds who are tending My people: "You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not
attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares the LORD.
23,3 " Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have
driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 23,4 "I
will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be
terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD.
23,5 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a
righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land. 23,6
"In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell securely; And this is His name by which He will
be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness’.
23,7 "Therefore behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when they will no longer
say, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ 23,8 but, ‘As
the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and
from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil." Jer 23, 1 – 8;
The peoples will take Israel along and bring them to their place.
Isa 14,1 When the LORD will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and
settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.
14,2 The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will
possess them as an inheritance in the land of the LORD as male servants and female servants; and they will
take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors. Isa 14, 1 – 2;
The "strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob". These
people are now no Christians by the name any more as in our days. They personally saw and experienced this
God, his power and glory on the day of the wrath of God. And so, it is also to be understood when "ten
men from all nations will grasp the garment of a Jew saying, ’Let us go with you, for we have heard that God
is with you’", as it is prophesied below in Zech 8,23.
The nations will say to the Jews, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."
Zech 8,20 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘It will yet be that peoples will
come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 8,21 ‘The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying,
"Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts; I will also go."
8,22 ‘So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the
favor of the LORD.’ 8,23 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the nations
will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."‘"
Zech 8,20 – 23;
Many Gentiles also realize now that God really wants to gather his people in its land. And
there is no better opportunity for them to do service to this God, than bringing the sons and daughters of his
people to Israel. One can presage the atmosphere of departure at that time among the people all over the world
if one imagines that also the Gentiles have to leave their home in order to spend their future life in Israel,
in Jerusalem, where they can be with God, and where God will be with them.
Everyone who has doubts here from today’s point of view and considers the behavior of these people
incomprehensible, should quite simply imagine how he would behave himself if God appeared to men today, with
earthquakes, flood, and climatic catastrophes, destroyed some billions of despisers of God, blasphemers, and
impenitent and offered salvation to the remnant.
They will bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
Isa 49,22 Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will lift up My hand to the
nations And set up My standard to the peoples; And they will bring your sons in their bosom, And your
daughters will be carried on their shoulders. 49,23 "Kings will be your guardians, And their
princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth And lick the dust of your
feet; And you will know that I am the LORD; Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame.
49,24 "Can the prey be taken from the mighty man, Or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?" 49,25
Surely, thus says the LORD, "Even the captives of the mighty man will be taken away, And the prey of the
tyrant will be rescued; For I will contend with the one who contends with you, And I will save your sons. Isa
49,22 – 25;
And you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees.
Isa 66,7 "Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pain came, she
gave birth to a boy. 66,8 "Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in
one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her
sons. 66,9 "Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?" says the LORD. "Or
shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?" says your God.
66,10 "Be joyful with Jerusalem and rejoice for her, all you who love her; Be exceedingly glad
with her, all you who mourn over her, 66,11 That you may nurse and be satisfied with her comforting breasts,
That you may suck and be delighted with her bountiful bosom."
66,12 For thus says the LORD, "Behold, I extend peace to her like a river, And the glory of the
nations like an overflowing stream; And you will be nursed, you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the
knees. 66,13 "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; And you will be comforted in
Jerusalem." Isa 66, 7 – 13;
They bring your sons from afar, their silver and their gold with them, for the name of the LORD.
Isa 60,9 "Surely the coastlands will wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish
will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, For the name of the
LORD your God, And for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you. Isa 60, 9;
Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks, foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
Isa 61,5 Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks, And foreigners will be
your farmers and your vinedressers. 61,6 But you will be called the priests of the LORD; You will be
spoken of as ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And in their riches you will boast.
61,7 Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy
over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, Everlasting joy will be
theirs. 61,8 For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering; And I will faithfully give
them their recompense And make an everlasting covenant with them. 61,9 Then their offspring will be known
among the nations, And their descendants in the midst of the peoples. All who see them will recognize them
Because they are the offspring whom the LORD has blessed. Isa 61, 5 – 9;
Certainly there will be also then still people left who will follow this call rather because
of calculation than because of conviction. But they cannot hide anything anymore before God. Everyone gets the
"reward" that he deserves. And so the "kings" and "princesses" are reduced to
the ranks of field laborers and servants. And also here we realize that this prophecy is still waiting for its
fulfillment. Never before the kings of the world were the servants of the Israelites and Israel could hardly
reach that all by itself at our present time either.
So, whereas then the rulers and powerful will become servants of the people of God, the truly faithful among
the peoples of the Gentiles will be fully integrated into this people of God. This is proved by the promise of
the Lord here below, in Isa 66,21, to take also some of them for priests and for Levites.
I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites," says the LORD.
Isa 66,20 " Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations
as a grain offering to the LORD, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy
mountain Jerusalem," says the LORD, "just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a
clean vessel to the house of the LORD. 66,21 "I will also take some of them for priests and for
Levites," says the LORD." Isa 66,20 – 21;
Now here one could easily get the impression that the whole world converted to the God of
Israel now and that there was not any wicked man on this earth any more. But unfortunately this is not the
case. There is not much reported of those people who oppose God now as before despite all his proofs of power
and mercy. We have only few hints in the prophetic texts that show us that there will continue to be such
people here, at the time of the return home of the redeemed and also during the entire time of the reign of
the Lord Jesus in the kingdom that will last for a thousand years.
But you who forsake the LORD, I will destine you for the sword, you will bow down to the slaughter.
Isa 65,9 "I will bring forth offspring from Jacob, And an heir of My
mountains from Judah; Even My chosen ones shall inherit it, And My servants will dwell there. 65,10
"Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks, And the valley of Achor a resting place for herds, For My
people who seek Me. 65,11 " But you who forsake the LORD, Who forget My holy mountain, Who set a
table for Fortune, And who fill cups with mixed wine for Destiny, 65,12 I will destine you for the sword,
And all of you will bow down to the slaughter. Because I called, but you did not answer; I spoke, but you
did not hear. And you did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight." Isa 65, 9 – 12;
But if they will not listen, then I will uproot that nation, uproot and destroy it.
Jer 12,16 "Then if they will really learn the ways of My people, to swear by
My name, ‘As the LORD lives,’ even as they taught My people to swear by Baal, they will be built up in the
midst of My people.12,17 "But if they will not listen, then I will uproot that nation, uproot and
destroy it," declares the LORD. Jer 12,16 – 17;
For the nation which will not serve Israel will perish, and will be utterly ruined.
Isa 60,12 "For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will
perish, And the nations will be utterly ruined. Isa 60,12;
Who does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the LORD there will be no rain on them.
Zech 14,16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations
that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to
celebrate the Feast of Booths. 14,17 And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go
up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. Zech 14,16 – 17;
And finally also the text from Rev 20,7 – 9 is only all too well known where John describes the
Last Fight of Satan against God and which shows us that even at the end of the Millennium, after the reign of
the Son of God for a thousand years in peace and justice, without the possibility of any influence of evil,
malice of man has not been rooted out.
Satan will gather the nations for the war. The number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
Rev 20,7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his
prison, 20,8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 20,9
And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city,
and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. Rev 20, 7 – 9;
When Satan is released again after these one thousand years to deceive men and raise an army
for the fight against God, he will draw a great many people from all nations. And the number of those who go
to war with him, will be like the sand of the seashore.
(See also Chapter 11: "The end of the world.")
But the time has not come yet. We are here at the beginning of the Millennium and the redeemed
stream to Israel from all parts of the world. As one can proceed from the assumption that at that time there
will be neither cars nor airplanes nor any other motorized means of transport, since the worldwide earthquakes
of the time before will have destroyed all subterranean oil fields and even everything that is combustible on
the earth’s surface, men will have to travel this way on foot or by horses and carts at best.
Although billions of men died on the day of the wrath of God, there are still hundreds of
millions left who flock to Israel from all parts of the world in a migration of the nations, partially across
thousands of kilometers. But they have nothing to be afraid of. As we learn from the subsequent passages from
the Scriptures, it will be the Lord who guides them and who removes all obstacles from their path. He will
make the depths of the sea a pathway for them to cross over and clear the way for them.
At the reorganization of heaven and earth, on the Day of the Lord, also all high mountains were lowered and the
valleys were raised in Israel as a result of the earthquakes and Israel turned into a single long plain. This
is the "Holy Highway" on which the redeemed will go to Jerusalem.
Mountains are lowered and valleys are raised in order to make the land a plane path.
Bar 5,5 Arise, Jerusalem, come up to the top and stand on high, and look around
toward the east and look at your children, who are gathered from the west and from the east by the word of the
Holy One and who rejoice that God had not forgotten them this time either! 5,6 They set out from you on foot,
led away by the enemies.; but God will bring them to you, exalted with honor as children of the kingdom. 5,7 For
God wants to lower all high mountains and the everlasting hills and to fill up the valleys to make them even
with the ground so that Israel can go home safely under the glory of God. Bar 5, 5 – 7;
A highway will be there, a roadway for the redeemed, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness.
Isa 35,8 A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway
of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will
not wander on it. 35,9 No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found
there. But the redeemed will walk there, 35,10 And the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with
joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And
sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isa 35, 8 – 10;
For a long time it was not possible to assign the above texts to the appropriate time because
one did not take into account the conditions, namely the great earthquakes and the geological restructuring on
the Day of the Lord connected therewith. A very convincing proof of the soundness of this view is, however,
the statement of Rev 20,9. Here we are at the end of the Millennium, when Satan gets loose again after the one
thousand years and goes to war against Jerusalem with a huge army for the last fight against God. And here it
says, "and they came up on the broad plain of the earth". So, also at the end of the one
thousand years Israel will be a broad plain and Jerusalem will be lying high up on Mount Zion.
And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the beloved city.
Rev 20,7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his
prison, 20,8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 20,9 And
they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city,
and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. Rev 20, 7 – 9;
Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low.
Isa 40,3 A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. 40,4 "Let every valley be lifted up, And every
mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
40,5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of
the LORD has spoken." 40,6 A voice says, "Call out." Then he answered, "What shall I call
out?" All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 40,7 The grass withers,
the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 40,8 The grass
withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever. 40,9 Get yourself up on a high mountain,
O Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do
not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" 40,10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come
with might, With His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him And His recompense before Him.
40,11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes. Isa 40, 3 – 11;
The text here above, from Isa 40,3 – 11, is in many respects a key passage for this period of
the last days. On the one hand the above mentioned geological reorganization of the land of Israel on the Day
of the Lord is mentioned here once more, namely that the land turns into a plain and that Zion, that is to say
Jerusalem, ends up lying on a high mountain, as it is also prophesied in Mi 4,1.
In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be raised above the hills.
Mi 4,1 And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house
of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the
peoples will stream to it. 4,2 Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of
the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His
paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Mi 4, 1 – 2;
But on the other hand it is exactly this text which is also quoted in the Gospels. It is John
the Baptist who was also offered by the Lord as the returned Elijah, who reminded the people of Israel of
these words of the prophet Isaiah and wanted to tell them with that that the fulfillment of these prophecies
has come now – if they wanted it. But as we know, Israel rejected and killed John as well as also its
Messiah. And therefore the fulfillment of these prophecies has been postponed for such a long time until the
fullness of the Gentiles has come in and the fortunes of Israel are restored.
And all flesh will see the salvation of God.
Lk 3,3 And he (sc. John the Baptist) came into all the district around the
Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; 3,4 as it is written in the book of the
words of Isaiah the prophet, "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make ready the way of the LORD,
make His paths straight. 3,5 ‘every ravine will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought
low, the crooked will become straight, and the rough roads smooth; 3,6 And all flesh will see the
salvation of God.’" Lk 3, 3 – 6;
All the tribes of the earth will see the Son of man coming.
Mt 24,30 "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and
then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of
the sky with power and great glory. Mt 24,30;
From the texts – both of the Old and the New Testament (Isa 40,5 and Lk 3,6; Mt 24,30) – the
message emerges unmistakably that the Lord will reveal himself in glory when he returns and that all flesh,
that is to say all people will see the Savior of God. This proves that all assertions (for instance
those of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Amillennialists) that the Lord would "take over his reign in heaven
invisibly" does not have any basis in the Scriptures. When the Lord comes, he will be that visible that
all people will see him at the same time – worldwide. And he will not take over his reign as king of this
world in heaven, but on earth, in Jerusalem.
And there, in Jerusalem, the Lord also awaits his redeemed, when he has brought them home from the remote
parts of this world, from the ends of the earth, on a plane way so that they do not stumble and fall.
I will lead them on a straight path in which they will not stumble.
Jer 31,9 "With weeping they will come, And by supplication I will lead
them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, On a straight path in which they will not stumble; For I
am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.". Jer 31, 9;
Clear the way for the people; build up the highway for the redeemed of the LORD.
Isa 62,10 Go through, go through the gates, Clear the way for the people;
Build up, build up the highway, Remove the stones, lift up a standard over the peoples.
62,11 Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo, your
salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him." 62,12 And they will
call them, "The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD"; And you will be called, "Sought out, a
city not forsaken." Isa 62,10 – 12;
There will be a dry – shod from Egypt and a highway from Assyria for the remnant of His people.
Isa 11,15 And the LORD will utterly destroy The tongue of the Sea of Egypt;
And He will wave His hand over the River With His scorching wind; And He will strike it into seven streams And
make men walk over dry – shod. 11,16 And there will be a highway from Assyria For the remnant of His
people who will be left, Just as there was for Israel In the day that they came up out of the land of
Egypt. Isa 11,15 – 16;
When they will pass through the sea in distress, all the depths of the Nile will dry up.
Zech 10,9 "When I scatter them among the peoples, They will remember Me in
far countries, And they with their children will live and come back. 10,10 "I will bring them back from
the land of Egypt And gather them from Assyria; And I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon
Until no room can be found for them. 10,11 "And they will pass through the sea in distress And He will
strike the waves in the sea, So that all the depths of the Nile will dry up; And the pride of Assyria will
be brought down And the scepter of Egypt will depart. 10,12 "And I will strengthen them in the LORD, And
in His name they will walk," declares the LORD. Zech 10, 9 – 12;
The LORD makes the depths of the sea a pathway for the redeemed to cross over.
Isa 51,9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; Awake as in the days
of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not You who cut Rahab in pieces, Who pierced the dragon? 51,10 Was
it not You who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; Who made the depths of the sea a
pathway For the redeemed to cross over? 51,11 So the ransomed of the LORD will return And come with
joyful shouting to Zion, And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isa 51, 9 – 11;
But the Lord does not only clear the way for them, he even makes the depths of the sea a
pathway for the redeemed to cross over.
We are confronted here with a similar event as it is reported in Ex 14,16, and the text from Isa 11,16 also
alludes to it. At that time the people of Israel fled from the Egyptians and Moses raised his stick at the
command of the Lord and the sea divided so that the Israelites could walk right through the sea dry – shod. The
Egyptians, however, who followed them, were drowned with their horses and carts in the tides that gushed
together again.
And just this text was and still is again and again doubted even today. Some see in it a pious legend, others
– and among them also many faithful – try to make a compromise and reduce the sea to a "reedy
sea", that is to say to something like a larger pond, which is covered with reed and not deeper than one
meter so that one does not even have to swim when one crosses it.
One can find some understanding for the godless if they put such statements of the Bible in the fields of
legends, it is, however, rather hard to find understanding for the faithful if they on the one hand believe in
a God who created heaven and earth, but on the other hand do not think this God capable of paving a way
through the sea.
Here it becomes apparent that we are not to orientate our conception of God by the restricted human
possibilities for acting. According to Christian understanding God has its limits there where he puts these
limits by his own will. And here it is God’s will to bring the redeemed back home to Jerusalem without any
obstacle.
The LORD will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem.
Zech 8,7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My
people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; 8,8 and I will bring them back and they
will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and
righteousness.’ Zech 8, 7 – 8
When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it.
Eze 11,17 "Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, "I will gather
you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will
give you the land of Israel."‘ 11,18 "When they come there, they will remove all its detestable
things and all its abominations from it.
11,19 "And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of
stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 11,20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My
ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God. Eze 11,17 – 20;
I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.
Zech 13,2 "It will come about in that day," declares the LORD of hosts,
"that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and
I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land. 13,3 "And if anyone still
prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, for you
have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD’ and his father and mother who gave birth to him will pierce
him through when he prophesies. Zech 13, 2 – 3;
At this gathering and repatriation of the people of God it will also come to a reunification
of the tribes of Judah and Israel. They will not be two nations and have two kings any longer, but they will
be one single nation, which will choose as their common head its king David, whom God will raise from the dead
for them.
(See also Chapter 10: "The Millennium.")
Judah and Israel will be gathered together and will be one nation in the land.
Eze 37,15 The word of the LORD came again to me saying, 37,16 "And you, son
of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his
companions’ then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the
house of Israel, his companions.’ 37,17 "Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick,
that they may become one in your hand.
37,18 "When the sons of your people speak to you saying, ‘Will you not declare to us what you mean by
these?’ 37,19 say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which
is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the
stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand."‘
37,20 "The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. 37,21 "Say to them, ‘Thus
says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have
gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 37,22 and I will make
them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they
will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. Eze 37,15 – 22;
The house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together.
Jer 3,18 " In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of
Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an
inheritance. Jer 3,18;
Isa 11,13 Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, And those who harass Judah
will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, And Judah will not harass Ephraim. Isa 11,13;
And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will appoint for themselves one leader.
Hos 1,10 Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, "You are not My
people," It will be said to them, "You are the sons of the living God." 1,11 And the sons of
Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, And they will appoint for themselves one leader,
And they will go up from the land, For great will be the day of Jezreel. Hos 1,10 – 11;
I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.
Jer 31,1 "At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God
of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." 31,2 Thus says the LORD, "The
people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness – Israel, when it went to find its rest."
31,3 The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I
have drawn you with lovingkindness. Jer 31, 1 – 3;
When God gathers the Israelites in the last days and leads them back to their land, they will
find the houses destroyed and the fields devastated. What had not been devastated at the catastrophes of the
reorganization of heaven and earth, was demolished and destroyed by the occupation forces in the years before.
But now the people of Israel will settle down to work. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and will repair the
ruined cities. They will plough the land and will make the fields fertile.
Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins and they will repair the ruined cities.
Isa 61,4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up the
former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations. Isa
61, 4;
I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt.
Eze 36,33 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day that I cleanse you from all
your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. 36,34
"The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes
by. Eze 36,33 – 34;
The nations that are left round about you will know that I am the LORD.
Eze 36,35 "They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the
garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ 36,36 "Then
the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined
places and planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken and will do it." Eze 36,35 – 36;
A Redeemer will come to Zion, My Spirit which is upon you, shall not depart from your mouth.
Isa 59,20 "A Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from
transgression in Jacob," declares the LORD. 59,21 "As for Me, this is My covenant with
them," says the LORD: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth
shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s
offspring," says the LORD, "from now and forever." Isa 59,20 – 21;
And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.
Isa 42,6 "I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also
hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light
to the nations, 42,7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in
darkness from the prison. Isa 42, 6 – 7;
Below, in Jer 31,31 – 34, the Lord is speaking of the fact that he wants to make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. And he also says that this covenant will be different
from the one which he made with their fathers and which the Israelites did not abide by. In this new covenant
the Lord wants to put his law within them and write it on their hearts, and they will be his people and he
will be their God.
And if we then take a look at the above passages from the Scriptures, Isa 59,20 – 21 and Isa 42,6 – 7, we realize
that this covenant has already existed for a long time. This covenant was concluded in the person of the Son
of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Redeemer and he will also become the Redeemer of his own people when
Israel changes its ways, for he died for the sins of the whole world.
Just as in this new covenant our sins and our lawless deeds were forgiven, now – better late than never –
also the remnant of Israel will be forgiven their lawless deeds and their sin will not be remembered any more.
I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it.
Jer 31,31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 31,32 not like the covenant
which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My
covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD. 31,33 "But this is
the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I
will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My
people. 31,34 "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know
the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the
LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jer
31,31 – 34;
This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.
Lk 22,17 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this
and share it among yourselves; 22,18 for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on
until the kingdom of God comes." 22,19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and
gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
22,20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out
for you is the new covenant in My blood. Lk 22,17 – 20;
The new covenant will take away their sins from Jacob.
Rom 11,25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery – so
that you will not be wise in your own estimation – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the
fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 11,26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written (Isaja 59,20; Jeremia 31,33), "the
deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob." 11,27 "This is My
covenant with them, when I take away their sins." Rom 11,25 – 27;
He is the mediator of a new covenant , His death is the redemption of the transgressions.
Hbr 9,15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that,
since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first
covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. Heb 9,15;
I will establish My covenant with you, and forgive you for all that you have done.
Eze 16,60 "Nevertheless, I will remember My covenant with you in the days of
your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.
16,61 "Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both your older and
your younger; and I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of your covenant. 16,62 "Thus
I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the LORD, 16,63 so that you may
remember and be ashamed and never open your mouth anymore because of your humiliation, when I have forgiven
you for all that you have done," the Lord GOD declares. Eze 16,60 – 63;
I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.
Jer 32,39 And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me
always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. 32,40 "I will make an
everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the
fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. 32,41 "I will rejoice over them to do
them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul. Jer 32,39 – 41;
Jesus Christ is the covenant of the people, saying to those who are bound ‘Go forth’.
Isa 49,7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and its
Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of
rulers, "Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the LORD who is
faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You."
49,8 Thus says the LORD, "In a favorable time I have answered You, And
in a day of salvation I have helped You; And I will keep You and give You for a covenant of the people, To
restore the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritages; 49,9 Saying to those who are bound, ‘Go
forth,’ To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’ Along the roads they will feed, And their
pasture will be on all bare heights. Isa 49, 7 – 9;
The deaf will hear and the eyes of the blind will see and the children of Israel will sanctify My name.
Isa 29,17 Is it not yet just a little while Before Lebanon will be turned into a
fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest? 29,18 On that day the deaf will hear
words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. 29,19 The afflicted
also will increase their gladness in the LORD, And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One ofIsrael.
29,20 For the ruthless will come to an end and the scorner will be finished, Indeed all who are intent
on doing evil will be cut off; 29,21 Who cause a person to be indicted by a word, And ensnare him who
adjudicates at the gate, And defraud the one in the right with meaningless arguments. 29,22 Therefore thus
says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the hat, house of Jacob: "Jacob shall not now be ashamed,
nor shall his face now turn pale;
29,23 But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they
will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob And will stand in awe of the God of Israel. 29,24 "Those who err
in mind will know the truth, And those who criticize will accept instruction. Isa 29,17 – 24;
It is this passage from the Scriptures, above in Isa 29,17 – 24, which the Lord referred to when
he gave an answer to the question of the Disciples of John below, in Mt 11,2 – 6, if he were the Messiah who was
to come.
And if we take a look at verse Isa 29,23 in particular, where it says, "But when he sees his children,
the work of My hands, in his midst, they will sanctify My name; Indeed they will sanctify the Holy One of
Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel", it seems – at least from today’s point of view –
incomprehensible why just the scribes who had studied the prophecies referring to the Messiah for generations,
did not recognize this Messiah when he finally came.
One can feel it quite distinctly, that the Lord wanted to tell them here, "Look, I fulfilled my part of
these prophecies (Isa 29,18), now it is your turn to fulfill your part and to ‘sanctify the Holy One of
Jacob and to stand in awe of the God of Israel’" (Isa 29,23). But the Lord Jesus knew that his people
was impenitent and did not want to understand these words, therefore he also added below, in verse Mt 11,6,
"And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me".
The blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear.
Mt 11,2 Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent
word by his disciples 11,3 and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone
else?" 11,4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see: 11,5 the
blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up,
and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 11,6 "And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me."
Mt 11, 2 – 6;
I will lead the blind by a way they do not know.
Isa 42,16 " I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths
they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into
plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone." 42,17 They will be turned back
and be utterly put to shame, Who trust in idols, Who say to molten images, "You are our gods." 42,18
Hear, you deaf! And look, you blind, that you may see. Isa 42,16 – 18;
Lame leap like a deer, the tongue of the mute shout for joy, waters will break forth in the wilderness.
Isa 35,5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will
be unstopped. 35,6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For
waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. 35,7The scorched land will become a
pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds
and rushes. Isa 35, 5 – 7;
These prophecies of Isaiah were at the time of Jesus approximately 700 years old. Their
fulfillment was obstructed in those days by Israel and in the meantime almost two thousand years went by
already, in which Israel was punished by God for its blindness and deafness like no other people of the world.
They roamed around in the world for centuries and were not even allowed to enter their own land. They met with
hostility, were persecuted, defamed, and killed everywhere.
And nevertheless: One also has to take into account the other side of this people. Up to today they have not
recognized their misdeed and up to today they are not willing to understand that they repudiated and crucified
the Messiah they had been waiting for such a long time. Up to today they are not ready either to trust in the
guidance of their God.
They returned to the land of Israel without the existence of any proof in the Scriptures that the time has
come for that move. And one realizes: It is the same mistake they made at the time of Jesus. Although in those
days all proofs in the Scriptures spoke for the fact that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah, they did
not want to acknowledge him. The worldly wisdom of their scribes and superiors was more important to them than
the words of their God.
And the same happened at the foundation of the new state of Israel, in 1948. Not a single one of the
concomitant circumstances in the prophecies in the Scriptures of the gathering and return of the people of
Israel to its land was fulfilled at that time – and has not been fulfilled up to this day. But the euphoria
and enthusiasm of a Theodore Herzl and his Zionists were also that time more important to them
than the words in the Scriptures.
And since that time they have want to "give assistance" to the prophecies of God again a little bit.
They are astonished that now, after they have been gathered again and after they have returned to their land,
all the promises of the Scriptures for this time are not fulfilled. They wonder that they do not have peace in
their country. They do not understand that Israel does not finally become the "head among the
nations" now, which they are meant for according to the Scriptures. And – some few among them – also
grieve at the fact that the Israelites of today do not only have the law of their God not in their hearts, but
that a large part of the people is godless anyway.
This makes us realize that there is no difference between Israel and the peoples of the Gentiles nowadays. And
therefore there is only one way left for the truly faithful Israelites to get to their God until the return of
the Lord. It is the same way as it is also offered to the Gentiles: The conversion to Jesus Christ, as our
Lord and Savior. It is the only salvation that the Lord offers to every man, no matter from which people he
may come from: The salvation in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.
No one comes to the Father but through Me.
Jn 14,6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; Jn 14,6;no
one comes to the Father but through Me".
Israel in the light of the Bible.Based on the Old Testament God has completely taken away his compassion from the house of
Israel (Hos 1:6). They are no longer his people (Hos 1:9). Only the house
of Judah will be saved by the Lord. Not by war, however, but by his Spirit
(Hos 1:7). And only in the Millennium, when the Son of God has entered on
his thousand years rule on earth (Hos 1:10; 2,18 Eze 34:25; Isa 2:4), will
the Lord once more accept Israel as his people (Hos 2:23; Jer 31:27-28). Based on the New Testament It is God’s will that we should listen to his Son (Mt 17:5). This same Son
of God has told us that anyone who rejects him rejects God as well (1Jn
2:23; Lk 10:16; Jn 5:22-23. 15:23). The people of Israel today deny the
Son of God and abuse him as an impostor and blasphemer. As a result of
this denial of the Son, Israel has also rejected the Father and so is a
God-less people. (Jn 8:24) |