It is
fascinating to observe that the Holy Scriptures actually record more truth
about the characteristics of the coming Millennium, the Messianic Age, the
1000 year reign of the Messiah, than about the New Heaven, New Earth and
New Jerusalem! A selection of these wonderful Old Testament passages is
presented below. As you read and ponder them, let this truth remind you
that if God is faithful to all of His promises to Israel, He will be
faithful to fulfill every promise He has ever made to you, His beloved. Be
encouraged as you study the grand truths about the glorious future day for
planet earth, the genuine "New Age" when the Righteous One, the Lord Jesus
Christ, reigns supreme!
Note:
Hold mouse pointer over
underlined links for pop up of Scripture which stays open and can
be copied. Click on the link to read the passage in context.
SUMMARY OF SCRIPTURES
DESCRIBING THE MILLENNIUM
(Predominantly found in the OT
Prophets)
A. Physical characteristics
1. Topography and geography of the earth changed- Is 2:2-note; Ezek 47:1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12;
48:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20; Zec 14:4, 8, 10
2. Wild animals tamed- Is 11:6, 7, 8, 9; 35:9; Ezek 34:25
3. Crops abundant- Is 27:6; 35:1, 2, 6, 7; Amos 9:13; Zech. 14:8
4. Human longevity increased- Is 65:20, 21, 22, 23
B. Spiritual and religious characteristics and events
1. Satan confined in the abyss - Re 20:1, 2, 3 (notes)
2. Millennial temple built - Ezek. 40:5-43:27
3. Animal sacrifices offered as memorials to Christ’s death - Is 56:7;
66:20, 21, 22, 23; Jer. 33:17,18; Ezek 43:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25,
26, 27; 45:13-46:24; Mal. 3:3, 4
4. Feasts of the New Year, Passover, and Tabernacles reinstituted - Ezek
45:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25; Zech 14:16, 17, 19, 19, 20, 21
5. Nations worship in Jerusalem - Is 2:2, 3, 4; Mic 4:2; 7:12; Zech.
8:20, 21, 22, 23; 14:16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
6. Worldwide knowledge of God - Is 11:9; Je 31:34; Mic 4:5; Hab
2:14 (cp Ps 22:27, 67:1,2, 72:19, 86:9, 98:1, 2, 3 Zec 14:8,9 Rev 11:15;
15:4
7. Unparalleled filling of and empowerment by the Holy Spirit on Israel
- Is 32:15; 44:3; Ezek. 36:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29; 39:29; Joel 2:28,
29
8. New Covenant with Israel fulfilled - Jer. 31:31, 32, 33, 34; Ezek 11:19, 20;
36:25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
9. Righteousness and justice prevails - Is 9:7; 11:4; 42:1, 2, 3,
4; Jer. 23:5
C. Political characteristics and events
1. Israel reunited as a nation -Je 3:18; Ezek 37:15, 16, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21, 22, 23
2. Israel at peace in the land - Deut. 30:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,
9, 10; Is 32:18; Ho 14:5, 7;
Am 9:15; Mic 4:4; 5:4, 5a; Zec 3:10; 14:11
3. Abrahamic Covenant land-grant boundaries established - Ge 15:18,
19, 20, 21;
Ezek 47:13-48:8, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
4. Christ in Jerusalem rules over Israel - Is 40:11; Mic 4:7; 5:2b
5. Davidic Covenant fulfilled with Christ on the throne of David - 2Sa
7:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; Is 9:6, 7; Je 33:17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,
25, 26; Am 9:11,12, Lk 1:32, 33
6. Christ rules over and judges the nations - Is 11:3, 4, 5; Mic 4:2,3a;
Zec 14:9; Re 19:15 (note)
7. Resurrected saints reign with Christ - Mt 19:28; 2Ti 2:12; Re
5:10 (note);
Re 20:4 (note)
8. Universal peace prevails - Is 2:4-note;
Is 32:17,18; 60:18; Ho 2:18; Mic
4:2, 3, 4; 5:4; Zec 9:10
9. Jerusalem made the world’s capital - Je 3:17; Ezek 48:30, 31,
32, 33, 34, 35; Joel
3:16, 17; Mic 4:1, 6, 7, 8; Zec 8:2, 3
10. Israel exalted above the Gentiles - Is 14:1, 2; 49:22, 23; 60:14,
15, 16, 17;
61:5, 6, 7, 8, 9
11. The world blessed through Israel - Mic 5:7
D. Events following the Millennium
1. Satan released from the abyss - Re 20:7 (note)
2. Satan deceives the nations - Re 20:8 (note)
3. Global armies besiege Jerusalem (Re 20:9a) (note)
4. Global armies destroyed by fire (Re 20:9b) (note)
5. Satan cast into the lake of fire (Re 20:10) (note)
6. Evil angels judged (1Co 6:3)
7. The wicked dead resurrected (Da 12:2b; Jn 5:29b)
8. The wicked judged at the Great White Throne - Re 20:11, 12, 13,
14 (note)
9. The wicked cast into the lake of fire - Re 20:14, 15; 21:8 (note)
(Adapted from
Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al:
The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor
or
Logos)
ISRAEL WILL
RETURN TO THE LORD
IN REPENTANCE AND BELIEF
In
Deuteronomy 30:1-10 God
prophesied that although Israel would receive cursings for disobedience,
He as the covenant keeping God would faithful to draw the
remnant
back to Himself at the end of the Great Tribulation, the time of
Jacob's distress...
"So it shall be when all
of these things have come upon you, (When? the final fulfillment and
culmination of "all" the curses will be during the Great Tribulation) the
blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to
mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, 2 and you
return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart (such
obedience can only be possible with a "new heart" as a result of their
entrance into the New Covenant by grace through faith) and soul according
to all that I command you today, you and your sons, 3 then the LORD your
God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will
gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has
scattered you. 4 "If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from
there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you
back. 5 "And the LORD your God will bring you into the land which your
fathers possessed, and you shall possess it (thus fulfilling the promise
to Abraham of the land to his descendants); and He will prosper you and
multiply you more than your fathers (see below for the conditions during
the Millennial Kingdom). 6 "Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise
your heart and the heart of your descendants (spiritual circumcision
by grace through faith - see
Scriptures on Circumcision),
to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in
order that you may live. (Bible Knowledge Commentary adds that...
"God will
graciously grant the nation a new will to obey Him in place of their
former spiritual insensitivity and stubbornness. After returning to the
Promised Land with a new heart they will remain committed to the Lord and
therefore will experience abundant blessing (live). Loving Him
wholeheartedly (cf. Deut 30:16, 20), they would not fall back into
apostasy as they had done before. A new heart is an essential feature of
the New Covenant (cf. Ezek. 36:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32), which
will not be fulfilled for Israel as a nation until the return of Jesus
Christ (cf. Jer. 31:31, 32, 33, 34).(Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor
or
Logos)
Deuteronomy 30:7
"And the LORD your
God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate
you, who persecuted you. 8 "And you shall again obey the LORD (because
they have the indwelling Spirit enabling such obedience), and observe all
His commandments which I command you today. 9 "Then the LORD your God will
prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of
your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your
ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He
rejoiced over your fathers (describes the joyful conditions of the
Millennium); 10 if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and
His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the
LORD your God with all your heart and soul." (Read context Dt 30:1-10)
God makes it possible for
the
remnant of
Israel to return to Him...
"And 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 first-born." (Zechariah
12:10)
Isaiah foretells of Israel's
regathering
Then it will happen on that
day (at the end of the Great Tribulation and at the beginning of the
Millennium) that the Lord will again recover the second time (first time
was when Israel returned from Babylonian exile) 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. And He will lift up
a standard for the nations, and will assemble the banished ones of Israel,
and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
(Isa 11:11, 12)
Jeremiah also predicts the
regathering Jehovah declaring that...
"Then
(at the beginning of the Millennium) I Myself shall gather the
remnant
of My flock out of all the countries (this detail indicates
that the complete fulfillment will be at the end of time, the return from
Babylonian exile being only a partial fulfillment) where I have driven
them and shall bring them back to their pasture; and they will be fruitful
and multiply (This final restoration will be accomplished after the Great
Tribulation. This restoration is not to be confused with the return of a
remnant of Judah under Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel at the end of the
seventy years' captivity) I shall 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. "Behold, the days
are coming," declares the LORD, "When I shall raise up for David a
righteous Branch (Messiah will reign as King of kings in the Millennium);
and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness
in the land. 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 (Jehovah-tsidkenu).' 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 (at the beginning of the Millennium) they will live on their
own soil." (God is saying that the day is coming when He will bring them
back into their land that they will forget His deliverance out of Egypt.
They will remember this new deliverance. Obviously God is not through with
the nation of Israel.) (Jer 23:3-8)
THE DIVIDED
NATION OF ISRAEL
AND JUDAH ARE REUNITED
Israel and Judah will be
reunited as a nation, Jeremiah recording that
"In those days the house of
Judah will walk with the house of Israel" (Jer 3:18).
In Amos God promises that He
"will also plant them
(reunited Israel) on their land, and they will not again be rooted out
from their land which I have given them." (Amos 9:15)
PEACE IN THE
MIDDLE EAST
(Click
here for more
verses describing this peace)
After centuries of turmoil,
Israel will finally experience peace! In Isaiah God says
"my people will live in a
peaceful habitation, and in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting
places" (Isa.
32:18)
God instructs Israel to
"Look upon
Zion
(Jerusalem), the city of
our appointed feasts. Your eyes shall see Jerusalem an undisturbed
habitation, a tent which shall not be folded. Its stakes shall never be
pulled up nor any of its cords be torn apart." (Isa 33:20)
Jehovah
Sabaoth (see study on
Jehovah Sabaoth, LORD of hosts
or of armies) also promised Israel that during the Millennium each of her
citizens "will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to
make them afraid" (Micah 4:4), clear evidence of peace and security in the
kingdom age. Jehovah Sabaoth repeated a similar promise in Zechariah
declaring that "In that day (the Millennium) ... every one of you will
invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig
tree." (Zec 3:10) and adds that the "people will live in it (Jerusalem),
and there will be no more curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security"
(Zech 14:11) fulfilling the psalmist's call for saints of every generation
to
Pray for the peace
of Jerusalem
Ps 122:6
ABRAHAMIC
COVENANT FULFILLED
REGARDING ISRAEL'S BOUNDARIES
For the first time in the
history of the nation of Israel, the boundaries promised in the Abrahamic
Covenant (see
Covenant: Abrahamic versus Mosaic
) are fulfilled (Ge 15:18, 19, 20, 21; Ezek. 47:13-48:8, 23,
24, 25, 26, 27).
JERUSALEM
BECOMES
THE MOST IMPORTANT CITY IN THE WORLD
Ezekiel ends his great book
with the wonderful promise for the city of Jerusalem that...
"The city shall be 18,000
cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, 'The
LORD is there.'" (See study
Jehovah Shammah - The LORD is There - signifying Messiah's
presence in the midst of His people on earth during the Millennium) (Ezekiel
48:35)
The Lord of hosts says of
Jerusalem...
'I am exceedingly jealous
for
Zion
(another name for Jerusalem), yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.'
Thus says the LORD, 'I will return to
Zion
(Messiah's Second Coming) and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem (during
the Millennium). Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth,
and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.' (Zechariah
8:2, 3)
In Micah the LORD
promises...
"In that day (at the
beginning of the the Millennium)," declares the LORD, "I will assemble the
lame, and gather the outcasts, even those whom I have afflicted. I will
make the lame a
remnant, and the
outcasts a strong nation, and the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion
(on Temple Mount in Jerusalem) from now on and forever:" John MacArthur
explains "forever" writing that
The Hebrew
term does not always mean “without end,” but signifies a long, indefinite
period of time, the length of which is always determined by the context.
Here it refers to the 1,000 year reign of Messiah on earth
(MacArthur,
J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word
or
Logos)
And as for you, tower of
the flock (Jerusalem, which, in the figure, watches over Israel as a
shepherd watches his sheep from a tower. The Millennial kingdom will be
greater in extent than David's or Solomon's, the former dominion), hill of
the daughter of Zion, to you it will come-- Even the former dominion will
come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem." (Mic 4:7)
MESSIAH REIGNS
AS KING OVER
ISRAEL AND THE GENTILE NATIONS
The psalmist's prayer will
be one day soon be answered...
In His days
(ultimately fulfilled in the reign of the Messiah during the Millennium)
may the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon is no
more (which will happen at the end of the 1000 year reign when heaven and
earth fled away and no place was found for them) May He also rule from sea
to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth... And let all kings
bow down before Him, all nations serve Him. (Ps 7:8,11)
Zechariah prophesies that...
the LORD will be King
over all the earth. In that day (the Millennium) the LORD will be the
only One, and His name the only One. (No more will men worship the
creation rather than the Creator. All will know and obey the one God, our
Creator-Savior, Jesus Christ) (Zech
14:9)
Messiah will rule from the
holy city of Jerusalem, Joel prophesying that
"the LORD roars from
Zion
and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble
(speaking of His triumphant return to defeat the forces of evil and judge
the world in righteousness). But the LORD is a refuge for His people and a
stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then (at the Second Coming) you
(Jews) will know that I am the LORD your God (specifically referring to
the 1/3 of Jews who come through the refining fire of the Great
Tribulation and recognize Jesus as their long awaited Messiah), dwelling
in
Zion
My holy mountain (the earthly location of God’s presence in the millennial
temple). So Jerusalem will be holy, and strangers will pass through it no
more." (Joel 3:16, 17)
Micah describing the glories
of the Messianic Kingdom during the Millennium promises that God...
"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 (the Messiah) will
be great To the ends of the earth. And this One (Messiah, the Prince of
peace) will be our peace. (Mic 5:24, 25)
Jehovah speaking
prophetically of the extent of Messiah's rule adds that...
from the
rising of the sun, even to its setting, My name will be great among the
(Gentile) nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My
name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among
the (Gentile) nations," says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 1:11)
John MacArthur
comments on "rising of the sun...setting" explaining that this...
phrase is a way of
referring to the whole earth (cf. Ps 50:1; 103:12; Is 45:6; 59:19;
Zec 8:7), as the subsequent phrase, “In every place,” indicates.
Although no indication is given as to the time when such worship of God
will fill the earth, this cannot be a reference to any historic Jewish
worship outside the borders of Israel. Malachi’s zeal for Israel’s
sacrifices, coupled with his negative attitude toward foreigners and their
gods (Mic 1:2, 2, 3, 4,5; 2:11), points to the millennial era, when they
will worship in the rebuilt temple and incense plus offerings will be
present. At that time, and not until that time, the Lord will receive pure
worship throughout the world and His name will be honored everywhere.
(MacArthur,
J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word
or
Logos) (Bolding
added)
Gentile nations will
acknowledge the reign of the Messiah, Isaiah recording that...
In that day
there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and
a pillar to the LORD near its border. And it will become a sign and a
witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to
the LORD because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a
Champion, and He will deliver them. Thus the LORD will make Himself known
to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day. They
will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and will make a vow to the
LORD and perform it." (Isaiah 19:19, 20, 21)
Zechariah describes this
future time recording...
"Thus says the LORD of
hosts, 'It will yet be that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of
many cities. 'And 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." 'So many peoples and mighty nations will come to
seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.'
"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.'" (Zechariah 8:20, 21, 22, 23)
Zechariah
later adds that during the Messianic Age...
Then it will come about that
any who are left (after the Great Tribulation, those Gentiles who are
judged righteous by faith at the Judgment of the Sheep and Goats in Mt
25:31ff) 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. 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. And if the family of Egypt does not go up
or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which
the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of
Booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all
the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. (Zech
14:16, 17, 18, 19)
DAVID WILL BE
RESURRECTED
AND REIGN AS KING OVER ISRAEL
Messiah as King of kings
(Re 17:14-note,
Re 19:16-note)
will rule over all earthly kings, one of the kings being the
resurrected King David.
In
Ezekiel God promises that when
"I...deliver
My flock (when "all Israel will be saved" when "the Deliverer [Messiah]
will come from
Zion",
Ro 11:26-note),
and they (are) no longer be a prey (Israel's enemies are finally and
vanquished)... Then (see
expressions of time) I will set over them one shepherd (many have been
taught this is Messiah who descended from the lineage of David but read
on), My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself
and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD (Jehovah
and
Jehovah = Jesus), will be their God (speaking of the
Messiah), and My servant David will be prince among them; I, the LORD,
have spoken." (Ezekiel 34:22-24)
Comment:
Twice God predicts that David will be over redeemed Israel, the re-united
12 tribes, all of whom are saved at this time. Even many conservative,
otherwise literal commentators (See
Literal Interpretation)
interpret David figuratively or as a symbol which is fulfilled in
the Messiah. However applying the rule of
literal interpretation,
there is absolutely no reason this cannot be the resurrected David who
reigns, even as resurrected saints will reign with Christ.
Henry
Morris comments on David:
In the coming
eternal age of Christ's kingdom on the renewed Earth, the Lord Jesus will
occupy "the throne of his father David" (Lk 1:32), which will continue
"for ever" (Lk 1:33).
In the millennial kingdom preceding this, it seems that David himself,
resurrected from the dead with the other Old Testament saints when Christ
was resurrected (Mt
27:52,53), will sit upon the
physical throne in Jerusalem
(Jer 30:9; Ezek 37:24,25)
(Morris,
Henry: Defenders Study Bible. World Publishing)
(Ed note: It is interesting that even though Morris makes this
interpretation on this verse, his interpretation of Hosea 3:5 below is
not that Hosea is referring to a literal David but to the Messiah.
Interesting! For reasons which are not clear to me, there seems to be some
"resistance" by otherwise literal interpreters to accept that a literal
David will reign over redeemed Israel in the Millennium!) (Bold
Green added for emphasis)
Keil has this note:
Compare Ezek. 37:24 with
Jer. 30:9, where it is expressly said that the David to be raised up
is to feed Israel and
Judah, the two peoples that had
been divided before. “My servant David:” Jehovah calls him עַבְדִּי,
not merely with reference to the obedience rendered (Hävernick), but also
with regard to his election (Is 42:1; Hengstenberg). There is no necessity
to refute the assertion of Hitzig, David Strauss, and others, that
Ezekiel expected the former King David to be raised from the dead.
(Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. Commentary on the Old Testament.
9:293. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson)
Dr Charles Dyer in
his note in The Bible Knowledge Commentary entry on Ezekiel
34:23,24 makes an interesting statement:
This shepherd, God
stated, will be His servant David. Many see this as an allusion to
Christ, the Good Shepherd (cf. Jn 10:11-18), who descended from the line
of David to be the King of Israel (cf.
Mt.
1:1). However, nothing in
Ezekiel 34:23 demands that Ezekiel was not referring to the literal King
David who will be resurrected to serve as Israel’s righteous prince.
David is referred to by name elsewhere in passages that look to the future
restoration of Israel (cf. Jer 30:9; Ezek. 37:24, 25; Hos 3:5). Also
Ezekiel indicated that David will be the prince (nāśî’) of
the restored people (Ezek 34:24; 37:25). This same “prince” will then
offer sin offerings for himself during the millennial period (Ezek 45:22;
46:4). Such actions would hardly be appropriate for the sinless Son of
God, but they would be for David. So it seems this is a literal reference
to a resurrected David. In place of the false shepherds God will resurrect
a true shepherd to tend his sheep.
(Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor
or
Logos)
(Bold Green added for
emphasis)
God repeats this promise in
Ezekiel 37 declaring...
My servant
David will be king over them (regathered, reunited Israel), and they will
all have one shepherd and they will walk in My ordinances, and keep My
statutes, and observe them (Because as a result of the New Covenant, their
hearts are spiritually circumcised and they have God's Spirit Who enables
their obedience). And they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob My
servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and
their sons, and their sons' sons, forever; and David My servant shall be
their prince forever." (Ezekiel 37:24, 25)
Comment:
Again literal interpreters like Ryrie interpret David not as David but as
Messiah. Thus Ryrie comments on this verse "the messianic kingdom is
presented with the Messiah, the Son of David and heir to the throne of
David, as the one King"
(The
Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Translation: 1995. Moody
Publishers)
The prophet Hosea
alludes to David's rule declaring that...
Afterward
(the Great Tribulation, after the "times of the Gentiles" are fulfilled,
when Messiah returns to defeat the Antichrist) the sons of Israel will
return and seek the LORD their God (this refers to their Messiah) and
David their king (who will be resurrected); and they will come trembling
to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days (in context referring to
Christ's Second Coming)." (Hosea 3:5)
Comment:
As stated above many if not most literalist interpreters for some reason
feel that King David in this verse refers to "the Second David" [Dr
Charles Ryrie - Ryrie Study Bible note], the Messiah, and yet the plain
sense seems to make good sense, for we know that David will be resurrected
at the beginning of the millennium as will all OT saints, cp Da 12:13. The
new NLT Study Bible has this note on Hosea "David’s descendant, their
king: Literally to David their king."
The
declaration in Jeremiah 30 also supports the interpretation that
David will literally reign, Jehovah plainly stating that Israel
"shall serve
the LORD their God (this could certainly describe Messiah, the King of
kings) and David their king, whom I will raise up (the
LXX
uses the NT verb used to
describe bodily resurrection) for them." (Jeremiah 30:9)
Morris
in the Defender's Study Bible has this note on Jeremiah 30:9
writing that
After the
great day of trouble (the Great Tribulation, "the time of Jacob's
distress" Jer 30:7), when Israel is finally saved and restored, the whole
nation will have recognized and accepted Jesus as their Messiah, the son
of David (Acts 15:16; Ro 1:3). But this Scripture, among others including
Ezekiel 37:24, indicates that David in his resurrected body will
actually reign over the earthly people of Israel during the millennial age.
(Matthew 27:52,53 indicates that the believers of the Old Testament days
were raised following Christ's resurrection.)
(Morris,
Henry: Defenders Study Bible. World Publishing)
John Walvoord
agrees with a literal
interpretation of David, writing that...
by David is
meant the resurrected David who shares with Christ as prince some of the
governmental duties of the millennial kingdom. It should be clear from
many Scriptures that the reign of Christ is shared with others. As Newell
has written: “David is not the son of David. Christ, as Son of David, will
be King; and David, His father after the flesh, will be prince, during the
Millennium.” In the light of many prophecies which promise saints the
privilege of reigning with Christ, it would seem most logical that David
the king raised from the dead should be given a place of prominence in the
Davidic kingdom of the millennial reign of Christ. (See complete online
article -
Walvoord, John: The Doctrine of the
Millennium—Part I: The Righteous Government of the Millennium -
Bibliotheca Sacra: Volume 115, page 8, 1958).
THE
RESURRECTED SAINTS
RULE WITH THE MESSIAH
All the resurrected saints
will reign with Christ (Mt.
19:28 ; Rev 5:10 ; Rev 20:6).
UNIVERSAL
PEACE PREVAILS
For the first time in the
history of the world, universal peace will prevail (Is 2:4; 32:17, 18 ;
60:18; Hos 2:18; Mic 4:2, 3, 4 ; 5:4; Zech 9:10).
ISRAEL WILL BE
EXALTED
OVER ALL THE NATIONS
The nation of Israel will be
exalted above the Gentiles (Is
14:1, 2; 49:22, 23; 60:14, 15, 16, 17; 61:5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
ISRAEL WILL BE
EXTRAORDINARILY
PROSPEROUS
The last words of the
prophecy of Amos are full of future hope for Israel, for as he writes...
"In that day
(What day? When Israel has been regathered and restored to her land during
the Millennium) 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; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who
are called by My name," Declares the LORD who does this. "Behold, days are
coming (The Millennial Reign of Messiah will be bring the realization of
conditions that are ideal and idyllic...the utopia that men have been
hoping for and trying to create in their strength for millennia!),"
declares the LORD, "When the plowman will overtake the reaper and the
treader of grapes him who sows seed (The millennial kingdom will be
characterized by remarkable fertility); when the mountains will drip sweet
wine, and all the hills will be dissolved. "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. (Speaks of the prosperity of the
Millennium) "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 9:11-15)
CHANGES IN
TOPOGRAPHY
During the Millennium there
will be significant changes in the geography of the earth (Is 2:2; Ezek
47:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 ; Ezek 48:8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
In Chapter 14
Zechariah prophesies that...
4 And in that day (at His Second
Coming of the Messiah) His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,
which is in front of Jerusalem on the east (just to the east of Temple
Mount separated in our time by the Kidron Valley); and the Mount of Olives
will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so
that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half
toward the south....
8 And it will come about in that
day (Second Coming of the Messiah) that living waters will flow out of
Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea (Dead Sea) and the other
half toward the western sea (Mediterranean Sea); it will be in summer as
well as in winter...
10 All the land will be changed
into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will
rise and remain on its site from Benjamin's Gate as far as the place of
the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the
king's wine presses. (Zech 14:4, 8, 10)
Used by permission
Middletown Bible Church
Isaiah
records that in the Millennium wild animals will be tamed
And the wolf will dwell with
the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the
young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. Also
the cow and the bear will graze. Their young will lie down together; and
the lion will eat straw like the ox. And the nursing child will play by
the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the
viper's den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for
the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover
the sea. (Isa 11:6-9)
ISAIAH 35
Isaiah 35
is one of the great descriptions of the millennial kingdom that follows
the judgments prophesied in Isaiah 34. Isaiah records that...
1 The wilderness and the
desert will be glad, and the Arabah (desert areas) will rejoice and
blossom; like the crocus 2 It will blossom profusely and rejoice with
rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the
majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the
majesty of our God (Israel is to recognize the earth’s newfound
fruitfulness as coming from the Lord and attribute to Him the appropriate
credit). 3 Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
4 Say to those with anxious
heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance;
The recompense of God will come, But He will save you." 5 Then the eyes of
the blind will be opened, And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6
Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb will shout
for joy. (God’s restoration in the millennial age is to include physical
restoration to the afflicted. Jesus’ first coming gave a foretaste of that
future day) For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in
the Arabah. 7 And the 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. (Water is a precious commodity in Israel but in
the Millennium, there will be no lack) 8 And 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. 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, 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. (Isaiah 35:1-10)
In addition, crops will be
abundant (Is 27:6; Am 9:13; Zech 14 8) and human lifespan will be greatly
increased (Is 65:20, 21, 22, 23)
Joel records that when
Messiah returns...
Egypt will become a waste,
and Edom will become a desolate wilderness, because of the violence done
to the sons of Judah, in whose land they have shed innocent blood. But
Judah will be inhabited forever, and Jerusalem for all generations." (Joel
3:19, 20)
RIGHTEOUSNESS
PREVAILS
SATAN BOUND
Satan will be bound for 1000
years in the abyss (Rev 20:1, 2, 3-notes) while righteousness and justice prevail
(Isa. 9:7 ; 11:4 ; 42:1, 2, 3, 4; Jer. 23:5) and the knowledge of God spreads
over all the world (Is 11:9; Je 31:34; Mic 4:5; Hab 2:14).
JEWISH TEMPLE
REBUILT,
SACRIFICES AND FEASTS REINSTITUTED
In Haggai the LORD of
hosts predicted that...
"The latter
glory of this house (referring to the Millennial Temple) will be greater
than the former,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and in this place I shall give
peace (true peace was not associated with the rebuilt Temple under
Zerubbabel or Herod, or the false peace associated with the Jewish Temple
rebuilt during
Daniel's Seventieth Week
so it has to refer to a future temple during the Millennium, one
described in great detail in Ezekiel 40-48),' declares the LORD of hosts."
Morris comments that...
This can
only be a reference to the future millennial temple, for it was never
accomplished in the restoration temple or in any other since. Furthermore,
in this future temple--and not before-Christ will finally "give peace" to
the world.
(Morris,
Henry: Defenders Study Bible. World Publishing)
Ezekiel
records God's promise of the rebuilt Millennial temple...
"Son of man,
see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I
am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it
to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see." 5 And behold,
there was a wall on the outside of the temple all around, and in
the man's hand was a measuring rod of six cubits, each of which was a
cubit and a handbreadth. So he measured the thickness of the wall, one
rod; and the height, one rod." (Ezekiel 41:4, 5, see Ezekiel
41:1-42:20
for the specific measurements)
Then Ezekiel
records a description underscores the timing of this temple, writing
that...
Then he led
me to the gate, the gate facing toward the east and behold, the glory of
the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east (Messiah at His
Second Coming, inaugurating the 1000 year reign, the Millennium). And His
voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His
glory. And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the
vision which I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were
like the vision which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face.
And the glory of the LORD (The Shekinah glory had departed from the
temple of Solomon, and Ezekiel had seen it, Ezek 10:18
[see note]; Ezek
11:23
[see note].
Now, in a similar vision, he was permitted to observe its return to the
future temple. See study on
Overview: The Glory of the LORD)
came into the house by the way of the gate facing toward the east. And the
Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the
glory of the LORD filled the house. Then I heard one speaking to me
from the house, while a man was standing beside me. And He said to me,
"Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of
My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And
the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name (because all Israel
who enter the Millennium will have experienced the circumcision of their
hearts and possess the indwelling Holy Spirit Who will enable them to
fulfill this prophecy), neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry
and by the corpses of their kings when they die, by setting their
threshold by My threshold, and their door post beside My door post, with
only the wall between Me and them. And they have defiled My holy name by
their abominations (especially gross idolatry and lascivious idol worship)
which they have committed. So I have consumed them in My anger (the
fulfillment being the Great Tribulation, "the time of Jacob's distress.")
Now let them put away their harlotry and the corpses of their kings far
from Me; and I will dwell among them forever. (Ezekiel 43:1-9)
Animal sacrifices
will be reinstituted not
for atonement but as memorials to Christ’s death, Malachi recording that
Messiah
"will sit as a smelter and
purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them
like gold and silver (referring to the purging of Israel in the fires of
the Great Tribulation, during which 2/3's of Israel will be lost and only
a remnant of 1/3 will be brought through the fire as genuine believers,
some of whom include priests from the tribe of Levi), so that they may
present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. Then (in the Millennium)
the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD, as in
the days of old and as in former years. (Malachi 3:3, 4)
The feast of Booths
(Tabernacles)
is reinstituted (See
Tabernacles, Feast of)
(Tabernacles,
The Feast Of) - See Zechariah 14:1ff (esp Zech 14:16, 17, 18,
19)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
THERE WILL BE PEACE
FOR JERUSALEM
The following verses
describe the Millennium as a time when Israel will experience peace and
protection by the Lord.
ISAIAH 2
Isaiah
described the future 1000 year earthly kingdom of the Messiah, noting that
Jerusalem would be the leading city of the world in a time of peace rather
than war, a time when the Lord will teach His ways.
Isaiah 2:1
The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2
Now it will come about that in the last days, (we are in the "last
days"
The mountain of the house of the Lord (the Temple Mount area)
Will be established as the chief of the mountains (here mountain ~ kingdom
= over all kingdoms),
And will be raised above the hills;
And call the nations (Gentiles) will stream to it.
3 And many peoples will come
and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways,
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from
Zion,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Jesus reigns as King of kings
from Jerusalem)
4 And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples (see some of those "decisions"
below in Zech 14:17);
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, (a time of peace)
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.
In Isaiah
2:2 "In the last (latter) days" is a
time phrase that looks forward to
the Messianic age. In the NT this phrase begins with the first coming of
Messiah as taught in (Acts 2:17, Heb 1:2-note)..
The Old Testament prophets, did not have a clear understanding regarding
the time between the Messiah’s two advents, and so they linked the
expression "in the last days" to the Messiah’s return to establish His
earthly kingdom millennial kingdom. Remember that all the promises
concerning the Millennial Kingdom will be fulfilled because God is a
covenant keeping God and He remembers His covenant promise to Abraham
that...
"To your
descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far
as the great river, the river Euphrates." (Ge 15:18)
The
"mountain of the house of the LORD" refers to Mt Zion, the location of the
Temple (modern day "Temple Mount"). "Mountain" in Scripture is also
symbolic of kingdoms and thus the phrase "chief of the mountains" does not
mean that Mt Zion will be the tallest mountain in the world but that the
kingdom of Israel will be the "chief" of all the world's kingdoms. The
Hebrew word "chief" (ro'sh)
describes that which is the head, which is the crucial part of the body
and so here describes Israel as the nation of highest rank and greatest
importance or influence in all the world.
THE LAST DAYS
Digression on "the last days"
(See also
The Last Days)...
"Last days" (last
= eschatos source of
the word "eschatology" = the study of last things) means last in time or
place
.
Here are
all Scriptural uses (NASB) of the phrases last days (Isa 2:2; Jer
23:20; 49:39; Ezek 38:16; Hos 3:5; Mic 4:1; Acts 2:17; 2Ti 3:1; Jas 5:3;
2Pe 3:3) and latter days (Dt 4:30; 31:29; Job 42:12; Jer 30:24;
48:47; Da 2:28; 10:14)
Luke utilizes the same time phrase
writing that "in the last days God says that "I will pour forth of
My Spirit upon all mankind" (Acts 2:17
) which
is a prophecy from Joel (Joel 2:28)
which was partially fulfilled at Pentecost.
Comparing Scripture with
Scripture (see next paragraph), one can deduce that the "last days"
were inaugurated by Messiah's First Coming and will culminate with the
triumphant Second Coming of Christ, when "the Sun of Righteousness shall
arise with healing in His wings" (Mal 4:2)
Peter warned us that not everyone would
accept this prophecy and that the saints were to
Know this first of all,
that in the
last days
mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts and
saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?" (2Pe 3:3, 3:4-note)
In short, dearly beloved, we
are living in the last days
that began when God spoke in the
incarnation of His Son
and will be consummated by the return of
His Son.
The Septuagint (LXX) Greek translation
of the Hebrew OT uses virtually the same Greek words (eschatos =
last + hemera = day) describing
the last days,
a term that any Jewish reader of this epistle should have been familiar
with. In the OT the term "last days" most often foretold of
the coming
Great Tribulation
(Mt 24:31) and/or the establishment of Messiah's earthly (millennial)
kingdom. The Jewish reader should have been familiar with Balaam's last
and greatest prophecy regarding Israel and the Messiah as Balaam informed
King Balak (Nu 24:14) "what (Israel would) do to
(his) people in the days to come (= the last days)" going on
to foretell of the Messiah, saying "I see Him, but not now; I
behold Him, but not near. A Star shall come forth from
Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise from Israel...One from Jacob
shall have dominion..."
(Nu 24:17, 24:19)
At least 4 times Moses uses
this identical time phrase (last days) in Deuteronomy informing the
Jews that "When you are in distress and all these things have come upon
you (the ultimate fulfillment
being the "great tribulation"),
in the latter days,
you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice." (Dt
4:30, cf Dt8:16, 31:29, 32:20)
(Click for chart summarizing the seven year period often
[incorrectly] referred to as the "great tribulation" or more
accurately as "Daniel's
seventieth week")
Jeremiah prophesying of the
coming "great tribulation", the "time of Jacob's distress" (Jer
30:7)
warned that
The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has
performed and carried out the purposes of His heart. In the last days
you will
clearly
understand it. (Jer 23:20)
Jeremiah
later prophesied that
The fierce anger of
the LORD will not turn
back, until He has performed, and until He has accomplished the intent of
His heart; In the
latter
days
you will understand this.
(Jer 30:24, cf Jer 49:39)
Ezekiel prophesied that Gog
will come up against My people
Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It will come about in the
last
days
that I shall bring
you
against My land, in order that the nations may know Me when I shall be
sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog. (Ezekiel 38:16)
Daniel interpreted
Nebuchadnezzar's dream saying that
there is a God in heaven who reveals
mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take
place
in the
latter
days."
(Da 2:28,cf 2:29)
Daniel went on to explain
Inasmuch as you saw that a Stone (the
Messiah) was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the
iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has
made known to the king what will take place in the future (LXX
= eschatos hemera = last days);
so the dream is true, and its interpretation
is
trustworthy.
(Da 2:45)
The archangel Michael was sent to
Daniel to give him
an
understanding of what will happen to your people
(Jews = Israel) in the
latter
days
(LXX = last
days),
for the vision pertains to the days yet future. (Da 10:14)
Hosea prophesies that
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.
(Ho 3:5)
Finally Isaiah and Micah
(Mic 4:1
virtually identical to Is 2:2) foretell of Messiah's glorious reign in
Jerusalem
In the last
days,
(Greek Septuagint = eschatos +
hemera)
the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of
the mountains (referring to Jerusalem), and will be
raised above the hills and all the nations will
stream to it." (Is 2:2)
MacArthur
observes that
