14.16 “Then everyone who survives of all the nations [from God’s plagues, vv.12-15] that have come against Jerusalem
shall go up year after year to worship the King, YHWH of hosts, and to keep the
Feast of Booths [cp. Ezek. 46.9-12]."
Fulfillment of the Abrahamic/Gospel promise:
Gen. 12.1-3: YHWH said to Abram: Go out
from your land, your relatives, and your father's house to the land that I will
show you. I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make
your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you,
I will curse those who treat you with contempt, and all the peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.
Gal 3.8: In Scripture it is foreseen that God makes right the non-Jews
who believe Him. Thus the Christian Gospel was preached to Abraham ahead of
time with these words: “With faith like yours, Abraham, all the nations will be
blessed.”
Compare:
Zech. 8.12b-13: “Then I will allow the remnant of my people to possess all
these things. Furthermore, house of Judah and Israel, even though you used to
be a curse among the nations, now I will surely save you, and you will be a
blessing.”
Jer. 4.1-2: “If you return Israel, says
YHWH, return to me: put away your abominations out of my sight and no longer
stray away. You must be truthful, honest and upright when you take an oath
saying, 'As surely as YHWH lives!' If you do, then the nations will be blessed, and they will be honored by me."
Ps 72.1, 17: “YHWH, give your judgment
to the King and your righteousness to the King's son…Let his name be blessed
forever and endure longer than the sun: and all the tribes of the earth shall
be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.”
Isa 65.15b-16: “My servants [from the nations? v.1] will be called by a new name which shall be blessed on the
earth; for they shall bless the true God: and they that swear upon the
earth shall swear by the God of truth.”
God’s Judgment restores
their inheritance/blessings: Deut. 2:5,
9, 15
“Don’t
go to war with [Edom], because I am not giving you any of their land, not even
a footprint, for I have given Mount Seir as an inheritance for Esau…Do not ye
quarrel with the Moabites, and do not engage in war with them; for I will not
give you of their land for an inheritance, for I have given Aroer to the
children of Lot to inherit…And when you enter the land of the Ammonites, the
descendants of Lot don’t bother them or start a war with them. I have given the
land of Ammon to them as their inheritance, and I will not give you any of
their land.”
NOTE: “The umbrella term for Israel’s restoration,
[‘reverse the fortunes’, (lit. ‘turning
the turning’), sub sebut], is also
the umbrella term for Yhwh’s restoration of Moab, Ammon & Elam (Jer. 48.47; 49.6; 49.39), and for Sodom
and Samaria (Ezek. 16.53). After
Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion, Egypt ‘will settle down as in former days’ (Jer. 46.26).” Old Testament Theology, v2: Israel's Faith, John Goldingay, p 819.
Ezek. 16.53: “But someday I will restore the fortunes of Sodom and
Samaria, and I will restore you, too.”
Ezek. 29.13-16: “For this is what the
Lord GOD says: At the end of 40 years I will gather the Egyptians from the
nations where they were dispersed. I will restore
the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land
of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom. Egypt will be the lowliest
of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make
them so small they cannot rule over the nations. It will never again be an
object of trust for the house of Israel, drawing attention to their sin of
turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.” Cp. Jer. 46.26; Moab, 48.47; Ammonites, 49.6, 39
The people of God now include restored pagan nations as His inheritance: Isa 19.
16 On that day Egypt will be
like women. She will tremble with fear because of the threatening hand of YHWH
of Hosts when He raises it against her.
17 The land of Judah will terrify
Egypt; whenever Judah is mentioned, Egypt will tremble because of what YHWH of
Hosts has planned against it.
18 On that day 5 cities in the
land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear loyalty to YHWH of
Hosts. One of the cities will be called the City of the Sun.
19 On that day there will be an
altar to YHWH in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to YHWH near her
border.
20 It will be a sign and witness to
YHWH of Hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to YHWH because of their
oppressors, He will send them a savior and leader, and he will rescue them.
21 YHWH will make Himself known to
Egypt, and Egypt will know YHWH on that day. They will offer sacrifices and
offerings; they will make vows to YHWH and fulfill them.
22 YHWH will strike Egypt, striking and
healing. Then they will return to YHWH and He will hear their prayers and heal
them.
23 On that day there will be a
highway from Egypt to Assyria. Assyria will go to Egypt, Egypt to Assyria, and
Egypt will worship with Assyria.
24 On that day Israel will form
a triple alliance with Egypt and Assyria — a blessing within the land.
25 YHWH of Hosts will bless them,
saying, “Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance are
blessed.”
NOTE: This does not cancel national distinctions:
Ps 22.27-31
[future generations…yet unborn];
Ps 47.9: “The princes of the nations are incorporated/joined with/to
the people of the God of Abraham.”
Ps 67.4-5: “Let the nations rejoice and shout for joy, for You
judge the peoples with fairness and lead the nations on earth. Let the nations
thank you, O God!”
Isa 2.1-4: “In the future the mountain of YHWH’s temple will endure
as the most important of mountains, and will be the most prominent of hills. All
the nations will stream to it. People from many nations will come and say, ‘Come,
let us go up to the mountain of YHWH, to the house of Jacob's God. There he
will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.’ For YHWH’s teaching
will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.”
Jer. 16.19-21: YHWH, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in a
time of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and
they will say, "Our fathers inherited only lies, worthless idols of no
benefit at all." Can one make gods for himself? But they are not gods. "Therefore,
I am about to inform them, and this time I will make them know My power and My
might; then they will know that My name is Yahweh."
NOTE: “While Ezekiel seemed to have understood that
foreigners could become members of the covenant community (e.g., Ezek. 44:9; but cf. 37:28), Zechariah depicts them as
simultaneously retaining their distinctive identities (cf. Zech. 8:20–23; also Isa. 19:23–25).” ESV Bible Study
The conversion/restoration of the nations will be as
a result of Israel's restoration:
Romans 11.11 So am I saying that [the
Jews] stumbled and consequently failed completely and permanently? Not at all!
But as a result of their spiritual failure, salvation has come to other
nations, to “make Israelites jealous.”
12 Now if their failure benefits the
world, and their loss profits the nations, how much more beneficial it will be
if they were to completely fulfill what they were meant to be.
13 Now let me speak to you nations.
Insofar as I am a missionary to the nations, I promote what I am doing for God,
14 that somehow I might make my
physical relatives jealous and save some of them.
15 If the result of God’s rejection of
them is that the world becomes God’s friends, the result of God’s acceptance of
them will be like the dead coming back to life.
NOTE: “Israel will fulfill the function that God
promised to Abraham for his descendants (Gen
12.3). They will be a blessing to the world, a means whereby the blessings
of God can come to all peoples, a means whereby the election of Israel is
extended to everyone (‘Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork’, Isa 19.25).” Isaiah, John N. Oswalt.
The final point: as the seed of Abraham we must
understand God’s gospel plan so that we can prepare ourselves now to qualify to
be in that great Day coming:
1Peter 1.7 The point of your current
trials is the testing of your faith, which is more precious than gold which
perishes even though it is refined by fire. The object is that your faith may
be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the 2nd coming of
Jesus the Messiah.
Rom. 2.7 Those who have persisted in
doing what is right will receive glory and honor, and immortality in the Age to
Come.
Get ready to inherit your reward: Matt 19
27 Peter asked Jesus, “We left
everything to follow you. What’s in it for us?”
28 And Jesus replied, “When I, the
Messiah, sit upon my glorious throne in the Kingdom when the world is reborn,
you my disciples shall certainly sit on 12 thrones to govern the 12 tribes of
Israel.
29 And anyone who gives up his home,
brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or property, to follow me,
shall receive a 100 times as much in return, and receive immortal life in the
Age to come.
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