by Harry BuererThe prophets of the Hebrew scriptures wrote at quite some length about a reconstituted kingdom of Israel in the future. Virtually every prophet, except possibly Jonah, mentions it, some quite extensively.
Some of the things written are quite clear. This kingdom will be preceded by a period of God’s judgment on the nations. “In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.” (Joel 3:1-2) The nation of Israel will be established forever with Jerusalem as its capital. “Look upon Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken.” (Isaiah 33:20)
God will reign through the person of a king who is a descendant of David. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord (is) our righteousness.'” (Jeremiah 23:5-6) “I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.” (Ezekiel 34:23-24)
From the lengthy descriptions of this coming kingdom, it is clear that there will be universal peace, prosperity, health and righteousness. War between nations will cease. “He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Micah 4:3) “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” (Isaiah 32:17-18)
Animal predation will also cease. “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9)
Prosperity will be widespread. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,’ says the Lord your God.” (Amos 9:13-15) “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.” (Micah 4:4) “For the Lord will ransom Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for joy on the heghts of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord– the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.”
Healing and good health will be rampant. “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.” (Malachi 4:2) “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.'” (Zechariah 8:4-5) “I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.” (Isaiah 65:19-20)
And universal righteousness will be the order of the day. “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:24-28) “The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid.” (Zephaniah 3:13) “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)
The Law of God will be the standard of behavior. “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. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20) “My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.” (Ezekiel 37:24)
This kingdom, though it be of Israel, will extend its dominion throughout the earth. “He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.” (Zechariah 9:10b) “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.” (Zechariah 14:16-17) “In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:10) “At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.” (Jeremiah 3:17)
There has never been a time in history when these things have been even remotely true. And reading the prophets makes it clear that these conditions will occur in the future, in the last days. This coming kingdom of God is mentioned in several Psalms (e.g. 2, 72, 89, 110). But it’s discussed at great length in the prophets in the following passages: Isaiah 2:2-5; 9:6-7; 11; 12; 14:1-2; 16:5; 25; 26; 27; 29:17-24; 30:18-24; 32:1-4, 15-20; 33:17-24; 35; 45:17-25; 49:5-26; 51:1-16; 52:1-12; 54; 55; 59:19-21; 60; 61; 62; 65:17-25; 66:18-24; Jeremiah 3:14-18; 23:5-8; 30:8-22; 31:1-14, 27-40; 32:36-44; 33:6-26; Ezekiel 11:16-20; 34:23-31; 36; 37; 39:25-29; Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14, 18, 27; Hosea 1:11; 2:16-23; 3:5; Joel 3:17-21; Amos 9:11-15; Obadiah 17-21; Micah 2:12-13; 4; 5:2-5; 7:11-20; Nahum 1:15; Habakkuk 2:14; Zephaniah 3:9-20; Haggai 2:6-9; Zechariah 8; 9:9-10:12; 14:8-21; Malachi 4:2-4.
It’s unthinkable that these passages could be referring to the church. Any reader who takes the prophets seriously would have to agree; this kingdom is yet to come.