Messiah: Zion’s Ruling King
Isaiah 66:10-24
Does God have special plans for Zion?
In Isaiah 66:10-11 the Holy Spirit, through Isaiah, encourages lovers of Zion to rejoice because the city will be a source of blessing for everyone in the future. No other city has this promise:
“Be glad for Jerusalem and rejoice over her, all who love her. Rejoice greatly with her, all who mourn over her— so that you may nurse and be satisfied from her comforting breast and drink deeply and delight yourselves from her glorious breasts.” (10-11)
What sort of blessings will characterize Zion?
Peace, prosperity & righteousness.
Peace and prosperity are not promised for individuals in this age (AKA the prosperity gospel), but these blessings are promised for Zion during the future Kingdom:
“For this is what the Lord says: I will make peace flow to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flood; you will nurse and be carried on her hip and bounced on her lap.” (12)
Will all humanity get to experience these future blessings?
Unfortunately, there are many people who reject the King, Yeshua of Nazareth:
“You will see, you will rejoice, and you will flourish like grass; then the Lord’s power will be revealed to His servants, but He will show His wrath against His enemies.”
Verses 15-16 describe the Lord’s return, His future “day of vengeance” (Isaiah 61:12) against His enemies where He pours out His wrath:
“Look, the Lord will come with fire — His chariots are like the whirlwind — to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire. For the Lord will execute judgment on all flesh with His fiery sword, and many will be slain by the Lord.”
What part will Gentiles play in the kingdom? Or is it just for believing Jewish people?
Believing Jewish and Gentile peoples will be a part of the future kingdom. Believing Gentiles will co-reign with the King on Earth:
“You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:10)
Oh, that’s interesting. So the kingdom is yet future and it’s on earth?
That’s right. We are not reigning as kings now. Rather, we are considered as garbage to the rest of the world because of our belief in Yeshua (1 Cor. 4:13.) But that will all change in the future, after the King brings HIs kingdom and Yeshua is revealed as the rightful King.
In addition, the Nations will bring Jewish people [those who are in the kingdom because they believed] to Jerusalem:
“They will bring all your brothers from all the nations as a gift to the Lord on horses and chariots, in litters, and on mules and camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord… (20)
So, I have heard that God is finished with Israel, and the Jewish people no longer have a chosen or special status before God. That everything "is fulfilled in Christ" or some even say "in the Church." But these claims now seem dubious in light of the next verse, right?
Correct. In the next verse, God's Word proclaims that the Jewish people and Jerusalem will endure as long as eternity! We even see this reality taught in Rev. 21-22. So, the next time you hear or read that everything is fulled already, point to Isaiah 66:22:
“For just as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, will endure before Me”— this is the Lord’s declaration— so your offspring [the Jewish people] and your name [Zion] will endure.” (22)
In addition, during the Millennial Kingdom, people will worship God in Jerusalem: