Part 8: Kingdom Expectation: The Major Prophets

The Rise of the Prophets

Prophets were the human vessels through which God spoke to his people and the surrounding nations, either through proclamation, writing, or even non-verbal methods (acting, visual illustrations, etc)

The first Biblical prophet was Enoch, though we only know this from extrabiblical literature and a singular NT reference (Jude 1:14). From a Biblical narrative perspective, Abraham is the first person called a prophet (Gen 20:7), and the first “professional” prophet is generally understood to be Samuel. Prophets came from every walk of life, and were not part of any particular tribe or social class. They had no particular place in the governmental or religious order of Israel, and when they spoke with the authority of God, they could command priests and kings. The call of a prophet was solely of divine prerogative, yet the prophetic institution did allow for prophets to be mentored and taught by those more experienced (e.g, Elijah and Elisha). Prophets were also Israel’s historians . The books of Kings and Chronicles appear to have been composed in the prophetic “schools” (which accounts for the occasional repeats of material from these historical books within prophetic writings, e,g, 2 Kings 19 and Isaiah 37. The Biblical historical accounts thus represent God’s perspective on the rise and fall of the Israelite nation, as seen (and experienced) by his servants, the prophets.

The Test of the Prophets

A critical passage in understanding and interpreting the prophetic writings, such as those that concern God’s kingdom and national Israel’s future prospects, is Deuteronomy 18:22. In this text, Moses provides the people of God a sure method of discerning whether a prophet’s testimony was truly the word of Yahweh.

Deuteronomy 18:22 (LSB)

“When a prophet speaks in the name of Yahweh, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which Yahweh has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

In addition to previously-given warnings against false prophets who would attempt to lead the people into worship of false gods (Deuteronomy 13:1-5), God instructed the people that any prophetic prediction that failed to come to pass, was a sure indicator that the prediction was not from Yahweh. Thus, the precedent was set for the expectation of literal prophetic fulfillment: it would not suffice for a prophet to conveniently “reinterpret” or “spiritualize” a prediction retroactively, once it failed to come to pass literally. The “coming to pass” test is brilliantly simple and serves as a hermeneutical signpost when attempting to interpret prophetic Scriptures or detect their past or current fulfillment. What was spoken (or written) by the prophets must come to pass in the manner and form that they predicted it would - otherwise we are forced to conclude their prophecies were spoken presumptuously. Of course, an alternative to reinterpreting or rejecting the prophetic Scriptures which have not clearly come to pass, is to understand their fulfillment as still future. Thus, from the prophets we see a mixture of validating, near-term prophecies (1 Kings 17:1, 16; 20:42, 1 Kings 22:28), as well as those that peer far into the future, from the original audience’s standpoint (and even our own). The literal fulfillment of these near-term prophecies confirms that the Biblical prophets spoke with God’s authority, and give us reason to expect that their unfulfilled prophecies will experience literal fulfillment in time.

Isaiah: The Royal Prophet of Salvation

Name: “the salvation of Yahweh”. Career spans several decades (est. 740BC-700BC). Appears to have been an individual of high standing, perhaps a member of the royal court. His prophetic ministry took place during the latter part of the Divided Kingdom - he witnessed the fall and captivity of the Northern kingdom of Israel, and the waning years of the Souther kingdom of Judah. Against this dark and depressing backdrop, with his nation consumed by moral rot and social catastrophe, Isaiah boldly foretold of a coming restoration and salvation for God’s people, a “new exodus” that would see the repentant nation planted securely in their land once again, under the banner of a true and righteous king, with wide-ranging blessing and prosperity for all the nations of Earth, and for creation itself. So all-encompassing was this restoration envisioned by Isaiah that it could only be described as “A new heavens and a new Earth”.

Jeremiah: The Weeping Prophet of the New Covenant

Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry spanned 627-588BC, and saw the catastrophic downfall and captivity of the Southern kingdom of Judah. Authoring two books in the Old Testament canon, Jeremiah’s writings are characterized by visceral emotion and distress at the state of his beloved nation. Most devastating was the final proclamation that Israel’s legal and moral covenant with God, the Mosaic covenant, was broken (Jeremiah 11), and with it, any claim that the nation had on its homeland and national blessings. Despite the cascade of apostasy and divine judgement that dominated his focus, it was through Jeremiah that the key to Isaiah’s restoration would come into its clearest focus yet: a new covenant, which would accomplish what the Mosaic covenant never could - the inward transformation of God’s people and complete cleansing from their sin.

Ezekiel: The Priestly Prophet

Ezekiel’s prophetic career (593-568BC) spanned the fall of the Southern Kingdom and the deportation to Babylon of thousands of Israelites, including Ezekiel himself. As a Levitical priest, his prophetic testimony is especially focused on the moral corruption of Israel’s spiritual leaders, the progressive departure of God’s glory from the Temple of Solomon (Ezekiel 8-11), and the defilement of God’s covenant nation. Yet, answering to these disheartening themes, Ezekiel also proclaimed that one day, a righteous priesthood would be reinstated, God’s glory would return to a rebuilt Temple (Ezekiel 40-48), and the nation of Israel would experience atonement and salvation. Like Isaiah and Jeremiah before him, Ezekiel identified a new “covenant of peace” as the vehicle through which restoration and salvation would one day come.

Ruler

A Righteous King

Yahweh himself will be king

Born as a child

Davidic throne established (The Branch)

Executes justice for his people & the nations

A Suffering Servant

Humble/rejected Exalted/revered

Given as a “covenant”

The Law will go forth from Zion

Ruler: Yahweh Realm: Zion Reality:

Zion preeminent

nations stream to Jerusalem

The Law goes forth from Jerusalem

judgement made between nations

end of war

Isaiah 2:1–4 (LSB)

The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz beheld concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

Now it will be that

In the last days

The mountain of the house of Yahweh

Will be established as the head of the mountains,

And will be lifted up above the hills;

And all the nations will stream to it.

And many peoples will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh,

To the house of the God of Jacob,

That He may instruct us from His ways

And that we may walk in His paths.”

For from Zion the law will go forth

And the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.

And He will judge between the nations,

And will render decisions for many peoples;

And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not lift up sword against nation,

And never again will they learn war.

A Child will be Born to Us

Ruler: A child heir to the throne of David; “Mighty God”

Right: Davidic Covenant

Realm: David’s kingdom (Jerusalem, Land of Israel)

Reality:

Everlasting

increasing (progress)

peace

Isaiah 9:2–7 (LSB)

The people who walk in darkness

Will see a great light;

Those who live in the land of the shadow of death,

The light will shine on them.

You shall multiply the nation,

You shall make great their gladness;

They will be glad in Your presence

As with the gladness of harvest,

As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

For You shall shatter the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,

The rod of their taskmaster, as at the battle of Midian.

For every boot of the booted warrior in the rumbling of battle,

And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;

And the government will rest on His shoulders;

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,

On the throne of David and over his kingdom,

To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness

From then on and forevermore.

The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.

The Branch & A New Exodus

Ruler: A branch (shoot) from Jesse (Davidic line)

Right: Davidic Covenant

Realm: Zion, Israel, extending to the nations

Reality:

Spirit of Yahweh poured out

righteous judgment

peace among animals and humanity

nations stream to Jerusalem

gathering of all Jews to the land of Israel

Isaiah 11–12 (LSB)

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,

And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him,

The spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The spirit of counsel and might,

The spirit of knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.

And He will delight in the fear of Yahweh,

And He will not judge by what His eyes see,

Nor render a decision by what His ears hear;

But with righteousness He will judge the poor,

And decide with uprightness for the afflicted of the earth;

And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,

And with the breath of His lips He will put the wicked to death.

Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,

And faithfulness the belt about His waist.

And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,

And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,

And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;

And a young 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 baby will play by the hole of the cobra,

And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.

They will do no evil nor act corruptly in all My holy mountain,

For the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh

As the waters cover the sea.

Then it will be in that day,

That the nations will seek the root of Jesse,

Who will stand as a standard for the peoples;

And His resting place will be glorious.

Then it will be in that day, that the Lord

Will again acquire the second time with His hand

The remnant of His people, who will remain,

From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Ethiopia, Elam, Shinar, Hamath,

And from the coastlands of the sea.

And He will lift up a standard for the nations

And assemble the banished ones of Israel,

And will gather the scattered of Judah

From the four corners of the earth.

Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart,

And those who assail Judah will be cut off;

Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,

And Judah will not assail Ephraim.

And they will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the west;

Together they will plunder the sons of the east;

They will stretch out their hands over Edom and Moab,

And the sons of Ammon will obey them.

And Yahweh will devote to destruction

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.

And there will be a highway from Assyria

For the remnant of His people who will remain,

Just as there was for Israel

In the day that they came up out of the land of Egypt.

Then you will say in that day,

“I will give thanks to You, O Yahweh;

For although You were angry with me,

Your anger is turned away,

And You comfort me.

“Behold, God is my salvation,

I will trust and not dread;

For Yah—Yahweh Himself—is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation.”

Therefore you will joyously draw water

From the springs of salvation.

And in that day you will say,

“Give thanks to Yahweh, call on His name.

Make known His deeds among the peoples;

Make them remember that His name is exalted.”

Praise Yahweh in song, for He has done majestic things;

Let this be known throughout the earth.

Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,

For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

The King in his beauty

Ruler: Yahweh

Realm: Zion

Reality:

Physical salvation (security, blessing)

spiritual salvation (forgiveness)

Isaiah 33:17–24 (LSB)

Your eyes will behold the King in His beauty;

They will see a far-distant land.

Your heart will meditate on terror:

“Where is he who counts?

Where is he who weighs?

Where is he who counts the towers?”

You will no longer see a fierce people,

A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends,

Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.

Behold Zion, the city of our appointed times;

Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an abode at ease,

A tent which will not be folded;

Its stakes will never be pulled up,

Nor any of its cords ever be torn apart.

But there the Mighty One, Yahweh, will be for us

A place of rivers and wide canals

On which no boat with oars will go,

And on which no mighty ship will pass—

For Yahweh is our judge,

Yahweh is our lawgiver,

Yahweh is our king;

He will save us—

Your cords hang slack;

They cannot hold the base of their mast firmly,

Nor spread out the sail.

Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided;

The lame will take the plunder.

And no one who dwells there will say, “I am sick”;

The people who inhabit there will be forgiven their iniquity.

You Are My Servant

Isaiah 42:1–7 LSB

“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul is well-pleased. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. “He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. “A crushed reed He will not break And a faintly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will bring forth justice in truth. “He will not be faint or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.” Thus says the God, Yahweh, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, “I am Yahweh, I have called You in righteousness; I will also take hold of You by the hand and guard You, And I will give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who inhabit darkness from the prison.

I Give You as a Light

Ruler: The Servant

Right: A “covenant for the people”

Realm: The Land of Israel

Reality:

Yahweh glorified through the Servant

regathering of Israel

light and salvation for the nations

Servant abhorred

Servant revered & exalted

the land established

Isaiah 49:1–13 (LSB)

Listen to Me, O coastlands,

And pay attention, you peoples from afar.

Yahweh called Me from the womb;

From the body of My mother He made My name to be remembered.

He has set My mouth like a sharp sword;

In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me;

And He has also set Me as a select arrow;

He has hidden Me in His quiver.

He said to Me, “You are My Servant, Israel,

In Whom I will show forth My beautiful glory.”

But I said, “I have toiled in vain;

I have spent My might for nothing and vanity;

Yet surely the justice due to Me is with Yahweh,

And My reward with My God.”

So now says Yahweh, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,

To return Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him

(For I am glorified in the sight of Yahweh,

And My God is My strength),

He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to cause the preserved ones of Israel to return;

I will also give You as a light of the nations

So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Thus says Yahweh, 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 Yahweh who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”

Thus says Yahweh,

“In an acceptable time I have answered You,

And in a day of salvation I have helped You;

And I will guard You and give You for a covenant of the people,

To establish the land, to make them inherit the desolate inheritance;

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.

“They will not hunger or thirst,

Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down;

For He who has compassion on them will guide them

And will lead them to springs of water.

“I will set all My mountains as a road,

And My highways will be raised up.

“Behold, these will come from afar;

And behold, these will come from the north and from the west,

And these from the land of Sinim.”

Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth!

Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains!

For Yahweh has comforted His people

And will have compassion on His afflicted.

The Favorable Year of Yahweh

Ruler: The Servant

Right: Everlasting covenant

Realm: The Land of Israel

Reality:

A day of vengeance (Day of the Lord)

a favorable year of Yahweh

liberty and healing

righteousness extended to the nations.

Isaiah 61 (LSB)

The Spirit of Lord Yahweh is upon me

Because Yahweh has anointed me

To bring good news to the afflicted;

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim release to captives

And freedom to prisoners,

To proclaim the favorable year of Yahweh

And the day of vengeance of our God,

To comfort all who mourn,

To grant those who mourn in Zion,

Giving them a headdress instead of ashes,

The oil of rejoicing instead of mourning,

The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

The planting of Yahweh, that He may show forth His beautiful glory.

Then they will rebuild the ancient waste places;

They will raise up the former desolations;

And they will make new the ruined cities,

The desolations from generation to generation.

Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,

And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

But you will be called the priests of Yahweh;

You will be spoken of as ministers of our God.

You will eat the wealth of nations,

And in their glories you will boast.

Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,

And instead of dishonor they will shout for joy over their portion.

Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land;

Everlasting gladness will be theirs.

For I, Yahweh, love justice,

I hate robbery in the burnt offering;

And in truth I will give them their recompense

And cut an everlasting covenant with them.

Then their seed will be known among the nations,

And their offspring in the midst of the peoples.

All who see them will recognize them

Because they are the seed whom Yahweh has blessed.

I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh;

My soul will rejoice in my God,

For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,

He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom decks himself with a headdress,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its branches,

And as a garden causes the things sown in it to branch out,

So Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise

To branch out before all the nations.

Judah Will Be Saved

Jeremiah 23:5–6 (LSB)

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh,

“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;

And He will reign as king and prosper

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,

‘Yahweh our righteousness.’

A Righteous Branch

Jeremiah 33:14–26 (LSB)

‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares Yahweh, ‘when I will establish the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

‘In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to branch forth; and He shall do justice and righteousness on the earth.

‘In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell in security; and this is the name by which she will be called: Yahweh is our righteousness.’

“For thus says Yahweh, ‘David shall not have a man cut off from sitting on the throne of the house of Israel;

and the Levitical priests shall not have a man cut off from before Me who is to offer burnt offerings, to offer up grain offerings in smoke, and to perform sacrifices continually.’”

Then the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,

“Thus says Yahweh, ‘If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time,

then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers.

‘As the host of heaven cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the seed of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’”

And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah, saying,

“Have you not seen what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which Yahweh chose, He has rejected them’? Thus they have spurned My people from being a nation any longer in their sight.

“Thus says Yahweh, ‘If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the statutes for heaven and earth I have not established,

then I would reject the seed of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his seed rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But I will return their fortunes and will have compassion on them.’”

My Servant David

Ezekiel 34:23–31 (LSB)

“Then I will establish over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them; he will shepherd them himself and be their shepherd.

“And I, Yahweh, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I, Yahweh, have spoken.

“I will cut a covenant of peace with them and cause harmful beasts to cease from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.

“I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing.

“Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its produce, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am Yahweh, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

“They will no longer be plunder to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them tremble.

“I will establish for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will not bear the dishonor of the nations anymore.

“Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares Lord Yahweh.

“As for you, My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, you are men, and I am your God,” declares Lord Yahweh.

Right

Abrahamic & Davidic Covenants

A New Covenant

Yahweh’s spirit poured out

A new heart / indwelling spirit

A righteous people (nation, city)

Forgiveness of sin

A New Covenant

Jeremiah 31:27–40 (LSB)

“Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast.

“And it will be that as I have watched over them to uproot, to tear down, to pull down, to destroy, and to bring calamity, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares Yahweh.

“In those days they will not say again,

‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,

And the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

“But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.

“Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,

not like the covenant which I cut 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, but I was a husband to them,” declares Yahweh.

“But this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “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.

“And they will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Thus says Yahweh,

Who gives the sun for light by day

And the statutes for the moon and the stars for light by night,

Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;

Yahweh of hosts is His name:

“If these statutes are removed

From before Me,” declares Yahweh,

“Then the seed of Israel also will cease

From being a nation before Me forever.”

Thus says Yahweh,

“If the heavens above can be measured

And the foundations of the earth searched out below,

Then I will also reject all the seed of Israel

For all that they have done,” declares Yahweh.

“Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when the city will be rebuilt for Yahweh from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

“The measuring line will go out farther, straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah.

“And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to Yahweh; it will not be uprooted or pulled down anymore forever.”

I will give them one heart

Ezekiel 11:17–21 (LSB)

“Therefore say, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “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.”’

“When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from it.

“And I will give them one heart and give within them a new spirit. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.

“But as for those whose hearts walk after their detestable things and abominations, I will give what is due for their way on their heads,” declares Lord Yahweh.

I will purge you

Ezekiel 20:33–38 (LSB)

“As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “surely with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you.

“And I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out;

and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face.

“As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares Lord Yahweh.

“And I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant;

and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh.

I Will Give you a New Heart

Ezekiel 36:22–28 (LSB)

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “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, to which you have come.

“I will prove 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 Yahweh,” declares Lord Yahweh, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.

“And I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land.

“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols.

“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to do My judgments.

“And you will inhabit the land that I gave to your fathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God.

I Will Put My Spirit within You

Ezekiel 37:11–14 (LSB)

Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.’

“Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.

“Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people.

“And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken and done it,” declares Yahweh.’”

I Will Cut a Covenant

Ezekiel 37:24–28 (LSB)

“And My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My judgments and keep My statutes and do them.

“They will inhabit the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, which your fathers inhabited; and they will inhabit it, they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever.

“And I will cut a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will give them the land and multiply them and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.

“My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.

“And the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”’”

I Will Pour Out My Spirit

Ezekiel 39:25–29 (LSB)

Therefore thus says Lord Yahweh, “Now I will return the fortunes of Jacob and have compassion on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name.

“So they will forget their dishonor and all their unfaithfulness which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them tremble.

“When I return them from the peoples and gather them from the lands of their enemies, then I shall prove Myself holy through them in the sight of the many nations.

“Then they will know that I am Yahweh their God because I made them go into exile among the nations, and then collected them again to their own land; and I will leave none of them there any longer.

“And I will not hide My face from them any longer, for I will have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh.

Realm

Preeminence of Zion

Nations will stream to Jerusalem

A New Heavens and New Earth

Peace between man and animal

Creation fruitful / productive

Death swallowed up / longevity

Israel will have Dominion

Right: Abrahamic Covenant (Land of Yahweh)

Realm: Land of Israel

Reality: Israel will have sovereignty over their homeland and subjugate their oppressors

Isaiah 14:1–2 (LSB)

When Yahweh will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and put them in their own land, then sojourners will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob.

And 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 Yahweh for their male and female slaves; and they will take their captors captive and will have dominion over their taskmasters.

A New Heavens and a New Earth

Realm:

Jerusalem

New Heavens & New Earth

Reality:

Extension of life/limiting of death

comfort

physical blessings

productive labor & economy

peace among animals & humans;

Isaiah 65:17–25 (LSB)

“For behold, I am creating a new heavens and a new earth;

And the former things will not be remembered or come upon the heart.

“But be joyful and rejoice forever in what I create;

For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing

And her people for joy.

“I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be joyful in My people;

And there will no longer be heard in her

The voice of weeping and the voice of crying.

“No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,

Or an old man who does not fulfill his days;

For the youth will die at the age of one hundred,

And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred

Will be thought accursed.

“They will build houses and inhabit them;

They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

“They will not build and another inhabit;

They will not plant and another eat;

For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,

And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.

“They will not labor in vain,

Or bear children for terror;

For they are the seed of those blessed by Yahweh,

And their offspring with them.

“And it will be that before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

“The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil nor act corruptly in all My holy mountain,” says Yahweh.

The Throne of Yahweh

Jeremiah 3:14–18 LSB

‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares Yahweh; ‘For I am a master to you, And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you to Zion.’ “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will shepherd you on knowledge and understanding. “It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and fruitful in the land,” declares Yahweh, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of Yahweh.’ And it will not come upon the heart, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. “At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of Yahweh,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of Yahweh; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. “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.

Like the Garden of Eden

Ezekiel 36:29–36 LSB

“Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. “I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field so that you will not receive again the reproach of famine among the nations. “Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves to your own faces for your iniquities and your abominations. “I am not doing this for your sake,” declares Lord Yahweh, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and feel dishonor for your ways, O house of Israel!” ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “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. “The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. “And they will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate, and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ “Then the nations that remain all around you will know that I, Yahweh, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, Yahweh, have spoken and will do it.”

Reality

A Day of Yahweh (Vengeance, Reckoning, Wrath)

Earth shaken / Signs in the heavens

Opposing nations destroyed

Time of Jacob’s distress / Remnant saved

Salvation from enemies

All Israel will be Regathered

Israel has dominion over their own land

Israel will never again be displaced

Nations stream to Zion

Yahweh will Judge Nations

Peace between nations / End of war

Nations reconciled to Yahweh (Egypt, Assyria)

Blessings for all peoples

Knowledge of Yahweh proclaimed from Zion

Yahweh dwells in Zion with his people

A new temple

Worldwide worship of Yahweh

The Day of Yahweh

Ruler: Yahweh

Reality:

A day of reckoning (aka Day of the Lord)

Earth shaken

Opposition defeated

Isaiah 2:12–22 (LSB)

For Yahweh of hosts will have a day of reckoning

Against everyone who is proud and high

And against everyone who is lifted up,

That he may be made low.

And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,

Against all the oaks of Bashan,

Against all the high mountains,

Against all the hills that are lifted up,

Against every lofty tower,

Against every fortified wall,

Against all the ships of Tarshish

And against all the desirable craft.

The loftiness of man will be bowed down,

And the men who are high will be made low;

And Yahweh alone will be exalted in that day,

But the idols will completely vanish.

Men will go into caves of the rocks

And into holes of the ground

Before the dread of Yahweh

And the splendor of His majesty,

When He arises to make the earth tremble.

In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats

Their idols of silver and their idols of gold,

Which they made for themselves to worship,

In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs

Before the dread of Yahweh and the splendor of His majesty,

When He arises to make the earth tremble.

Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils;

For why should he be esteemed?

Egypt my People

Reality:

Yahweh will save Egypt

Egypt and Assyria will be in alliance with Israel

Isaiah 19:16–25 (LSB)

In that day the Egyptians will become like women, and they will tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of Yahweh of hosts, which He is going to wave over them.

And the land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone to whom it is mentioned will be in dread of it because of the counsel of Yahweh of hosts which He is counseling against them.

In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will be speaking the language of Canaan and swearing allegiance to Yahweh of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction.

In that day there will be an altar to Yahweh in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to Yahweh near its border.

And it will become a sign and a witness to Yahweh of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to Yahweh because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them.

Thus Yahweh will make Himself known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know Yahweh in that day. They will even worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make a vow to Yahweh and pay it.

And Yahweh will smite Egypt, smiting but healing; so they will return to Yahweh, and He will be moved by their entreaty and will heal them.

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.

In that day Israel will be the third party with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth,

whom Yahweh of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance.”

The Earth is Broken

Isaiah 24:17–23 LSB

Panic and pit and pitfall Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. Then it will be that he who flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the pitfall; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake. The earth is broken asunder; The earth is split through; The earth is shaken violently. The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard And it totters like a shack, For its transgression is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again. So it will be in that day, That Yahweh will punish the host of heights on high, And the kings of the earth on earth. They will be gathered together Like prisoners in the pit, And will be confined in prison; And after many days they will be punished. Then the moon will be humiliated and the sun ashamed, For Yahweh of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before His elders.

He will Swallow up Death

Reality:

Prosperity

physical blessings for all peoples

removal of death

comfort

Isaiah 25:6–9 (LSB)

And Yahweh of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;

A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,

And refined, aged wine.

And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,

Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.

He will swallow up death for all time,

And Lord Yahweh will wipe tears away from all faces,

And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;

For Yahweh has spoken.

And it will be said in that day,

“Behold, this is our God in whom we have hoped that He would save us.

This is Yahweh in whom we have hoped;

Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

A New Exodus

Jeremiah 16:14–15 (LSB)

“Therefore behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’

but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had banished them.’ For I will return them to their own land which I gave to their fathers.

Fear Not, O Jacob

Jeremiah 30:1–11 (LSB)

The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,

“Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.

‘For behold, days are coming,’ declares Yahweh, ‘when I will return the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ Yahweh says, ‘I will also cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’”

Now these are the words which Yahweh spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah:

“For thus says Yahweh,

‘We have heard a sound of trembling,

Of dread, and there is no peace.

‘Ask now, and see

If a male can give birth.

Why do I see every man

With his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth?

And why have all faces turned pale?

‘Alas! For that day is great,

There is none like it;

And it is the time of Jacob’s distress,

But he will be saved from it.

‘And it will be in that day,’ declares Yahweh of hosts, ‘that I will break his yoke from off your neck and will tear off your bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves.

‘But they shall be a slave to Yahweh their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.

‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares Yahweh,

‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel;

For behold, I will save you from afar

And your seed from the land of their captivity.

And Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease,

And no one will make him tremble.

‘For I am with you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘to save you;

For I will make a complete destruction of all the nations where I have scattered you,

Only I will not make a complete destruction of you.

But I will chasten you justly

And will by no means leave you unpunished.’

Yahweh has ransomed Jacob

Jeremiah 31:1–14 (LSB)

“At that time,” declares Yahweh, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”

Thus says Yahweh,

“The people who survived the sword

Found grace in the wilderness—

Israel, when it went to find its relief.”

Yahweh appeared to him from afar, saying,

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

“Again I will build you, and you will be rebuilt,

O virgin of Israel!

Again you will take up your tambourines

And go forth to the dances of those celebrating.

“Again you will plant vineyards

On the hills of Samaria;

The planters will plant

And will enjoy them.

“For there will be a day when watchmen

On the hills of Ephraim call out,

‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,

To Yahweh our God.’”

For thus says Yahweh,

“Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,

And shout among the head of the nations;

Make it heard, give praise, and say,

‘O Yahweh, save Your people,

The remnant of Israel.’

“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 assembly, they will return here.

“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.”

Hear the word of Yahweh, O nations,

And declare in the coastlands far away,

And say, “He who dispersed Israel will gather him

And keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”

For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob

And redeemed him from the hand of him who was stronger than he.

“They will come and sing for joy on the height of Zion,

And they will be radiant over the goodness of Yahweh—

Over the grain and the new wine and the oil,

And over the young of the flock and the herd;

And their soul will be like a watered garden,

And they will never waste away again.

“Then the virgin will be glad in the dance,

And the young men and the old, together,

For I will turn their mourning into joy

And will comfort them and give them gladness for their sorrow.

“I will fill the soul of the priests with richness,

And My people will be satisfied with My goodness,” declares Yahweh.

The Gate of the Prince

Ezekiel 44:1–3 (LSB)

Then He brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces the east; and it was shut.

Yahweh said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.

“As for the prince, he shall sit in it as prince to eat bread before Yahweh; he shall enter by way of the porch of the gate and shall go out by the same way.”

Yahweh Is There

Ezekiel 48:30–35 (LSB)

“And these are the exits of the city: on the north side, 4,500 cubits by measurement.

“And the gates of the city shall be named for the tribes of Israel, three gates toward the north: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one.

“And on the east side, 4,500 cubits, shall be three gates: the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one.

“And on the south side, 4,500 cubits by measurement, shall be three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one.

“On the west side, 4,500 cubits, shall be three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one.

“The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘Yahweh is there.’”