When Christians Bless Muslims
Isaiah 19:18-25
Jews and Muslims Worshipping Christ the Lord
“In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord of hosts. One of these will be called the City of Destruction.
“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 at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the Lord because of oppressors, he will send them a saviour and defender, and deliver them. And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them. And the Lord will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the Lord, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.
“In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
“In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the Lord of hosts has blessed, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.’”[1]
These are dark days in the Middle East. The President of Iran repeatedly calls for Israel’s destruction. He is simultaneously engaged in a game of brinkmanship with spineless Western governments over his quest to develop nuclear weapons. Iraq is degenerating into internecine warfare between competing Muslim sects. Palestinians fight Palestinians, when they are not trying to kill Israelis and calling for the destruction of the United States. The Middle East appears to be a boiling cauldron of bitterness and hatred as virtually every Muslim leader seeks to advance his own interests through attacking the continued existence of the Jewish state.
As events in the Middle East unfold, we are watching fulfilment of prophecy. God, through Zechariah, prophesied the central role Jerusalem will play as we approach the last days, “I am about to make Jerusalem a cup that brings dizziness to all the surrounding nations; indeed, Judah will also be included when Jerusalem is besieged” [Zechariah 12:2].[2] Though no individual can predict the precise timing for the fulfilment of prophetic events, God has spoken of certain events that serve as signposts pointing to the fulfilment of prophecy.
Jerusalem will be “a cup of staggering to the surrounding peoples;” Israel will be besieged [Zechariah 12:2]. Surrounded by hostile nations intent on their destruction, the nation of Israel will be increasingly isolated and the cry of those prepared to destroy that tiny nation will grow to a maddened roar. There will be a multiplication of false Christ’s, a growing awareness of natural disasters, and growing unrest among the nations. Throughout the world, multiple “small” wars will break out as the restless peoples flex their muscle [Matthew 24:5-8]. Though the great world bodies dedicated to peace will call for an end to these wars, they will be powerless and an increasingly wary world will yet more intently look for a strong man capable of putting an end to the wars.
In the midst of the darkness that seems to be spreading across our world, the child of God sees a glimmering hope that is not generally recognised. We have been warned by the Master Himself, “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” [Luke 21:25-28].
Perhaps we are not witnessing the end; perhaps it is only the beginning of the end. Nevertheless, I am convinced that it is the time for the people of God to straighten up and to raise their heads. The Apostle to the Gentiles warned, “You know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand” [Romans 13:11, 12a]. We cannot say with certainty that the time of the end is at hand. Nevertheless, we know on the authority of God’s Word and He is working in history so that it is His Story.
Though unremitting warfare between Muslims and Jews seems to be steadily intensifying and now threatens to engulf the entire world in unprecedented conflagration, the Word of God speaks of a day when peoples from each of those communities will turn to the True and Living God. In that day, nations that we know as Muslim nations and the Jewish inhabitants of Israel will unite to worship the Lord Christ. Though that day is not present, the transformation is assured by the Word of the Lord God. Join me in looking forward to that day when Muslims and Jews will unite to worship Christ the Lord.
The Millennial Kingdom of Our Lord — The words Isaiah wrote are prophetic. They relate to an event that is unimaginable to any individual who is the least bit aware of world events. Since the words are prophetic, curiosity alone should suffice to impel us to discover when these events will take place.
Egypt is well known to each of us. That nation continues with boundaries similar to what was known in Isaiah’s day. Assyria, however, perhaps astonishes us. The Assyrian Kingdom included what is today Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, and Iraq. Geographically, the centre of the Kingdom was what we now know as Iraq. Therefore, according to the prophecy that Isaiah recorded, there is a day when much of what today is Muslim lands will join with Israel in worship of the Lord of Hosts.
What, precisely, did Isaiah say about these lands? In short, Isaiah says that three enemies—Egypt, Iraq and Israel—will be united in worshipping the Lord and sharing His blessing. The day of which Isaiah prophesies is a day that will transform these fierce enemies of Israel. The process of transformation and blessing for Egypt is traced from its beginning in fear [Isaiah 19:16, 17], leading to submission to the Lord [Isaiah 19:18], submission that will result in access into the Lord’s presence [Isaiah 19:19-22] and fellowship [Isaiah 19:23] and full acceptance as belonging to Him [Isaiah 19:24, 25].
The prophecy looks forward to a day that though future may be nearer than we imagine. Jesus, in response to two questions the disciples asked. Immediately before His Passion, as the Master left the Temple, His disciples pointed out the magnificent buildings Herod had built for the Jews. Jesus astonished them, however, when He responded, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” [Matthew 24:2].
Naturally, the disciples were intrigued by such a stunning prediction. So, they asked when these things would take place, and then they voiced the unspoken corollary to what He had said, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age” [Matthew 24:3]. Two questions that actually voice one great thought. The Coming of the Lord Jesus for His people is intimately tied with the close of the age.
In His answer, the Master warned His disciples of awesome judgements that are to be poured out on the earth. He spoke of the Great Tribulation and the Antichrist that shall come. Then, He warned, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” [Matthew 24:29-31].
The return of our Lord at the conclusion of the Great Tribulation will set in motion the judgement of the nations that will take place at that time [Matthew 25:31-46]. Those peoples who have served the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation will be judged by the Son of God, and as He judges of the nations of the earth, that judgement will usher in His Messianic reign. John foresaw that day when he wrote, “I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years” [Revelation 20:1-6].
Throughout the years of the Reign of Christ on earth, the world will undergo a striking transformation. The Lord Jesus will rule over the entire earth, judging the peoples with righteousness. Unlike this day, the meek and the poor will be treated with respect and enjoy equity. Isaiah describes that day when the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf and the lion will be led together by a little child, and the cow and the bear will lie down together [Isaiah 11:1-9].
More particularly, our text speaks indirectly, though in full agreement with other Scriptures, that Israel will bless the Gentiles. To Abraham, God delivered His Covenant. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram (later known as Abraham), saying, “To your offspring [Hebrew, zareh, seed, singular] I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites” [Genesis 15:18-21].
This covenant is generally known as the Abrahamic Covenant. God promised that through the descendants of Abraham, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. During the Millennium, Jesus our Lord, the offspring of Abraham will bless all mankind as He rules with grace and mercy over all the earth. In this day, Jesus, the offspring of Abraham, blesses all who receive the salvation He offers, as we believe in Him. He gave His life as a sacrifice for sin so that we might be free from condemnation. Therefore, our message to all who will receive life is to believe Him.
This is what Paul speaks of in the letter to the Galatian churches. “Even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise” [Galatians 3:15-18].
The Abrahamic Covenant followed the earlier call Abraham had received when God commanded Him to leave Ur of the Chaldeans. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed’” [Genesis 12:1-3].
God’s call set the stage for what we know as the Palestinian Covenant. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land” [Genesis 12:7]. The Palestinian Covenant promised a national land for the descendants of Abraham. That land included what is today known as Palestine, including tiny Israel. This Palestinian Covenant was expanded and clarified later as God spoke once more to Abraham.
“The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, ‘Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you’” [Genesis 13:14-17].
There remains yet another great covenant that must be recognised whenever we speak of the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus. This is the Davidic Covenant, in which God promised a dynasty, a nation and a throne to the descendant of David. God spoke to David and said, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom” [2 Samuel 7:12]. Later, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David wrote:
“You have said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’”
[Psalm 89:3, 4]
There is yet one final Covenant that shall be fulfilled in the Millennium, and it bears directly on the text before us. This is the New Covenant found in Jeremiah 31:31-34. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbour and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Putting together the Covenants, the descendants of Abraham were to bless all the families of the earth. That promise of blessing continues throughout the Word of God. God would give to the descendants of Abraham the land we now know as Palestine. There, God would appoint a descendant of David to rule over the land. Through Israel, God would grant salvation. In the Millennium, God will at last fulfil all these covenants.
There are people—good people—who believe we are now in the Millennium. However, if we are now in the Millennium, I want to know why the devil is still free? Why is Satan not bound? God promised that Satan would be bound throughout the Millennium [Revelation 20:2, 3], and if this is the Millennium, I want to know who it is that continues to disrupt the work of Christ and slander His people! Also, God has promised that those who know Christ will reign with Him for a thousand years [Revelation 20:4]. I am born from above through faith in the Risen Son of God, and I know that I am not reigning with Him at this time.
No, we are not in the Millennium, but we are certain that day shall come, just as He has promised. And though we dare not attempt to set a date for His coming, we know that He has pledged on His sacred honour, and we also know that when He comes that He shall establish His reign over all the earth. It is during that time when He shall reign that all the Covenants will be fulfilled and it is during the Millennium when the prophecy that Isaiah delivered in the words of our text will be fulfilled.
For the moment, the Kingdom of God is among us. It is that Kingdom that reigns over the heart of those who have received the new birth through faith in the Son of God. However, we know there is promised a day when “the kingdom of the world” shall “become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever” [Revelation 11:15]. That day will usher in a day of peace such as has never been known and as the prayer of the Psalmist is fulfilled and the whole earth is “filled with His glory” [Psalm 72:19]. Indeed, in that day, “all the peoples” will “see His glory” [Psalm 97:6].
As an aside, we who are believers will reign with Christ throughout the Millennium. This is the promise of God. Paul says, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” [2 Timothy 2:12]. We who are the children of the Living God have now been declared to be “a kingdom and priests to our God;” and so we “shall reign on the earth” [Revelation 5:10]. At that time, the prophecy given to Daniel will be fulfilled. That prophecy promises, “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever” [Daniel 7:18]. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
In the Millennium, Muslims and Jews will Turn to Christ Jesus the Lord — The text states that God will call Egypt “My people,” and that Assyria will be known as the work of His hands, just as Israel is now known as His inheritance. The Covenants of God promise that all mankind will be blessed in Israel. For the moment, we Gentiles have been blessed, as Israel appears to have stumbled. However, we must not exalt ourselves before the time. We must realise what God is doing. Paul addresses that very point when he wrote the Christians in Rome.
The Apostle asks, “Did [Israel] stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean” [Romans 11:11, 12]!
Then, cautioning against becoming proud toward God’s Covenant people, the Apostle warns Gentile believers in this age, “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree” [Romans 11:22-24].
Isaiah employs the phrase “in that day,” five times in reference to earth’s final age when Christ the Lord shall establish His Messianic kingdom on earth. Some remarkable changes will take place, according to the text. The changes will take place in four steps. Egypt will fear Israel [Isaiah 9:16–17], because of the Lord who works among His people. Then, Egypt will be converted to the worship of the true God, swearing allegiance to Him [Isaiah 19:18]. They will trust Him, not their idols, and pray to Him in times of need [Isaiah 19:19-22]. And finally, the Egyptians will become part of the one nation under God [Isaiah 19:24, 25]. This is nothing less than a promise that vast numbers of Muslims in Egypt will one day turn in faith to Christ the Lord and be saved!
Worship of the True and Living God will be established as national policy in Egypt, and also throughout the world. At the time Isaiah wrote, he specifically focused on Egypt and Assyria, as the first readers would have found the transformation prophesied to be unbelievable. Nevertheless, God has declared Egypt will establish “an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land,” indicating the prevalence of private worship, and they will establish “a pillar (a monument) to the Lord at [the] border,” demonstrating the national determination to worship the Lord together with Israel [e.g. Ezekiel 40:46].
These spiritual changes will bring about a great political change: Israel, Egypt, and Assyria (modern Iraq) will cooperate and enjoy the blessing of the Lord! These three nations will not only receive God’s blessing, but they will all be a blessing to the other nations [Isaiah 9:23–25]. How this prophecy must have seemed like a fairy tale to the Israelites of Isaiah’s day. It does not seem credible to us! It seems impossible!
When we read in verse 23 “there will be a highway,” it signifies the removal of alienation between these three lands. Historically, Egypt and Assyria were enemies, and tiny Israel lay between these historic enemies. In the Millennial Kingdom, Isaiah sees these two great powers that had only met in warfare would at last be united in worship. At last, in the Millennium, those who have previously warred will be at peace. Together, they will be blessed by the Master and they will worship Him.
I have on occasion heard some individuals fret that Israel will be exalted while the Gentiles are humbled. It is irrational fear for an individual to think that God would deliberately humiliate anyone when that person seeks His face. God seeks our welfare, not our humiliation. Note that in the Messianic Kingdom, Israel will have only an equal part [a third, verse 24; but not third place], and her distinctive titles will be shared out with those whom had been her cruellest enemies. God plans what is good for all people, not what humiliates. Christ shall reign with equity and with justice, unlike rulers in this day. He will put down all rebellion and peace will prevail throughout the earth.
What a wonderful day it will be when there is peace in the Middle East because the nations have bowed before the King of kings! We must continue praying, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” [Revelation 22:20].
In the Millennium, the Knowledge of the Lord will Cover the Earth — Habakkuk foretold a day when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” [Habakkuk 2:14]. He was privileged to have the veil that separates time from eternity pulled aside, permitting him to witness the coming Millennial reign of the Master. This is the same vision that Isaiah saw when he wrote of that Kingdom.
“They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.”
[Isaiah 11:9]
“The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.” That cannot be said today. Though many people know about the Lord, it cannot be said that many people know the Lord. However, there is coming a day that will witness the greatest revival the world has ever witnessed. During the Millennium, many shall be turned to righteousness.
Believers in the Lord Jesus are called to witness of His grace and power to save. Jesus commanded, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” [Matthew 28:19, 20]. We obey but poorly.
Nevertheless, what we are loath to do, those turning to the reigning Son of God during His Messianic Kingdom will perform. Egypt will earn the sobriquet “My people.” Christ will speak of the lands that now describe the lands of the Sunni Muslims as “the work of My hands.” Israel will continue to be known as the inheritance of the Lord. Indeed, the Word of the Lord through Isaiah will then be fulfilled.
“I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;
I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
to a nation that was not called by my name.”
[Isaiah 65:1]
You will undoubtedly recall that when Jesus cleansed the Temple, He challenged the moneychangers by citing Scripture, “My house shall be called a house of prayer” [Matthew 21:12]. He was quoting a text that points to His Millennial reign.
“The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
…
“I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
[Isaiah 56:3, 7]
When God speaks of Egypt as “My people,” we know that He promised that Israel would be called “My people” [Hosea 2:23]. When he speaks of Assyria as ”the Work of My Hands,” it is the same title that was applied to Israel in Isaiah 29:23. Of course, Israel has always been God’s inheritance [see Deuteronomy 32:9]. This equalisation of the nations now identified as Muslim with Israel is no degradation for them. Although in the Millennium there will be no essential difference between the nations in their relation to God, it is still the God of Israel who brings about this universal worship. The nation of Israel will have at last become, according to the divine promise, the means of blessing for the world.
Reading about the constant violence in Iraq, witnessing the visceral hatred toward Jews and hatred of all things western that is so rampant throughout the Muslim world, the prophecies of the Word seem like a dream. Nevertheless, God has spoken, and we can be confident that He is working out all things according to His will. We cannot make prophecy come true, but we can live in anticipation and hope, knowing that He who gave the prophecy speaks the truth and does not lie. It is not our place to engineer the outcome we imagine God wants; but we can pray for His Kingdom to come, just as we have been taught. God cannot lie, and His Word cannot fail.
What, then, should we learn from this? First, God is in control of history. He is working out the fulfilment of all that He has spoken through His prophets. This should give the Christian confidence and enable the child of God to rest in the knowledge that nothing can happen that has not been permitted by the Lord our God.
Again, if God is in control, then we can prepare people for that coming Kingdom by telling them of the goodness and the mercy of our God. We can witness to His grace and live as those who have been redeemed. We can so live that we are “prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks [us] for a reason for the hope that is in [us]” [1 Peter 3:15].
Finally, we can live in anticipation of His return. The Apostle John urges Christians to live in anticipation of the Master’s return for us. In 1 John 2:28-3:3 we read, “Little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
The Millennial Kingdom of Christ the Lord will come to earth. We will not “bring it in,” but we will see Him fulfil His Word. Will you be prepared for that Day when He calls His people out of this world and initiates the events that will move quickly toward His reign? My prayer is that you will indeed believe the message of grace that is declared today, so that you will be prepared for His return.
The Word of God calls each of us to believe the message of life. God says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” The apostle continues by remind us that, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” [Romans 10:9, 10, 13].
Accept the invitation of the Lord. Join me in the Kingdom of Christ the Lord. Believe and be saved. Do it today. Do it now. Amen.
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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] NET Bible, New English Translation, Libronix Electronic edition (Biblical Studies Press L.L.C.) 2006