Then the remnant of Jacob shall be
in the midst of many peoples
like dew from the Lord,
like showers on the grass,
which delay not for a man
nor wait for the children of man.
8 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which, when it goes through, treads down
and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.
9 Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries,
and all your enemies shall be cut off.
10 And in that day, declares the Lord,
I will cut off your horses from among you
and will destroy your chariots;
11 and I will cut off the cities of your land
and throw down all your strongholds;
12 and I will cut off sorceries from your hand,
and you shall have no more tellers of fortunes;
13 and I will cut off your carved images
and your pillars from among you,
and you shall bow down no more
to the work of your hands;
14 and I will root out your Asherah images from among you
and destroy your cities.
15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance
on the nations that did not obey. Micah 5: 7-15
Micah 5: 7-15 The Dew
This is what Bonar wrote in 1847: “The prophecies concerning Israel are the key to all the rest. True principles of interpretation in regard to them will aid us in disentangling and illustrating all prophecy. False principles as to them” – that is Israel – “will most thoroughly perplex and overcloud the whole Word of God.” End quote. And that’s right back to what I said; and when I said it, I hadn’t yet found Bonar’s comment. He says you can’t get eschatology right if you don’t get Israel right.
He further wrote of his conviction as to biblical clarity on this matter, and his language is so magnificent that it needs to be thoughtfully repeated. So let me read to you what Bonar wrote in 1847: “I am one of those who believe in Israel’s restoration and conversion, who receive it as a future certainty, that all Israel shall be gathered, and that all Israel shall be saved. As I believe in Israel’s present degradation, so do I believe in Israel’s coming glory and preeminence. I believe that God’s purpose regarding our world can only be understood by understanding God’s purpose as to Israel.” Now remember, this is a time long before they had ever been gathered back into their land.
He went on to say, “I believe that all human calculations as to the earth’s future, whether political or scientific, or philosophical, or religious, must be failures, if not taking for their data or basis, God’s great purpose regarding the latter-day standing of Israel. I believe that it is not possible to enter God’s mind regarding the destiny of man without taking as our key or our guide His mind regarding that ancient nation, that nation, whose history so far from being ended or nearly ended, is only about to begin.”
He went on to say this: “He only, to whom the future belongs, can reveal it. He only can announce the principles on which that future is to be developed. And if He set Israel as the great nation of the future and Jerusalem as the great metropolis of earth, who are we, that without philosophy of science we should set aside the divine arrangements and substitute for them a theory of man? Human guesses concerning the future are the most uncertain of all uncertainties; and human hopes built upon these guesses are sure to turn out the most disappointing, if not the most disastrous, of all failures.
“I believe that the sons of Abraham are to re-inherit Palestine, and that the forfeited fertility will yet return to that land, that the wilderness and the solitary places shall be glad for them, and the desert will rejoice and blossom as the rose. I believe that, meanwhile, Israel shall not only be wanderers, but that everywhere only a remnant, a small remnant, shall be saved; and that it is for the gathering in of this remnant that our missionaries go forth. I believe that these times of ours are the times of the Gentiles, and that Jerusalem and Israel shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. I believe that the completion of what the apostle calls the fullness of the Gentiles will be the signal for the judgments, which are to usher in the crisis of earth’s history, and the salvation of Israel and the long-expected kingdom.” Why did he believe that? Because that’s exactly what the Bible says. - J Mac quoting Horatius Bonar
Then the remnant of Jacob - Those of Jacob, who is Israel, his progeny that have come to believe. Everywhere that we see this, it is speaking of those who have been called by God, who He has given the faith to believe, granted them repentance unto salvation. In every era it was by faith. This is a people that God has preserved unto Himself.
…2If Abraham was indeed justified by works, he had something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say? “ Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.… Romans 4: 2-4
…17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, “Through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.” 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and in a sense, he did receive Isaac back from death.… Hebrews 11: 17-19
…12But I will leave within you a meek and humble people, and they will trust in the name of the LORD. 13The remnant of Israel will no longer do wrong or speak lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths. But they will feed and lie down, with no one to make them tremble.” Zephaniah 3: 12-13
10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 11On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.… Zechariah 12: 10-11
Like dew from the Lord - The remnant of Israel that survives the Great Tribulation will be a blessing to those in the Millennium. Their heritage, the writings of the prophets, even their turmoil with God, has blessed ages of those who believe, who now see God is just and the justifier of the ungodly. One day we will see His promises to Abraham and David fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom under Christ's reign.
…2It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard, running down Aaron’s beard over the collar of his robes. 3It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD has bestowed the blessing of life forevermore. Psalm 133: 2-3
1Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. 2Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants. 3For I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Ascribe greatness to our God!… Deuteronomy 32: 1-3
…22And many peoples and strong nations will come to seek the LORD of Hosts in Jerusalem and to plead before the LORD.” 23This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue will tightly grasp the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” Zechariah 8: 22-23
Like a lion among the beast - As we have studied the OT we have seen Israel become the slave of Assyria and then Judah the slave of Babylon, but with this new heart He gives them, He also makes them strong, and the tables are turned so that they are no longer the prey. The Lamb will be with them, but now as the Lion of Judah.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’ ”
10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the Lord with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! Psalm 2: 8-12
Horses and chariots - This had long become a sign of wealth and security to them, but now Christ will be their safety, there will be no reason to spend on machines of war. He will bring true peace. Their faith needs to rest where it should always have rested, in God.
…6Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand. 7Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. 8They collapse and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.… Psalm 20: 6-8
Throw down your strong holds - They will not need to huddle together like fish in a school, fighting each other to be in the middle, "the safest" place. It will all be safe under Messiah's rule, no need for walls. Satan actually understands this, so his antichrist will try to mimic, duplicate this peace, but only Jesus can bring the reality.
…10This is what the Lord GOD says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. 11You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will come against a tranquil people who dwell securely, all of them living without walls or bars or gates— 12in order to seize the spoil and carry off the plunder, to turn a hand against the desolate places now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and possessions and who live at the center of the land.’… Ezekiel 38: 10-12
Sorceries...tellers of fortunes - God's word is all that mattered, but they didn't like it so they sought out those who would tickle their ears. The Pentecostal churches of today try to blend this in with Christianity just as the Israelites with Judaism, but God is opposed. People want to know the future, but that belongs to God, and yet they do not like to properly handle His word. He will remove all these superstitions and occult influences from them.
…6For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east; they are soothsayers like the Philistines; they strike hands with the children of foreigners. 7Their land is full of silver and gold, with no limit to their treasures; their land is full of horses, with no limit to their chariots. 8Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.… Isaiah 2: 6-8
19When men tell you to consult the spirits of the dead and the spiritists who whisper and mutter, shouldn’t a people consult their God instead? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.… Isaiah 8: 19-21
Root out your Asherah images - Asherah was a goddess of fertility, said to be the mother of many Canaanite gods. The Jews always liked the pagan gods of their neighbors, especially their worship practices which included Asherah poles, the high places, sexual sacrifices with both male and female temple prostitutes, all these things forbidden by God. We are no different today, nor when Christ returns to judge. We have such high places as Planned Parenthood, strip clubs, porn, and God is still opposed, yet more and more the people push to make all this common practice. It has even entered the church.
…19I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first. 20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.… Revelation 2: 19-21
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