By Avner Bosky, Final Frontier Ministries—
The Hebrew prophets speak much of an eschatological connection between two events – Israel’s restoration/revival (on the one hand) and a huge manifestation of praise and worship by all the nations (on the other). Let’s unpack this vision.
Psalm 117:1-2 and God’s heart
A thousand years before Yeshua was born, an anonymous hand penned a Hebrew psalm. Its message was directed to the nations. Yet this psalm sat untranslated, silent, on the shelf for a good thousand years before any non-Jew was able to decipher its message. Though this was a command to the nations, it was hidden in the scrolls of the Hebrew Bible for at least a millennium before its prophetic message became available.
The psalm’s call to the nations is still revolutionary in nature. It goes largely unheeded by the predominantly Gentile Body of Messiah! The nations are called on to worship and praise YHVH for a specific reason – because He keeps His covenant with the Jewish nation, and because His hesed (His faithfulness to the covenant promises He made to Israel) is great and irrevocable (Psalm 117:2).
God calls on the nations to rejoice and worship Him. Why? Because of His irrevocable gifts and calling to Israel. Here we have hit the motherlode of this amazing vision:
Earth-shaking worship will result when the nations grasp and embrace God’s priority choosing of Israel and His irrevocable love-promises for Jacob’s children.
Prophetic declarations in Isaiah
The Hebrew Scriptures repeat this above message frequently. This short newsletter will consider just the Book of Isaiah, and how this truth is trumpeted time and again therein.
In at least eighteen chapters Isaiah repeats the same theme:
God’s deliverance of Israel from her enemies and His restoration of the Jewish people to their Promised Land will result in the most powerful expression of Gentile praise that the world has experienced.
This message runs through Isaiah (and the rest of the Hebrew prophets) like a scarlet thread. It has unfortunately been obscured by the malevolent influence of Replacement Theology, which has chosen not to believe or teach the clear biblical promises, but instead has perversely attempted to parry the prophetic declarations of the Holy Spirit.
Here is a brief list with sixteen of Isaiah’s links between Jewish restoration and Gentile worship:
Isaiah 2:1-4 – The restoration of the Jewish people and their capital city Jerusalem will result in the largest international worship movement – all the nations flowing upward to worship YHVH on the Temple Mount and to learn from Him.
Isaiah 12:1-6 – Israel is commanded to call the nations together for worship (v. 4). Why? Because God will save and deliver the Jewish people (v. 2) and actually dwell in Israel’s midst (v. 6).
Isaiah 19:16-25 – The two largest Middle-Eastern superpowers Egypt and Assyria (today’s northern Iraq) will worship YHVH (v. 23) due to their recognition of YHVH as Israel’s God, their acceptance of Israel’s calling (v. 16-18), and the Jewish nation’s physical presence between Egypt and Assyria resulting in great blessing to these two superpowers (v. 23).
Isaiah 25:6-11 – The Messianic Banquet to which all nations will be invited will be held in Jerusalem on the Mountain of YHVH. The feast will celebrate how God has trampled down the enemies of the Jewish people and has wiped away their tears and shame.
Isaiah 30:18-33 – One of the classic worship passages in the Hebrew Scriptures connects music and warfare (v. 29-33). Exultant worship in this chapter defeats the enemies of the Jewish people and heals the bruises and wounds of the Jewish nation who are centered in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 34-35 – When the day of YHVH’s vengeance on Israel’s enemies comes and the year of recompense for the cause of Zion arrives (34), the result will be physical blossoming of the Negev and Aravah deserts, as well as the reborn nation of Israel ascending to Zion singing worship songs (35).
Isaiah 42:6-25 – The nations are commanded by YHVH to sing and offer praise (v. 10-12) because the God of Jacob will triumphantly prevail against His enemies as a man of war (v. 13).
Isaiah 43:21 – YHVH declares that He has created the Jewish people in order to broadcast His praise across the globe.
Isaiah 44:23; 49:13 – The heavens, the earth, the forests and the mountains are commanded to sing and shout praises to YHVH “because He has redeemed Jacob and glorified Himself in Israel”.
Isaiah 49:5-7 – The kings and princes of the world are commanded to worship YHVH because He is faithful to His covenant promises and has chosen Messiah the Son of David to bring restoration to Israel and to be a light to all the nations.
Isaiah 56:1-8 – God’s receiving of worshipers from the nations to His House of Prayer in Jerusalem will be connected to their heart for the Jewish people (v. 3) and their getting in sync with God’s ways and calendar (v. 4-6).
Isaiah 59:15a – 21 – God’s judgment on the enemies of Israel (v. 17-18) results in the nations fearing the name of YHVH and His glory from one end of the earth to the other (v. 19).
Isaiah 60:1-18 – When YHVH’s revival glory rests up the Jewish people (v. 1-2), all the nations will be physically and spiritually drawn to Israel (v. 3). They will brings their wealth and their offerings (v. 5-9), and will be involved in the physical rebuilding and strengthening of the Jewish land (v. 10-13). The hatred by former enemies against Israel will be astoundingly transformed into love (v. 14-15), and their pilgrimage will be to Jewish Jerusalem – the City whose walls will be called ‘Salvation’ and whose gates will be called ‘Praise’ (v. 18).
Isaiah 61:11 – YHVH’s restoration of the Jewish people will spring forth in the Land of Israel, and as a result righteousness and praise will spring forth before all the nations.
Isaiah 62:6-7 – The spiritual watchmen of the earth are called upon to intercede with the God of Jacob until Jerusalem becomes a praise in the earth.
Isaiah 66:18-24 – The nations who believe God and who love the people He loves, will help to physically carry the Jewish people back to their land. Some of them will even be incorporated into Jerusalem’s worship communities.
These few scripture passages (out of the many hundreds in the Bible) boldly underscore that the nations of the world who deeply love the Lord of Armies and who worship at the footstool of the Messiah Son of David, have a unique calling. They are called to prepare the contingencies for an encounter between Israel and her Divine Lover –
in intercession
in prayer
in preparation
in activity
in attitude
All who love Yeshua the Messiah are called to be worshippers (John 4:24). Those from among the nations who love the Jewish people whom He loves (Deuteronomy 7:8; Luke 7:5), are also called:
to catalyze the children of Israel into worship (Isaiah 62:7)
to love them as the apple of His eye (Zechariah 2:8)
to make room for them in the olive tree (Romans 11:24b) and at the table of the Messianic Banquet (Isaiah 25:6-10)
How should we then pray?
Pray for a revelation for those who love the Scriptures to tap into God’s heart about these issues
Pray for revelation specifically for Bible teachers, pastors and teachers of the Word on these matters
Pray for the Jewish people – that YHVH would pour out a spirit of grace and supplications on us through a revelation of Messiah Yeshua our atonement
Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s army speedily and in our day
Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.
