RESTORATION
Amos 9:13 A
time is coming declares the Lord
When the plowman shall meet the reaper
And the treader of grapes (will meet)
Him who holds the seed ;
When the mountains
will drip wine
And
all the hills shall wave [with grain].
I will restore My people Israel.
They shall rebuild ruined cities and inhabit them ;
They shall plan vineyards and drink their wine ;
They shall till the gardens and eat their fruits.
And I will plant them on their soil,
Nevermore
to be uprooted
From the soil I have given them.
The stanzas of Amos slip into a future description of a time of restoration of Israel to
their native lands, after which Israel shall nevermore be
uprooted again. Nothing except divine intervention could establish Israel
"nevermore" to be uprooted. Therefore this last stanza is about the
Messianic end of The Age time period when the Lord/Messiah /Melchizedek comes.
"Mountains dripping with wine" are also Messianic references. Future,
past, and present are often described within a single unit of text, almost as if the events are fused
together with the element of time removed. Indeed, God sees history from outside time, where ultimate
causes yield ultimate effects, despite their "apparent" unrelatedness
to the human eye of sequential time. Similar references such as forever,
nevermore, and everlasting occur in conjunction with a consistently repeated
list of End of The Age events, such as restoration of Israel in the example
before us. These events and references are densely distributed throughout all of the Old Testament prophets.
The prophet ends on a word of
hope for a restoration
that is still yet to come.
Israel here (14:5), can be read as denoting the people of God who have strayed
from home. The time frame jumps way into the future to the time of messianic
restoration at ages end that is upcoming. The prophet himself is probably
unaware that this is a distant future event, knowing only that it will occur,
but not when. Finally:
God now reassures those who love Him:
Protection/Restoration
Isaiah 43:1 Fear
not, for I will redeem you;
I have singled you out by name,
You are Mine.
When you pass through water,
I will be with you;
Through streams,
They shall not overwhelm you.
When you walk through fire,
You shall not be scorched.
Through flame,
It shall not burn you.
Isaiah 43:4 Because you
are precious to Me,
And honored, and I
love you,
I give men in exchange for you
And peoples in your stead . . .
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the end of the earth—
This passage is one of the most
touching expressions of the Father’s love for His children. Truly,
"the hairs on our heads are numbered." Also, notice again the theme
of God’s protection of His people through "water and fire." Lastly,
note that His sons and daughters are located far away from the central location
Israel. This must be the Lost Israel remnant as the Judah remnant (Jews) are
already gathering in modern Israel.
The servant next says:
Isaiah 49:4 I
thought, "I have labored in Vain,
I have spent my strength for empty breath."
But my case rested with the Lord,
My recompense was in the hands of my God.
And now the Lord has resolved –
He who formed me in the womb to be His servant –
To bring back
Jacob to Himself,
That Israel may be restored
to Him!
And I have been honored in the sight of the Lord,
My God has been my strength.
[Notice carefully that the
servant of this verse has a specific job to do and that is to "bring back
Jacob to Himself (God), that Israel may be restored to Him!" To do this the servant must "raise up the
tribes to Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel." This equates to the
re-gathering and re-unification of the original tribes of Israel; the northern
Lost Ten Tribes (Israel) plus the southern tribes (Judah, Jews). This event
occurs at the end of the age before and during the coming of the Messiah. In
fact, it has already started, the Jews are gathering in modern Israel. The Lost
Ten Tribes remain to be identified, re-gathered, and re-united with the Jews,
eventually reconstituting the original whole House of Israel, as in the
beginning. Since the servant is given this task in Isaiah 49:4, the servant of
this passage must be an individual living at the end of our age which lies
shortly ahead of us. Very likely this servant is one and the same as Malachi’s
"Elijah to come" of the messianic period, the final prophet. Now we
have:
Restoration
Isaiah 49:14
Zion says,
The Lord has forsaken me….
(the Lord) never could forget you
See, I have engraved you
On the palms of My hands,
Your walls are ever before Me.
Swiftly your children are coming;
Those who ravaged and ruined you shall leave you.
Look up all around you and see:
Isaiah 49:18 They are all assembled, are come to you!
As I live – declares the Lord.
Zion is the city of David,
within Jerusalem, right next to the Temple Mount, where the Lord has and will
dwell again. Those who "ravage and ruin" leave the city and
Melchizedek gathers Jacob, those who love God, back to Zion. Zion symbolizes
the faithful and true peoples of
God. Those ‘who are
assembled’ are the remnants of Lost Israel and the Jews. Also, in Isaiah 49:14 ‘Zion
(Jews) says that the Lord (God) has forgotten them.’ God answers that he ‘could
never forget’ and says: ‘see I
have engraved you on the palms of My hands’ alluding to the crucifixion marks acquired by His Son Jesus.
What a tragic irony, even as the Jews are feeling forsaken 2000 years ago, God’s
presence in the form of His Son is amongst them, dying in his attempt to bring them back to God. O, if only we had eyes that
could see. And yet God goes right on attempting to make His people recognize
His love for them by predicting and then bringing about the return of His
people to Canaan after modern Israel is ruined and ravaged in the future yet to
come. Note that the allusion to Jesus' crucifixion marks is made over 600 years
prior to his coming.
Isaiah 49:22
Thus says the Lord God:
I will raise My hand to nations.
And lift up My ensign to peoples;
And they shall bring your sons in their bosoms,
And carry your daughters on their backs.
Captives shall be taken from a warrior
And spoil shall be retrieved from a tyrant;
For I will contend with your adversaries,
And I will deliver your children…
Isaiah 49:20 And all
mankind shall know.
That I the Lord am your Savior.
The Mighty One of Jacob, your Redeemer.
The "Lord" actively
intervenes to rescue his children from the hands of captors and oppressors.
"And all mankind shall know" means this will be a public external
event and not a spiritual metaphor.
Next, the Lord emphasizes that
there is no obstacle to the restoration of Israel and Judah. The covenant remains unbroken,
merely temporarily interrupted. The promises made to Abraham will all be fulfilled.
Isaiah 50 :1
Thus said the Lord:
Where is the bill of divorce?
Of your mother whom I dismissed?
And which of My creditors was it
To Whom I sold you off?
You were only sold off for your sins,
And your mother dismissed for your crimes.
Why, when I came, was no one there,
Why, when I called, would none respond?
Is my arm, then, too short to rescue,
Have I not the power to save?
Thus said the Lord
I know I shall not be shamed.
My Vindicator is at hand –
Who dare to contend with me?
Let us stand together!…
Restoration
Isaiah 54:2
Enlarge the site of your tent,
Extend the size of your dwelling,
Do not stint!
Lengthen the ropes, and drive the pegs firm.
For you shall spread out to the right and the left;
Your offspring shall dispossess nations
And shall people the desolate towns.
The Lord is telling Israel that
it’s offspring, the surviving remnants of "Israel" and
"Judah," will populate whole nations and shall inhabit some of the
towns in modern Israel that are desolated by war. He says further:
Isaiah 54:4
Fear not, you shall not be shamed;
Do not cringe, you shall not be disgraced.
For you shall forget
The reproach of your youth.
And remember no more
The shame of your widowhood.
For He who made you will
espouse you—
His name is "Lord of Hosts;"
The Holy one of Israel will redeem you,
Who is called "God of all the Earth."
Restored, future Israel’s youth, is ancient Israel. Its ‘disgrace’ and ‘reproach’ are
its going astray and its subsequent destruction and dispersion. I think ‘widowhood’ refers to Israel’s loss of her symbolic
spouse, God, and His agent Melchizedek. However, the fall from God’s grace is
only temporary (2500 years) and "He who made you (Israel) will espouse
you" again. Notice the play on the word spouse in ‘espouse’. Now, the Lord
will restore the people to its land and to its proper place among mankind. Note
the last phrase ‘who
is called God of the Earth.’ This
is fairly close to the meaning of a World Messiah or Planetary Prince. And so:
Restoration, 3 rd Temple
Isaiah 54:11
Unhappy,storm-tossed
one, uncomforted!
I will set your stones in fair colors
And make your foundations of sapphires.
I will make your
battlements of rubies,
Your gates of precious
stones,
The whole encircling wall of gems.
And all your children
shall be disciples of the Lord,
And great shall be the happiness of your children;
You shall be established through righteousness.
You shall be safe from oppression,
And shall have no fear;
From ruin, and it shall not come near you.
Surely no harm can be done
Without My consent:
Whoever would harm you
Shall fall because of you.
Here, God assures His people, ‘storm tossed one (Israel)’ that they will be safe once and for all
time. Perhaps God will direct through Melchizedek the making of a new temple on
the temple mount; made with gems,
rubies and sapphires. Further:
Isaiah 55:1
Ho, all who are thirsty,
Come for water,
Even if you have no money;
Come, buy food and eat:
Buy food without money,
Wine and milk without cost.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
Your earnings for what does not satisfy?
Here, we get a glimpse of the
bounty and blessings that will ensue with restoration. Again, people are thirsty because of
drought in the latter days.
Isaiah 60:9
Behold, the coastlands
await me,…
To bring your sons from afar,…
Aliens shall rebuild your (Jerusalem’s) walls,…
Their Kings shall wait on you (Jerusalem) – …
Your gates shall always stay open –
Day and night they shall never be shut – …
And you shall be called "City of the Lord."
Here, "The Lord" tells
us of the restoration of Jerusalem, the city where Lord Melchizedek will dwell.
Strangers and "aliens" from other countries, including America, will
come to live in and rebuild Jerusalem. These re-identified "alien"
Israelites (Christians mostly) reunite with their cultural brethren from Judah
(the Jews), forming once again one nation under God, the new Israel.
Now, we return again to Isaiah
where the Lord says:
Restoration
Isaiah 65:17
Behold! I am creating
A new heaven and a new earth;
The former things shall not be remembered,
They shall never come to mind.
Be glad then and rejoice forever…
Never again shall be heard there
The sounds of weeping and wailing…
He who dies a hundred years
Shall be reckoned a youth…
They shall plant vineyards and enjoy their fruit…
For the days of My people shall be
As long as the days of a tree,…
They shall not bear
children for terror,
But they shall be a people blessed by the Lord.
Before they pray I will answer Them;
While they are still speaking, I will respond.
The wolf and lamb shall graze together…
In all My sacred mount…
Isaiah 65:25 Nothing
evil or vile shall be done – said the Lord
I read these lines literally,
for it is an easy thing for God to extend life spans, create a new heaven and a
new earth, and make the wolf graze with the lamb. Just perhaps, these dramatic
changes will come with Melchizedek’s sovereignty and the possibility of an
accelerated entrance in to the age of light and life. Continuing:
Yet to such I look:
To the poor and brokenhearted,
Who are concerned about My word.
Those marginalized under the
sovereignty of man will not be forgotten, they will be lifted up – the ‘meek’
inheritors of a new earth under a new sovereignty. Now consider:
UB 622 …when the "holy
temple comes down upon earth." (Book of Revelation) This event signalizing
the dawn of the era of light and life, is always honored by the personal
presence of the Paradise Bestowal Son of that planet…this Bestowal Son proclaims the long-time
Planetary Prince as the new Planetary Sovereign and invests such a faithful Lanondeck Son
with new powers and extended authority over planetary affairs.
The Lord continues:
Jeremiah 29:20 But you, the whole
exile community which I (Lord) banished from Jerusalem to Babylon, hear the
word of the Lord!…
Jeremiah 24:14 I will be at hand for
you…and I will gather you from all
the nations and places to which I have banished you – declares the Lord – and I will bring you back to the place from
which I exiled you…
Jeremiah 24:11 For I am mindful of
the plans I have made concerning your welfare, not for disaster, (but) to
give you a hopeful future.
The Lord makes explicit in these
lines that all His plans are for His children’s ultimate well-being and that He
has no intention of abandoning anyone. Right now, today, God is gathering the
Judah remnant (the Jewish people) from among all the countries of the world to
which they have been scattered. Thousands of Jews pour through the gates to
modern Israel everyday; another prophecy in the process of being realized (Jer
24:14). God speaks through his prophet:
Jeremiah 29:13 You
will find Me, if only you seek Me wholeheartedly.
Jeremiah 30:11 I
will not make an end of you!
I will not leave you unpunished,
But will chastise you in measure…
Jeremiah 30:17 I will bring healing to you And cure you of your
wounds…
Jeremiah 3l:3 Eternal Love I conceived for you.
Jeremiah 3l:31 See, a time is coming
when I will make a new
covenant with the House
of Israel and the House of Judah…I will put My teaching in their inmost being and inscribe it upon their hearts.
These lines describe a future of
restoration and salvation. The New Covenant is the "kingdom of heaven
within" that is enabled by the outpouring of the Spirit of Truth by Jesus
Christ; and the Spirit of the Father, the internal guide within.
This is the Kingdom of
heaven and earth, which "shall stand forever." Rebellion and
isolation are ended, full restoration then takes place, and Melchizedek’s
comprehensive plan for rehabilitation is completed.
Deuteronomy 28:37 And you shall become
an amazement, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples.
The writing of these words is dated
by the reference to Canaan as "the land you go to possess." The land
(Canaan) has no formal name yet, not having yet been entered and settled.
This entrance to the Promised Land and the writing of this warning/prophecy
probably occurred between 1400 – 1500 B.C.; and yet it describes precisely the
Diaspora (dispersion), and persecution of the Jews that we now know took place
over a thousand years later. The return of the Jewish peoples to their land is
also prophesied far in advance.
Ezekiel 36:24 For I (Lord) will
take you from among the nations and gather
you out of all
the countries and
bring you into your own land…
This single verse is probably
the most important portent that our age is ending, the re-gathering of Jews
into Canaan from all the countries of the world, the establishment of modern
Israel in 1948. This sets the stage for all other subsequent events. Israel and
the Middle East problem is a prophecy clock for the timing of subsequent
prophesied events.
Ezekiel 37:33 In that day (when I
gather you) I shall cleanse you of all your iniquities… They will say this land
has become like a Garden of Eden.
These lines definitely relate to
the Messianic, End of The Age, and not the return from Babylonian captivity
because; the people are brought from plural
countries and nations
and not just Babylon. References to the Messianic "cleansing of all
iniquities" through forgiveness, and reference to the restoration of the
Garden of Eden – which ends The Adamic Age, just as it had begun so many years
before, places the re-gathering and the messianic cleansing in the same timeframe. This re-gathering of Judah from
"all the countries" into the land of Canaan officially began in 1948,
when the international community recognized Israel as a nation. Today these
re-gathered Jews are from more than 115 nations; speak 80 languages, and number
over 3.5 million people. Recently, this process has greatly accelerated due to
growing political and ethnic tensions in Russia and elsewhere in the world.
After the re-gathering, they will undergo ‘cleansing’ during the upcoming trial
period.
Hosea 3:4 For the Israelites will
go a long time without king and without officials,
without sacrifice and without cult pillars, and without ephod and teraphim.
Over 2500 years from the time the
Northern Tribes depart until they return as Christians is indeed a "long
time."
Zechariah 8:2 Thus, said the Lord of
Hosts: There shall yet be old men and women in the squares of Jerusalem, each
with staff in hand because of their great age. And the squares of the city
shall be crowded with boys and girls playing in the squares…Though it would
seem impossible
to the remnant of this
people in those days, shall it also be impossible to Me?…I will rescue My people from the lands of the east and
from the lands of the west, and I will bring them home to dwell in Jerusalem.
They shall be My people.
Certainly, this pleasant and
peaceful Jerusalem scene is impossible to conceive in the present – but we will
see its day of fulfillment come. Notice the reference to "great" age
possibly hinting at the extended longevity of the coming age. Notice that God
has to save "His people" that are gathered
from all over the world. This is because of the intense persecution they will
be under. These saved people are the same "captives" as those
that are "ransomed" by the Lord after his messianic entrance, as
previously discussed in other scripture references.
Zechariah 8:11 But now I will not
treat the remnant of this people as before declares the Lord of Hosts – but
what it sows shall prosper: The vine will produce its fruit, the ground
will produce its yield, and the skies shall provide their moisture. …And
just as you were a curse among the nations, O House of Israel and House of
Judah, so, when I vindicate you, you shall be a blessing.
The long age of persecution,
prejudice, and marginalization of faithful Jews is swept away as restoration is
enacted. The dry land from the present and progressive drought in the Middle
East will receive the rain of forgiveness and will yield great bounty through
God’s mercy.
The Lord tells us:
Zechariah 8:16 You must love honesty
and integrity… Speak the truth to one another… Render true and perfect justice
in your gates…
Also, the Holy days of fasting
"become occasions for joy and gladness." Repentance blooms into joy.
Zechariah 9:14 And the Lord shall
manifest Himself to them (Judah) And His arrows shall fall like lightning; My
Lord God shall sound the ram’s horn And
advance in a stormy tempest. The Lord of Hosts will protect them.
Modern Israel (Judah) is under
siege in 9:14, and Melchizedek enters to protect the people, who will therefore
survive and become part of the Judah remnant. A loud "horn" or
trumpet is sounded on Melchizedek’s arrival and is used to proclaim liberty to
these captives at the end of the age, which is the beginning of Melchizedek’s
sovereignty. This proclamation of liberty is part of the general restoration of
freedom and property that occurs during a Jubilee year of Jewish tradition.
Joel 3:5 But everyone who
invokes the name of the Lord shall escape; for there shall be a remnant on
Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised.
Joel 4:1 For lo! In those days And in that time I will gather all the nations And bring them down into the Valley of
Jehoshaphat There will I contend with them Over My own people, Israel.
Israel and its people have long
been persecuted peoples. But they shall be "shamed no longer."
Restoration is at hand. They now become a blessing to the other people of the
world. "Everyone who invokes the name of" or turns to the Lord
(God) shall escape from Jerusalem and be part of the remnant of Judah. The
other part of the Judah remnant survives in the city itself under the
protection of God. Melchizedek, as God’s agent, will gather and
"contend" with "all the nations" regarding the faithful
Israel remnant of God who are "scattered as dew" among these same
nations of contention. As explained elsewhere, Melchizedek will "pay
ransom" for the release and return of the faithful, mostly Christian and
Jewish remnant who have been persecuted and held captive in their respective
nations. Ultimately, Israel comes to mean all those who recognize, love and
respect the one true God of Abraham, Jacob, Jesus, and Melchizedek.
Anyone who would come, can come:
stranger, foreigner, alien, or eunuch.Joel 4:11 Rouse yourself and come, All
you nations Come together…
1Enoch 95:4 You shall not fear
those who trouble you; for restoration shall be yours; a splendid light shall
shine around you, and the voice of tranquility shall be heard from heaven. Woe
to you, sinners; for your wealth makes you resemble saints, but your hearts
reproach you, knowing that you are sinners. This word shall testify against
you, for the remembrance of crime.
1Enoch 95:5 Woe to you who feed
upon the glory of the corn, and drink the strength of the root of the spring,
and in the pride of your power
tread down the humble.
1Enoch 95:6 Woe to you who drink water at all times; for suddenly shall you be recompensed,
consumed, and withered, because you have forsaken the fountain of life (Jno.
4:13-14).
1Enoch 95:7 Woe to you who act
iniquitously, fraudulently, and blasphemously; there shall be a remembrance
against you for evil.
1Enoch 95:8 Woe to you, ye
powerful, who with power strike down righteousness; for the day of your
destruction shall come; while at that very time many and good days shall come
to the righteous, even at the period of your judgment.
The righteous gain dominion. The meek inherit the earth. The offspring of the righteous and elect
are to be "lifted up like eagles" apparently physically
"elevated" to safety and spiritually "exalted" over and
above the "ungodly." "A splendid light" probably from the
radiance of Melchizedek "will shine around" the "exalted."
95:4 tells us that "the sinners’ wealth" make them "resemble
saints" superficially but Enoch’s "words will testify against
them" because the book of 1Enoch will help the elect and righteous to
recognize the faces of deception and iniquity.
Apparently there is a great
drought because only the rich and iniquitous will "drink water at
pleasure" while the rest must suffer severe thirst and deprivation. The
"powerful" are put on
notice in 95:8 that their "day of destruction will come."
The drought at the end of the age (already begun)
that centers on the Middle East but involves many other areas of the world. It
is referred to many times in scripture regarding the last days and symbolizes
God’s displeasure with mankind. It continues until Melchizedek arrives and
water flows from under the Temple Mount and from the sky as long awaited rain.
.The rain symbolizes the restoration
that already has begun and
the arrival of God’s reign|rain of mercy on a weary and strife-ridden world.
The presentation above is from the book, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand”, by Edmund J. Roache, MD.