Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom
Isaiah 11: 10
So there is no misunderstanding, this is not the Church or the Tribulation martyrs. These are the sheep Gentiles and their descendants (to see link click Fc – The Sheep and the Goats). They will have natural bodies. Christ and believers will have to restrain their sin nature by ruling them with a rod of iron (2:27). When we get to the end of the thousand-years, the Gentiles who will have rejected Messiah will be as numerous as the sand on the seashore (20:8), and will rebel against God one final time after Satan is released (see Fm – Satan Will Be Released from His Prison and Will God Out to Deceive the Nations).
The sheep Gentiles who survive the judgment of the Gentiles at the end of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 25:31-34), are the ones who will enter and populate the Gentile nations in the Millennium. Because of their faith and help to the Jewish people, they will be able to participate in the blessings of the Messianic Kingdom.441 However, they, and the children born to them will inherit a sin nature from their parents and will need to accept Yeshua as the Messiah to be saved. They will have a hundred years to become believers or they will die (see the commentary on Isaiah Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom). Thus, there will be death in the Messianic Kingdom. But if they do accept Yeshua their Messiah, they will receive glorified bodies, and live throughout the Kingdom and never die. So death will be greatly reduced in the Millennial Kingdom because it will be for unbelieving Gentiles only.
Jesus Christ will be the center of Gentile attraction: In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the Gentile nations will rally to Him and His place of rest will be glorious (Isaiah 11:10). The LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again He will choose Isra’el and will settle them in their own Land. Aliens will join them and unite with the house of Jacob. Gentile nations will take them and bring them to their own place. And the house of Isra’el will possess the Gentile nations as menservants and maidservants in ADONAI’s Land. They will make captives of their captors and rule over their oppressors (Isaiah 14:1-2).
So while on the one hand the Gentile nations will be subject to Yeshua Messiah; on the other hand they will also receive His justice (Isaiah 42:1). At that time, in a special way, He will become the light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:5-7). Those who are rightly related to the King will be able to worship at His Temple where the Sh’khinah glory will be seen by all (Isaiah 56:1-8). However, the bodies and the suffering souls of the unfaithful will be visible throughout the Kingdom. Thus, for a thousand years God’s grace to the faithful and His judgment to the lost will be clearly seen (Isaiah 66:18-24).
Of the various feasts, celebrations and festival offerings of the Millennium mentioned by Ezeki’el, there is one, Sukkot, which will be obligatory for all the Gentile nations. They will all send a delegation to Jerusalem once a year to worship the King during this feast. It could be that they pay their tribute to the King at that time (Isaiah 60:11). If they fail to obey, rain will be withheld from them for that year (Zechariah 14:16-19).
On that day HOLY TO ADONAI will be inscribed on the bells of the horses (Zech 14:20-21). This is the same name that was inscribed on the gold plate on the turban of the high priest (see my commentary on Exodus Gc – Make a Plate and Engrave On It: Holy to the LORD). The word holy in Hebrew, or godesh, means to be set apart, distinct or uncommon. At that time everything on the earth will be so set apart, or HOLY TO THE LORD.
Not only that, but the cooking pots in ADONAI’s house will be as holy as the sacred bowls in the front of the Altar of Incense (see my commentary on Exodus Fp – The Altar of Incense in the Sanctuary: Christ, Our Advocate with the Father). Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be set apart to the Lord of the Sabbath, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. When that day comes, there will no longer be merchants in the house of ADONAI (Zech 14:21 CJB) as there was in the days of the bazaar of the sons of Annas (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Bs – Jesus’ First Cleansing of the Temple).
The last specific area the Bible deals with, as far the Gentiles in the Millennial Kingdom is concerned, is the Arab states. The most important charge against them was their hatred of Isra’el. This hatred that characterized the descendants of Esau and Ishmael can be traced back as early as Numbers 20:14-21, all the way through the prophets until today. Psalm 83:1-8 summarizes their hateful attitude pretty well.
The place of the Arab states will be determined by history of anti-Semitism and how closely they are related to Isra’el by blood. Peace will come between Isra’el and the various Arab states during the Millennial Kingdom, but it will come in one of three forms: conversion, occupation or destruction.
Peace will come between Isra’el and Lebanon by means of occupation (Ezeki’el 47:13 to 48:29). Lebanon was always part of the Promised Land, but it was the part that Isra’el never possessed. However, during the Kingdom, there will not be a country called Lebanon because it will be part of Millennial Isra’el.
As for Mo’ab, or present-day central Jordan, it, too, will suffer destruction, but it will not be total (see my commentary on Jeremiah Dl – The Punishment and Restoration of Mo’ab). Those who survive will repent and a faithful remnant will live during the Kingdom (see my commentary on Isaiah Dw – The Hope of Mo’ab’s Salvation). So peace will come between Mo’ab and Isra’el by means of a partial destruction that will lead to a national regeneration of Mo’ab. There will be a saved nation called Mo’ab during the Millennial Kingdom.
Ammon, or modern northern Jordan, will also suffer partial destruction and become a possession of Isra’el. But their destruction will not be total. A believing remnant will survive and believe that Jesus is the Messiah (see my commentary on Jeremiah Dm – A Message About Ammon). Consequently, peace will come between Isra’el and northern Jordan by the means of a partial destruction, followed by their conversion. There will be a saved nation in the Kingdom called Ammon.
To summarize, peace will come between Isra’el and the three parts of modern Jordan by means of destruction, but not all to the same degree. Edom, in southern Jordan, will suffer complete destruction by the people of Isra’el (Ezeki’el 25:12-14), and there will be no nation called Edom in the Millennial Kingdom (see my commentary on Isaiah Gi – Edom’s Streams Will Be Turned into Pitch). Founded by the descendants of Jacob’s twin brother Esau, it is especially condemned for their hatred of Isra’el (Jeremiah 49:7-13; Ezeki’el 35:1-9; Obadiah 5-21). Edom’s sin against Isra’el is the greatest because she betrayed her family. Both Mo’ab, or central modern Jordan, and Ammon, or northern modern Jordan, will suffer partial destruction but a believing remnant will survive in both countries. There will be a nation of Mo’ab and a nation of Ammon in the Millennial Kingdom. Both of these nations are descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, and therefore, are distantly related by blood.
Peace will come between Isra’el and Egypt initially by means of destruction. Because of Egypt’s ancient hatred of Isra’el, they will initially suffer the same fate as Edom and be desolate for the first forty years of the Millennial Kingdom (Ezeki’el 29:8-16). But after that, they will be regathered and a national regeneration of Egypt will take place. So peace will eventually come between Isra’el and Egypt by means of conversion (see my commentary on Isaiah Ef – The LORD Will Make Himself Known to the Egyptians).
Ancient Assyria today encompasses northern Iraq, another ruthless enemy of Isra’el. But peace will come between Iraq and Isra’el by means of conversion (see my commentary on Isaiah Eg – Blessed Be Egypt, Assyria and Isra’el). There will be economic, religious and political unity because they will all worship the same God.
Like Edom, Babylon will become a desolate spot during the entire Millennial Kingdom (see my commentary on Isaiah Dk – Babylon, the Jewel of Kingdoms, will be Overthrown). While Egypt’s desolation will be limited to forty years, because of Babylon’s unique violence against Isra’el, her desolation will last for a thousand years. Throughout the Millennial Kingdom, while the entire earth is beautiful and fruitful, Edom and Babylon will be places of continual burning. Smoke will rise and be visible for the entire thousand-year period. While Satan will be confined to the Abyss, his demons will be imprisoned in Edom and Babylon during the entire Millennial Kingdom period.442
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