The Jews in Jesus’ time had been anticipating a warrior Messiah (anointed) King to come on the scene, a ‘son of David,’ who would save them from Roman subjugation. “Regal identity was enhanced by the Davidic Covenant, in which God promised David that a future son would reign over Israel forever (2 Samuel 7:11-17), including rest from all enemies. Such a reign implied the subjugation of those enemies and thus presented the image of a conquering king.” (1) The Messiah: Who Was Israel Expecting? – The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.
THE MESSENGER – THE VOICE CRYING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS
Perhaps the 1st-century Jews knew approximately when their Messiah was to come by reckoning the timing of Daniel 9:25. Or, more likely, they perceived the time was ripe for the Messiah by the appearance of John the Baptist, whom the Jews believed to be a prophet. The Jews hadn’t received a word from a prophet of God for over four and a half centuries, since Malachi (who wrote the last book of the Tanakh).
Malachi was the one who recorded God’s message to Israel, which said, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the LORD whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:1).
As John was baptizing in the Jordan River, the Pharisees came to him and questioned him. “And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No. So they said to him, ‘Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:19-23).
The Pharisees questioned John the Baptist’s identity. They believed he could be one of three important religious figures. First, they asked him if he was the Jewish Messiah. Second, they asked him if he was Elijah because of the prophecy in Malachi 4:5: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.” John, more than likely, even resembled Elijah as they both wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather. Third, the Pharisees asked John whether he was the Prophet Moses foretold in Deuteronomy 18:15.
John answered no to each question. He then told them he was “the voice crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Messiah” that Isaiah had prophesied about.
Of course, John was quoting from Isaiah 40:3-5, which the religious Jews would have recognized. “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
John was fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy (and Malachi 3:1) by preparing the way for the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Pharisees then asked John, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet? John answered them, I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:25-27).
I’m sure the Pharisees understood that John was referring to the Messiah, who John said would come after him. Also, the theme of John’s preaching concentrated on “repentance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of heaven could only come when the Messiah had come. Of course, the kingdom of heaven was also Jesus’ favorite message to preach.
So, there was a strong expectation that the Messiah would appear at this time (1st-century AD). Of course, the Jews were expecting a ‘son of David’ who would be a great warrior and save them from foreign Gentile subjugation. Little did the Jews know that this Rabbi, Jesus, had been the greatest warrior the world had ever known, that is, before his earthly incarnation. Back in the day (a day for the LORD is as a thousand years), He, the pre-incarnate Jesus, could have easily wiped out the entire Roman army all by himself. He could have even done it in his earthly form, although not in the way the Man of War would have done it. According to Matthew 26:53, Jesus said he could have prayed to the Father and received an army of more than twelve legions of angels.
Jesus’ words are recorded in Matthew 26 after the Last Supper of Passover when Judas betrayed him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Judas led the chief priests and elders of the people to Jesus, and they were going to arrest him when Peter took out his sword and struck a servant of the high priest’s, cutting off his ear.
“Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” (Matthew 26:52-54).
Of course, Jesus knew this wasn’t the Father’s will at this time. Jesus had to be sacrificed as the Lamb of God to gain the victory and redeem his people and the entire world. The Jews wanted their warrior ‘son of David’; instead, they got something much better, a ‘son of David’ who was “a man after God’s own heart.” This is how the LORD described David (in 1 Samuel 13:14) when Samuel informed King Saul that David would be his eventual replacement. Jesus, the son of David, would save the Jews (and the Gentiles) from their sins and eternal death. All it would require was faith that Jesus was who He said He was… the Son of God. But that is a story for another time.
Now, continuing from Part 1, let’s return to the exploits of the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, who had a much different (although similar in some ways) mission of salvation to accomplish for the Father God. This mission would require the warrior entity that Moses called ‘the Man of War’ (and the Angel or Messenger of the LORD). He will also return at the end of the age.
After the children of Israel entered the Promised Land and defeated Jericho and Ai, they faced the armies of a coalition of five Amorite kings, including the king of Jerusalem. The LORD told Joshua not to fear, for He (as the Messenger of the LORD) would deliver them into their hand, and not a man would stand before them.
THE WARS OF JOSHUA AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL IN THE PROMISED LAND
“So the LORD routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the LORD cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword” (Joshua 10:10-11).
Joshua asked the LORD for a miracle that day, and God performed one of the greatest miracles ever. Joshua asked for the sun to stand still and the moon to stop until the people had revenge upon their enemies. “So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the LORD heeded the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:13-14).
After many years of fighting with the inhabitants of Canaan, the children of Israel had mostly conquered their enemies and were enjoying a time of relative peace and rest. Joshua was well advanced in age and was soon to die. His farewell address to the people of Israel is recorded in Joshua 23.
“You shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but as for you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.
“Therefore, take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. Or else, if indeed you do go back, and cling to the remnant of these nations—these that remain among you—and make marriages with them, and go in to them and they to you, know for certain that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the LORD your God has given you” (Joshua 23:8-13).
Before the tribes departed into their own land inheritance, Joshua made a covenant between all the people of Israel and the LORD. Here is some of what the LORD told him to say:
“So I delivered you out of his (Balak, king of Moab) hand. Then you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho. And the men of Jericho fought against you—also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I delivered them into your hand. I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out from before you, also the two kings of the Amorites, but not with your sword or with your bow. I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.”
Joshua then continued and gave them some great advice:
“Now, therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:10-15).
Several of the tribes of Israel did not completely drive out the inhabitants of the land but instead put them under tribute. These tribes included Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan. This lack of obedience angered God greatly, so He sent his messenger to give them a word.
“Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, I will never break My covenant with you. And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? Therefore, I also said, I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you. So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept” (Judges 2:1-4).
The children of Israel sacrificed to the LORD there at Bochim. Joshua then dismissed the people, and they dispersed into their inheritance to possess the land. Joshua died shortly after this at the age of 110 years. When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. Without the pre-incarnate Yahweh (LORD) Jesus, aka the Angel of the LORD, fighting for Israel, they would never have been successful in acquiring the Promised Land. He is the ultimate “Man of War,” and nothing or nobody can stop Him from accomplishing the will of the Father.
After the death of Joshua in approximately 1375 BC, Israel was ruled by judges. These men (and one woman) were usually exceptional warriors who led the people of Israel in war against neighboring pagan nations. During this time of the judges (approximately 325 years), the Angel of the LORD fulfilled His prophecy and did not fight against Israel’s enemies as He had before. Instead, He raised up judges and sent His Holy Spirit to empower them for the task at hand. It’s not until the time of the Kings of Judah that the Man of War reappears to do battle against Israel’s enemies.
THE WARS OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH
Asa was the third king of the kingdom of Judah. During his reign, the Ethiopian army of a million men and 300 chariots came against Judah. “So, Asa went out against him, and they set the troops in battle array in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. And Asa cried out to the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O LORD our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!” (2 Chronicles 14:10-11).
God heard Asa’s prayer and responded. “So the LORD struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. And Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So the Ethiopians were overthrown, and they could not recover, for they were broken before the LORD and His army. And they carried away very much spoil. Then they defeated all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD came upon them; and they plundered all the cities, for there was exceedingly much spoil in them. They also attacked the livestock enclosures, and carried off sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 14:12-15). This miraculous defeat of the Ethiopians was the work of the Angel of the LORD (aka the Man of War), the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ.
Asa’s son, Jehoshaphat, faced a similar problem when the nations of Moab, Ammon, and others were marching toward Jerusalem. “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask the help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD” (2 Chronicles 20:3-4).
Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, and spoke to the LORD, asking for his help. 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 is one of the greatest prayers recorded in the Old Testament. It was so righteous and aligned with God’s will that He answered it right away.
After this petition to the LORD, Jahaziel, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came forward with the mighty Spirit of the LORD upon him and said, “Hearken you, all Judah and Jerusalem, and you king Jehoshaphat, Thus says the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. You shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand you still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem; fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you” (2 Chronicles 20:15-17).
These words of Jahaziel from the Lord are the same ones Moses used during the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever” (Exodus 14:13).
Jehovah (or Yahweh) used one of his favorite methods to destroy the enemies of Judah. He got the different armies to fight against one another, just like He did earlier with Gideon’s enemies. It must have been sheer madness and carnage. He will also accomplish this same war tactic in the near future with Gog and his allies during the Gog/Magog war mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39.
“And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped” (2 Chronicles 20:24).
Just as Jahaziel had prophesied, the LORD, in the Person of the Angel of the Lord, had defeated the invading enemy armies all by Himself. “Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat in front of them, to go back to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. So they came to Jerusalem, with stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the LORD. And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around” (2 Chronicles 20:25-30).
A RIGHTEOUS KING AND PROPHET
After the evil King Ahaz died, his son, Hezekiah, became king of Judah in approximately 715 BC. “And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father did. He removed the high places, and broke the images, and cut down the groves, and broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan. He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served him not” (2 Kings 18:3-7).
In the sixth year of Hezekiah, Shalmaneser V, king of Assyria, conquered Samaria and carried away the northern kingdom of Israel into Assyria. “Because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD their God, but transgressed his covenant, and all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, and would not hear them, nor do them” (2 Kings 18:12).
After Assyria defeated and carried away the northern kingdom of Israel, the Assyrians set their sights on the southern kingdom of Judah. In 701 BC, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Hezekiah had to pay them tribute in silver and gold to keep them at bay. This only worked for a little while until Sennacherib came again to destroy Judah for good this time. The Assyrians laid siege to Jerusalem and commanded the people there to surrender. They also blasphemed the God of Israel. Being a godly and righteous king, the first thing Hezekiah did was pray to the LORD for deliverance from the superior forces of Assyria. This prayer is recorded in 2 Kings 19:15-19.
Hezekiah sent for the prophet Isaiah, who had been working for the LORD since King Uzziah was on the throne. Isaiah told the king not to be afraid of Sennacherib’s words, for the LORD had spoken to him concerning the king of Assyria, “He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it [build a siege ramp]. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, says the LORD. For I will defend this city, to save it, for My own sake, and for My servant David’s sake” (2 Kings 19:32-34).
THE MAN OF WAR IS BACK
This was a short-lived prophecy by Isaiah, as that night “the Angel of the LORD went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. So Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh” (2 Kings 19:35-36).
The Man of War, as the Angel of the LORD, had killed 185 times more of the enemy than Samson, when he killed 1,000 Philistines in one battle. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
The following passages of scripture in Psalms describe the Man of War, who is Yahweh (or LORD) Elohim (or God). He is the Word, the second Person of the Trinity, and the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. Some scholars believe David is prophesying about the Second Coming (as also described in Revelation 19:11-21). The cherub that Yahweh rides upon has horse-like features.
“In my distress, I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
“And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that was before him, his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hailstones and coals of fire.
“Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
“He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me on the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:6-19).
THE MAN OF WAR RETURNS ONCE AGAIN
One thing is sure. The Man of War (aka the LORD Jesus Christ, aka the Son of God, aka the Word) will return physically to the earth to wage war one more time at the end of the age. This will occur after the end of Daniel’s 70th Week, otherwise known as the seven-year Tribulation, when Jesus returns to the earth. He will save the remnant Messianic Jews (and Gentile believers) from the human and demonic forces of Satan and the Antichrist.
“It shall come to pass in all the land, says the LORD, that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, This is My people, and each one will say, The LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:8-9).
“It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea. He will set up a banner for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah, from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:11-12).
“He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist” (Isaiah 11:4-5).
THE SECOND COMING OF THE MESSIAH TO THE EARTH
The Campaign of Armageddon begins when the Antichrist gathers his forces at the Valley of Megiddo, also known as Jezreel (Armageddon). After the city of Babylon is destroyed, the Antichrist and his army march south to Jerusalem, and from there to Bozrah, where the remnant of the Jews are holed up. The Antichrist aims to destroy the remaining one-third of the Jews who are still alive at this time. However, he comes upon the Man of War instead. Uh-oh!
Here is a description of John’s vision of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. This time, He will appear as the Word of God in all His Shekinah Glory.
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.
“And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.
“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:11-21).
The LORD of hosts will return to the earth with His armies of angels and redeemed (and translated) mankind. However, the armies will not take part in the battle. They will only be witnesses, as the Lord Jesus in all of His Godly Shekinah Glory fights by Himself. He needs no help from angels or mankind to defeat His foes. The land of Edom and the city of Bozrah (Petra in Greek) is the location of the Second Coming, as confirmed by Habakkuk 3:3 and Micah 2:12-13. This is where the remnant of Israel will be located in the last days (for 1,260 days, per Revelation 12:6). The forces of the Antichrist will try to destroy them at this time; however, King Yahweh returns at the last moment to save His people from annihilation.
Isaiah describes the second coming like this:
“Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
“I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redemption is come.
“And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth” (Isaiah 63:1-6).
The fighting (killing) starts at Bozrah and moves back to Jerusalem, where it ends at the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:12-13). When the killing is over, the Bible describes that blood will reach a depth of up to a horse’s bridle (5-6 feet deep) for 1,600 furlongs (Revelation 14:20). I believe this battle will last for ten days, from Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets) to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle” (Zechariah 14:3).
When the battle is finally over, Jesus shall descend upon the Mount of Olives (or Olivet), from which he ascended into heaven after his resurrection (according to Acts 1:12). “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south… and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with you” (Zechariah 14:3-5).
After this great slaughter by the One who sat upon the horse, with the sword (His word) that proceeded out of His mouth, the Antichrist and the false prophet will be cast alive into the lake of fire. Then an angel will come down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He will take hold of that old serpent, the Devil (Satan), and bind him for a thousand years.
THE MILLENNIAL RULE OF JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ, God Himself, will rule and reign from Jerusalem for a thousand years on the earth (per Revelation 20:4). The Man of War will no longer need to wage war in defense of his people, as peace will be the rule of law under King Jesus.
“He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4).
He who was once called the “Man of War” will now be called the “Prince of Peace” according to Isaiah 9:6, or the “Prince of princes” per Daniel 8:25.
However, He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. “You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel. Now, therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him” (Psalm 2:9-12).
“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:9-10).
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Randy Nettles
rgeanie55@gmail.com
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