Micah Continues

Chapter Four: The Good News of the Future Millennial Kingdom

4.1-5...But it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the top of the mountains and higher than all the hills, and peoples shall flow unto it. And many Gentiles shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem…he shall judge among many peoples and correct strong nations even afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they train for war any more…each one shall sit under their vine and under their fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of the hosts has spoken it. Even if all the peoples should walk each one in the name of their gods; with all this we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and eternally.

Chapters four and five present an image of the future millennial kingdom. It is important to understand that Christian eschatology is fundamentally based on Jewish eschatology. Most, if not all, of our ideas of the end of the age are based on the Old Testament scriptures and Hebrew thinking. The Book of Revelation was written by a Jew and sums up all the writings of the prophets. Micah saw well into the future of this world!

In Micah’s portrait of the future kingdom, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are the center of the world. His view is nearly the same as found in Isaiah 2.2-4. The instruction the gentiles will receive and the law going forth from Zion is Torah. In Jewish liturgy verse 2 of Micah is read when the Torah is taken out of the ark.

The Messiah is the one who will be judging. He will be judging out of the book of the law: our code of conduct. Verse five in this chapter indicates that gentiles will accept the word of the Lord from Jerusalem and still maintain their own identities. The world will be learning of God during the Millennial Kingdom and His resurrected saints will be doing much of the teaching.

Those who were rebellious and disobedient in this world will have missed a great chance to rule and reign. Our merciful Lord will have a place for them but they will spend the thousand years learning what they refused to learn in our present world. He will dry their tears and send them back to school!

The fact is many who were disobedient will repent and turn back to the Lord during the tribulation period. They will not be raptured out as they expect but will be purified and tried during this awful period. All who go through the tribulation will be purified, tested, and tried--some will have much more to overcome than others. The Bride will be made ready and when Yeshua returns. In Rev 19.11-20 we will meet Him in the air and accompany Him to the battle of Armageddon.

4:6-10...In that day, saith the LORD, I will assemble her that is lame, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted, and I will make her that is lame to be heirs, and her that was cast off a strong nation, and the LORD shall reign over them in the mount of Zion from now, and for evermore. And thou, O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion shall come unto thee; and the dominion shall come first, the kingdom, to the daughter of Jerusalem.

Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail; for now thou shalt go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

These verses reinforce the thought of Messiah as the shepherd of the flock gathering His sheep together in Jerusalem.  Micah even saw as far as the Babylonian captivity. Why is she crying in travail? Because she is going through great tribulation. Here the Laodicean church will struggle to overcome their sins and turn back to the Lord. It will be a very difficult time for them but the Lord will redeem them from their enemies if they turn back to Him!

A final captivity of the Israelite nations of Israel, Britain, and America will signal the soon return of Messiah.

The Lord wants us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. This is always difficult on us. A generation is coming who will have to work out their salvation during the tribulation. We take our tribulation(s) now little by little--but in the last days those who have been in apostasy will have a much higher price to pay for their salvation! God wants none to perish but we often must learn hard lessons. Now is the time of salvation--now is the time to seek the Lord and walk in His ways. Too many are being held captive to Babylon in this day!

4.11-14...But now many nations are gathered against thee that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eyes see our desire carried out upon Zion…they did not know the thoughts of the LORD, neither did they understand his counsel by which he gathered them as sheaves onto the threshing floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs bronze; and thou shalt break in pieces many peoples; and thou shalt consecrate their spoil unto the LORD and their riches unto the Lord of the whole earth.

The Lord is saying, “Repent and follow me and after the tribulation I will have you rule this world.” He is speaking to a Zion in trouble--not those who are hidden in the cave of Adullam. He is speaking to the disobedient Laodicean believers. They are told to arise and thresh--God is threshing His people in the tribulation. He is testing them and making them ready. They were rebellious and disobedient but they are given a chance now.

Do we want to obey the Lord now or must we be threshed later? Now is the time to allow God to thresh us and teach us His ways. We are all in a process of being changed into His image. Do we yield now or must we go through a much more difficult experience? We can be scourged now or scourged through tribulation. Hebrews 4 begins to explain this process. Then go to Hebrews 12.2-13 for further understanding. God is perfecting us for much greater things than we can imagine! Many are called--few are chosen--or choose to move on!

Next: Chapter Five: The Coming Messiah and the Purification of His Saints

Chapter Five: The Coming Messiah and the Purification of His Saints

5:1-5...Now thou shalt be besieged by armies, O daughter of the army: he shall lay siege against us; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Lord in Israel; and his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of the ages…he will give them up until the time that she who travails has brought forth; then the remnant of his brethren shall return with the sons of Israel…he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide; for now he shall be great unto the ends of the earth…he shall be our peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then we shall raise against him seven shepherds and eight principal men.

The reference is to Yeshua ben David, Jesus son of David from Bethlehem in Judea. Traditional Jewish interpretation of verse two focus on the birth pangs of a woman and the hardship of the nation of Israel prior to the coming of Messiah! Ancient rabbis said, “Let Messiah come, but let me not see him.” They said this because of fear of the birth pangs. They asked, “What shall a man do to be spared the pangs of the Messiah?” The answer was, “Let him engage in study and benevolence.”

There it is! Even the ancient Hebrews dreaded this day. Their solution was to engage in study and benevolence--to obey the Lord now! If we rebel now who knows how difficult it will be to obey in that day? They knew a final end time captivity—Jacob’s trouble would come upon the nation!

All of God’s people suffer trials and chastisement. The focus here is to be prepared. The Laodiceans have been sleeping like the five foolish virgins. They will have to travail in the Tribulation until they have been brought forth. The stakes are high--they are eternal. Judgment begins at the house of God--get right now!

5:6-8...And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the blade, and the land of Nimrod with their swords; and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian when he comes against our land and when he treads within our borders…the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as the dew of the LORD, as the rains upon the grass, which did not expect a man, nor did they expect the sons of men…the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many peoples as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goes through and treads down and tears in pieces, there are none that can escape.

The Lord will deliver His people even as He chastises them. The Assyrian represents the nations of the earth coming against Israel and His Israelite nations. Many in the apostate church will be persecuting the true Israelites during the tribulation. The final generation of God’s people will have the most difficult time—but the greatest of rewards!

Jacob represents God’s people as a light in the world--as dew of the Lord and rains upon the grass. The saints who go through the tribulation will bring blessing on many--just as falling rain is blessing and brings forth the crops for the harvest. A great harvest will be simultaneously taking place during the tribulation. God will be sifting the nations through his threshed people! This is difficult to understand because we don’t understand God’s ways.

Chastisement brings us closer to God and we become His sons. There is joy in tribulation once we understand His ways. Some are harder to reach, some of us are slow to learn, some hardhearted. God knows what each of us need to learn. This seems very tough, but this is God’s love working out His eternal plan for us and the universe! So the Laodiceans will also have a chance to overcome!

5:9-14...Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine enemies, and all thine adversaries shall be cut off…it shall come to pass in that day, said the LORD, that I will cause thy horses to be killed out of the midst of thee, and I will cause thy chariots to be destroyed: and I will cause all the cities of thy land to be destroyed, and I will cause all thy fortresses to be destroyed: and I will cause the witchcrafts to be destroyed by thy hand; and no more soothsayers shall be found in thee: and I will cause thy graven images and thy images to be destroyed out of the midst of thee; and never again shalt thou worship the work of thine hands…I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities.

These verses historically describe the divine purge of God’s people and the nations. The message is to be obedient to the Lord. The destruction or judgment of Israel (God’s people) at the final moment becomes a retribution on the nations coming against God’s people.

Prophetically the Lord is telling His true ones that He will protect them from their (and His) enemies. The killing of horses and destroying of chariots is the point when we don’t trust in our flesh and our ways--but have yielded to the Lord and are following His instructions. His ways are above our ways--we no longer trust in ourselves.

The Lord despises witchcraft (works of the flesh and Satan) and pagan mixture. We are to be sanctified by His word and made holy as He is holy. The works of the flesh must be crucified. This is the nation being purified through difficulties (and in that generation’s day, the tribulation) as fire burns away the chaff--all of self.

Next: Chapter Six: The Lord Takes His People to Court