10 “Yet the number of the children of Israel
Shall be as the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered.
And it shall come to pass
In the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
There it shall be said to them,
‘You are sons of the living God.’
11 Then the children of Judah and the children of Israel
Shall be gathered together,
And appoint for themselves one head;
And they shall come up out of the land,
For great will be the day of Jezreel! Hosea 1.10-11
So, we conclude with the promise of restoration.
Hosea chapter 3 ends with the verse:
5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days. Hosea 3:5
There is this promise that there’s going to be a restoration.
As we read on, in chapter 5 and 6, we find the fascinating word about this which I will share with you another time. But many passages in the Old Testament and New Testament speak about a restoration of Israel in the latter days.
I believe we’re in the latter days. So, we should look to the return of Yeshua and the return of His people to Yeshua.
Sadly, these prophecies speak about a time of trouble. Jeremiah 30 in particular, Zechariah 12 to 14, Daniel 12 all speak about a time of trouble in which the Valley of Achor as a door of hope as they look to Yeshua / Jesus the Messiah and welcome Him as the coming Messiah.
And we look forward with Jewish people to the Millennial Kingdom when the Messiah returns comes as King, as Priest, and Prophet, the reigning as King of Israel from Jerusalem in what is also called the Messianic Kingdom.
And so we say בָּרוּךְ הבא בשם יהוה [bārûk/baruch brwk hbʾ bšm yhwh] Baruch haba b’Shem Adonai ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’, come Lord Jesus Maranatha.
Jesus is coming. He is the Messiah. He is the Saviour, and He is the One who wants to bring life to both Jew and Gentile that we might be united in Him and know the truth concerning God and know the Lord.
That is what’s on offer in the New Covenant. Praise God!
All these passages in the Old Testament point us to that great event of the First and Second Comings of Jesus the Messiah, amen.
Let’s just have a word of prayer as we come to the end.
Lord, we thank you for for your Word. We thank you for the truth of the scriptures.
We do pray for the people of Israel and the Jewish people in this neighbourhood. Lord, open their eyes to the truth that Yeshua is the Messiah, and help them to understand.
Lord, we confess before you the bad witness that the church has made down through the centuries which has put Jewish people off, put many people off, including Muslims.
Lord, we just pray that you would have mercy upon the professing church and, in these last days, turn them back to understand the place of Israel and your love for your people Israel. And the need to bring the Good News of the Gospel to your people Israel.
We pray this in Jesus’ Name, amen. Amen, praise the Lord!