"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant -as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old-SALVATION FROM OUR ENEMIES, AND FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US; to show mercy toward our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you child will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God. With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Luke 1:67-79 NASB
Around one thousand years previously, God made a covenant with a king named David. It starts with the ultimate establishment of Israel in their land, and the final overthrow of their enemies.
"I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and not be removed again; and the wicked will not waste them anymore as formerly, even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies."
1 Chronicles 17:9-10 NASB
Up to this point Israel had experienced times of conflict with various enemies, but had yet to experience removal from the land.
By the time of Zacharias, the Assyrian captivity, followed by the Babylonian captivity, had occured, and now although they were back in their land, they were subject to the Roman empire. So this is looking to a time yet future.
"Moreover I tell you that the LORD will build a house for you. When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father and he shall be My son;and I will not take My loving kindness away from Him, as I took it from him who was before you. But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever."
1 Chronicles 17:10-14 NASB
The day is coming when Israel will be delivered from all who seek to destroy them, and be established in their own land in peace and security. The LORD will be their God, and they will be His people. One is coming to set up His kingdom in Jerusalem and reign over them forever. He is the Son of David, Jesus the Messiah.
Matthew's gospel begins by tracing the genealogy from David to Jesus, establishing the fact that Jesus is indeed Israel's Messiah (Matthew 1:1-17).
At the birth of Jesus the angels announced that a savior, Christ (Messiah) the Lord had been born in the city of David (Luke 2:10-11).
Peter, in his sermon on the day of Pentecost, went back to the Psalms to show that David prophetically spoke of the day that Jesus would rise from the dead and be exalted, the fulfillment of the covenant that God had made with him (Acts 2:22-36).
As Jesus was about to ascend back into heaven His disciples asked if this was now the time that He would restore the kingdom back to Israel. I have often heard various Bible teachers pass off these disciples as ignorant, as not really understanding Jesus true mission. However their question only shows that a major prophetic theme, found in the writings of the scriptures that they would have been thoroughly steeped in, was in fact the restoration of the nation, by an individual who would be their Messiah. It's interesting that Jesus did not rebuke them, or correct their "error", He told them that it was not for them to know the "when", they must be His witnesses in the "now" (Acts 1:6-8).
One could go on, the scriptures are filled with passages proving that Jesus Christ is the one who will put down evil and reign in righteousness forever.
I will finish this post with a fabulous passage found in Ezekiel 37, the "dry bones" chapter. The context is the regathering of Israel back into the land after being scattered among the nations. The two kingdoms will be united as one, and the nation as a whole will be born again.
"My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. They will live in the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they and their sons, and their son's sons, forever; and David My servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant with them, and I will place them and multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."
Ezekiel 37:24-28 NASB
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