Today I want to focus on Micah 4:4. However, I quickly realized that I needed to keep this verse in context, and since some people only stumble onto one blog post, I need to bring them up to speed as well. If I could tell you to study the previous two verses as it would probably take less time, but I know the casual reader won't do that. How do I know that? I sit by you in church, and when I try to talk to you about spiritual things or the Word of God, things that excite me, you turn your back to me or come back with standard religious answers.
There is entirely no doubt in my mind that the days are going to get darker because of this apostasy we have talked about, and the fear and dread will become overwhelming to some. I feel so strongly that we, as the church, need to get skillful in the Word of God. In light of that, So let's look at Micah 4:2-4 and see if I can show you what is going to happen during the millennial kingdom.
Micah 4:2-5 NASB Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (3) And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war. (4) Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. (5) Though all the peoples walk Each in the name of his god, As for us, we will walk In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.
Having been aware for some time that Islam believes that their Mahdi will come in the midst of chaos, the idea that other nations such as Israel are also genuinely motivated by a similar end times eschatology. In the case of Israel, they too believe that the Messiah, in this case, will come in the midst of chaos. It makes sense when you start putting the pieces of the scriptural puzzle together. I watched a video where the elder Rabbi has an Israeli government official brought to him. The official is wearing a Yarmulke and begins saying all the standard niceties appropriate for such a meeting. The Rabbi cuts the man's words short and says, We are expecting the Messiah any moment now, and we know that He will come amid chaos. You have not done enough to create this chaos, and you need to do more, quickly.
Micah 4:5 CJB For all the peoples will walk, each in the name of its god;
If some are merely doing their own thing, then what keeps people from being bullies? The obvious answer is a swift, silencing judgment, that stops the problem before it starts.
1 Chronicles 28:9 NASB "... for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every intent of the thoughts...
Since there have always been bullies, why not now? The answer comes out of verses two and three.
"for the law will go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem. (3) And he will judge between many peoples and will arbitrate for strong nations far away, and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up a sword against a nation, and they will no longer learn war.”
Peace will reign because Jesus now sits as a judge and dispenses law. I am not sure what that looks like, but it will be swift.
The word judge, as used in Micah 4:3 is the Hebrew word shâphaṭ. It is a primitive root meaning; to judge, that is, pronounce sentence (for or against); by implication to vindicate or punish; by extension to govern.
Other verses that speak to His judgment during this time are:
1 Samuel 2:10 NASB "Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The LORD will judge the ends of the earth, And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn of His anointed."
Psalms 2:5 NASB Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,
Psalms 110:6 NASB He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country.
Isaiah 11:3-4 NASB And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; (4) But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
So the “He” we see in Micah 4:3 is Jesus? A similar picture is painted for us in Revelation, and there any word picture you see of God, is defined as Jesus. So this is Jesus sitting in judgment. Is that so unusual? Not according to John's gospel.
Look at what else Micah 4:4 tells us.
“Everyone will live in peace among their own vineyards and fig trees, and no one will make them afraid. .. Micah 4:4 GNB
Again the question, how is this possible? The answer is found in Micah 4:3 where it says,
"and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up a sword against a nation, and they will no longer learn war.”
Having learned a bit, I know that when the Messiah comes back to earth, He comes to the battle against those who are willing to fight. (Zechariah 14:16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem ...) So, naturally, there will be some who are left, and those who did not fight. I know that hatred and fighting skills are taught to Muslim children as soon as they are capable of responding intelligently. Does that mean mama and her five-year-old son are arbitrarily killed when Jesus returns? Not unless they were physically fighting against Him. That means they can carry their anger and hatred with them into the millennial reign? Apparently, but as we have seen, if these mortals act out in any manner that demonstrates that violent nature, they will be swiftly silenced. And weapons are no longer allowed as you don't need them.
Perhaps for some this entire scenario is hard to grasp; I know it is for me. What I see is the garden that Adam walked in. A vegetarian with no complaints, and here the “mortals” are at peace, sitting in the shade of their gardens. Weapons were turned into gardening tools and perhaps a pocket knife as there will be apples to peel, but no one has the thought of killing the neighbor who doesn't control his pets. Wild beasts, there are none, for human dominion over animals has returned. And, for a thousand years, with no tempter, there will be peace.
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released for a short time, and he will deceive the nations. Does that mean that some continue to live outside of a relationship with God? Apparently, but as I said, there will be peace. A final judgment comes. It is the only judgment, and it is reserved for “the dead.”
What of those alive? Again, it is logical to assume that those alive have been brought into the kingdom of peace. All the dead will be brought before the great white throne and judged. Matthew 25 shows us an image of this, and a portion of those summoned before the throne are given mercy and entrance into the kingdom. Why? Because they operated in a manner consistent with God's nature and showed kindness.
There is entirely no doubt in my mind that the days are going to get darker because of this apostasy we have talked about, and the fear and dread will become overwhelming to some. I feel so strongly that we, as the church, need to get skillful in the Word of God. In light of that, So let's look at Micah 4:2-4 and see if I can show you what is going to happen during the millennial kingdom.
Micah 4:2-5 NASB Many nations will come and say, "Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (3) And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war. (4) Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. (5) Though all the peoples walk Each in the name of his god, As for us, we will walk In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.
At this point in time:
- Jesus has returned to earth as the warring Messiah Israel has longed and called for.
Having been aware for some time that Islam believes that their Mahdi will come in the midst of chaos, the idea that other nations such as Israel are also genuinely motivated by a similar end times eschatology. In the case of Israel, they too believe that the Messiah, in this case, will come in the midst of chaos. It makes sense when you start putting the pieces of the scriptural puzzle together. I watched a video where the elder Rabbi has an Israeli government official brought to him. The official is wearing a Yarmulke and begins saying all the standard niceties appropriate for such a meeting. The Rabbi cuts the man's words short and says, We are expecting the Messiah any moment now, and we know that He will come amid chaos. You have not done enough to create this chaos, and you need to do more, quickly.
- The battles have ended; the Jews have returned to the flock and taken their place as teachers of the law; the Father's true nature and character being taught, and now the nations are coming to the New Jerusalem.
- These people who are coming have one purpose, to be taught of the Lord and to learn His ways.
- And, there is one other thing to keep in mind. This stream of nations, all started with the catching away of the church – which is the body of Christ. Caught up we are instantly changed, but into what? An immortal body with no physical constraints, like the one Jesus has, and he walked through walls to enter a building, could be touched and felt, and ate fish with the disciples. If, we are interacting with the people on the earth, can they, in any manner, harm us? Not a chance, and therefore no fear. Now, how about those who have migrated into the millennial reign of Jesus, what kind of bodies will they have? They will come with the same mortal bodies that are subject to death. I know, it's a weird conversation, but it is a reality. Do these mortals have the possibility of a change into immortality? It certainly seems so, for the tree of life grows in abundance along the river that flows from the throne of God, and we have the opportunity to take that life (those leaves bring about the change and give the immortality) to those that come and receive the life of Christ in them.
Micah 4:5 CJB For all the peoples will walk, each in the name of its god;
If some are merely doing their own thing, then what keeps people from being bullies? The obvious answer is a swift, silencing judgment, that stops the problem before it starts.
1 Chronicles 28:9 NASB "... for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every intent of the thoughts...
Since there have always been bullies, why not now? The answer comes out of verses two and three.
"for the law will go out from Zion, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem. (3) And he will judge between many peoples and will arbitrate for strong nations far away, and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up a sword against a nation, and they will no longer learn war.”
Peace will reign because Jesus now sits as a judge and dispenses law. I am not sure what that looks like, but it will be swift.
The word judge, as used in Micah 4:3 is the Hebrew word shâphaṭ. It is a primitive root meaning; to judge, that is, pronounce sentence (for or against); by implication to vindicate or punish; by extension to govern.
Other verses that speak to His judgment during this time are:
1 Samuel 2:10 NASB "Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The LORD will judge the ends of the earth, And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn of His anointed."
Psalms 2:5 NASB Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying,
Psalms 110:6 NASB He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country.
Isaiah 11:3-4 NASB And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; (4) But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
So the “He” we see in Micah 4:3 is Jesus? A similar picture is painted for us in Revelation, and there any word picture you see of God, is defined as Jesus. So this is Jesus sitting in judgment. Is that so unusual? Not according to John's gospel.
Look at what else Micah 4:4 tells us.
“Everyone will live in peace among their own vineyards and fig trees, and no one will make them afraid. .. Micah 4:4 GNB
Again the question, how is this possible? The answer is found in Micah 4:3 where it says,
"and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation will not lift up a sword against a nation, and they will no longer learn war.”
Having learned a bit, I know that when the Messiah comes back to earth, He comes to the battle against those who are willing to fight. (Zechariah 14:16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem ...) So, naturally, there will be some who are left, and those who did not fight. I know that hatred and fighting skills are taught to Muslim children as soon as they are capable of responding intelligently. Does that mean mama and her five-year-old son are arbitrarily killed when Jesus returns? Not unless they were physically fighting against Him. That means they can carry their anger and hatred with them into the millennial reign? Apparently, but as we have seen, if these mortals act out in any manner that demonstrates that violent nature, they will be swiftly silenced. And weapons are no longer allowed as you don't need them.
Perhaps for some this entire scenario is hard to grasp; I know it is for me. What I see is the garden that Adam walked in. A vegetarian with no complaints, and here the “mortals” are at peace, sitting in the shade of their gardens. Weapons were turned into gardening tools and perhaps a pocket knife as there will be apples to peel, but no one has the thought of killing the neighbor who doesn't control his pets. Wild beasts, there are none, for human dominion over animals has returned. And, for a thousand years, with no tempter, there will be peace.
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released for a short time, and he will deceive the nations. Does that mean that some continue to live outside of a relationship with God? Apparently, but as I said, there will be peace. A final judgment comes. It is the only judgment, and it is reserved for “the dead.”
What of those alive? Again, it is logical to assume that those alive have been brought into the kingdom of peace. All the dead will be brought before the great white throne and judged. Matthew 25 shows us an image of this, and a portion of those summoned before the throne are given mercy and entrance into the kingdom. Why? Because they operated in a manner consistent with God's nature and showed kindness.
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