An Exposition of Micah Chapter Four
by Philip du Nard
As the cry has gone out, so to speak, that the bridegroom may come in this generation, Christians should trim their lamps and strive to be certain that the oil of understanding is in plentiful supply. To that end, we should give some consideration to Micah's fourth chapter.
I once had the experience of presenting the highlights of this chapter to a young Christian who was evidently unfamiliar with it and, without any prompting from me, have him tell me that it sounded like the prophet was talking about the United States. By that he didn't apparently mean that a parallel was being drawn between the past and the present but rather that the United States is what the prophet was specifically writing about. For a moment, it seemed he had a glimmer of light. But then when he consulted one of his brethren who was supposedly a little more theologically advanced than he was to see what he thought, he retreated into darkness. This may be a case of God revealing these things to babes and hiding them from the wise and the prudent as He is often inclined to do.
In a nutshell, the prophet foresaw "a strong nation" v.7 which would arise in "the last days" v.1 which would be more strongly associated with Christianity than many other nations and would be a base for missionary operations, and to which people around the world would be drawn or attracted and would thus flow or immigrate to it ( legally or illegally). v.1 Despite it's Christian beginnings, there would be a period in its history in which it would apparently be beset by a host of internal problems that nobody would have the wisdom to solve.v.9 There would be an attempt to defile it, that is, corrupt its morals, and to spy upon it or steal its secrets. v11. And yet, by virtue of its strength, it would be in a position to militarily chasten other nations and would eventually be called upon to do just that in the will and providence of God v13. And while it might appear for a time that it's in its death throes, it would actually be in store for a great deliverance.v10.
One would think that when you put it in these terms, that in this day and age, no Christian could fail to see the partial fulfillment of this long range prophecy in the United States and thus be assured of the complete fulfillment. Would not this provide the kind of light of encouragement that the apostle Peter said prophecy should be in these dark and otherwise uncertain times II Peter 1:19 ? Would this not put a different face on the future of our nation than that which is generally put forth by prophecy preachers and teachers? It should. But there are various theological traditions or hindrances that have become so ingrained in the minds of people that when what should be obvious is set forth, they are "slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken" as was the case of the disciples the Lord encountered on the road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-35. How much more blessed is it to say, "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures"? Luke 24:32.
We have already noted the time element as being the last days. So this is not something that transpires after Christ returns.
A major obstacle is understanding the use of the the words Zion and Jerusalem. When we read in verse two that the Scripture does not say that the word of the Lord will go forth from the United States but rather from Jerusalem, then most believers will conclude that the game is up, so to speak, on associating this chapter with the United States. Believers either interpret it literally, or figuratively. The book of Revelaltion, which is written in symbolic language, speaks of "new Jerusalem" in the 21st chapter. Various denominations of Christianity have understood prophetic Jerusalem to be symbolic of heaven and they are vexed at their supposed carnal and unstable Christian brethren who interpret this literally. And those who interpret it literally have their gaze fixed on the old city.
As far as interpreting things literally or figuratively is concerned, the context should reveal what is more appropriate. In the first verse of this chapter, we read, "But in the last days, it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it." If the word Jerusalem must refer to the old city in the thinking of many, then why not take this verse literally too and say God's house will be on Mount Everest which is the top of the mountains? But no one believes that because it is apparent that the word mountain is used to symbolize something. If you take out your Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and take note of all the times mountain is used, it refers to a nation or kingdom when it is used symbolically. For example, In Jeremiah 51:25, Babylon is referred to as a "destroying mountain." So what this verse is teaching is that the Lord's headquarters, so to speak, will be established in an exalted nation.
Skipping ahead some, we read in verse 8 that "the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." And in verse 13, it is the "daughter of Zion" that is instructed to "arise and thresh." So to be sure, in that it has a Christian history and heritage, the nation described here has its spiritual roots in Jerusalem and Zion and so it is identified as the daughter of Jerusalem and Zion. But that does not necessitate it being located in the old city as the daughter is not the mother. But many will continue to get stuck on the language in verse 2 which simply says Zion and Jerusalem.
Think of it this way. The northeastern United States is referred to as New England. The reason for this is that the early settlers were, by and large, English and they brought with them English customs and institutions. But New England is not the old England rejuvenated. It's a totally different location. People understand this. There's a city of about a hundred thousand people in the north of England called York. And so some English people founded New York in this country. These are two entirely different cities.
But perhaps better examples to illustrate our point is that of Birmingham, Alabama and Boston, Massachusetts. These were apparently named after Birmingham and Boston, England. But they are not called New Birmingham or New Boston. They are simply, Birmingham and Boston, as in the case of the English cities. Yet we are not resorting to vague and tenuous symbolism to say they are not the same as the older cities. We are still speaking literally. But when the same kind of everyday reasoning that seems perfectly sensible to most people is applied to the Scriptures, people think the Scriptures are being twisted. But the fact is, New Jerusalem is sometimes simply called, Jerusalem. But it is not the old city.
Another hindrance is the thought that New Jerusalem must be perfect and sinless from its beginning and, by contrast, the United States is so full of rebellion against God and the sins of the flesh are very much in evidence and so forth. But Jesus Christ said in His parables on the kingdom that the kingdom of God was something that had tares growing up along side the wheat and the angels would have to take them out and then the righteous would shine forth in the kingdom of their Father. Matt. 13:43.
The Lord's teaching in Matt. 21:43 when speaking to the Jewish religious leaders that the kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof is identical to what Micah foretold regarding "a strong nation" identified as "the daughter of Jerusalem," as being the recipient of the "first dominion" or the early manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth verse 8. "The kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem". Yet those who insist that Jerusalem must always refer to the old city, speaking literally, do not think Jesus was speaking literally when He said the kingdom would be given to a nation. They imagine He was talking about the church. But it is not the church that is charged with the responsibility of threshing heathen nations. It doesn't have the means to do that if it tried.
Misunderstanding the nature of God's kingdom is a factor as well. When the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 18:36 that "My kingdom is not of this world," many take that to mean that it is not of or on this planet, existing only in the heavens somewhere. But this is a private interpretation that does not take into account the multitude of Scriptures that reveal otherwise. Instead of using scriptures that are clear to interpret passages that are not so clear, theologians often reverse this order. The fact is, the Lord's kingdom, centered first in a great nation that was to come from the loins of Abraham, is not of the Roman world or of this present world system but it is most definitely on planet Earth.
It is worth noting that in verse 7, it is "her that was cast far off" that is to be made into a strong nation. The church, that is , the body of Christ, was never cast off. But the people of Israel were cast out of their land after persistent rebellion against God and His laws for the nation. Believers who insist that the fifteen or so million people in this world who call themselves Jews are all that is left of the children of Israel will not be able to see the fulfillment of this chapter in the United States.
In the early part of this chapter which we are considering, an era of world peace is described and we certainly don't have much of that at the present time. But it should be evident that the threshing of heathen nations set forth at the end of the chapter must take place before there will be any beating of swords into plowshares. Trying to get the cart before the horse in this realm is a Satanic attempt to disarm this great nation and put us at the mercy of our enemies. If Christian people do not know the Scriptural significance of this nation, Satan does.
As far as threshing heathen nations is concerned, I should point out that I am not unaware of the deleterious effect that our wars of intervention have had on our national economy and standing in the world with precious little to show for it. Americans are generally weary of playing policeman for the world and with good reason. The more we ignore the warnings of our founding fathers to stay out of foreign entanglements, the worse it seemingly gets. This is actually contributing to the impossible situation described in verse 9 that we are increasingly finding ourselves in. The command to "arise and thresh" should not be interpreted as a warmongering encouragement to always jump at the behest of a few people who may have ulterior motives for involving us in wars on behalf of a certain nation in the Middle East. Yet it is apparent that the time will come that the force of circumstances will indeed compel us to respond militarily to world conditions, perhaps after our own financial and moral house is in order. Until then, we are seemly experiencing nothing but rebuke in this realm.
Another objection that some might raise is from the language found in verse 2. "And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the house 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 of the Lord shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." It sounds like people would come motivated by a desire to learn more about the ways of God but for much of our history, the reasons people came here was for more mundane reasons than that. I would contend that the dream, or conscious desire that various peoples of the earth have had to come here and learn and become a part of the American way of life is a partial fulfillment of this prophecy in that this nation was basically Christian in its beginnings as the colonial charters reveal and the blessings that were poured out as a result naturally would draw people to it. In other words, people would not realize they were saying let us go up to the mountain of the Lord...and he will teach us of his ways, but that is, in effect, what they would be saying. However, when the nation has its cleansing and deliverance, people will know that is what they are saying.
One of the chief doctrines of the Christian faith is that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God " John 3:3. Also, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." v.5. So we have to be born again to see and enter the kingdom of God and inherit eternal life. The apostle Peter says we are "born again...by the word of God." I Peter 1:23. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to bring about spiritual regeneration in an individual and in this way, we become a child of God and a member of the body of Christ. And there is no salvation or eternal life apart from Jesus Christ and the shedding of His sinless blood upon the cross of Calvary. The apostle Paul wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" Rom. 10:9 KJV.
It should be plain that one does not have to be born again in order to see or enter the United States. And so to suggest that any nation on this earth is New Jerusalem seems sacriligious and very unspiritual to multitudes of Christians who know and believe the gospel but have only a vague idea as to what God is bringing to pass. Furthermore, those familiar with church history will recall at the time of the Reformation in Germany, some extremists took over a German city claiming it was the New Jerusalem and a whole lot of foolishness and suffering followed. So some might smugly imagine they see a similar error being repeated by what is being set forth here.
But Bible teachers and preachers very often lose sight of the fact that the Lord Jesus taught that "every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasures things new and old" Matt. 13:52 KJV. In other words, there are old treasures pertaining to the kingdom of God that the Israel people of the Bible were familiar with and there are new treasures brought forth by Christ and the apostles that Christian people are more familiar with and in order to have an undistorted understanding of God's kingdom, we must embrace both. They are not mutually exclusive as many imagine. Though we have a new covenant which Christ sealed with His death and resurrection to replace what the Scriptures call the old covenant, this did not eliminate God's plan to raise up a nation which would ultimately honor God's Word and law for the nation as a national witness to the rest of the world. Rather, it confirms it Romans 15:8.
A scripture often quoted by those concerned about the present spiritual state of our nation is Proverbs 29:18 which states, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
But when so many imagine that unconditional support for the Israeli state in the Middle East is the ticket to securing national blessing, one has to wonder if those who quote this scripture have the necessary vision. Why not base one's vision on what is recorded in Deuteronomy 4:5-8? "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day"? From what we find recorded in Micah chapter 4, we see that it is still a part of our sovereign God's plan to make this a reality. But any number of Christian teachers dismiss this as carnal, materialistic, and wholly unspiritual and if they maintain such an attitude they are at risk of finding themselves judged as standing in opposition to the kingdom purposes of God though they are otherwise saved, born again believers. This is no time to be counted among the foolish virgins. We cannot, through our own efforts, briing to pass the kingdom of God but we need not be standing in the way. And while present conditions make all of this seem remote and impossible of fulfillment, we honor and please God when we lay a hold of His promises by faith which are the evidence of things unseen. We ought not to be guilty of limiting the Holy One of Israel (Psalm 78:41). God was angry with the Israelites of old "because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation." It is possible for a born again Christian who is saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to limit God by not believing his promised salvation and deliverance for the nation. Instead of resting in the certainty of His promises, they "fret themselves" "because of evildoers" Psalm 37:1 and imagine that the fate of Sodom is all that awaits us nationally.But they could see past these things and have light in the darkness if they would get a little more understanding of what God is bringing to pass. This nation will be compelled to honor God's statutes before it is all over.
While the kingdom of God is first manifested in a great nation, ultimately it will spread throughout the entire earth Daniel 2:35. And it will also ultimately be true that only those who have been regenerated can enter.
by Philip du Nard
As the cry has gone out, so to speak, that the bridegroom may come in this generation, Christians should trim their lamps and strive to be certain that the oil of understanding is in plentiful supply. To that end, we should give some consideration to Micah's fourth chapter.
I once had the experience of presenting the highlights of this chapter to a young Christian who was evidently unfamiliar with it and, without any prompting from me, have him tell me that it sounded like the prophet was talking about the United States. By that he didn't apparently mean that a parallel was being drawn between the past and the present but rather that the United States is what the prophet was specifically writing about. For a moment, it seemed he had a glimmer of light. But then when he consulted one of his brethren who was supposedly a little more theologically advanced than he was to see what he thought, he retreated into darkness. This may be a case of God revealing these things to babes and hiding them from the wise and the prudent as He is often inclined to do.
In a nutshell, the prophet foresaw "a strong nation" v.7 which would arise in "the last days" v.1 which would be more strongly associated with Christianity than many other nations and would be a base for missionary operations, and to which people around the world would be drawn or attracted and would thus flow or immigrate to it ( legally or illegally). v.1 Despite it's Christian beginnings, there would be a period in its history in which it would apparently be beset by a host of internal problems that nobody would have the wisdom to solve.v.9 There would be an attempt to defile it, that is, corrupt its morals, and to spy upon it or steal its secrets. v11. And yet, by virtue of its strength, it would be in a position to militarily chasten other nations and would eventually be called upon to do just that in the will and providence of God v13. And while it might appear for a time that it's in its death throes, it would actually be in store for a great deliverance.v10.
One would think that when you put it in these terms, that in this day and age, no Christian could fail to see the partial fulfillment of this long range prophecy in the United States and thus be assured of the complete fulfillment. Would not this provide the kind of light of encouragement that the apostle Peter said prophecy should be in these dark and otherwise uncertain times II Peter 1:19 ? Would this not put a different face on the future of our nation than that which is generally put forth by prophecy preachers and teachers? It should. But there are various theological traditions or hindrances that have become so ingrained in the minds of people that when what should be obvious is set forth, they are "slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken" as was the case of the disciples the Lord encountered on the road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-35. How much more blessed is it to say, "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures"? Luke 24:32.
We have already noted the time element as being the last days. So this is not something that transpires after Christ returns.
A major obstacle is understanding the use of the the words Zion and Jerusalem. When we read in verse two that the Scripture does not say that the word of the Lord will go forth from the United States but rather from Jerusalem, then most believers will conclude that the game is up, so to speak, on associating this chapter with the United States. Believers either interpret it literally, or figuratively. The book of Revelaltion, which is written in symbolic language, speaks of "new Jerusalem" in the 21st chapter. Various denominations of Christianity have understood prophetic Jerusalem to be symbolic of heaven and they are vexed at their supposed carnal and unstable Christian brethren who interpret this literally. And those who interpret it literally have their gaze fixed on the old city.
As far as interpreting things literally or figuratively is concerned, the context should reveal what is more appropriate. In the first verse of this chapter, we read, "But in the last days, it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and people shall flow unto it." If the word Jerusalem must refer to the old city in the thinking of many, then why not take this verse literally too and say God's house will be on Mount Everest which is the top of the mountains? But no one believes that because it is apparent that the word mountain is used to symbolize something. If you take out your Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and take note of all the times mountain is used, it refers to a nation or kingdom when it is used symbolically. For example, In Jeremiah 51:25, Babylon is referred to as a "destroying mountain." So what this verse is teaching is that the Lord's headquarters, so to speak, will be established in an exalted nation.
Skipping ahead some, we read in verse 8 that "the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem." And in verse 13, it is the "daughter of Zion" that is instructed to "arise and thresh." So to be sure, in that it has a Christian history and heritage, the nation described here has its spiritual roots in Jerusalem and Zion and so it is identified as the daughter of Jerusalem and Zion. But that does not necessitate it being located in the old city as the daughter is not the mother. But many will continue to get stuck on the language in verse 2 which simply says Zion and Jerusalem.
Think of it this way. The northeastern United States is referred to as New England. The reason for this is that the early settlers were, by and large, English and they brought with them English customs and institutions. But New England is not the old England rejuvenated. It's a totally different location. People understand this. There's a city of about a hundred thousand people in the north of England called York. And so some English people founded New York in this country. These are two entirely different cities.
But perhaps better examples to illustrate our point is that of Birmingham, Alabama and Boston, Massachusetts. These were apparently named after Birmingham and Boston, England. But they are not called New Birmingham or New Boston. They are simply, Birmingham and Boston, as in the case of the English cities. Yet we are not resorting to vague and tenuous symbolism to say they are not the same as the older cities. We are still speaking literally. But when the same kind of everyday reasoning that seems perfectly sensible to most people is applied to the Scriptures, people think the Scriptures are being twisted. But the fact is, New Jerusalem is sometimes simply called, Jerusalem. But it is not the old city.
Another hindrance is the thought that New Jerusalem must be perfect and sinless from its beginning and, by contrast, the United States is so full of rebellion against God and the sins of the flesh are very much in evidence and so forth. But Jesus Christ said in His parables on the kingdom that the kingdom of God was something that had tares growing up along side the wheat and the angels would have to take them out and then the righteous would shine forth in the kingdom of their Father. Matt. 13:43.
The Lord's teaching in Matt. 21:43 when speaking to the Jewish religious leaders that the kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof is identical to what Micah foretold regarding "a strong nation" identified as "the daughter of Jerusalem," as being the recipient of the "first dominion" or the early manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth verse 8. "The kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem". Yet those who insist that Jerusalem must always refer to the old city, speaking literally, do not think Jesus was speaking literally when He said the kingdom would be given to a nation. They imagine He was talking about the church. But it is not the church that is charged with the responsibility of threshing heathen nations. It doesn't have the means to do that if it tried.
Misunderstanding the nature of God's kingdom is a factor as well. When the Lord Jesus Christ said in John 18:36 that "My kingdom is not of this world," many take that to mean that it is not of or on this planet, existing only in the heavens somewhere. But this is a private interpretation that does not take into account the multitude of Scriptures that reveal otherwise. Instead of using scriptures that are clear to interpret passages that are not so clear, theologians often reverse this order. The fact is, the Lord's kingdom, centered first in a great nation that was to come from the loins of Abraham, is not of the Roman world or of this present world system but it is most definitely on planet Earth.
It is worth noting that in verse 7, it is "her that was cast far off" that is to be made into a strong nation. The church, that is , the body of Christ, was never cast off. But the people of Israel were cast out of their land after persistent rebellion against God and His laws for the nation. Believers who insist that the fifteen or so million people in this world who call themselves Jews are all that is left of the children of Israel will not be able to see the fulfillment of this chapter in the United States.
In the early part of this chapter which we are considering, an era of world peace is described and we certainly don't have much of that at the present time. But it should be evident that the threshing of heathen nations set forth at the end of the chapter must take place before there will be any beating of swords into plowshares. Trying to get the cart before the horse in this realm is a Satanic attempt to disarm this great nation and put us at the mercy of our enemies. If Christian people do not know the Scriptural significance of this nation, Satan does.
As far as threshing heathen nations is concerned, I should point out that I am not unaware of the deleterious effect that our wars of intervention have had on our national economy and standing in the world with precious little to show for it. Americans are generally weary of playing policeman for the world and with good reason. The more we ignore the warnings of our founding fathers to stay out of foreign entanglements, the worse it seemingly gets. This is actually contributing to the impossible situation described in verse 9 that we are increasingly finding ourselves in. The command to "arise and thresh" should not be interpreted as a warmongering encouragement to always jump at the behest of a few people who may have ulterior motives for involving us in wars on behalf of a certain nation in the Middle East. Yet it is apparent that the time will come that the force of circumstances will indeed compel us to respond militarily to world conditions, perhaps after our own financial and moral house is in order. Until then, we are seemly experiencing nothing but rebuke in this realm.
Another objection that some might raise is from the language found in verse 2. "And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the house 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 of the Lord shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." It sounds like people would come motivated by a desire to learn more about the ways of God but for much of our history, the reasons people came here was for more mundane reasons than that. I would contend that the dream, or conscious desire that various peoples of the earth have had to come here and learn and become a part of the American way of life is a partial fulfillment of this prophecy in that this nation was basically Christian in its beginnings as the colonial charters reveal and the blessings that were poured out as a result naturally would draw people to it. In other words, people would not realize they were saying let us go up to the mountain of the Lord...and he will teach us of his ways, but that is, in effect, what they would be saying. However, when the nation has its cleansing and deliverance, people will know that is what they are saying.
One of the chief doctrines of the Christian faith is that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God " John 3:3. Also, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." v.5. So we have to be born again to see and enter the kingdom of God and inherit eternal life. The apostle Peter says we are "born again...by the word of God." I Peter 1:23. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to bring about spiritual regeneration in an individual and in this way, we become a child of God and a member of the body of Christ. And there is no salvation or eternal life apart from Jesus Christ and the shedding of His sinless blood upon the cross of Calvary. The apostle Paul wrote under inspiration of the Holy Spirit "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" Rom. 10:9 KJV.
It should be plain that one does not have to be born again in order to see or enter the United States. And so to suggest that any nation on this earth is New Jerusalem seems sacriligious and very unspiritual to multitudes of Christians who know and believe the gospel but have only a vague idea as to what God is bringing to pass. Furthermore, those familiar with church history will recall at the time of the Reformation in Germany, some extremists took over a German city claiming it was the New Jerusalem and a whole lot of foolishness and suffering followed. So some might smugly imagine they see a similar error being repeated by what is being set forth here.
But Bible teachers and preachers very often lose sight of the fact that the Lord Jesus taught that "every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasures things new and old" Matt. 13:52 KJV. In other words, there are old treasures pertaining to the kingdom of God that the Israel people of the Bible were familiar with and there are new treasures brought forth by Christ and the apostles that Christian people are more familiar with and in order to have an undistorted understanding of God's kingdom, we must embrace both. They are not mutually exclusive as many imagine. Though we have a new covenant which Christ sealed with His death and resurrection to replace what the Scriptures call the old covenant, this did not eliminate God's plan to raise up a nation which would ultimately honor God's Word and law for the nation as a national witness to the rest of the world. Rather, it confirms it Romans 15:8.
A scripture often quoted by those concerned about the present spiritual state of our nation is Proverbs 29:18 which states, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
But when so many imagine that unconditional support for the Israeli state in the Middle East is the ticket to securing national blessing, one has to wonder if those who quote this scripture have the necessary vision. Why not base one's vision on what is recorded in Deuteronomy 4:5-8? "Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day"? From what we find recorded in Micah chapter 4, we see that it is still a part of our sovereign God's plan to make this a reality. But any number of Christian teachers dismiss this as carnal, materialistic, and wholly unspiritual and if they maintain such an attitude they are at risk of finding themselves judged as standing in opposition to the kingdom purposes of God though they are otherwise saved, born again believers. This is no time to be counted among the foolish virgins. We cannot, through our own efforts, briing to pass the kingdom of God but we need not be standing in the way. And while present conditions make all of this seem remote and impossible of fulfillment, we honor and please God when we lay a hold of His promises by faith which are the evidence of things unseen. We ought not to be guilty of limiting the Holy One of Israel (Psalm 78:41). God was angry with the Israelites of old "because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation." It is possible for a born again Christian who is saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to limit God by not believing his promised salvation and deliverance for the nation. Instead of resting in the certainty of His promises, they "fret themselves" "because of evildoers" Psalm 37:1 and imagine that the fate of Sodom is all that awaits us nationally.But they could see past these things and have light in the darkness if they would get a little more understanding of what God is bringing to pass. This nation will be compelled to honor God's statutes before it is all over.
While the kingdom of God is first manifested in a great nation, ultimately it will spread throughout the entire earth Daniel 2:35. And it will also ultimately be true that only those who have been regenerated can enter.