What we have discerned regarding the restoration of Zion and Jerusalem, along with everything promised to it in prophetic declarations, has been discussed at length in the preceding volume, where we clarified the meaning of the verse: the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and to those who turn away from transgression in Jacob (Isaiah 59:20). We ought to briefly address popular beliefs about this passage so that recognizing errors may help us more easily grasp the truth. The Jews, along with some among us who share similar expectations, anticipate a Jerusalem adorned with gold and precious stones brought down from heaven, claiming it will manifest in the millennial reign when all nations serve Israel. They envision that the camels from Midian and Ephah, traveling from Sheba, will bring gold and frankincense, as the flocks of Kedar gather, and the rams of Nebaioth are offered upon the altar of the temple that shall be built. They also speak of islands and, notably, the ships from Tarshish, asserting that their daughters will arrive like doves, bringing riches of gold and silver, that the walls of Jerusalem will be raised by foreign hands under heathen leaders, and that the city's gates will remain open day and night for the flow of riches and sacrifices.
Moreover, they dream of the wilderness being transformed with cypress, pine, and cedar from Lebanon, particularly the temple of the Lord, which will be filled with perpetual joy, drawing sustenance from the wealth of the nations and the treasures of kings. They foresee an abundance such that brass will be exchanged for gold, iron for silver, copper for wood, and iron for stone. Not only will its rulers bask in unending peace, but its guardians will administer justice over the nations, and the city’s gates will be beautifully carved. Most importantly, instead of the sun and the moon providing light, the Lord Himself will illuminate all with everlasting radiance, and rather than one man, He will possess the strength of many nations, replacing the weak with strong people.
Such beliefs stem from a longing for earthly comforts and a desire for attractive spouses and numerous children. These individuals prioritize their bellies as gods, taking pride in what brings them shame (Philippians 3). Some assert that these promises are explicitly for the Jews, should they embrace Him who declares in the Gospel, ‘I am the light of the world’ (John 8:12), who enlightens every man coming into the world. In the same way that sacrifices were allowed for Israel, not due to their inherent goodness but to prevent them from being offered to demons, the Lord extends His promise to the Jews who desire transient pleasures. They were to accept the Son of God for the fulfillment of their physical desires and an abundance of riches; however, because they rejected Him, the promises remain unfulfilled. Hence, He told the Canaanite woman who pleaded for her child, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). Likewise, to His disciples, He instructed, ‘Do not take the path leading to the Gentiles, and do not enter a Samaritan city; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ (Matthew 10:5-6). Consequently, the apostles initially preached in the synagogues, and when they were not received, they declared, ‘It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you; but since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles’ (Acts 13:46). For the light came into the world, yet the Jews preferred darkness over it. Therefore, the Lord, mourning for Jerusalem, lamented, ‘If you had known, on this day, what brings peace’ (Luke 19:42). Because Jerusalem did not embrace His peace, He continued, ‘The days will come upon you when your enemies will lay siege to you’ and will bring you down (Luke 19:43).
However, we, aligning with this preceding understanding, believe that all these statements refer to the Church, initially gathered from among the Gentiles, and that the light which arose upon it was shared with the Gentiles through the apostles. To her it is proclaimed, Arise, shine, that having fallen among the unbelievers, she may rise amongst the faithful; having stumbled in the synagogues, she may ascend in the churches, and once elevated, she may shine brightly, dispelling the darkness of error. For your light has come, as promised by all the prophets, which you have always longed for. The glory of the Lord, once dwelling above the tabernacle and His temple, now rises over you, of whom it is said, Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God (Psalm 86:2).
Behold, darkness shall cover the earth—those wise in earthly matters—and gloom the nations, or as the Hebrew notes, tribes, referring to the Jews, of whom it is spoken in another Psalm, ‘The tribes of the Lord have come up, the tribes of the Lord to the sight of Israel’ (Psalms 121:4). The Lord, the sun of righteousness, shall rise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you, as it is written, ‘And we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14). And the nations will walk in your light. We shall all journey in the radiance of the apostles, which shines throughout the world, and the darkness has not comprehended it. And kings, at the brightness of your rise, will follow when you are born within Christ. This is realized both spiritually and in the physical realm—such kings, whose hearts are in the hands of the Lord, and in whom sin does not dominate the mortal body, will walk in the light of the Church that was born, or in Him who has ascended in the Church, yielding their faith to King Christ. We witness this daily as, following the dismantling of idolatry and the fury of persecution, Roman authorities turn toward the faith and peace of Christ. While some argue that these events were partly fulfilled from the Savior's first coming until the end of the world, anticipating full realization afterward, we must recognize that this fulfillment will happen spiritually, not physically. Thus, the name Jerusalem and the nations referenced here in the Septuagint is absent in the Hebrew text and should be marked with an obel, contrary to claims that all these verses refer solely to Jerusalem.
THEOSIS