Isaiah 61 through 63 reveals that the ministry of the Anointed of Jehovah, Christ as the Servant of Jehovah, issues in the restoration of Israel. In this message we will consider these three chapters.
As the Servant of Jehovah, Christ is the Anointed of Jehovah. Christ is the equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah, which means "the anointed." Our Christ today is the anointed One and also the anointing One who anoints us with Himself as the ointment. First, He was anointed by God and with God, and then through His death and resurrection He became the ointment for the anointing of others. His ministry to us is thus a ministry of anointing. Eventually, the ministry of Christ, the Anointed of Jehovah, will issue in the restoration of Israel, His elect people.
The history of Israel is mainly a history of tragedy, although there were times of glory, such as the building of the temple under Solomon. The temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, and the vessels for the service of God in the temple were carried away to Babylon. From that time until the present, Israel has not been fully a free nation. Hence, Israel still needs restoration.
Christ's coming is of two parts and at two times. In His first coming, Christ came to minister, to dispense, Himself into His followers. In this way He carried out the New Testament ministry to dispense the Triune God into the disciples under His ministry, most of whom were Jews. This ministry in Christ's first coming laid a solid foundation for His second coming. When He comes the second time, He will come mainly in an outward way to rescue Israel from their circumstances and to bring in their restoration. This restoration will be expanded to include all things created by God. This period of restoration will last for a millennium, for the thousand-year kingdom.