At the time of the restoration, the Israelites will obtain the divine provision of a Redeemer with His redemption. God will provide the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem with an opened fountain, Christ’s pierced side, for sin and for impurity (John 19:34, 37). “In that day there will be an opened fountain for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity” (Zech. 13:1).
In the millennium there will be no thirst, because living waters will go forth from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea, the Dead Sea, and half of them toward the western sea, the Mediterranean Sea (14:8). This is similar to what Ezekiel said concerning the living water flowing out of the temple of God (47:1-2). Furthermore, in the millennium Jehovah as Christ will be King over all the earth; He will be the one God and His name, the one name (Zech. 14:9). Jerusalem will be raised up and will dwell in her place (v. 10). People will dwell in Jerusalem, and there will be no more curse, for Jerusalem will dwell securely (v. 11). Instead of a curse, there will be blessing with security. Everyone left from all the nations that went forth against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Jehovah of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles (v. 16). Whoever will not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Jehovah of hosts, will not have rain; instead, there will be the plague with which Jehovah strikes the nations. This will be their sin (vv. 17-19). Because the present age is the age of grace, God sends rain on the just and the unjust alike (Matt. 5:45). But the coming age will be the age of righteousness. Those who do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles will not receive rain. This is righteous.
In the millennium “on the horses’ bells will be, Holiness to Jehovah; and the pots in the house of Jehovah will be like the basins before the altar” (Zech. 14:20). Pots are small, and basins are large. However, in the millennium the pots in the house of God will be as large as the basins before the altar. “Indeed every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holiness to Jehovah of hosts; and all those who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them; and there will never again be a Canaanite in the house of Jehovah of hosts in that day” (v. 21). In that day there will be no merchant in the house of God. This is Israel’s destiny in the millennium.
The prophet Malachi prophesied that Christ will come suddenly to His temple as the Angel of the covenant. He is the Lord whom the people of Israel seek and whom the people of Israel desire (Mal. 3:1; Hag. 2:7). He will execute upon Israel the covenant that He enacted through His death (Matt. 26:28). He came as an Angel to serve God in forming the new covenant. When He established His table on the night in which He was betrayed, He took up the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant established in My blood” (Luke 22:20). Thus, He enacted the new covenant, in which God is obligated to dispense Himself into our being to be our life, our law of life, and our everything as our inward content. Although the Lord Jesus enacted the new covenant nearly two thousand years ago, most Israelites have not benefited from it. Instead, the benefit has gone to the Gentiles. However, when Christ comes back, He will come as the Angel of the covenant to execute His covenant over the repentant and believing Jews. At that time, they will become beneficiaries of the new covenant.
Christ will come also like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap to refine and purify the sons of Levi, mainly the priests, so that they may offer to God the proper sacrifice (Mal. 3:2-4). In the millennium the repentant Jews who are regenerated through the new covenant will be the priests to care for all the nations. In order to care for the nations, they will need much refining and purifying. Therefore, in His second coming Christ will renew, sanctify, and transform Israel to be His refined and purified priests.
In Matthew 24 the Lord gave a clear revelation concerning the restoration of Israel. In verse 32 the Lord said, “Learn the parable from the fig tree: As soon as its branch has become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near.” In verse 19 of chapter 21, during His last visit to Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus cursed a fig tree because He could not find any fruit on it. The fig tree is a symbol of the nation of Israel (Jer. 24:2, 5, 8). Since Israel was stubborn and rebellious and had no fruit that could satisfy God, she was rejected by Him. In A.D. 70 Titus, the Roman prince, brought a great army to destroy Jerusalem and the temple, as prophesied by the Lord when He said, “There shall by no means be left here a stone upon a stone, which shall not be thrown down” (Matt. 24:2). From the time that Jerusalem was destroyed, the children of Israel have been scattered among the nations. Not only did their nation fall, but even their homeland was lost.
The fig tree, signifying the nation of Israel, passed through a long winter after it was cursed. Winter signifies a time of being dried up, a time of tribulation. Then in 1948 the nation of Israel was restored. That was the branch of the fig tree becoming tender and putting forth its leaves (v. 32). To become tender signifies that life has come back; to put forth leaves signifies engaging in outward activities. Therefore, verse 33 continues, “So also you, when you see all these things, know that it [summer] is near, at the doors.” Summer signifies the restoration of the nation of Israel (Acts 1:6; Luke 21:30-31). When the nation of Israel becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, we know that the summer, the full restoration of the Messianic kingdom, is near.
Although Israel has been restored according to the prophecy of the Lord, the restoration of Israel is not yet in fullness. As far as population and geography are concerned, there has not been a full restoration of Israel. However, the restoration of the nation of Israel is becoming more and more full. At the time of the millennium, the restoration will reach its fullness.