After going into some detail about our Millennial Prince ‘David’ figure in the last two passages, it is now logical to look a little more into those who will be around him as he serves in the presence of Jesus Christ. These are likely to be those who are in the “House of David,” or who are part of the saved “remnant” of Judah in the last days. In scripture, a remnant “vine” (to be discussed in a future passage) also frequently appears to describe this group of God’s people. In some other cases, it appears that the terms “Jerusalem” or “Zion,” just like ‘Israel’ or ‘Jacob,’ may represent actual people in scripture, in addition to or in lieu of, the physical locations they represent.
The “(Judah) remnant within a (Judah) remnant” described in this current passage is a group of God’s people who will find their Millennial period existence in the strip of land that stretches from sea to sea (Mediterranean to Dead Sea), just south of the strip of land that will include the main Judah tribal remnant. According to scripture in the book of Ezekiel, this strip of land will include the City of Jerusalem where God’s “holy hill” is; that is, Mount Zion where God’s sanctuary and temple will be. This is where Jesus Christ will reign and be worshiped.
Why discuss a Judah remnant?
Just as God established a people for himself as represented by Jacob and his 12 tribes, within his people he has selected a tribe (Judah), and a remnant of that tribe, to come especially close to him. This is many times described as his own “inheritance,” and a people who can be thought of as an “inheritance within an inheritance.” This will be a ruling people in God’s kingdom, fittingly coming primarily through through the ‘Davidic’ line, but possibly through other lines of Judah as well. They will have the incredible honor of leading a procession through the gates of God’s temple itself in their worship and honor of Jesus Christ.
The following selected scriptures refer to this selected remnant:
- (After his people’s captivity and oppression) “he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved. He built his sanctuary like the heights, like the earth that he established forever. He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance.” (Ps. 78:67)
- “As when juice is still found in a cluster of grapes, and men say, ‘Don’t destroy it, there is yet some good in it,’ so will I do on behalf of my servants; I will not destroy them all. I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah those who will possess my mountains; my chosen people will inherit them, and there will my servants live.” (Is. 65:8)
What sets this remnant apart?
First and foremost, these are God’s people who in the last days, which scripture tells us will resemble the times of Noah and Lot, will choose to serve only Jesus Christ and will not bow down to Baal (i.e. the current times anti-Christ Chaldean New World Order system). Sound familiar? Furthermore, this Judah remnant is set apart and distinguished by the following attributes:
- Holy
- Royal
- Righteous and faithful
- Persecuted
- Saved
Each of these attributes describing a Judah remnant that God sets aside for himself in the last days is discussed below.
A holy people
As rare, true believers with strong faith in Jesus Christ in the end times, this Judah remnant fits the definition of “God’s elect.” These are people to whom the apostle Peter (Ch. 1) addresses, who are: “strangers in the world”; “scattered”; “an inheritance that can never perish”; and “chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the spirit.”
In speaking about this people in the context of their trust in the rejected cornerstone, Jesus Christ, Peter also says:
- “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” (1 Peter 2:9)
This Judah remnant also fits the apostle Paul’s description of a people who have the “Spirit of Christ,” and who are “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” Paul describes them as those God “foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.” These are people who have been “called,” “justified,” and “glorified,” according to the apostle Paul (Rom 8:30).
It only stands to reason that the chosen Judah remnant who will be ruling on behalf of Jesus Christ from the temple area in the Millennial Kingdom will possess these holy qualities. In the coming day when God destroys Jerusalem’s enemies, he says that he will make the house of David to be, “like God, like the Angel of the Lord going before.” This will be the day leading into the Millennial Kingdom when God will pour out a “spirit of grace and supplication” as well as a cleansing and sanctifying “fountain” on those in the house of David (Zech 12:10 and 13:1, respectively).
The following scripture addresses the house of David’s anointing and favor in the context of God setting up Jerusalem/Zion in his heavenly kingdom.
- “Pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people…They will be called the holy people, the Redeemed of the Lord; and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.” (Is. 62:10-12)
Additional attributes of the Judah remnant discussed below will further support the case that they fit the apostles’ descriptions of an “elect” people.
God’s Millennial Royalty
The ruling Judah remnant in the Millennium will serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ. They, themselves, will be given holy and royal distinction. I have discussed the Millennial ‘Prince’ David in prior passages, and he will preside over an extended royal family. In Jacobs’s last prophetic words about his sons in the book of Genesis, and about Judah in particular, he said, “He (the ruler to whom the staff and scepter belongs- i.e. ‘David’) will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to be the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes” (Gen. 49:11).
Here, we introduce another key end times figure (to be discussed in more detail in a future passage)- the ‘Daughter of Zion.’ She will embody all of the attributes discussed in this passage that describe the ruling Judah remnant for the Millennium (i.e. holy, royal, righteous, faithful, persecuted, and redeemed). That is, she embodies and directly represents the living temple of Jesus Christ. Her name ‘Zion’ is even used in a figurative sense to represent the royal fortified palace; and the gates of the holy temple are frequently referred to in scripture as the “Gates of the Daughter of Zion.” She is a Matriarch figure in the kingdom, who is “no longer deserted,” but instead has been blessed with the royal family of Judah.
The ‘Daughter of Zion’ will have many companions, and will preside over an extended Judaiac family, which will ultimately fulfill God’s covenant promise to David that his descendants will be, “as countless as the stars of the sky” (Jer 33:22). Royal companions of the ‘Daughter of Zion’ will include, “honored women” who are “daughters of kings” and sometimes are referred to in scripture as the “daughter(s) of Jerusalem.” She will also inherit holy sons who will be princes “throughout the land” (Ps 45). In one of his prophetic Psalms (144:11), King David prays and envisions a heavenly, prosperous family in Zion saying, “Our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.”
A couple of scriptures speaking about the Millennial royal family, and about an appointed time that is set for the ‘Daughter of Zion’ are as follows:
- “Who will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. For her stones are dear to your servants…” (Ps. 102:13-14)
- “Can a country be born in a day? Or a nation brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children…rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her…” (Is. 66:8, 10)
- “And of Zion it will be said, ‘This one and that one were born in her: and the highest himself will establish her.’ The Lord will write in the register of the peoples; ‘This one was born in Zion.'” (Ps. 87:5-6)
In scripture, we are told that the Matriarch Zion will be the bride of the Lord, and the Lord says to Zion, “so shall thy sons (also) marry thee.”
A righteous and faithful people
This holy, royal Judah “remnant” that God sets aside for himself, not surprisingly, will be shown to be a particularly righteous remnant. As noted in the Isaiah scripture (65:8) earlier in this passage, this remnant represents a few grapes on the vine in the last days who are spared by God as a result of their faith and obedience. Our end times figures, albeit not perfect, including ‘Jacob’ (who comes through the “waters of Judah”), ‘David’, the ‘Daughter of Zion,’ and the ‘Daughter(s) of Jerusalem,’ and the additional sons of God are ultimately honored and rewarded by God for their righteousness. God says, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your righteousness and all kings your glory” (Is. 62:1).
The following scriptures clearly point to a righteous, faithful remnant of God’s chosen people who inherit his land and his kingdom:
- “Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.” (Is. 60:21)
- “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God…” (Ps. 92:12)
- “For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever…the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever..” (Ps. 37:28)
Righteousness and faith win versus the Anti-Christ Chaldeans
You may recall that I discussed ‘David’s battle with the anti-Christ Chaldean army as a representation of, and microcosm of, a broader battle of God’s people versus this Satanic army that God brings to purify and refine his people in the end times. This is an “accusing” and lying army that targets and disparages God’s people and relies on invoking their feelings of guilt, fear or shame so that they will surrender, join the Chaldeans and renounce their faith.
The righteous Judah remnant will be shown to have survived this severe, purifying “test” of being schemed against, judged and accused by the Chaldean army; and they will be recognized for demonstrating true, strong faith in Jesus Christ as the only one God with true authority to both charge and forgive. This remnant upholds the specific Judah tribal trait of being warriors in battle, and who earn the apostle Paul’s designation of being, “more than conquerors” in Jesus Christ (Rom 8:36).
Scripture says this Judah remnant will ultimately be rewarded by living in “tents of righteousness.” Not surprisingly, God’s city Zion/Jerusalem, will be called the “City of Truth” (Zech. 8:3), the “City of Righteousness” (Is. 1:27), and the “Faithful City.” (Is. 1:27)
A people who face persecution in the last days
It is clear that this Judah remnant suffers extreme persecution for their faith in the last days. I just revisited their righteous battle versus the anti-Christ Chaldeans above. As God’s people who represent particular bloodlines of interest to Chaldean rulers, these people have been “sold.” God says, “And what do I have here: For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock” (Ps. 52:5). Due to illegal tactics used by the Chaldeans (i.e. surveillance, tracking, following, stalking, mocking, harassment, racketeering, etc.), this Judah remnant (and possibly others) has been imprisoned and held in captivity, in plain sight, even in ‘Babylon’-U.S.
Intense persecution by the anti-Christ Chaldeans causes God’s people to fully turn back to him and to cry out for his help in the last days. Even as a righteous remnant, God’s people are pushed to the point of fully seeking him for forgiveness and deliverance as part of his vine that is persecuted, stripped and decimated at the hands of the anti-Christ Chaldean army. God’s remnant people pray:
- “O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance…they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his homeland…Help us, O God our savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your names’s sake. Why should the nations say, There is no God?” (Ps. 79:1, 7, 9-10)
- “But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies. You made us retreat before the enemy…you gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations.” (Ps. 44:9-11)
- “Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved…Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself. Your vine is cut down…let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. Then we will not turn away from you; revive us and we will call on your name.” (Ps. 80:7, 16, 17-18)
Apostles as servant-examples
In these last days, it has been prophesied and is evident that God’s people are an “object of cursing” (Zech 8:13). True faithful believers are the only ones standing in the gap between the ultimate coming of God’s Kingdom led by Jesus Christ and an interim new world order led by the Anti-Christ. Here, we cannot forget about the prophets and Apostles who suffered for the sake of serving the one true God of Israel, Jesus Christ. God’s prophets and apostles were forerunners who served as examples for God’s people in the end times, demonstrating that there can be no obtaining God’s kingdom without facing persecution. We learn from the apostle Paul:
- “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” (Rom. 8:36)
- “This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained, like a criminal, but God’s word is not chained. Therefore I do everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:8)
A people delivered from and saved out of persecution
Due to their persecution, this Judah and house of David remnant of the last days is referred to several times as a group of “survivors.” They must fend for themselves, relying solely on God, against an anti-Christ Chaldean army onslaught. Recall the Chaldeans’ tremendous power and that they are a “law unto themselves”; and so this remnant comes to a realization, “the help of man is worthless” (Ps. 60:11).
I am personally reminded of the scripture, “To everyone who has been given much, much is demanded” (Luke 12:48). While this remnant is a chosen people, an inheritance through God’s covenant promise, they have to earn their right to the Kingdom through demonstrating faith and righteousness, and by taking a stand against the full weight of the anti-Christ Chaldean evil empire. They will ultimately find that the persecution they suffered will be entirely insignificant when compared to their inheritance in God’s Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in return for their longsuffering and perseverance, God offers this Judah remnant an escape in the final days. Scripture says many times that the Lord will save Zion and that her people will escape the “sword among the nations.” With God’s help, the people of this select remnant and the restraining force of the Holy Spirit will likely have to be physically and/or supernaturally removed from their current place in societies (mostly ‘Babylon’-U.S.) in order to be saved. This appears to be represented in scripture as:
- ‘Jacob’ being saved out of the time of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7)
- God’s people entering their rooms, shutting their doors until God’s wrath has passed by (Is. 26:20)
- “Who are these that fly along like clouds, like doves to their nests?” (Is. 60:8)
When this Judah remnant is saved from their real and present physical danger, they enter into a place of God’s protection. This is an answer to King David’s prophetic prayer for his people, “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress, may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion” (Ps. 20:1).
God says in scripture that Jacob will no longer be afraid and in addressing Judah and ‘Israel,’ he says, “I will save you and you will be a blessing” (Zech. 8:9). He also promises through the prophet Zephaniah:
- “The Lord, the King of Israel is with you, never again will you fear any harm.” (Zeph. 3:15)
Peace
God’s people are ultimately given peace in his kingdom. This is another answer to one of King David supplications, this time for the “peace of Jerusalem.” He wrote, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels” (Ps. 122:6-7). There is other refreshing scripture about borders that are drawn for God’s people for which the enemy will not be able to cross.
In then meantime, King David sums up:
- “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” (Ps. 29:10-11)
Peace for God’s remnant of Judah finally comes by being present with the Lord, and by being in the absence of wickedness. Our picture of God’s people’s deliverance in Nahum (1:15) reminds us, “for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.”
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In conclusion, the establishment of the Judah and house of David remnant as a ruling party in God’s Millennial Kingdom will prove God’s character as a just, merciful and loving God- a sovereign, all-powerful God who always keeps his covenant promises to his people.
While this Judah remnant is given special blessings in his kingdom, there will be numerous, countless others who will enjoy a heavenly Millennial Kingdom existence as a result of their true faith and salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and Peace,
Lion’s Lair (LL)
Lion's Lair 