By David R. Parsons, ICEJ Senior Vice President & Spokesman

This year’s Feast theme, “Ten from Every Nation,” comes from the prophetic visions of Zechariah. He had been assigned a difficult task. The Persian emperor Cyrus had died, and with him expired the royal decree allowing the Jews to rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem, as well as his funding. The local Samaritans also opposed the work. Finally, many old timers had seen or heard about the glory of Solomon’s Temple and insisted this house fell far short of its splendour.

Yet the Hebrew prophets took a different view. Haggai declared “the glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former.” (Haggai 2:9)

Zechariah also proclaimed: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it… Who has despised the days of small things.” (Zechariah 4:9-10)

Zechariah saw this restored Temple drawing not only Jewish pilgrims but also many God-fearing Gentiles. In fact, he foresaw a day when all the nations would come up to Jerusalem every year “to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” (Zechariah 14:16) This prophetic vision is what inspired those pioneers who in 1980 launched the first public Christian celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles for Gentile believers, which quickly grew into the largest annual tourist event in Israel.

Zechariah chapter 8 expands on this prophetic vision in a powerful way. The passage first makes clear that God is “zealous for Zion… with great fervour” – meaning the city of Jerusalem and the Temple (Zechariah 8:1). He vows to bring the Jewish people back to dwell safely in the city (vs. 7-8). The Lord also promises to prosper and bless them, for “I am determined to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” (vs. 11-15)

Equally remarkable, Zechariah foresaw multitudes of Gentiles also ascending to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. People from one city would urge those from other cities “to go and pray before the Lord, and seek the Lord of hosts… Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’” (Zechariah 8:20-23)

This is an extraordinary vision which ran contrary to the prevailing circumstances of that day. Only a small Jewish remnant had returned to a city and Temple in ruins, and the task of rebuilding them seemed monumental, much less turning them into something more glorious than before. But the word of the Lord assured that the Temple indeed would be rebuilt, and it would have even more glory than Solomon’s Temple. The scattered Jewish people also would be regathered and completely rebuild their nation into a prospering and peaceful kingdom. Furthermore, the Gentiles also would be drawn as never before to Jerusalem, to make pilgrimage alongside the Jews and to worship the Lord at the feasts of Israel.

This had happened in small measure during the time of Solomon’s Temple, but Zechariah saw it extending to all peoples, with a righteous remnant of at least “ten from every language of the nations” grabbing hold of the Jews and ascending to Jerusalem to worship and serve their God.

This is an incredible prophetic vision not only from the perspective of the days of Zechariah, but also from the broader perspective of redemptive history. The truth is that God had once abandoned the Gentiles to worshipping other gods and preserved Israel alone as His own inheritance.

The Tower of Babel
The Jewish concept of a minyan of at least ten righteous men required to offer communal prayer comes from Genesis 19, when Abraham pleaded with the Lord to spare Sodom from destruction even if He could find only ten righteous men there. But we must go back to Genesis 11 and the Tower of Babel to begin to understand the spiritual journey and destiny of the Gentile nations as a whole.

It is clear from the story that the builders of Babel became extremely proud and united in their determination to build a city and make a name for themselves. Yet other peoples and generations have been similarly arrogant towards God. What was it about their decision which so angered the Lord that He came down to confuse their languages and scatter them? It was because they refused to follow His command to Noah and his family to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” (Genesis 9:1) In fact, the builders of Babel set about to build a city, “lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

Later, we learn from Moses there was something even more consequential occurring at this moment. “When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 32:8-9)

Here, the original Hebrew preserved in the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, actually says that God divided the nations according to the bnei Elohim, or “sons of God” – meaning certain angelic beings who sit in the heavenly council (see, e.g., Job 1:6 and 2:1; Psalm 82:1).

Deuteronomy chapter 4 sheds further light on the divine judgment at Babel. Here, Moses warned his people against worshipping false gods like the Gentile nations, saying: “And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be His people, an inheritance, as you are this day.” (Deuteronomy 4:19-20)

According to such noted Bible scholars as Michael Heiser and Gerald McDermott, these passages are speaking of the Tower of Babel, when God actually disinherited the nations. Each nation that arose from the seventy sons of Noah was assigned a god or angelic being that would become a spiritual principality or power over them – a unique aspect of biblical cosmology affirmed in the New Testament (see, e.g., Romans 8:38; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:16).

Meanwhile, God retained Israel as His own special inheritance, for “the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance.” (Deuteronomy 32:9) They were to be “a special treasure to Me above all people.” (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6; Psalm 135:4) And the archangel Michael was assigned as their guardian (Daniel 12:1; Jude 1:9).

Not long after Babel, God called Israel into being through the calling of Abraham and gave them the special task of bringing salvation to the entire world. This calling was contained in the divine promise that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) The Apostle Paul later describes this as the first preaching of the Gospel (Galatians 3:8).

How remarkable then is God’s salvation plan! He disowned the nations at Babel, but already determined before the worlds were made that He – through Israel – would redeem for Himself a righteous remnant from among every nation, tongue and tribe on earth (Revelation 5:9).

Zechariah spoke forth this plan as well, even in a time of many obstacles and frustrations for Israel, when he said that one day God would draw unto Himself at least ten men – that is, a righteous remnant – from among every language of the nations. This remnant would grab hold of a Jew and make pilgrimage to Jerusalem, because they know this is where God placed His name, where He can be found in prayer and worship, and where the promised redemption took place on the Cross!

How amazing the grace of God! As Gentiles, we were “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel…  having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:12-13)

Please take the passage from Zechariah 8:23 as your prophetic invitation to come to Jerusalem for this year’s Feast of Tabernacles. Tell others to join you in ascending to Zion to seek the Lord and pray in this city. Make sure there is a righteous remnant of at least ten Christian pilgrims representing your nation at this year’s Feast.

Main photo: The flags of the nations are raised at the Roll Call of the Nations night at the Feast of Tabernacles 2018. (ICEJ)