Israel Shall Blossom & Bud Is 27 3-31 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Israel shall blossom and bud.  In this passage, Israel is likened to a vineyard that will be fruitful in the millennial reign of Jesus [Is 27:2, 6].  Notice that Jesus is the husbandman [the keeper] and they fill the world with fruit.  This happens when Jesus returns to earth and Israel becomes the greatest nation on earth.

In order for Israel to gain the ascendancy and be fruitful, several things must happen:

Jesus must be in Israel – v.3 – Ps 121:1-8 – without him the vineyard goes wild [Is 5:1-7] – the first time he came to the vineyard, they cast him out [Matt 21:33-41] – so he cast them out.

The Lord must purge out the briers and thorns – v.4 – Is 9:16-19; Is 10:16-19 – the briers and thorns represent wicked men.

The Lord must reconcile the remnant – v.5 – those Jews who survive the purging must make peace with the Lord, Is 10:20-21.

Then Israel shall blossom – v.6 – Is 37:31-32; Is 61:9-11.

This purging of Israel will be so severe that it will nearly wipe out the nation.

The Lord will smite them like he smote their enemies – v.7 – Jer 25:15-33; Jer 30:10-11; Mal 3:3-6 – they are beat down but they are not destroyed.

The Lord will spare a remnant – v.8 – the companion passage appears to be Rev 7:1-3, where the winds are withheld from blowing till the 144,000 are sealed.

The Lord will take away Israel’s sin – v.9 – Idolatry is the key sin that plagues Israel which culminates in the antichrist’s image during the Tribulation – comp 2 Chr 34:3-7.

The Lord will leave their cities desolate – v.10 – Ezek 6:11-14

And He will mercilessly burn their idolatrous inhabitants – v.11 – Is 1:21-24; Matt 23:33; Jn 15:6

Yet He will gather the remnant back in Israel – v.12-13 – Matt 24:31; Is 11:10-12 – notice that he gathers them one-by-one because they are so few.