Which New Testament passages echo the theme of nations joining the LORD? The Seed of the Promise in Zechariah 2:11 “Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that day and become My people. I will dwell among you, and you will know that the LORD of Hosts has sent Me to you.” (Zechariah 2:11) Jesus Extends the Invitation to Every Nation • Matthew 28:19 — “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” • Mark 11:17 — “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” • Luke 2:32 — “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” • John 10:16 — “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.” Pentecost: Nations Hear the Gospel Firsthand • Acts 2:5 — “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.” • Acts 2:11 — “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” The Door Swings Wide for Gentiles • Acts 10:34-35 — “God does not show favoritism, but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.” • Acts 10:45 — “The circumcised believers … were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.” • Acts 11:18 — “God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.” Apostolic Confirmation: One People for His Name • Acts 15:14-17 — “God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for His name … so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear My name.” Paul Proclaims the Unfolding Mystery • Romans 10:12 — “For there is no difference between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and gives richly to all who call on Him.” • Galatians 3:8 — “Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and foretold the gospel to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’” • Ephesians 2:13, 19 — “you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ… you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household.” • Ephesians 3:6 — “Through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.” • Colossians 1:27 — “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Living Temple: God Dwells Among His Unified People • 2 Corinthians 6:16 — “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” Peter Affirms a New, Global People of God • 1 Peter 2:9-10 — “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession… Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.” Revelation: Nations Gather Around the Throne • Revelation 5:9 — “by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” • Revelation 7:9 — “a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue.” • Revelation 21:24 — “By its light the nations will walk, and into it the kings of the earth will bring their glory.” • Revelation 22:2 — “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Tying It All Together From Jesus’ commission to the closing scenes of Revelation, the New Testament consistently fulfills Zechariah 2:11: God gathers believers from every nation into one redeemed people, and He literally dwells among them through His Spirit now and in the coming kingdom forever. |
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