The Messiah Anna Longed For

Isaiah 49:5-7

And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
And My God is My strength),
⁶ He says, “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant
To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light of the nations
So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
⁷ Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One,
To the despised One,
To the One abhorred by the nation,
To the Servant of rulers,
“Kings will see and arise,
Princes will also bow down,
Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.” (NASB)

According to theologians, we live in the age of the Gentiles.

In terms of Biblical prophecy, the end time events are on hold. God has paused the timeline of Jerusalem’s restoration until every nation and tongue has had the opportunity to hear about Christ and the salvation he offers. When the fullness of time occurs, when the last person intended to receive the gospel listens and accepts, the clock will restart.

This is why, in part, the Holy One is despised and abhorred by his own people. If Christ had been loved and adored, they would have made him ruler instead of allowing him to be crucified. If they had accepted him, they would not have forced his followers to flee for their lives—thus spreading the message.

And all because God said it was too small a thing to reach the tribes of Jacob. Instead, his goal and his mission, as it had been from the beginning of time, was to reach out to all humankind.

Because he is a light to the nations and redeemer for all.