Jesus’ simple statement, “the meek shall inherit the earth” actually weighs heavily, and fits cleanly, into accurate eschatological revelation.
Intending that this word be heard by many (a crowd of witnesses, if you will), we see our Lord beginning the Sermon on the Mount with the following declaration – a declaration that has come to be known as the Beautitudes. These truly are beautiful statements, and/but let’s read into them their prophetic intent, in light of relative scripture.
Matthew 5:1-10
1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
It would be clarifying to note that Matt 5:17-20 (7 verses later, so effectively in the same breath) has our Lord affirming and confirming that every smallest punctuation mark of the “law” – Greek being “nomos” and, per Rabbi Paul, inclusive of all scripture, will surely be fulfilled.
So what’s happening here with “the meek shall inherit the earth”?
First, Jesus was confirming David’s declaration in Psalm 37, which also awaits fulfillment at the conclusion of this age, a season that Paul tells Timothy will be marked by increase in wickedness and evil living.
Psalm 37
1 Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the Lord,
They shall inherit the earth.
10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;
Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,
But it shall be no more.
(AND HERE’S THE PROMISE TO THE MEEK):
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
12 The wicked plots against the just,
And gnashes at him with his teeth.
13 The Lord laughs at him,
For He sees that his day is coming.
The “day” of verse 13 could be ascribed to any day, throughout history, when our sovereign Lord judged or judges, the wicked. History has testified to that occurrence more than once. But meanwhile, the inheritance of the earth has not yet occurred in its fulness, so wisdom would have us looking forward to Yom Yahweh, THE GREAT DAY OF THE LORD, referred to countless times in both testaments.
That being the case, the admonition of psalm-37-living suddenly bears more weight and significance for saints in our days. Hence, this writing.
SIDENOTE: Those two “Z” books, Zechariah and Zephaniah, present some weighty and immovable objects in the path of those promoting easy-end-age happenings on earth. “Z” corresponding to Omega, I credit our great God with a prophetic sense of purpose. Two prophets with names beginning with the final alphabetical letter, pointing towards some final days-of-this-age revelation.
Zephaniah 3:8-15
8 “Therefore wait for Me,” says the Lord,
“Until the day I rise up for plunder;
My determination is to gather the nations
To My assembly of kingdoms,
To pour on them My indignation,
All My fierce anger;
All the earth shall be devoured
With the fire of My jealousy.
9 “For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language,
That they all may call on the name of the Lord,
To serve Him with one accord.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers,
The daughter of My dispersed ones,
Shall bring My offering.
11 In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds
In which you transgress against Me;
For then I will take away from your midst
Those who rejoice in your pride,
And you shall no longer be haughty
In My holy mountain.
(HERE’S THE REMNANT, THE REMAINING MEEK ONES WHO WILL INHERIT THE EARTH):
12 I will leave in your midst
A meek and humble people,
And they shall trust in the name of the Lord.
13 The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness
And speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;
For they shall feed their flocks and lie down,
And no one shall make them afraid.”
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.
The meek and humble of verse 12 are defined as needy, poor, depressed by circumstance – pretty much fully emptied of self, so that they are, in that state and at that time, finally equipped and ready to fully, completely, and only, trust in the Lord.
Do you see a somewhat painful prophetic plan here? I admit to seeing it, and even experiencing it. As I live my life, struggling with my own attitudes, my own propensities towards iniquity, and also as I function within the corporate body of Christ and are aware of the sufferings of the saints around me, I cannot help but see the Lord in it all. And through it all the joy of the Lord is our strength.
These are days of preparation and purification, of pruning and purpose. In His great mercy, our God is allowing life to happen to,us, so that we might learn obedience and reliance and holiness now, so,that we might make the proper choices of compliance to true biblical holiness, whether our minds or spirits agree or not.
We’re invited to surrender to God, without negotiation. In that, we are aligning ourselves to win, and inherit.
We’re told God will judge all, including (and especially) His covenant people. He’ll have compassion/mercy on one remnant of that group – those who serve Him.
Psalms 135:14
14 For the Lord will judge His people,
And He will have compassion on His servants.
How does Peter, finally purified of self-will through his personal life journey, wrap this up? With a prophetic declaration re Yom Yahweh, and a rhetorical question:
2 Peter 3:10-15
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth (more accurately translated RENEWED) in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—…….(at which time
Peter continues with a related statement re the twisting of scriptural truth by the unlearned and unstable, to their destruction. We needn’t go there at this juncture.
There’s plenty enough to chew on in this writing.
As the day approaches, as the darkness covers the earth, it’s a healthy reminder that our Lord is not unaware of the trying circumstances, and in fact will be utilizing those troubling (“tribulational”) circumstances to craft Kingdom in the meek ones, who will, in glorious conclusion, be equipped and ready to inherit the Kingdom He has promised to renew, when He returns and reigns on earth, from Jerusalem, with His people.
All scripture NKJV
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