Isaiah 11:11
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
The Lord promises to act a second time to bring back the remnant of His people left scattered in distant lands, naming Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the islands of the sea. This recovery belongs to the reign of Christ as the root of Jesse, who stands as a banner for the peoples to gather the outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth, with Gentiles seeking God as part of the worldwide plan of redemption. The prophecy is meeting fulfillment now in a time of darkness through a great spiritual awakening, applied to God's work after 1844 and to the Advent movement gathering a people from every nation to proclaim the third angel's message. Its banner is the lines of missionaries and mission stations set up in needy lands to carry the glad tidings of salvation and God's Word to every nation, people, language, and kindred. His people are therefore to unite and work zealously in this gathering, which will succeed gloriously to renew and strengthen every faithful believer, and the promise does not call them to travel to Old Jerusalem or to look for its rebuilding before Christ returns.
Promise and Context
The promise is that in that day the Lord will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left in scattered and distant lands. The lands left are named as Assyria and Egypt and Pathros and Cush and Elam and Shinar and Hamath and the islands of the sea.
The recovery belongs to the prophecy of Christ, the root of Jesse standing for an ensign of the people, to whom the Gentiles will seek and whose rest will be glorious. With the surrounding verses it promises that He will set up an ensign for the nations to assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
That work embraces the whole world in the great plan of redemption, with Gentiles brought to seek God and with righteousness and salvation going forth until Gentiles and kings see His glory.
Gathering Fulfilled Today
The second recovery is a gathering time in which God heals and binds up His people, and efforts to spread the truth have their intended effect, in contrast to the earlier scattering when such efforts accomplished little. That scattering is not the pattern for the gathering, so the work is to be judged by what God now does to restore rather than by former failure. The gathering belongs to God's work after 1844 to recover the remnant who had been covered up beneath the rubbish since 1844. It is the Advent movement, in which God set His hand to gather a people from every nation as He had gathered Israel by leading them from Egypt, joined to the work and the call to proclaim the third angel's message.
The prophecy is meeting fulfillment now, in a time of gross darkness, through a great spiritual awakening as advancing lines of mission stations reach into the benighted regions of the earth. The ensign is the groups of missionaries and mission stations in heathen lands set up for the guidance of those looking for the light of truth, to which the Gentiles seek, so that the outcasts of Israel are assembled and the dispersed of Judah are gathered from the four corners of the earth. This gathering is the present work of proclaiming God's Word throughout the world, to every nation, people, language, and kindred. The glad tidings of salvation are to be carried to those who have not heard them, with the root of Jesse standing as a signal for the nations.
The recovery is the renewed uniting, strengthening, raising up, and growth of the remnant. The remnant are those looking for Christ, gathered by God into renewed union and community. In this sense Zion is rising and will not fall again.
Mission and Warning
The second recovery is a gathering time in which God heals and binds up His people and efforts to spread the truth have their intended effect. The earlier scattering, when such efforts accomplished little, is not a pattern for the gathering. His people are therefore to unite and work zealously rather than use the conditions of the scattering as a guide. The recovery will be accomplished gloriously, and opposition to the truth will not stop it. Instead, opposition and false accusations will help bring some people to see the truth and be gathered.
The recovery gathers every faithful jewel, those who partake of the spirit of Jesus and have vital godliness with hearts sanctified by the truth they profess. Zion is rising never to fall again even though some in Zion are languishing, dormant and unbelieving. Those meeting together at Oswego and vicinity who are not right and do not partake of that spirit will be purged out of the camp of Israel unless they soon change. The verse does not command believers to travel to Old Jerusalem or promise that it will be rebuilt before Christ returns. That expectation is a mistaken use of the promised gathering, one that diverts people from the present work and from preparing for the day of the Lord.