Although God was going to judge Israel so that the cities would be wasted and without inhabitant, the houses without man, and the land utterly desolate, God would preserve a small remnant. “But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.” (Isaiah 6:13)
Only a tenth of the previous population would return to the land. Sadly, this remnant would again be devoured, first by Syria and later by the Romans. The people of Israel would be scattered throughout the nations. However, God would not forget Israel. Romans 11:1,2a says, “1) I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2) God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” God’s people would be like the oak tree whose leaves fall off in the winter, and its seed is scattered around. It may look dead and without life and seem totally without hope. The tree itself may even be devoured or destroyed. But spring is coming, along with the hope of new life. New trees will spring out of the seeds, and new life will grow and multiply. In the same way, God will once again restore His people to their land. The people who inhabit the land will be a holy seed, a righteous people who will look upon Him whom they have pierced and mourn for Him. They will finally receive the Messiah whom they first rejected, and they will be fully restored and grow and flourish in the land.
When God restores the land to His people, He will bring about the final defeat of all their enemies. Then they will look upon Jesus and realize that He is their Messiah. They will mourn because of their rejection of Him the first time He came. It will be a day of salvation and a day of mourning, “9) And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10) And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:9,10) It will not be Israel alone who mourns, Revelation 1:7,8 says, “7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8) I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Israel will mourn because they will recognize the Messiah whom they did not receive the first time. The other nations will mourn because their day of judgment will come, and no nation can stand before the judgment of the Lord.
This time of Jesus’ appearing will be a solemn time, but it will also be a happy time. Consider the words of Matthew 24:30,31, “30) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31) And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” The “elect” here is referring to the remnant of Israel, the holy seed. God will gather them and take them out of all the nations of the earth among whom they are scattered. They will be brought back to their own place; their enemies will be defeated, and God will pour upon them the spirit of grace and supplication.
There is a day coming that is fearful, wonderful, and glorious all at once, “5) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6) In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jeremiah 23:5,6) God has not cast off His people. Though they be scattered throughout the whole earth, they will one day be brought again to their land; they will know their Messiah, their enemies will be judged, true justice will be known throughout the earth, and Israel shall dwell safely.