What were the physical and spiritual aspects of Israel's promised salvation?
Israel's promised salvation included physical deliverance from enemies, a physical kingdom, and physical peace and prosperity, but it also required spiritual salvation, which is remission of sins through the tender mercy of God. Once fulfilled spiritually, politically, and physically, Israel was to carry light to Gentiles sitting in darkness and the shadow of death.
Les explains that throughout the Old Testament there were two parallel thoughts: the king and the kingdom, and a suffering Savior. Every Jew wanted the king and the kingdom but did not want to deal with the Savior, and that was their problem. Israel's promised salvation therefore had physical aspects—deliverance from physical enemies, a physical kingdom, and physical peace and prosperity—but it also had to include spiritual salvation: knowledge of salvation by the remission of sins through the tender mercy of God. Les then points to the next step: as they would come to spiritual, political, and physical fulfillment, they were to give light to the Gentiles who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death. They had the light of the world and were to take it out to the Gentiles.