Yes, God promised the Messiah the Gentiles as an inheritance, meaning the nations would be His possession in the coming kingdom on earth (Psalm 2:8).
According to Psalm 2:8, God the Father says to the Son, "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." Les Feldick clarifies that this inheritance refers to the Millennial Kingdom, not the Church or the age of grace. It shows God's intention to include the whole human race in His earthly kingdom, not just Israel.
Psalm 2:8 — This verse directly states that God will give the Messiah the Gentiles (heathen) as an inheritance and the ends of the earth as His possession.
Psalm 2:8 (KJV) says, "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." This verse is part of a messianic psalm that describes God's decree concerning His Anointed King. The wider context (verses 1-9) speaks of the nations raging against the Lord and His Anointed, and God's response of establishing His King on Zion. The verse promises universal dominion to the Messiah. In the Old Testament, God also revealed His heart for the Gentiles through the prophets. Isaiah 42:1 says, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." Here "judgment" means rule or government. Isaiah 49:6, says, "And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth." These verses reveal that God's plan always included the Gentiles, and that the Messiah would be a light and salvation to them. The book of Isaiah also says in chapter 11, verse 10, "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious." This further shows the Messiah's reign would extend to the Gentiles.
Les Feldick teaches that Psalm 2:8 refers specifically to the coming Kingdom, not the Church or the present Age of Grace. He explains that the verse promises the Messiah the Gentiles and the farthest parts of the earth as His possession, indicating that the Kingdom will include the whole human race, not just Israel. He highlights that this was an Old Testament concept, showing God's eternal purpose for the Gentiles. However, the fulfillment was conditional on Israel's obedience and acceptance of Jesus as the Christ. Because Israel rejected the offer, the Kingdom was postponed, and God turned to the Gentiles with the Age of Grace. Nevertheless, the promise remains and will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom.
Psalm 2:8's promise of the Gentiles as an inheritance is tied to the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth. The surrounding verses describe the Messiah being set on the holy hill of Zion after the wrath of the Tribulation. The inheritance of the nations is thus a kingdom promise, not a promise for the Church. The Kingdom will be worldwide, extending to the uttermost parts of the earth, and will include people from every nation.
In the intended sequence, Israel was to be the channel through which the light of the Messiah would go to the Gentiles. Isaiah 49:6 says that raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring Israel was a 'light thing,' and that God would also give the Messiah as a light to the Gentiles, extending salvation to the ends of the earth. However, Israel rejected the Messiah, so the fulfillment of these promises was postponed. Yet, God's plan for the Gentiles was not forgotten, and it will be realized in the Kingdom.
No, Les Feldick is clear that the promise of the Gentiles as an inheritance in Psalm 2:8 refers to the Kingdom, not the Church. In the present Age of Grace, Gentiles have become fellow heirs with Christ in a spiritual sense, which was a mystery not revealed in the Old Testament. This joint-heirship is different from the earthly inheritance promised to the Messiah in Psalm 2. The inheritance of the nations is for the Millennial Kingdom.
The Conditional Kingdom and Israel's Rejection
Les explains that Psalm 2 describes the ascension and the possibility of Christ returning to set up His Kingdom, but this was conditional on Israel's belief and obedience.
Israel as Light to the Gentiles
Les teaches from Isaiah 49:6 that God's plan was for Israel to take the Messiah's salvation to the Gentiles, extending to the ends of the earth.
The True Meaning of Israel as a "Peculiar People"
And so to Israel he says, And the word judgment here does not mean punishment, as we think of the term, but he would bring forth rule. To whom? Gentiles! But of whom is the prophet speaking? Christ, see? The Messiah, this coming King. And who was He intrinsically interested in? The non-Jew, the Gentiles, see? All right. He shall bring forth rule to the Gentiles.
What Happens to Gentiles After the Tribulation? Isaiah 24
God hasn't forgotten about the Gentiles by any stretch of the imagination, even though the Age of Grace was primarily to Gentiles, yet even during the Tribulation, God has still been preparing Gentiles to go into the Kingdom in ordinary flesh and blood bodies, because you have to remember, the Kingdom is going to see a tremendous population explosion, so that by the end of that thousand years when…
Does God Harden Hearts? Romans 9:18-24 and the Potter's Clay
Now Isaiah 42, verse 1, �Behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth, I have put my Spirit upon him.� Now he�s speaking of Christ, the Messiah. �He shall bring forth judgment.� Now the word �judgment� there doesn�t mean �punishment.� It means �rule, government.� And he shall bring forth government to whom? The Gentiles. This was an Old Testament concept.
The Mysteries Paul Revealed — Secrets Hidden Since the World Began
Now here is basically what this mystery amounts to. That the Gentiles were of all things going to become fellow heirs with Christ. Israel never had a promise like that. Israel never had a promise that they would be joint heirs with Christ. Now you know what that means? You know I've got some lawyers in my classes, and about that time I said, what does this mean in lawyer term? Hey what's one belon…
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Even though God was dealing primarily with the nation of Israel all the way up from Abraham until we get into the book of Acts, God didn�t forget about the Gentiles. He couldn�t deal with them until Christ went to the cross of course, but again He hasn�t forgotten. All ye Gentiles, laud Him, or praise Him, all ye people. Ephesians 1.
The Messiah's Inheritance of the Gentiles
Les directly explains Psalm 2:8, stating that God gives the Messiah the Gentiles as an inheritance, meaning the Kingdom will include the whole human race and be on earth.
Psalm 2:8: Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
This is the key verse that directly promises the Gentiles to the Messiah as an inheritance.
Isaiah 42:1: Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
This shows that the Messiah would bring rule or government to the Gentiles, indicating His authority over them.
Isaiah 49:6: And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
This reveals that the Messiah's salvation and light would extend to the Gentiles, to the ends of the earth.
Isaiah 11:10: And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
This verse connects the Messiah (root of Jesse) and the Gentiles seeking Him, emphasizing His universal reign.
No. According to Les Feldick, Psalm 2:8 refers to the Millennial Kingdom, not the Church. The promise of the Gentiles as an inheritance is for the earthly kingdom that Christ will establish, not for the spiritual blessings that the Church enjoys today.
The fulfillment of Psalm 2:8 was conditional upon Israel's acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah in the book of Acts. Because Israel rejected Him, the Kingdom was postponed, and God turned to the Gentiles in the Age of Grace. But the promise will still be fulfilled in the future.
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