According to Zechariah, Israel's future role is to serve as the priestly nation through whom the Gentile nations come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD.
Zechariah 8 says people from many cities and strong nations will come to Jerusalem to pray before the LORD, and ten men from all languages of the nations will take hold of a Jew and ask to go with him because God is with him. Les Feldick teaches that this is the day when God uses Israel to evangelize the nations, with every Jew operating as a priest and go-between toward the Gentiles.
Zechariah 8:20-23 — This passage directly pictures the nations coming to Jerusalem and taking hold of a Jew in the future days.
Zechariah 8:20-23 describes a future time when the LORD of hosts is sought in Jerusalem. People from many cities will urge one another, "Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also." Many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. In those days, ten men from all languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, "We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you." The reason the nations give is that God is with Israel.
Les Feldick teaches that Zechariah 8 shows Israel's prospective role: God will use Israel to evangelize the nations. He stresses that these are prophetic days still in the future, when the tribulation has passed and the King is sitting on the holy hill of Zion in Jerusalem. In that day, ten men from all the languages of the nations—Gentiles—will take hold of a Jew and say, "We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you." Les points back to Exodus 19:6 and says every Jew was to be a priest, a go-between between God and the Gentile world. Israel was separated and prepared for the day when they could be all God wanted them to be toward the non-Jewish nations.
Zechariah 8:23 says the ten men come "out of all languages of the nations." Les Feldick says these are Gentiles from the Gentile nations. They take hold of the skirt of a Jew and say, "We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you." This pictures the nations wanting to go with Israel because God is with them.
Les Feldick says these are prophetic days out in the future. The scene takes place after the tribulation when Jehovah God is ruling in Jerusalem as King over all the earth. At that time God will use Israel to evangelize the nations, and every Jew will function as a priest and go-between.
Exodus 19:6 told Israel they would be "a kingdom of priests." Les Feldick connects this to Zechariah 8 by explaining that every Jew was to be a priest—a go-between—between God and the Gentile nations. God separated this little nation to prepare them for the day when they could be all He wanted them to be toward the non-Jewish people.
Les Feldick teaches that when Peter preached in Acts, if Israel had repented and recognized the One they killed as their Messiah, the tribulation could have run its course and Christ could have returned. The Zechariah picture of Israel's future role is connected to that same national repentance and kingdom expectation.
Israel's Repentance and the Returned King
Les explains that if Israel had repented when Peter preached, the tribulation could have run its course and Christ could have returned, framing the kingdom context for Israel's future role.
Nations Coming to Jerusalem
Les reads Zechariah 8 as a future scene where strong nations come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord after the tribulation and with the King on Zion.
Every Jew a Priest
Les teaches that God prepared Israel so every Jew could be a priest bringing Gentiles to a knowledge of God.
Israel Evangelizes the Nations
Les says Zechariah 8 describes the days when God uses Israel to evangelize the nations; ten men from all languages will want to go with a Jew because God is with him.
Israel Finally Reaches Priesthood
Les identifies the future days as the time when Israel reaches that priesthood, and the ten men represent people from all Gentile languages taking hold of a Jew.
The Go-Between Priest
Les connects Exodus 19's kingdom of priests to Zechariah 8: every Jew is to be a priest and go-between between God and the Gentile nations.
Separated as a Go-Between
Les says Israel was separated as a nation to prepare them to be a go-between to the river of humanity, the Gentiles.
Zechariah 8:23 Verse Read
Les closes by reading Zechariah 8:23, showing the Jew with whom the nations want to go because they have heard God is with him.
Zechariah 8:20: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities:
This verse introduces the future coming of people and city inhabitants to seek the LORD in Jerusalem.
Zechariah 8:21: And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also.
This verse shows the nations urging one another to go and pray before the LORD in Jerusalem.
Zechariah 8:22: Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
This verse confirms that strong Gentile nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord.
Zechariah 8:23: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
This is the key verse picturing the nations taking hold of a Jew because they have heard God is with him.
Exodus 19:6: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
This is the calling Les Feldick uses to explain Israel's priestly role toward the nations.
Les Feldick says this pictures people from all the Gentile nations taking hold of a Jew and asking to go with him. They have heard that God is with him, so they want to accompany Israel. It shows Israel as the priestly link between God and the nations.
Yes. Les teaches that in those days God will use Israel to evangelize the nations. Every Jew was to be a priest, a go-between, and Zechariah 8 shows the nations coming because God is with Israel.
Les says these are prophetic days still out in the future. The scene follows the tribulation, when the King is ruling in Jerusalem and God is using Israel to reach the nations.
Watch the Teaching: What Peter Really Preached in Acts 3 — Israel's Call to Repent