As ancient Israel's size and influence declined, her prophets began to increasingly predict a new act from God that would accomplish three things on a global scale: (1) a purifying judgment that would reset the scales of justice and remove the degrading effects of evil; (2) the carving out of a remnant community deeply devoted to Yahweh, expanding to include international participation; and (3) the ushering in of a messianic age in which goodness, harmony, and righteousness would pervade...
