Gathered from the Four Winds

Jesus said that His angels “will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31). Gathering His people is not something new for God. All through the Bible, He is the God who gathers.

Scattered. Long before Jesus was born, Moses warned Israel that if they turned away from the Lord, they would be scattered among the nations (Deuteronomy 30:1). To be scattered is to be spread far apart, like seeds thrown in every direction.

A promise to gather. But Moses also gave God's promise. If His people came back to the Lord, He would have compassion on them and gather them again. Even if some were driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, the Lord would gather them from there (Deuteronomy 30:2-4).

You are Mine. Through Isaiah, God told His people, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1). God did not forget them, even when they were far away.

From every direction. A few verses later God promised to bring His people from the east and gather them from the west. He would tell the north to give them up and the south not to keep them back (Isaiah 43:5-6).

Sons and daughters. God called them His sons and daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone called by His name, whom He had made for His glory (Isaiah 43:6-7). They were not just a crowd to Him. They were His children.

A banner. Isaiah also wrote that the Lord would raise a banner for the nations and gather His scattered people from the four corners of the earth (Isaiah 11:12). A banner is a flag lifted high so that people far away can see where to come.

Like a shepherd. Jeremiah said that the One who scattered Israel would gather him and keep him, as a shepherd keeps his flock (Jeremiah 31:10). A psalm praises the Lord because He gathers together the outcasts of Israel (Psalm 147:2).

God began to keep His word. After many years in Babylon, God moved the heart of King Cyrus to let His people go home and build the house of the Lord again (Ezra 1:1-3). The God who promised to gather them began to do it, and His promises still stand.

Far from God. Being far from God is not only something that happened to Israel. “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Every one of us has wandered away from God by our sin.

The One who brings us back. The same verse goes on: “And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” God laid our sin on Jesus. He died on the cross and rose again so that people who were far away could be brought back to God.

What to do. If you feel far from God, you do not have to stay far away. Tell Him so, and come back to Him through Jesus. He is still the God who gathers.

God promised to gather His people. But how would He do it? The answer came through words spoken by an enemy of Jesus, who meant them for harm.

A meeting against Jesus. After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, many people believed in Him. The chief priests and Pharisees met together, worried about what would happen next (John 11:45-48).

Caiaphas speaks. Caiaphas, the high priest that year, told them it was better for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed (John 11:49-50). He meant it as a plan to get rid of Jesus.

More than he meant. But God used his words to say something true. Caiaphas was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation, “and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad” (John 11:52).

Gathered by the cross. God gathers His scattered children through the death of Jesus. Jesus died to bring people from many nations together into one family.

A people from no people. Peter wrote to believers who were scattered across many lands. He told them that once they were not a people, but now they are the people of God (1 Peter 2:10). Jesus had made them one family.

Mercy received. Peter added that once they had not received mercy, but now they had received it. God's mercy is what turns a scattered crowd into one people.

Everything in Christ. Paul wrote that God's plan is to gather together in one all things in Christ, both in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:10). Jesus is the center of the great gathering.

Gathered to Him. In a psalm God calls for His saints to be gathered together to Him (Psalm 50:5).

Room for you. Jesus welcomes everyone who comes to Him. He does not send anyone away, and no one is too far away to be gathered. If you trust Him, there is a place for you in God's family.

Gathering now. While we wait for the last gathering, God gathers His people in church. The Bible tells believers not to stop meeting together (Hebrews 10:25).

What to do. Thank God that Jesus died to make one family out of people from everywhere. This week, be kind to someone at church who seems left out.