Prophecy is found in both the Old and New Testaments, and has been given by God not only to warn His people of coming events, but to encourage them amidst the difficulties through which they pass in this world. In the New Testament, prophecy is viewed as one of the greatest divine gifts, and is given for "edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Cor. 14:3). The prophet applies the word of God to the conscience of his hearers, so as to bring them into the presence of God.
Even if there are no words of Abel in the divine record, he is nevertheless reckoned by the Lord Jesus to be among the prophets (Luke 11:50-51). Enoch, the seventh from Adam, had prophesied in his day; yet the Holy Spirit awaits New Testament times before recording his prophecy through Jude. God speaks of Abraham as a prophet in Genesis 20:7; and the blessings of Jacob give a prophetic outline of the history of his seed from that time until they are brought into millennial blessing in their own land (Genesis 49).
Moses foretold the coming of the Lord Jesus in Deuteronomy, saying, "The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him shall ye hearken" (Deut. 18:15). In the same book, Moses, in his Song, warned Israel of where their departure from God would lead, and of His governmental dealings with their sins; but also proclaimed His final intervention on their behalf, and spoke of the coming day when it will be said, "Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants … and will be merciful unto His land, and to His people" (Deut. 32:43).
God used the false prophet, Balaam, to declare His mind; and compelled the High Priest of Israel, who was plotting the death of Jesus, to proclaim that He would die for the nation (John 11:51). Balaam would fain have cursed Israel, but twice over God made him speak the word He put in his mouth. The third time, when Balaam sought to evade God, "The Spirit of God came upon him" and constrained him to bless. In his fourth parable, Balaam prophesies of Christ's coming as "A Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre … out of Israel;" and also foretells the triumph and defeat of the Assyrian, the nation used of God to punish Israel (Num. 23:5, 16; Num. 24:2, 17-19).
All prophecy centres in Christ; but the Old Testament prophets did not always understand the bearing of their words when "The Spirit of Christ which was in them testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (1 Peter 1:11). But the two disciples on the way to Emmaus learned the truth of the prophetic word concerning the sufferings and glory of Jesus, when, "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27).
Prophecy has to do with earth, with the coming of Christ for the blessing of Israel, and, indeed, for the blessing of mankind. The glory that follows the sufferings of Christ is chiefly the glory that will be displayed in His coming kingdom rather than the glory that belongs to the Father's House. The coming of Christ, as foretold by the prophets, had the first and second comings of the Lord in view; His first appearing to deal with the question of sin, His second apart from this great question, settled once for all at His first coming, for the salvation of His people (Hebrews 9:28). The rapture of the saints to heaven, as given by the word of the Lord to Paul, is not exactly prophecy, but that which fulfils the promise of the Lord to come for His own to take them to the Father's House.
Isaiah has much to say regarding "The sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow," chapters 52 and 53, being outstanding examples; but he also foretells the judgment of God upon Israel and the nations, because of their sins, and the events of the last days prior to the introduction of Messiah's kingdom. The first chapter faithfully portrays Israel as a "sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward" (Isa. 1:4). Spite of all their sins, God will come in to "purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy sin … Zion shall be redeemed with judgment, and her converts with righteousness" (Isa. 1:25-27).
Balaam had said of Israel, "Let my last end be like his!" (Num. 23:10), and Isaiah plainly discloses that last end to be of rich blessing on the earth. In chapter 2 of Isaiah we have something of this: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it" (Isa. 2:2). Israel, as a nation, will be supreme among the nations of the earth, the divine earthly centre for all the nations.
In that day, Christ will have His rightful place on earth, for "He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people." His righteous judgment, out poured when He comes, will bring in the conditions for which men have long yearned, but which none of the great men of the world could ever procure for them, for "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (verse 4).
The millennium will be a wonderful time for those who trust in Messiah, and are truly subject unto Him, for "In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel; and it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion, and he that remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem" (Isa. 4:2-3). The Lord Jesus as the BRANCH will give infinite delight to God, even as when here the TRUE VINE He brought unbroken pleasure to His Father. For men, as the fruit of His work on the cross, and as flowing from His beneficent reign, there will be peace and joy.
But this Scripture, with others, makes it plain that many of Israel will perish before the blessing flows out from the Lord. The prophet speaks of "he that is left in Zion, and he that remains in Jerusalem;" for "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Matt. 24:40-41). Some are taken in judgment; the others are left for blessing.
From Zechariah 13:8-9 we learn that two-thirds of those in the land of Israel will be cut off; the remaining third being left for purification and ultimate blessing in Christ's earthly kingdom. Of those who are not in the land at the time of the end we read in Ezekiel 20. The Lord will bring them out of the lands where they dwell, and cause them to pass under His rod, purging out the rebels. Those who remain will be brought into the bonds of the New Covenant (Ezek. 20:33-38).
In Isaiah 7 there is the well-known prophecy, "Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14). Matthew gives us the interpretation of the Name as "God with us," and shows the fulfilment of the prophecy in the coming into the world of the Lord Jesus. This Scripture shows that the Old Testament not only gives the searchable riches of Israel's Messiah, but also sets forth His divine glory.
This chapter also introduces the king of Assyria as the rod of God for the punishment of Ephraim and Judah (Isa. 7:17-20). In Isaiah 8:4, God announces that the king of Assyria would soon defeat the combined forces of Israel and Syria, spoiling Damascus, the capital of Syria, and Samaria, the capital of Israel. Judah would not go unpunished, for the king of Assyria would "pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel" (Isa. 8:8). His power against Judah would be limited, for God would not allow him to take Jerusalem. This took place in the days of Hezekiah; Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, took Samaria, and carried Israel into captivity. Some years later, "Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against the fortified cities of Judah, and took them" (2 Kings 18:13); but the Lord intervened when he sent his general Rab-shakeh against Jerusalem, saying, "I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake" (2 Kings 19:34).
To understand the prophetic word rightly, it is essential to observe that a prophecy sometimes has a partial fulfilment at the first coming of the Lord, but that the complete fulfilment awaits His second advent. The trouble and darkness spoken of in Isa. 8:21-22 marked the days of the Lord's first coming, and will likewise exist just before He comes again. The testimony of God in Jesus was refused by the leaders of Israel, but was bound up and sealed among His disciples. Jerusalem would not have the Messiah, but the people "beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations" saw a great light when Jesus was there. At the second advent of the Lord, the trouble and darkness surrounding the godly remnant of Israel will be for ever dispelled.
Jesus will come to break "the yoke of his (Israel's) burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor." The child born to Israel, the Son given, who was rejected by the nation will become their Saviour in that day, and they shall learn, as we have already learned, that His Name is "Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:4-7).
God used the Syrians and the Philistines to "devour Israel with open mouth;" He allowed tribal warfare between Ephraim and Manasseh, and also conflict between the ten tribes and the house of David (Isa. 9:12, 21); but the Assyrian was the chief instrument of God for the chastisement of both the houses of Israel. In chapter 10 God says, "O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him … I will give him a charge … to tread them down like the mire of the streets" (Isa. 10:5-6). The proud Assyrian does not realise that he is God's instrument, and thinks he is accomplishing his own will.
Because the Assyrian boasts of what he does, saying, "By the strength of my hand have I done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures" — God will punish him. He is but an axe and a saw in the hand of God; a staff and a rod wielded by God to do His will. After God has used the Assyrian as His instrument He "shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field."
This was partially accomplished when the Assyrian took captive the ten tribes; but it will have its complete fulfilment in the time of the end. God had a faithful remnant, and these are ever under His eye. They not only return to the land after the captivity, but "The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God." The mass of the ungodly nation perish, "For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined in the midst of the land" (Isa. 10:20-23).
Jehovah would comfort the godly by foretelling them what would take place, and by saying, "O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. For yet a little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction" (Isa. 10:25). Every step of the Assyrian is traced in his southward march through the land, from the moment "He is come to Aiath" until "He shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem" (Isa. 10:28-32). His triumph over the ten tribes led to their captivity; but there was a divine limit set, as we have seen, to his power against Judah and Jerusalem.
At the time of the end God will again limit the scourging power of the king of the North, the Assyrian, against Jerusalem. Of this we read in Daniel 11:40-45: "At the time of the end … he shall enter also into the glorious land … and he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain: yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Like Sennacherib, he is permitted to bring his armies to the very gates of the Holy City, but it would appear that at that time he is not allowed to capture the city.
From Zechariah 14 we learn that the city will be taken by the assailing armies, just before the Lord comes; and the coming of the Lord will bring about the destruction of those armies, and the deliverance. In Matthew 24 the Lord forewarns His disciples of what is coming at that time; and no doubt the godly remnant will be directed by that word given by the Lord while on earth. When they see the abomination of desolation set up by the antichrist in the temple, it will be the signal for them to flee from the city and from the surrounding country to the mountains.
Intervening for the godly, the Lord will bring destruction upon the leaders, "the high ones of stature," of those who are used to chastise His people. "He shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one" (Isaiah 10:33-34). It may be that this latter refers to the Beast of Revelation 13, whose armies are destroyed at Armageddon.
The Lord as the anointed One is brought before us in Isaiah 11, upon whom God's Spirit rests for the accomplishment of His will. He was the vessel of the Holy Spirit here below, and by the Spirit He will direct all for God's glory in the earth in the coming day. His kingdom will be introduced with judgment: He will intervene on behalf of the poor and the meek, smiting the earth with the rod of His mouth, and slaying the wicked with the breath of His lips. At the same time, the antichrist will be "consumed with the spirit of His mouth and destroyed with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thess. 2:8).
Righteousness and faithfulness will mark the reign of Christ during the Millennium, and even the ravenous beasts will have their nature changed. Christ, who is not only the offspring of David, but as a divine Person the Root of Jesse, will be the Ensign to which His earthly people will rally, and not only they, but the Gentiles also. Wars will have ceased to the ends of the earth under His sway, and "His rest shall be glorious" (verses 5-10).
In the days of Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah, remnants of Judah and Benjamin were gathered back to the land, and to this remnant Messiah came. The first regathering was from Babylon in the days of Cyrus king of Persia, according to the prophecy of Isaiah (Isa. 44:28; Isa. 45:1-4), and was under the direction of Zerubbabel; the second part coming with Ezra from Babylon in the days of Artaxerxes (Ezra 8:1); Nehemiah coming later in the same reign.
The second regathering will be composed of "the outcasts of Israel, and … the dispersed of Judah" (verse 12). From both houses of Israel the Lord will bring back those who are to inhabit the land that He gave them. Men speak of the lost ten tribes, but the Lord knows where to find them, and has told us plainly in this Scripture from where they shall be gathered. When the king of Assyria took Israel captive, he carried them into Assyria "and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes" (2 Kings 17:6). The regathering will be from the same regions, Assyria, Elam and Shinar; the two latter being Persia and Babylon; but also from Egypt, Cush (Ethiopia), Hamath (Upper Egypt) and from the islands of the sea (Mediterranean).
It will be observed that all these countries surround Palestine, and it would seem that the fragments of the ten tribes have more or less remained in the countries where their fathers fled to or were carried captive. With Judah, it was quite different. It may be that there are fragments of Jews in these same countries, but they are scattered to "the four corners of the earth;" and from the remotest parts of the earth the Lord will yet regather them. Of this the Lord spoke to His disciples when He said, "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matt. 24:31).
From Matthew 24, as from Isaiah 11 we learn that this great regathering is subsequent to the coming of the Lord, for in Matthew 24:30 we read "They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory;" and in Isaiah 11 the re-gathering is after the Lord is presented as the Ensign, the gathering centre for His own.
Judah and Israel thus united triumph over their foes round about, "Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon." Chapter 12 is the outpouring of praise from Israel to the God of his salvation.
Again upon that Eastern hill
His glorious feet shall stand;
His splendour shall the welkin fill,
And shine through Judah's land.
Known to the Lord alone that day,
But known to none beside;
When gloom and shadow pass away
With light at eventide.
We do not require human history to confirm the prophetic word: when God speaks we know for certain that His word will be accomplished. Often, in the Scriptures, we have both the prophecy and the divine record of its accomplishment. When God promised Abraham that his seed would be like the stars that could not be numbered, "He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years … but in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full" (Gen. 15:5, 13-16). From the divine record, in this book and in Exodus we learn of the fulfilment of the word spoken by God to Abraham.
Moses was the instrument used of God to lead His people Israel out of Egypt, and Joshua to bring them into the promised land. Before Moses died, in the words of his Song he prophesied the course that Israel would take, but also said: "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of children of Israel. For the LORD'S portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance" (Deut. 32:8-9).
Scripture clearly traces the line of Israel's history, and it followed the line predicted. God had said to Moses: "Behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land … and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them" (Deut. 31:16). Because of their sins, God gave the ten tribes into the hand of the king of Assyria, who took them captive; and the two tribes He gave into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who took them into Babylon.
Many prophecies tell of Israel's restoration to their land, and speak of the time of peace and prosperity that will come to this poor, troubled earth in those days. Servants of the Lord have long called attention to these prophecies, and have also shown from the Scriptures that Israel would be restored to the land as a nation before those days. The Lord Jesus gives instructions to the disciples in Matthew 10, when he sends them forth to preach; but it is evident from His words that He contemplates not only the mission that was immediately before them, but also the movements of His servants in the time of the end. In that chapter He foretells the persecutions that awaited His servants, and added: "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of Man be come" (verses 16-23). This testimony goes on till the coming of the Lord.
Before the Lord comes, Jerusalem is surrounded by the armies of the nations, and broken into; antichrist is the king in the land, and sets up the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet; many of those who have returned to the land come under divine judgment at the Lord's coming; and when the Lord comes, it is as the Deliverer of the godly remnant that He forewarns to flee. All these things show that Israel must be nationally restored in Palestine before Christ returns. What servants of the Lord in earlier years said would come, has come in our days.
It was not exactly necessary that Israel should be restored as a nation before the rapture of the church to heaven, but it was essential that they should be back in the land before the coming of the Lord to set up His kingdom.
The prophecy of Isaiah 18 is most illuminating and instructive in regard to Israel's national resurgence. From this Scripture we learn that their present place as a nation in Palestine is not the work of God: it is not the fulfilment of the many prophecies of their recovery for divine blessing. Those who are now in the land owe their status as a nation to the intervention of the Gentiles on their behalf, and especially to one powerful nation. It is hardly necessary to say that without the help of the Western powers, Israel would not be a nation now; nor could they hold out for long against their neighbours without the help of these same powerful nations. This resurgence has taken place in our days, and the prophecy of this chapter has been fulfilled before our eyes.
The opening words of this interesting chapter are a call to a land "Shadowing with wings." The first word of the call could be translated "Ho," as it is in Isaiah 55:1, and Zechariah 2:6. This prophetic call is to a land noted for its protecting influence, that uses its power in the defence of the weak, covering them with its mighty pinions as a bird shelters its young beneath its wings.
This powerful nation is not close to Palestine, it is "beyond the rivers of Cush"; that is outside the bounds of the Nile in the south, and the Euphrates in the north, the lands that were associated with the history of Israel before God's judgment fell upon them. It is therefore a country far off, that has not hitherto had to do with Israel as a nation; it is further described as being a great maritime power, possessed of a swift and powerful fleet, that sends its "ambassadors over the sea" in its rapid-moving vessels.
Having been hailed with "Ho!" this nation is then commanded to "Go." It is sent to the aid of "A nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning and hitherto: a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled." No one at all acquainted with the history of Israel will fail to see that this is a divine description of that nation, and of what has befallen them, on account of their sins. Egypt and the nations of Canaan, at the beginning of Israel's history, knew that they brought with them the terror of Jehovah; and so long as they remained in some measure with Jehovah, the nations around had good cause to fear the presence of the God of Israel, and His power that was put forth for their protection.
For long they had been scattered, and they were peeled, that is without their protective covering. They had been dispersed and divided among the nations, who had trodden them underfoot. Their land was not "A land flowing with milk and honey," as it was when God brought them into it; it had been spoiled by the ravages of the nations that God had used to punish His corrupt and rebellious people.
Under the shield of this protecting power, which responded to the call: "A banner is lifted up on the mountains" of Israel, and "A trumpet is blown" in the holy land. This thing was not to be done in a corner; it was to be an event of international importance, for all the "inhabitants of the world, and dwellers of the earth" are called upon to behold the ensign lifted up, and to hearken to the sounding of the trumpet.
These events loudly proclaim the resurgence of Israel as a nation, and they have occurred in our days: we have seen the lifting up of the banner, and have certainly heard the sounding of the trumpet. Great Britain has been the protecting power which made it possible for Israel to take over the government of Palestine, although America has been largely responsible for the financial aid that has kept the new state in existence.
But God would have us know that this national resurrection of Israel is not His work: "For thus has Jehovah said unto me: I will take my rest, and I will observe from my dwelling-place like clear heat upon herbs, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest." This is not the resurrection of Israel from the valley of dry bones as prophesied in Ezekiel 37. That will surely come, when God intervenes for the blessing of His earthly people. Meantime, He observes all that is being done for Israel, takes account of the apparent prosperity of the venture, and also of the influences that prevent its being brought to full fruition.
Moreover, God, who knows the end from the beginning, and all the intervening details, discloses that Israel's blessing will not be secured through the efforts of friendly nations. All their endeavours to procure peace and rest for them are foredoomed to disappointment, "For before the harvest, when the blossoming is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning-knives, and take away and cut down the branches."
Prosperity appears to be on the way, for the national tree has blossomed, and the immature fruit seems to be ripening; but the anticipated harvest will not be reaped. God will intervene in His government, and bring to nothing that which Israel thought to accomplish in their own strength with the help of the powerful, friendly Gentile nations.
Poor Israel will yet have to learn that God cannot allow them to have peace, rest or prosperity until they repent for the rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah. When Jesus came to them, offering to protect and bless them, they would not have Him, but cast Him out, crying to Pilate: "His blood be on us, and on our children." Already, many generations have suffered for that blood-guilty cry, and when they have drunk the full measure of the cup of God's righteous judgment, they will be brought back to the land for the blessings God has reserved for them, secured through the blood of Jesus.
Not only will failure attend every effort to bring rest to Israel, but they will become a prey to their enemies: "They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them." Even now, Israel are surrounded by hostile nations, who have made no secret of their desire and intention to destroy the nation, and take their land.
Scripture makes it abundantly plain that Palestine will soon become the battle-ground of the nations. From Daniel 11:40-45 we learn that the holy land will be the cock-pit for the conflicts between Egypt and the king of the north. Zechariah 12 tells of the nations coming against Jerusalem, and Revelation 16:16 of their being gathered together at Armageddon. It will probably be at that time that the conflicting nations, spoken of as birds of prey and ravenous beasts, will despoil Israel, consuming the produce of the land and taking away what they can find.
But it is just as Israel plumbs the depths of suffering and trial that God intervenes on their behalf, even as recorded in the last verse of this chapter: "In that time shall the present be brought unto Jehovah of hosts of a people scattered and peeled." God's purposes for the blessing of His ancient people will assuredly be accomplished in spite of all the efforts of the nations to destroy them.
How true are the words of Zechariah 12:3: "I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut to pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." The nations that have sought to help Israel have also found it to be a burdensome stone; but those who endeavour to destroy it will be cut to pieces.
Israel will be brought by God Himself "To the place of the Name of Jehovah of hosts, the mount Zion," the hill of royal grace. They will then realise that the help of the powerful nations is vain, but that they have a resource in the God of Jacob, and in Him who gave Himself for them to bring them into blessing.
God has not only unfolded His ways with Israel, but also with many other nations, especially those nations that have in some way or other become involved with Israel. Egypt's history has for long been bound up with Israel's; it is at the present time, and shall be at the end, and in the Millennium. Egypt gave shelter to Israel in the time of their need; and also sheltered the Son of God when, as a Babe, Herod sought His life. These things are not forgotten by God, and although Egypt, like Israel, will yet be punished for its sins; in the end it will be blessed.
Isaiah 19 gives us "The burden of Egypt," which unfolds prophetically its future. It may be that there has been a partial fulfilment of what God brings before us in this chapter, but the end of the chapter makes it abundantly plain that the future is in view.
God's hand in government is upon Egypt, and He is seen as "Riding upon a swift cloud," and coming into Egypt. It is not difficult to envisage a powerful army descending upon Egypt from the air, and completely discomfiting them. Added to this there is civil war: their renowned wisdom deserts them, and they resort to consulting wicked spirits. A cruel ruler arises; a fierce king has dominion; and their sources of prosperity fail.
It is not difficult to see how impoverished Egypt would become if the Suez canal was blocked for a prolonged period, and if the Nile waters failed, either through drought, or by being withheld in the Sudan. Something of this nature is to take place for "They shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up " (Isa. 19:1-6).
Their industries will be paralyzed, fishing, agriculture and textiles, and whatever else depends on them. Foolishness has replaced the wisdom of Egypt; a perverse spirit marks them, sent in God's government, as when Jehovah hardened Pharaoh's heart; confusion reigns instead of order; there is no work to be had, and fear possesses all because God's hand is against them (v 7-16).
The land of Judah, now inhabited by the revived nation of the Israelis, will terrorize Egypt, and, it would seem, possess or rule over five of their cities, for they will "speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts." God's government will have its desired affect, "For they shall cry unto the LORD … and He shall send them a saviour." There will be a genuine acknowledgment of Jehovah, a divine preparation in their souls in view of the healing and blessing that awaits them (Isa. 19:17-22).
It may quite well be that these things will take place between the coming of the Lord for His saints and the coming of the Lord to establish His kingdom; but even as we have seen the fulfilment of the events prophesied in chapter 18; if the Lord tarry for a little, we may yet see something of what is in chapter 19 as well. Recent events have certainly shown us how quickly these predictions could be fulfilled. But we do not look for these things: "We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20-21). This may take place at any moment: it is for this we watch and wait.
The closing verses of Isaiah 19 bring us to the Millennial kingdom of the Lord when the barriers between Egypt, Israel and Assyria will be replaced by a highway establishing communications between the three lands that have known so much of war. Blessing from the Lord will come to them in the special relationships in which they are to each other, a blessing in which Jehovah says: "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance" (verses 23-25). The old enmities will have departed, and under the reign of Christ the divine blessing will be enjoyed by all who submit to Him.
Our calling as Christians is "a heavenly calling"; and we pass through the world as pilgrims and strangers, waiting and watching for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to take us to be with Himself for ever. As risen with Christ, we seek "those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God." These things constitute our life, which "is hid with Christ in God," and it is in communion with the Father and the Son that we enjoy the things that are really life, the heavenly things, that are unknown to the men of this world. The life of the world consists in things which are seen, but the Christian's in things that are hidden.
In his practical life, while witnessing for God, the Christian has to meet trials and sorrows, and for these he requires the comfort of God. There is the comfort derived from the sense of God's great love, and from the priestly ministrations of Christ; but we also have the comfort of the Scriptures. In the Scriptures God has given to us the knowledge of His counsels and ways, and if we desire to pass through this world undisturbed by all movements around us, we need to be instructed in these things.
To Abraham God made known His intentions regarding the judgment of Sodom; "He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel" (Psalm 103:7); and God has made known "The riches of the glory" of His secrets to His saints (Col. 1:27); and all these wonderful revelations are for us, so that we might take our way intelligently through the world, knowing the course that events will take, and how all will end.
Scripture speaks of God's dealings with many nations. The Arab nations, which surround Israel, have their place in the word of God. In Isaiah we read of Egypt, Assyria, Syria, Lebanon, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Libya and Arabia. Other well-known nations are also mentioned there, Babylonia, Media, Persia, Ethiopia, and Greece. These, along with other nations mentioned in Ezekiel, will all have their part in the closing scenes of the present dispensation, when the Lord Jesus comes to put this world right, to put down all opposition, and to introduce His kingdom in which righteousness will reign.
The Book of Daniel has much to say about imperial power in this world. After Israel had been judged of God for their sins, God gave the reins of government into the hands of the Gentiles. God's glory had been linked with Israel from the time His glory had filled the tabernacle. He dwelt between the cherubim on the mercy-seat, which was the throne of God in the midst of His earthly people; and the throne of Israel was viewed as the throne of Jehovah in David's day, even as we read: "And Solomon sat on the throne of Jehovah as king instead of David his father" (1 Chr. 29:23). But in Ezekiel we see the glory depart from Jerusalem, very reluctantly, as it moves from the sanctuary to the threshold of the house, and from there to the east gate, then from the midst of the city to the mountain, which is on the east side of the city. It shall yet return, as Ezekiel shows, coming "from the way of the east" (Ezek. 43:2). Until that day, God has allowed the Gentiles to exercise dominion.
Nebuchadnezzar was the instrument used of God to lead Judah into captivity, and he was the first of the great Gentile rulers to exercise the government of imperial power. God had not left authority in the hands of the Gentiles for them to do their own will; they were given their authority to carry out the will of God. This Nebuchadnezzar had to learn when God's judgment fell on him, even as "A watcher and a holy one" cried, "to the intent that the living may know that the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will, and sets up over it the basest of men" (Dan. 4:13-17).
In the second year of his reign this great Gentile monarch had a dream in which God made known the progression of the great imperial powers, a dream which none of the princes of this world could interpret, but which Daniel, "a man greatly beloved" received wisdom from God to reveal. The dream had gone from the king, and divine wisdom and revelation alone could recall the dream and give its meaning.
Recalling to the king what he had seen in his vision, Daniel said: "Thou, O king sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2:31-35).
Daniel immediately proceeds to give the king the meaning of the vision, saying "Thou art this head of gold." Nebuchadnezzar and the character of his kingdom are portrayed by the gold, the most precious of the metals of which the image was composed. He was "a king of kings," because of the power, strength and glory of his kingdom, as received from God; his dominion was universal, and his authority absolute, "whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would be put down" (Dan. 5:19). There were no restrictions on his authority; what he commanded was done: only God could hinder him in his acts, which He did in rescuing His faithful servants from the fiery furnace into which the king in his rage had cast them.
The empire which commenced with Nebuchadnezzar was overthrown when the profane Belshazzar brought upon himself the judgment of God. On the wall of his banqueting house the hand of God had written his judgment: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin," which was interpreted by Daniel as: "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting …; thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." This word from God therefore interprets the earlier words of Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar: "After thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee" (Dan. 2:39). The breast and the arms of silver of the great image therefore represent the Medo-Persian empire; Darius the Mede being the first of its emperors mentioned in Scripture.
Daniel 6 shows the inferiority of this empire as compared with that of Nebuchadnezzar who did what he willed to do. He was not restricted in his actions by laws by which he was bound; he was a law unto himself. Darius, when he signed a decree, was bound by it, "according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not" (Dan. 6:8, 15), even when he must have realised that the law was used to compel him to act contrary to his desires. The head of the empire was powerless when confronted with the law.
"Another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth," was to succeed the Medo-Persian empire. Of this realm, and its first mighty emperor, we learn in Daniel 11: "Also I, in the first year of Darius, the Mede. … Behold there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all; and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia; and a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will" (Dan. 11:1-3).
This mighty king, the first of the Grecian empire, was Alexander the Great, who indeed bore "rule over all the earth," and is reported to have wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. He was not independent like Nebuchadnezzar, but is said to have "acted at the suggestion of his wise men," and "was controlled by his generals." This was something lower than "the law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not," just as brass is inferior in value to silver.
The fourth imperial power, represented by iron; a kingdom that "breaks in pieces and subdues all things"; is not named until the New Testament; but there is no difficulty in discerning the Roman Empire, in which nominally the people ruled. This was a very much inferior character of rule to the absolute monarchy that Nebuchadnezzar received from the hand of God. The feet were part of iron and part of clay, indicating the divided state of the empire, in which there were elements of monarchy and of democracy. These elements will not unite, whatever the pretensions of the aristocratic rulers as they mingle with the masses.
There will be no difficulty in discerning that the stone cut out without hands speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, at His coming will destroy the kingdom of the beast, the revived Roman empire, and every other form of human government, as represented in the elements of the image. These will all pass away, and His glorious kingdom will fill the whole earth. The image was smitten upon his feet, which clearly indicate the final form of the Roman kingdom, when the ten toes, which set forth the ten kings, comprise the empire, and give their power to the beast.
What consolation for the saints to realise that the Lord is going to put things right in this world. Men have tried all kinds of rule, and all have failed. None have been able to bring peace and security; and under almost all forms of human government the saints of God have been persecuted. Although our part will be in heaven for ever with Christ, how blessed is the knowledge that He will put things right down here, reigning in righteousness throughout the whole earth; His kingdom from the river to the ends of the earth.
Daniel's vision in chapter 7 gives further light on the four great empires that have exercised dominion in this world. He sees the great influences that affect the masses of men, and from out the confusion of the masses he sees four beasts arise. As beasts, these empires are viewed in their natural character, not as receiving their authority from God, but in the way they exercise their sway and use their power. Although all are seen as beasts, without heart and conscience, yet are they different from one another, but none acting as before God or having any intelligence as to His thoughts.
"The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings." This brings before us the Babylonian kingdom in the days of Nebuchadnezzar; it was marked by dignified majesty and all-conquering power. Later, it lost this character; its authority was limited, its power was broken, but its rule become tolerable and humane.
"Another beast, a second, like to a bear" is no doubt the Medo-Persian empire. It had not the majesty of the first empire, nor was it marked by rapidity of movement. The Persian side of the kingdom became dominant, and it was noted for its rapacity and cruelty; although, in the over-ruling of God, Israel had generous treatment from them. Cyrus gave command to rebuild the temple; Darius confirmed the decree of Cyrus; Artaxerxes helped Ezra and those who returned with him.
The third beast was "like a leopard," whose fleetness signified the speed that characterised the movements of the Macedonian armies and their conquests. Its four wings tell of the universal sway of Alexander, and the four heads of the divisions of the empire following his death.
A special vision is reserved for the fourth beast, although all four had been seen at the commencement of the first vision. It is "dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns." No doubt the Roman empire had all these awful features, bringing dread and terror to all who opposed it or attracted its rapacity; appropriating whatever served its purpose, and destroying what it could not use.
These same features will no doubt mark the Roman empire in its revival at the end, for the end is clearly in the vision of the ten horns, which we learn from verse 24 are "ten kings." There can be little doubt that this beast is the same as mentioned in Revelation 13:1-8, and Revelation 17:3, 8-14, where we also have the ten horns representing the ten kings. The events of Revelation belong to the last days, therefore this fourth beast has not only its history following the overthrow of the Grecian empire, but evidently a revival before the second coming of Christ.
This revival is definitely stated in Revelation 17, where it is written, "The beast which thou sawest was," which refers to its past history; "and is not," which is true at the present time; "and is about to come up out of the abyss and go into destruction," tells of its diabolical revival and final judgment (verse 8).
Regarding the ten kings, it is written in Revelation 17, "The ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have not yet received a kingdom, but receive authority as kings one hour with the beast" (verse 12). It is at the end that this great confederation "give their power and authority to the beast," and "make war with the Lamb" (verses 13, 14). No intelligent reader of Scripture can fail to discern that these ten kings will be the leaders of the nations that have been so highly favoured with the Gospel of God, and have given up their allegiance to Christ, and will be found at the close in active opposition against Him, only to receive judgment at His hand.
On considering the horns, the seer beholds another, a little horn, coming up among the horns, and before him three of the horns are plucked up by the roots. Unpretentious at the beginning of his career, this new leader succeeds in displacing three established rulers, and then appears to dominate the empire. He had "eyes like the eyes of a man," which speaks of outstanding natural wisdom, discernment and intelligence, and his "mouth speaking great things" tells of boasting, arrogance and pride. His words were also "against the most High"; and he "made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, until the Ancient of days came." Controlling this mighty empire, he shall "think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." In his impiety he interferes with the worship of God; but God limits the period of time in which he is permitted to do so to three and a half years.
In his second vision, in which this dreadful beast is viewed, Daniel beholds the setting of the thrones of sessional judgment, and the Lord, in His character of the Ancient of days, sits down to judge. It is a solemn scene; the myriads of the heavenly hosts (Jude 14) surround the Lord as His attendants, a fiery stream that betokens judgment issues forth from before Him; the judgment is set, and the books are opened. The seer recalls the proud and impious boastings of the little horn as the beast is judged and destroyed, "and his body … given to the burning flame." Is not this part of the scene of Revelation 19, where not only the beast, but his evil associate, the false prophet, is "cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone"? (Rev. 19:20).
When God's providential judgment fell on the first three empires, they were not then completely destroyed, for Greece and Persia still remain as kingdoms, and the Babylonians are still a people, if not now a nation. But when God's judgment falls upon the revived Roman empire, not a vestige of it will remain; its judgment will be irrevocable and complete.
Christ's kingdom is introduced after the judgment of the beast; it is a universal and everlasting kingdom, one that will never be succeeded by another. "The saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever."
The saints of the most high (places) have judgment given to them. This would seem to indicate that these are saints who, after the rapture of the church, are slain in testimony for the Lord, even as we read in Revelation 20:4, "I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God … and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Those on the thrones in this Scripture are evidently the heavenly saints; those who suffered at the hands of the beast may be those we read of in Daniel as "the saints of the most high (places)."
In Daniel 7 the expression "the most High" occurs five times, once in the singular, in verse 25, where God is spoken against by the "little horn." The other mentions are in the plural, verses 18, 22, 25 and 27, and have been interpreted as "high places." In the first two mentions, all the saints whose blessings are with Christ in heaven could quite well be before the Spirit of God; the latter two would refer to the remnant who suffer at the hands of the antichrist and the beast, and who live and reign with Christ a thousand years.
The saints of the most high places possess the kingdom for ever and ever (Dan. 7:18); but in Dan. 7:22 judgment is given to them, that is they are brought into the place reserved for a heavenly people, "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world … know ye not that we shall judge angels?" (1 Cor. 6:2-3). In this same 22nd verse it is added, "and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." The saints mentioned here are to be distinguished from the saints of the high places, who possess the kingdom from the heavenly side, these are earthly saints, possessing the kingdom on earth.
Not only do the saints possess the kingdom, as having special privileges and honour there, but "The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most high" (Dan. 7:27). Israel, brought back to the land for blessing by the call of God, is the people of these heavenly saints, and theirs shall be the highest place on earth in the Millennial age. Jerusalem shall yet be the earth's metropolis, after the great cities of the nations have been judged (Rev. 16:19).
When the beast is viewed by the apostle John, he sees it with seven heads as also having ten horns. The seven heads have been taken to represent the seven forms of government that have marked the Roman empire. In the seventeenth chapter of Revelation, John again sees the beast, it is of scarlet colour "and full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns (Rev. 17:3). "The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits" (Rev. 17:9), which identifies Rome as the centre of this revived empire.
After speaking of the seven mountains, the word continues, "And there are seven kings; five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space" (Rev. 17:10). So that the mountains set forth not only the city of papal Rome, but the forms of government of the Roman empire. In the days of the apostle John, five of these forms of government had passed away, the imperial form of government, ruled by the Caesars, then existed, and another form was yet to arise. This last form was to be for a "short space," and may refer to someone such as Napoleon, Mussolini, or even to the last beast.
"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition" (Rev. 17:11). This revived kingdom is the eighth, being in one sense an entirely new form of rule, no doubt because of its Satanic origin. Yet it is of the seven, being a revival of the Imperial form of government, under a greater tyrant than any Caesar, and who surpasses all for profanity and blasphemy. In this last form, it will go into perdition: the irrevocable judgment of God coming upon it.
The ten kings give their authority to the beast, and join him in his opposition to Christ. God uses them to do His will in executing His judgment on the false church before they come in for judgment at Armageddon.
In Revelation 13, we see that the beast has all the features of the first three beasts of Daniel 7, for "The beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion" (Dan. 7:2). But the source of its power was diabolical, for "The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." The Lord refused to take the kingdoms of the world from the hand of Satan: here is one who will accept his all from him, to be his instrument in opposition to Christ.
Satan has all along been after worship from men: he will get it from the followers of the beast: "they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast." The seer beholds one of the heads of the beast with a deadly wound, but the wound is healed, and this makes the beast an object of great wonder. No doubt this alludes to the revival of empire. When the northern hordes of Goths and Vandals broke up the Roman empire it seemed indeed to have received a deadly wound; but after all these centuries it rears its head again. It will indeed be wonderful to men to see the resuscitation of this powerful empire. They will not only worship Satan who has given it power and authority, but also the man who sets forth in his person all that this diabolical empire stands for.
Men think this empire to be unchallengeable, saying, "Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" All thought of the true God is banished from their thoughts, saving when they hear His name blasphemed by their profane leader. He boasts and blasphemes the Name of God "and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven." God allows him to "make war with the saints, and to overcome them," but a limit is set beyond which he cannot go. His power is indeed great, "over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." Seeking worship for himself, he receives it from those who have their minds, hearts and spirits engrossed with the things of this present life, and have no place in their thoughts and lives for God and His Son. Their names are not in the Lamb's Book of Life.
So bold is the head of the revived Roman empire that he leads the forces of his confederate armies against the Lord Himself, vainly imagining, as blinded by Satan, that he can defeat Him. Such is man under Satan's power, the willing instrument of his hostility to God and His Son. What can man do against "The King of kings, and Lord of lords?" The judgment falls in one divine stroke, consigning the apostate head of the Jewish kingdom and the blaspheming head of the Western empire to the lake of fire without dying; and their armies were slain "with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse." In the Old Testament days, two men, Enoch and Elias, were taken to heaven without dying: here are two men who are cast into the lake of fire without dying.
Who can doubt that we are fast approaching the time of these things? In Western Europe for some time now there have been endeavours to unite the nations in one way or another, customs unions being a prelude to the revival of the old links of empire. And how solemn it is to think that the lands that have been most highly favoured with the Gospel of God will be drawn away after Satan to their own destruction.
The hope of the Christian is a heavenly one, and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ will bring us into the full realization of all that He has promised to His own. In writing to Titus, the apostle Paul spoke of our "awaiting the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). The rapture of the church to heaven will give us the full blessedness of eternal life, which we have in our spirits now, and which we shall then have in our bodies; for in Paul's writings eternal life is future, and looks to the time when our bodies will be changed into the likeness of Christ's body of glory.
In His government, God will use the ten kings of the revived Roman empire to overthrow the false church. After Christ has spued the professing church out of His mouth, totally rejecting her who has so grossly misrepresented Him, she will be taken up by the revived Roman empire, and for a time she is carried by it, supported and sustained by this blasphemous political power which panders to her pride and vanity. If the false church is obnoxious to Christ, she becomes hateful to the kings of the Roman empire, and they "shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her with fire" (Rev. 17:16). No doubt her arrogance will alienate them, and her opulence will excite their avarice, and they will spoil her; taking possession of her riches and treasures, and destroying her institutions.
God's judgment on the false church will be violent and complete, and this religious system that has for so long persecuted the true saints of God and misrepresented Christ "shall be found no more at all" (Rev. 18:21). It has had a great name among men for its music, arts and crafts; its cathedrals having been built and ornamented with the most costly materials and the choicest human skill, but the "voice of harp-singers and musicians … and no artificer of any art shall be found any more at all" in her. The industrial system of Christendom, symbolized in the "voice of the mill-stone"; its educational and philosophical systems portrayed in the "light of the lamp"; and its pleasures, described in the supreme joy of the "voice of the bridegroom and bride," all shall forever pass in the judgment of God (Rev. 18:22-23).
Heaven celebrates the righteous judgment of God on the false church with a thrice repeated "Hallelujah," before the marriage of the Lamb is announced with joy and exultation. The true church was content to share Christ's outside place in this world, while the false church gratified her lusts, and corrupted her way in sins and blood: now that the false church is for ever gone, the true church is found with Christ, united to Him in heaven, to be for His pleasure eternally.
Before Christ's kingdom can be introduced with righteousness and peace, there must be the setting aside of all evil. He will first deal with the false church, and all connected with it; then He will judge the revived Roman empire with all its proud boastings and blasphemy. From chapter 13 of Revelation we learn that the second beast, which is antichrist, the false king in Jerusalem, "exercises all the authority of the first beast before it" (Rev. 13:12). He acts as prophet to the head of the Roman empire, while by the power of Satan "it was given to it to give breath to the image of the beast."
In the land "he shall do according to his will … he will not regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women (Messiah) … he will practise in the strongholds of fortresses … and shall divide the land for a reward" (Daniel 11:36-39). He will stir up the opposition of both the king of the south and the king of the north, and this latter "shall come against him like a whirlwind … and he shall enter into the land of beauty" (Dan. 11:40-41). While engaged in this campaign, which secures him victory over Egypt, and the support of the Libyans and Ethiopians, the king of the north receives "tidings out of the east and out of the north" which trouble him.
We are not told what this trouble is, but his return is "with great fury to exterminate, and utterly to destroy many." It may be that he hears of the armies of the Roman empire gathering at Armageddon, or of the coming of the Lord to help His people. As the anti-christ has the support of the Roman empire, it is quite possible that its armies are marshalled for his help. But whether this is so or not, it is just about this time that "the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered to make war" with the Lord Jesus, and are gathered together at Armageddon (Rev. 19:19; Rev. 16:12-16). Then falls the first stroke of the Lord's judgment on the armies of this world, which consigns the beast and the false prophet alive to the lake of fire, and destroys their armies.
While these events are progressing, the persecuted remnant of Israel who have escaped martyrdom will have fled to the mountains, awaiting the coming of the Lord. False Christs will attempt to allure the elect, but they will be fortified by the warnings of the Lord. It is during the time they are living in the mountains that the "great tribulation" falls upon the land, and the judgments of the vials of Revelation 15, 16 are poured out.
To understand these events aright it is essential to know that the Lord Jesus will reign for a short time as David, the warrior King, before He reigns as Solomon, the Man of peace. This is indicated in Psalm 45, where as David, He girds His sword upon His thigh, and His right hand teaches terrible things. His sword and His arrows are sharp in the hearts of His enemies, and the peoples fall under Him. If the first stroke of His sword falls on the armies of the Western powers and those who will be gathered with them at Armageddon, the final stroke will fall upon Gog, the Prince of Rosh. After His work of judgment is completed, the Lord's reign over this world will begin; Israel will be blessed on the ground of the new covenant, and Jerusalem as His queen will be resplendent with glory as the earthly metropolis.
From 2 Thessalonians 2:8 we learn that antichrist will be consumed "with the breath of His mouth," and annulled by the appearing of Christ's coming. The reign of the false king in Jerusalem will be a time of great persecution for the saints, and many will suffer martyrdom for refusing the mark of the beast, but they will live and reign with Christ in heavenly glory for the thousand years of the Millennium (Rev. 20:4).
There is not only mention of the western, eastern and northern powers, but also of "the people round about" Jerusalem. Of these we read in Zechariah 12:2, "Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem." Some of the details of the siege are given in Zechariah 14. This term "round about" Jerusalem may include the armies that have come from afar, either to oppose or assist the antichrist, but may have also in mind the nations around that are the inveterate foes of Israel.
God will also make Jerusalem "a burdensome stone for all peoples: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces." (Greece, which was evidently not among the kings of the revived Roman empire, is one of the nations that will be overthrown by Israel (Zech. 9:13-14). Other nations subdued by Israel are spoken of in Isaiah 11:14, though this will be after the re-gathering of Israel.)
Jerusalem will fall after the siege, and the inhabitants pass through terrible times; but the Lord will then personally intervene, "His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives," and He shall make a way for His people to flee, cleaving the mountain in the midst. After the destruction of the nations that have come against Jerusalem, God will pour the "spirit of grace and of supplications" upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They will then realise that the One who has saved them out of the hands of their enemies is none other than their Messiah, whom they crucified. Then shall come their great mourning in true repentance before Him.
Zechariah 13 deals with the cleansing that will purify the people and purge the land of its idolatry. Only one-third of the inhabitants of the land will be left for the time of blessing, the remainder "shall be cut off and die": no doubt in the conflicts, siege and judgments.
Few will doubt that Ezekiel 38 and 39 give the last great invasion before the millennium. The leader of this final assault is Gog, from the land of Magog, the Prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. Without a doubt this great host is led by the leader of the Russians, whose chief cities are Moscow and Tobolsk. From the east, he has Persia as his ally, and from the south, Ethiopia and Libya. Besides, there is Gomer and all his bands; Togarmah and all his bands from the north, and many people. Gomer's descendants spread westwards and northwards from the Black Sea, and would probably include the nations to the west of Russia who were not among the kings of the western empire.
From Ezekiel 38:8 we learn that this invasion is "in the latter years," and that they shall come "into a land brought back, from the sword gathered out of many people … and they shall dwell safely all of them." This is evidently after the beast and his armies have been destroyed, and it may be also after other conflicts have taken place. At any rate, it is after the first of the regatherings of the nation, and when they are settled down in safety that the invader comes.
This is emphasised in Ezekiel 38:11, where Gog says, "I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates." There is not a sign of the expectation of conflict, and not a vestige of preparation for defence. All this indicates that some time has elapsed since the invasions of the kings of the south and north, and the overthrow of the forces of the west at Armageddon.
Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish would be ready to profit by the wickedness of Gog, either to do business with the spoiler or to plunder in his wake. They had not the power to rob Israel, and it may be the dread of the Lord's doings had kept them from joining the invaders, but they were ready to profit from any circumstances that might prove favourable.
Verse 17 might indicate that although the Assyrian was already dealt with, that this great northern power who had been behind him in his assaults on the land, would be marked by the same spirit; so that the Scripture that prophesied of the Assyrian, in its scope, included Gog. God says, "Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?" Isaiah has many prophecies of the Assyrian; in chapter 10 he is the rod of God's anger against His people Israel, and God says. "When the Lord has performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks" (Isa. 10:12).
In Isaiah 10:26, the victory of Gideon over Midian at the rock of Oreb is shown to foreshadow the final victory over the Assyrian, even as the victory of Barak over Sisera at Megiddo is used to typify the final slaughter of the armies that will assemble in the last days at Armageddon.
The passage of the Assyrian, from Aiath, in the north of the land until he is outside the city of Jerusalem, is given in the same chapter (Isa. 10:28-32). No doubt there was a partial fulfilment when Sennacherib's army came; there may be another fulfilment when the king of the north comes against the false king in Jerusalem, as foretold in Daniel 11:40-41; and the advance of the armies of Gog may give the final and complete fulfilment, although there is no indication that his armies get near the holy city: they "fall upon the mountains."
God's presence will be felt in that day, for "there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel," with terrible upheavals. Many shall perish on the mountains of Israel; some shall be slain with the swords of their allies, some by the pestilence, some by rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone, from heaven. The ravenous birds and wild beasts will be called to the feast; and the people of the land will take seven months to bury the dead, and seven years to burn the implements of war.
The lands from which the armies have come will not escape, for God "will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles." The inhabitants of the isles have no doubt been in a neutral position in all the final conflicts, but in their sheltered lands they have not sought the will of God, but have lived for themselves in ease and comfort. They too must receive their judgment from the hand of God.
Having dealt with the warring nations of the world, the Lord Jesus will doubtless then "Sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats" (Matt. 25:31-46). After this sessional judgment, His reign as the true Solomon will begin; and then shall be fulfilled many of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the time of peace and prosperity that awaits this troubled earth.
For a thousand years men will enjoy peace. No man or nation will be able to rise in rebellion against the Lord, or to trouble his fellows with war, for "He shall judge among the nations … neither shall they learn war any more" (Isa. 2:4). Those who have been spared in the conflicts from among the nations "shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles" (Zech. 14:16). Those nations which do not come to the feast will be deprived of rain; and if Egypt, which is independent of rain, drawing its water from the Nile, does not come up, they shall receive the plague (Zech. 14:17-19). The Lord will rule with a rod of iron; it will secure peace and blessing to the obedient; but the rebellious will be accursed (Isaiah 65:17-25).
During the thousand years of Millennial blessing, Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit; but at the end he is loosed for a short season. The presence of the devil will demonstrate that the heart of man is unchanged, for under his influence men gather together to endeavour to destroy the saints on earth. All human theories about better environment altering man will be proved false. In Eden, in the best possible circumstances and conditions, man failed: so it will be under the favoured conditions of the millennium. The great hosts at the end, deceived by Satan, partake of the same character as Gog and his hosts that were destroyed at the beginning of Christ's reign, and their judgment will be instant and without mercy.
Man has been fully tested: in innocency in Eden, under government from Noah, under law in Israel, under grace in Christ, and finally, under conditions of peace for which he has long asked. In every test, man in the flesh has failed. Satan, the god and prince of this world, is then confined for ever in the lake of fire; the earth and the heavens pass away; the dead, small and great stand before God, and are judged from the books by the Lord Jesus, to whom all judgment has been committed. The righteous have had their part in the resurrection of the just, at the rapture; now it is the resurrection of the unjust, and their portion for ever in the lake of fire.
At the beginning of Revelation 21, God has given us a preview of the eternal scene. In the new heaven the saints will dwell for ever, those who have been with Christ in heaven during the thousand years. On the new earth, God will dwell with men, those who did not come under the influence of Satan with Gog and Magog. This is what was in God's heart and mind before the ages of time: it is the meeting place of His ways and counsels, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
How wonderful it is that we have such a revelation from God! The full revelation of Himself in the Person of the Son; the revelation of His eternal purpose and counsels of grace through the Holy Spirit, come down from heaven; and the prophetic word, unfolding His ways on earth, even to the end.