In the holy Scriptures the land of Assyria is early brought to our notice, so that we are not surprised to find the Assyrian has a prominent place in the ways of God with His people. From Genesis 2:13 we learn that one of the four heads of Eden's river was the river Hiddekel, "which goeth toward the east of Assyria." Nimrod, who established the first of the world's kingdoms, began his building at Babel, then moved into Assyria and built Nineveh. The Assyrian race is doubtless descended from Asshur, the second son of Shem, the son of Noah (Gen. 10:22).
The first prophecy of the Assyrian comes from the lips of Balaam, who speaks of his leading the remnants of the Kenites into captivity. This has been one of the Assyrian's chief features: God used him to lead the remnants of the ten tribes into captivity, and in Isaiah 20:4 there is a prophecy of the Assyrian taking prisoners from Egypt, and captives from Ethiopia.
Balaam also predicted that "ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur." Daniel has a similar prophecy regarding the king of the north; "For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore shall he be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant" (Dan. 11:30). Although the king of the north was really the king of Syria, yet the Spirit of God seems to identify him with the Assyrian of the last days. The ships of Rome came against Antiochus Epiphanes, but they foreshadowed the fulfilling of Balaam's prophecy, for in the last days, it would seem that the navies of the western powers will come against the king of the north, the revived Assyrian.
There were six kings of Assyria in the days of Israel's kings; Pul, Tiglath-Pileser, Shalmaneser, Sargon, Sennacherib and Esarhaddon (2 Kings 15:19, 29; 2 Kings 17:3; Isa. 20:1; Isa. 36:1; Isa. 37:38). The first, Pul, was bought over by Menahem, king of Israel, with a thousand talents of silver. Tiglath-Pileser came against Israel in the days of Pekah the son of Remaliah, captured a number of cities, and took the captives to Assyria. The remainder of the ten tribes, in the days of Hoshea, king of Israel, were taken by Shalmaneser, and carried "away into Assyria, and placed" in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
The only Scriptural mention of Sargon is when he sent his general Tartan against Ashdod, and took it. Sennacherib is notorious for his reviling letter to Hezekiah, which he sent "to reproach the living God." He had been successful against the cities of Judah, but God did not allow him to enter Jerusalem. His success against many lands, with gods of men's hands, had filled him with pride and arrogance, so that he stopped not at blaspheming the God of Israel. Little had he realised that he was but God's instrument for the punishment of the nations: he had thought that all his victories were on account of his own strength and prowess, and foolishly raged against the living God.
God's answer is "Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way thou camest" (Isa. 37:29). Compare these words with God's words to Gog in Ezekiel 38:4, "I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth." The angel of the Lord went forth to carry out God's sentence, and one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the host of Sennacharib were smitten. Sennacharib then departed, returned to Nineveh, and, while worshipping in the house of his god, was slain by his sons. Hezekiah had been protected from the hosts of Sennacharib by the living God; the gods of Sennacharib could not protect him from his sons. Esar-haddon, the son of Sennacharib, reigned in his stead.
Isaiah has much to say of the Assyrian. The first mention is in chapter 7, "The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria" (Isa. 7:17). God would use the Assyrian as a razor to remove all prosperity from the land of Judah, as also to lead the ten tribes into captivity. Again, in chapter 8, God forewarns of what is about to come (Isa. 8:4, 7, 8); the Assyrian king would take away the spoil of Samaria, and would pass through Judah, reaching even to the neck; to the very gates of Jerusalem; and would fill the land of Immanuel. As we have seen, these prophecies were fulfilled by Tiglath-Pileser, Shalmaneser and Sennacharib; but verses 7 and 8 may yet have their full fulfilment in the end of the days.
God addresses the Assyrian, or speaks of him, as "The rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation" (Isa. 10:5). He was the rod that God used to chastise His people in the days that are passed, as given in the history of the kings, but God will again use him to the same end in the days yet to come. The words attributed to him prophetically in verses 9-14 are the words spoken by Rabshakeh, the servant of Sennacharib, and by the king in his letter to Hezekiah. The same boastful spirit that marked Sennacharib then would later mark Antiochus Epiphanes, as prophesied in Daniel 8:10-12; and that would be found fully developed in the king of the north in the last days (Daniel 8:19-25).
In verse 12 of Isaiah 10 God interpolates "When the Lord hath 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." God's whole work upon Zion and on Jerusalem surely awaits the end of the age; so that this Scripture looks on to the end. Sennacharib was indeed punished, both as to the destruction of his armies, and personally; but God will deal with the Assyrian at the end as He has said in this Scripture. The word spoken by Daniel is sure to be fulfilled regarding the king of the north, "Yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him" (Daniel 11:45).
Again in Isaiah 14, God has spoken of His judgment on the Assyrian, saying, "The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him underfoot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. This is the purpose that I have purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations" (verses 24-26).
Observe carefully that it is when the Assyrian is broken that his yoke departs from the necks of Israel. This cannot be until the end, for there is still a remnant of Israel in the land of Assyria. When God regathers His people, He will "recover the remnant … from Assyria," and from the other lands to which they were scattered. Until that time, the judgment on the Assyrian, the final judgment awaits. Moreover, God tells us that this purpose has to do with the whole earth, and all nations. This is undoubtedly when Christ comes to resolve every problem in view of His kingdom. The whole earth will be dealt with in the judgments of that day, and all nations will be gathered to the great sessional judgment foretold in Matthew 25.
Assyria and Egypt are the two nations that have had most to do with Israel, and although both will come under the hand of God in judgment, they will ultimately be brought into blessing. This is plainly taught in Isaiah 19:23-25; "In that day there shall be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: whom the LORD of hosts shall bless saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance."
In Isaiah 23:13 we learn that the Chaldeans, whom God used to punish Tyre and Sidon, were not an old nation; they became a nation by building on the foundations of the Assyrian kingdom, which they destroyed. Although Nimrod's kingdom began at Babylon, he passed on to Assyria, and it was Assyria that became great long before Babylon.
The regathering of the remnant of Israel from Assyria and Egypt is again foretold in Isaiah 27:13. They are seen as ready to perish; such will be the condition of the remnant in the days just before they are brought back to the land. We are reminded by the blowing of "the great trumpet" of the regathering of the elect of Judah, as foretold by the Lord in Matthew 24: "He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet …" In Matthew it is the dispersed of Judah; here, in Isaiah, it is the remnant of the ten tribes. Both are found in Isaiah 11:12, "He shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
When God sifts the nations with His solemn judgments, the Assyrian will have his own peculiar portion. This is brought out in Isaiah 30. God had used the Assyrian as the rod of His anger; now "He will smite with a rod;" and every stripe is accompanied "with tabrets and harps." Such has been the pitiless slaughter and captivity of Assyria that when his time of judgment comes it is celebrated with music and song. Moreover, a peculiar judgment is reserved for the leader, the Assyrian; for him "Topheth is prepared of old." This evidently looks on to the end, and it would seem that the Assyrian shares the fate of the beast and the false prophet, who are cast alive into the lake of fire. The Assyrian is not alone in the judgment of Topheth, "for the king also it is prepared." The antichrist, called the false prophet in Revelation, is here, as in Daniel 11:36, called "the king." He is the second beast of Revelation 13, and reigns in Jerusalem at the end as the accomplice of the first beast.
Further details of the fall of the Assyrian are given in Isaiah 31: "Then shall the Assyrian fall with the sword;" but it is not by the sword of any man, great or small; it is at the hands of the Lord he perishes. In Isaiah 11 it is recorded, "And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people:" here we have the Ensign again; "His princes shall be afraid of the Ensign;" and well they might, for He is none other than the Lord Himself. Christ has come for the defence of His people, and His presence among them "whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem," completely demoralises and destroys the foe.
It might be well to say here that the Assyrian may not only be the actual Assyrian race, but also one who has the same spirit and bears the same character. The Assyrians who led Israel captive will give up their captives in the last days: but the king of the north, who is the Assyrian of the last days, will probably occupy part of the territory of the old Assyrians, if not all. It may be that there will be a federation of powers around the region occupied by the Assyrian of old, whose leader will be the king of the north. The last Assyrian, may be Gog, the Prince of Rosh; not because he belongs to the territory of the old Assyrian, but because in him every feature of the old Assyrian is fully developed and manifested in the last assault on Immanuel's land.
Assyria is viewed as an oppressor in Isaiah 52:4. What began in Egypt, with the king who knew not Joseph, was carried on by the Assyrian. It is worthy of note that in nearly all the Scriptures dealing with this subject, it is the king of Assyria or the Assyrian that is spoken of. The ruler of Assyria is viewed as God's instrument of judgment, and it is he that is to be broken and destroyed.
Jeremiah's references to the Assyrian are historic rather than prophetic; the same can be said for Ezekiel, saving for chapters 38 and 39, where we have the Prince of Rosh; but it is the more remarkable that although this northern prince has the spirit and character of the Assyrian, the name is not found in these chapters. The explanation may he that the king of Assyria, who was no doubt supported by the Russian power, had already met his end, as observed in Daniel 11:45, and his land lay powerless after his overthrow, or for the time was absorbed in the northern dominions.
Of Gog, the prince of Rosh, God says "Art thou not he of whom I have spoken in old time through my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days, for many years, that I would bring thee against them?" (Ezekiel 38:17). It is this passage that indicates that the prophecies regarding the Assyrian have an application to the northern prince. All the hordes from the north are with Gog, also his allies from Persia, Libya and Ethiopia; Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish are ready to trade with him; but the power of the local Assyrian appears to have been already broken, and all that marked him is found fully expressed in Gog.
We have already noticed that the king of the north is seen by Daniel in his vision of chapter 8. He saw, in vision, the Grecian forces of Alexander the Great overthrow the Medo-Persian empire, and after Alexander, the great horn of the he-goat, had gone, his place was taken by four notable horns, the generals who succeeded him. Out of one of the horns the prophet sees a little horn come forth, "which became exceeding great … even to the host of heaven … and he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and from Him the continual sacrifice was taken away."
Without doubt this had a partial fulfilment in Antiochus Epiphanes, but Daniel 8:23 shows it has its complete fulfilment "at the latter time." Daniel 8:26 confirms that the vision belongs to the end, even as we read, "but close thou up the vision, for it is for many days (to come)." It is at the latter time of the kingdoms mentioned, when transgressors have become so bold that the time is ripe for their judgment. This wilful king, marked by outstanding guile and diabolical power, will have marked military success, and will attack and destroy "the people of the saints," that is the Israelites. In his arrogance and pride "he will stand up against the Prince of princes," but the Lord will destroy him, "he shall be broken without hand."
In Daniel 11 the successors of Alexander the Great are again brought into prominence, especially the conflicts between the king of the south — the king of Egypt, and the king of the north — the king of Syria. Antiochus Epiphanes is again particularly noticed, no doubt because of his associations with the holy land, where he directs "his attention to those that forsake the holy covenant," profanes the sanctuary, takes away the continual sacrifice, and persecutes the true saints of God (Daniel 11:21-35).
Antiochus is also a type of another king of the north who, "at the time of the end" shall come against the antichrist like a whirlwind "with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships." Passing through Palestine, he will be victorious over Egypt, and have the Libyans and the Ethiopians as his followers. Receiving tidings from the north and east, he is troubled, and goes forth with great fury. It might be news of the armies of the west, on their way to Armageddon, that have come to support Egypt and antichrist, and to fight against the Lamb. He reaches the part of Palestine between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean, plants his tents, no doubt with the object of besieging Jerusalem, but comes to his end. It may be that the Lord comes just at this juncture, fulfils Isaiah 30 in regard to the Assyrian, by casting him into Topheth, and deals also with the beast and the false prophet (Rev. 19:20).
Hosea mentions Ephraim's seeking the help of the Assyrian, only to have him as his king. Yet God will one day bring them "as a dove out of the land of Assyria" (Hosea 5:13; Hosea 11:5, Hosea 12:1). Jonah is occupied with God's mercy to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, when they repent at the preaching of Jonah.
In Micah 5 we learn how Israel will be used of God in the judgment of Assyria. The secret of Israel's power to deal with the situation "When the Assyrian shall come into our land" is "And this (Man) shall be Peace" (Micah 5:5). Christ will have come, and because of His Presence Israel will be able to send their "seven shepherds and eight princes" to waste the land of Asshur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof. The Spirit of God links the end of the Assyrian power with its beginning in Nimrod. Moreover, Christ "shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders" (Micah 5:6); and this will be true both as regards the king of the north, and Gog, the prince of Rosh.
Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, that was threatened in the cry of Jonah, was ultimately destroyed because of its sins. Nahum, the prophet, is specially charged with "The burden of Nineveh." The weight of divine judgment that rested upon this guilty city is accurately foretold before it falls; all its accumulated evil, even from the days of Nimrod, had its just recompense from the hand of God.
In Zephaniah, Assyria is identified with the north, where the prophet writes "And He will stretch out His hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation" (Zeph. 2:13). There has been the fulfilment of this as regards Nineveh; its desolation as described in verses 14 and 15 is there for all to see. Assyria has also been destroyed, but will be raised up again; indeed, is even now in process of resuscitation, and will again come under divine judgment, as foretold in Micah 5.
The recovery of the remnant of Israel from Assyria and Egypt is also foretold by the prophet Zechariah, who writes, "And the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away" (Zech. 10:10-11). This recovery has not yet taken place. In the days of Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah, remnants from Babylon came back to the land, remnants of Judah; those who were carried into Assyria will yet be restored to their own land.
After considering these Scriptures we can see that the Assyrian, who was used of God for the chastisement of His ancient people Israel, was judged of God and punished for his arrogance and sins, Nineveh coming in for consuming judgment. But there are prophecies relating to the Assyrian which await fulfilment in their completeness in the last days. Already there has been a partial fulfilment in the king of the north — the king of Syria, and especially in Antiochus Epiphanes, of whom Daniel has much to say. At the end of the days there will be the fulfilment of the prophecies regarding the Assyrian and the king of the north, probably in the head of a confederation of nations which include the ancient kingdoms of Assyria and Syria. The complete fulfilment of these prophecies will doubtless be fulfilled in the invasion and destruction of Gog, the prince of Rosh, the head of a great confederation of northern and eastern nations supported by Libya and Ethiopia also, and who has been the power behind the king of the north.