Isaiah 33
HERE an unnamed enemy comes up for judgment. Who is he? It is believed to be none other than the Gog of Ezekiel 38 and 39, the last earthly enemy to be dealt with in the judgments attending the personal return of the Lord to the earth.
Turning to Ezekiel 38, verse 2, we find his title, “The chief prince of Meshech and Tubal,” and this is repeated in verse 3, and in verse 1 of chapter 39. It has been known for an extended period that the words translated “The chief prince” are properly rendered “Prince of Rosh,” Rosh being the ancient name corresponding to Russia, while Meshech is represented in. Moscow, and Tribal in Tobolsk, important City of Siberia.
The Assyrian, or king of the north, whom we have considered in reading previous chapters, it is believed will get his support from Russia, but that vast country, joining with others named in Ezekiel 38, verses 5 and 6, must meet its judgment too, and latest of all.
Indeed, in one or other of the conflict; of which Isaiah prophesied, occurring and following the Lord’s appearing, the power of all nations will meet His judgment, and those who remain of the Gentiles after those conflicts must meet Him in the tribunal of Matthew 25:31-46.
The special marks of this last enemy are his immunity from attack, and his habits of spoiling and dealing treacherously with other countries. He will reap according to his sowing. Nevertheless, the threatened attack, regarding which (read the two chapters in Ezekiel which have been referred to) will cause the greatest alarm in the land of Israel, although they will have seen the defeat and destruction at the hand of the Lord of all other hostile powers.
This alarm is but brief however, for verse 3 continues “At the lifting up of Thyself the nations were scattered,” and the Lord tells His fearsome people that “your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar; as the running of locusts shall they run upon them.”
Verses 7 to 9 show how deeply the people of God will be concerned over the approach of the last enemy, and verses 11 and 12 are the Lord’s answer to the insolent challenge of the leader. We must turn again to Ezekiel for the account of the disaster which will overtake Gog and his hosts, for Isaiah refers to it only briefly in verse 23.
It is evident also, from this chapter and other prophetic scriptures that the Lord’s dealing with sinners will not be all in a moment; it will go on for some time after He has descended from heaven. So verses 13 to 16 indicate that there are then, at that time, sinners in Jerusalem. For them judgment is certain, and will he early, we may be sure.
Verses 17 to 22 picture Israel in their new happy, blessed state. They shall behold the King (the Lord Jesus) in His beauty, and no longer shut in by fear and alarm, but free to look at the far stretch-big land (as verse 17’s close should read). They will meditate on the terror they had experienced; the men who had been so important, so fierce, before the Lord’s appearing, are gone forever from Israel’s land. Jerusalem is now seen as a quiet habitation, where Jehovah will be with them in Majesty. He is their Judge, their Law-giver, their King.