In Psa. 83 a confederacy of ten nations of the enemies of God joins together seeking to blot out the name of Israel from being a nation. The last one mentioned is Assur, or Assyria. Assyria is an old enemy of Israel. About 700 B.C. God allowed Assyria to carry the ten tribes into captivity when they became idolatrous. Assyria is on the north of Israel, and even now those lands to the north of Israel are some of the strongest and most violent of Israel's enemies.
In these last two or three decades, we have seen many nations arise. First it was in Africa that different tribes asserted their rights and power for independence, and now Russia has broken up into numerous independent nations. The struggle is on in southeastern Europe forming many more nations.
What does the Bible have to say about these things? Should we be surprised, or should we have been expecting these things to take place? Psa. 83 mentioned above is prophetic. In fact, all the Psalms are prophetic. There will be a confederacy of nations against Israel, but Israel first had to be again in the land. She has been recognized as a nation for more than 40 years, and her enemies are many.
The Lord Jesus spoke this in a parable in Luke 21:2929And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; (Luke 21:29). "Behold the fig tree, and all the trees." The fig tree is the well-known symbol of Israel as a nation. Since Israel is symbolized as a nation by a tree, "all the trees" would mean other nations. Not only has Israel become a recognized nation, but now many other nations have come into existence. It is a time of many nations.
Sometimes people want independence; then they want to get together. Independence has certain advantages, but power is in numbers. Weakness forces nations to associate or form a confederacy. The recent war in the Persian Gulf area proved the need for an alliance of nations. How long has it lasted? National treaties always break down.
Since the Persian Gulf War, both Israel and the United States have had a change in the administration, while Syria, Iraq and Cuba still have the same leaders in control. Do we know and rest in the fact that "the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will"?
The unrest and the uncertainty of either an independent nation or a confederacy of nations is just what we can expect to happen. The Lord has said, "I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him." Ezek. 21:2727I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. (Ezekiel 21:27). His coming to reign draws near. Ed.