Psalm 82:88Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. (Psalm 82:8) says, “Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.” It is God who is to judge the earth, and as the consequence of this judgment, to become the possessor of all nations. We also read in Revelation 11:15-1815And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:15‑18), “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces and worshipped God, saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.”
The True King
The Lord Jesus, the true King over the whole earth, was presented to the Gentiles and Jews (to the Gentiles in the person of Pontius Pilate, and to the Jews in the person of the high priest). He was presented to the world and to His own, and was rejected. But in a much more extended sense it is said, “The nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come.” It is the wrath of God breaking forth against them by the judgment of His Son. In that day, His way of dealing with the nations will be in a way entirely opposed to the gospel—“Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron” (Psa. 2:99Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. (Psalm 2:9)). God has decreed His reign surely, irrevocably, and He will bring it to pass in spite of the kings of the earth.
Once the gospel has run its course, Christ will demand righteous judgment against the world. It is no longer Christ at the right hand of the Father, sending down the Holy Spirit to gather together His co-heirs; but Christ calling for righteousness and asking it (generally by His Spirit in the humble and lowly ones of the Jewish nation) against the proud and violent men. If God were not to execute judgment, the evil would only grow worse and worse without any consolation for the faithful. God does not execute it until the evil has arrived at its height. Antichrist and the nations rise up against God and His Christ, and the earth must be cleared of His enemies to give place to the reign of God Himself.
Two Powers of Japheth
At the time of the end, the nations, the descendants of Noah, will be ranged either under the beast or under Gog—the two principal powers. In Genesis 10:55By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. (Genesis 10:5) we read, “By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands.” In the generations of the sons of Japheth are named Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Mesec, and Tiras. Of these we get Gomer, Magog, Tubal, Mesec, under the same names in Ezekiel 38, as followers of Gog. We also find there Persia which was united to Media (Madai), and from whose hands it received the crown (as we are told in Daniel 8 and other places), so that there remain only Javan and Tiras to be accounted for. Those mentioned above are the nations which comprise Russia, Asia Minor, Tartary, and Persia (all the people, in short, of which the empire of Russia is composed, or which are under its influence). They are described as under the dominion of Gog, prince of Rosh (the Russians), Mesec (Moscow), and Tubal (Tobolsk).
The Children of Ham
The children of Ham are pointed out in Genesis 10:66And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. (Genesis 10:6). Of these, Canaan has been destroyed, and his country turned over to Israel; Cush (Ethiopia) and Phut (Libya) are also found (Ezek. 38:55Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: (Ezekiel 38:5)) under Gog; those of Cush only in part, and for the reason that one part of the family of Cush established itself on the Euphrates, the other on the Nile, that is, north and south of Israel. Those of the north are then, by their position, in direct relation with the partisans of Gog. Mizraim (Egypt) and the remainder of Cush and the Libyans, we find in the scenes of the last day—Daniel 11:4343But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. (Daniel 11:43).
The Children of Shem
As to the children of Shem (Gen. 10:2222The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. (Genesis 10:22)), Elam is the same as Persia, of which we have already spoken. Asshur is named in the judgment, which will take place in the last times (Mic. 5:66And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. (Micah 5:6); Isa. 14:2525That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. (Isaiah 14:25)); also in the conspiracy of Psalm 83, and in other places. Arphaxad is one of the ancestors of the Israelites. We know nothing of the family of Joktan. It is supposed to be a people of the East. Aram, or Syria, was displaced by Asshur, and is found under the title of the king of the North. The same remarks, it appears, may be made of Lud. Javan (Greece) is to be in the last combat (Zech. 9:1313When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. (Zechariah 9:13)). Of all the nations, Tiras is the only one besides Joktan which is not named as to be in this great judgment. We speak only of the Word of God, for profane authors unite Tiras and Javan in Greece; but with this we have not to do. In the present day, we may observe Russia extending her power exactly over the nations who will be found under Gog.
We do not mean that all this yet comes out plain; for example, the ten kings cannot be enumerated and Antichrist has not yet appeared. But the principles which are found in the Word of God are acting in the midst of the kingdoms where the ten horns are to appear: that is, we find all western Europe occupied about Jerusalem. Russia, on her side, is preparing herself, and exercising influence over the countries given to her in the word; and all the thoughts of the politicians of this world are concentrating themselves on the scene where their final gathering in the presence of the judgment of God will take place—where “the Lord shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor” (Mic. 4:1212But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. (Micah 4:12)). It is a remarkable coincidence. In observing what is passing around us, we recognize certain prophetical descriptions; at least we see those who are to act, or upon whom God will act, developing the characters which prophecy signalizes.
The Christian’s Place
Let us remember one thing, namely, that we Christians are sheltered from the approaching storm. During these events, the church’s place is to be with Christ, to accompany Him. The church has this special character, that of union with the Lord Jesus Christ, and if we search for the church in the Old Testament, it is Jesus Christ we find. A striking example of this truth is found in Paul’s quotation (Rom. 8:3434Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34)), taken from Isaiah 50, where Christ says, “Who is he that shall condemn me?” Paul applies this to the church, the church being united to Christ. Its place is not to be in the midst of the nations that are to be broken in pieces, but to be united to Christ, enjoying the same privileges as Christ, and breaking to pieces the nations with Christ. There is nothing true, as regards Christ, in the glory which He has taken, which is not also true of the church.
It is always precious for us thus to understand our place, that of joint-heirs with Christ. And the more we think of this, the more our strength will be increased, and the more we shall become in our minds, as heirs of God, detached from this world, which is judged, as indeed the church is justified. The church is justified; we see not yet the effects of it, because the glory is not come. The church has the fruits of justification only in glory; the world has the fruits of wickedness only in the judgment. Nevertheless, it is true that the church is united to Christ. The world is judged because it has rejected Christ. “Righteous Father,” said the Saviour, “the world hath not known Thee.” But this is what grace has done for us. Just as unbelief separates men entirely and for all eternity from Christ, grace by faith has united us entirely and forever to Him; and we ought to bless God for it.
Adapted from J. N. Darby