“Prophets and Prophecy” From Bible Handbook:
The characteristic feature of the Old Testament is God acting in government, while the distinguishing one of the New Testament is God’s acting in grace. The platforms on which the dealings of God were displayed, the people and city which formed the center of these Divine dealings, were the nation of Israel and Jerusalem its metropolis. There Jehovah established His throne and set up His temple — the former from whence He governed the whole earth, and the latter designed as a center of blessing for Israel and the nations. But who are the people beloved of God, the object of His eternal choice and love, in whom are displayed so fully the exceeding riches of God’s grace? The church, in which is neither Jew nor Gentile, is the object on which God has been pleased to lavish His rich and sovereign mercy. Through it the manifold wisdom and ways of God will be eternally displayed (Eph. 3).
To whom, then, does prophecy primarily refer — to Israel or the church? We believe the answer to this important question lies at the root of the various contradictory systems of prophecy, and gives definiteness and interest to the prophetic future, besides affording an easy solution of numerous passages which are usually twisted to suit the purpose of the commentator. Now, were the distinction between the terms prophecy and revelation and the persons to whom they apply understood, the student would have at his command the key to the understanding of a large portion of the Word of God. Prophecy has the Jews as a people, Israel as a country, and Jerusalem as a city in the fore-front. But the Jewish people being “set in the midst of the nations and countries” (Ezek. 5:55Thus saith the Lord God; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her. (Ezekiel 5:5)), the center of Jehovah’s government of the earth and the source of blessing to the world, necessarily embrace the earth and nations as part of the sphere where the dealings of God are displayed. Prophecy, then, regards the earth, the Jews as a people being prominent, and then subordinately the nations. Thus, then, we have the Jews first, then the Gentiles as the subjects of prophecy. But the church in which there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Gal. 3:2828There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)), but the fruit of the baptism of the Spirit — Jew and Gentile forming one body, a heavenly people united to the glorified Man in the heavens, and whose character, prospects, and hopes are heavenly — is outside the sphere to which prophecy strictly applies. Hence the church is not named in the Old Testament, nor is she the subject of prophecy at all. We have, of course, saved persons in the Old Testament Scriptures, but not one body, this latter needed the death of Jesus (John 11:5252And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. (John 11:52)) and the work of the Spirit to accomplish (1 Cor. 12:1212For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12)). The church as Christ’s body was a mystery till revealed by Paul (Eph. 3). Revelation as clearly connects itself with the church as prophecy does with the Jews. The Resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5151Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (1 Corinthians 15:51)), Translation (1 Thess. 4:1515For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:15)), Unity (Eph. 3:33How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, (Ephesians 3:3)), and the standing ordinance of the church — the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:2323For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: (1 Corinthians 11:23)) — are all subjects of revelation, because they concern a heavenly people — heavenly as to title and character (1 Cor. 15:48-4948As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. 49And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (1 Corinthians 15:48‑49)). It may surprise the reader, but the remark will bear the most searching inquiry that no prophecy in the Old or New Testaments directly concerns the church.
The Function of the Prophet
A prophet is one who speaks in the name and by the authority of another; thus Aaron, the spokesman of Moses to Pharaoh, is termed a prophet (Ex. 7:11And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. (Exodus 7:1)); so also is Abraham, as in measure possessing the mind of God (Gen. 20:77Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine. (Genesis 20:7)). Both the terms — prophet and prophecy — are used in the Scriptures with a breadth and largeness of thought just like God, while as unlike the contracted theology of man.
Thus the 288 sacred musicians of the temple (1 Chron. 25:1-71Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was: 2Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king. 3Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun; Gedaliah, and Zeri, and Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the Lord. 4Of Heman: the sons of Heman; Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth: 5All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman. 7So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the Lord, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight. (1 Chronicles 25:1‑7)), and the heathen poet of Crete (Titus 1:1212One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. (Titus 1:12)), as well as Miriam (Ex. 15:20-2120And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. (Exodus 15:20‑21)), and the four daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:99And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. (Acts 21:9)) — all prophesied. Prophecy in its large and extended meaning is the unfolding of God’s mind, and in this respect it differs from the teacher, that while teaching is the unfolding of the written word, prophesying is the means by which God speaks to the conscience of man (1 Cor. 14). The woman of Samaria termed Jesus a prophet, because He had unfolded her life’s history and dealt with her conscience (John 4:1919The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. (John 4:19)). The High Priest stood as the head and representative of the nation before God, thus, Aaron in his robes of glory and beauty (Ex. 28), and Joshua clad in filthy garments (Zech. 3) respectively represented the people before Jehovah — the former as to the acceptance of the people, and the latter as to the guilt and consequent justification of the nation before God. The prophet on the other hand was the bearer of a Divine message — “God spake — by the prophets” (Heb. 1:11God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (Hebrews 1:1)). As representing Jehovah, and speaking in the power and majesty of His name, they uttered their standing formula, “Thus saith the Lord,” at once the expression of their holy mission and secret of the power and veneration with which the men and their utterances were regarded in Israel.
The more ancient title of the prophet was that of “Seer,” for “he that is now called a Prophet was before time called a Seer” (1 Sam. 9:99(Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) (1 Samuel 9:9)). Possibly the latter differed from the former in this respect, that visions of God were opened to the gaze of the Seer, while the word of the Lord was as truly characteristic of the prophet (2 Chron. 9:2929Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer against Jeroboam the son of Nebat? (2 Chronicles 9:29))
The Unwritten Period of Prophecy
Prophecy as an institution permanently established in Israel dates from the call of Samuel (Acts 3:2424Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. (Acts 3:24)). From Israel’s settlement in Canaan under Joshua till the judgeship of Samuel — 450 years (Acts 13:2020And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. (Acts 13:20)), we have only three direct notices of prophetic ministry (Judg. 6:8; 14:48That the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; (Judges 6:8)
4But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel. (Judges 14:4); 1 Sam. 2:2727And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? (1 Samuel 2:27)); again, from Samuel, the first of the long line of prophets (which closed with John the Baptist), till the days of Uzziah, a period of about 300 years, we have no written prophecy. We would style that era the historical period, as the following abridged list from the books of Kings and Chronicles will show.
Historical Writings
1. “The book of the Acts of Solomon.”
2. “The book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.”
3. “The book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.”
4. “The book of Samuel the seer, the book of Nathan the prophet, and the book of Gad the seer.”
5. “The book of Shemaiah the prophet.”
6. “The story of the prophet Iddo.”
7. “The book of John, the son of Hanani.”
8. “The story of the book of the Kings,” etc.
From the period named therefore we have the spoken word of Jehovah, but in order that a permanent record of the Divine word and will be preserved, that word must be written.
The Written Period of Prophecy
Probably the whole of the 16 books — prophetic books — were written within a period of four centuries; again, from Malachi till John the Baptist, which ended the prophetic line, till resumed by the future ministry of Elijah (Mal. 4:5-65Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:5‑6)), we have an interregnum of about four centuries. When Isaiah began to prophesy, the kingdom of Israel was rapidly drawing to a close, and ere the prophet died (Jewish tradition reports that he was sawn asunder with a wooden saw, so as to protract his sufferings), Judah had been invaded by the allied kings of Israel and Syria; also by Sennacherib the mighty Assyrian, and threatened besides with captivity in Babylon. Israel, too, had her cities and towns all depopulated by the Assyrians. Thus the grave circumstances under which the prophetic word was uttered and then written, gave occasion for the display of the most marked interpositions, and furnished the historical basis on which God mirrored forth His purpose to deliver and bless His people in the last days. We have then, in those writings, both the moral and strictly prophetic elements abounding. The book of the prophet Jeremiah is an example of this double character of Divine teaching and instruction. The prophetic lamp burned with unusual brilliancy during this the darkest period of Israel’s history. The prophets, so to speak, turned their backs upon Israel’s past, and directed the gaze of the faithful to the glorious future. How fittingly, therefore, that these predictions of future blessedness should have been written! How solemnizing also, that here we have penned by the unerring Spirit of inspiration the judgments which will descend upon Israel and the nations, introductory to the era of blessing! The four centuries occupied in writing these 16 books, were at once the darkest on man’s side, while the brightest on God’s side.
Classification of Prophetic Books
These 16 books are divided in to four greater and 12 minor prophets. This arrangement is solely in view of the relative size of the books, and not at all a question of the moral value of one book more than another. The four greater prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Here we have what so many regard as a truth of almost vital importance, strict chronological sequence. We confess, however, that in the Bible, which has always a moral end in view, we fail to see why chronological order has such a place as it has in the systems of men. When God gives a date, He means us to learn from it, but when He withholds a date we ought equally to learn. The silence of Scripture is to be respected as well as its written utterances.
Isaiah properly heads the prophetic writings as being the most comprehensive of any of the books; it is the only one which describes the whole circle of the Divine thoughts and purposes respecting Israel. Then Jeremiah follows with the last pleadings of love over the guilty people before they are finally banished to Babylon, and with the remnant in the land spared by the conqueror. Next we have Ezekiel on the banks of the Chebar prophesying among the early captives deported to Chaldea. What striking and impressive symbols God used in instructing His prophets, and by which they in turn taught the people! Look at that basket of summer fruit (Amos 8:1-21Thus hath the Lord God showed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. 2And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more. (Amos 8:1‑2)) intimating that Israel’s summer was gone, and a winter of judgment was rapidly nearing. Again, see Ahijah, the Shilonite, rending his mantle into twelve pieces, and giving ten of these to Jeroboam. What more significant action of the rending of the united kingdom and the setting up of the kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam its first king? But Ezekiel, in energetic word and action, far outstrips any of his prophetic brethren. Are the miniature representation of the siege of Jerusalem (Ezek. 4), or the eating of the prophetic roll (Ezek. 3), mysterious symbols too dark to be understood? If we have Ezekiel amongst the mass of the people in the land of their captivity and exile, we have Daniel amongst the more select class — the court of the Gentiles. Daniel covers that long phase of Israel’s sorrowful history, termed “the times of the Gentiles.”
Coming now to the minor prophets, we will make the last successful invasion by Babylon and the capture of Jerusalem the break. In past Jewish history no more important historical event has happened than the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and the captivity of the people. The government of the earth then passed from the Jew to the Gentile, and the throne was set up in Babylon instead of Jerusalem. It was, indeed, a step fraught with the gravest consequences to man — both Jew and Gentile. Before the ruin of Judah, we have Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Micah who was contemporary with Isaiah, Habakkuk, and lastly, Zephaniah, who prophesied on the very eve of the subversion of the kingdom of Judah — six prophets in all.
After the captivity, we have the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi — the ministry of the two former abounding in precious encouragement to the remnant people, while the latter depicts the moral corruption of all classes — priests and people.
There is yet a third and special class of prophets whose mission was to announce judgment upon the Gentile portion of the world; these are Jonah, Nahum, and Obadiah. Chronologically, Jonah precedes Nahum by nearly a century and a-half. Both these prophets announce the sure judgment of God upon the proud and haughty city of Nineveh — type of the world in its pride and haughty independence of God. Jonah, however, develops the public ways of God with nations — the threatened judgment was stayed on the repentance of the people. Obadiah reveals the overthrow and complete destruction of every hostile power opposed to Jehovah and His people. If Assyria represents the world in its pride, Edom represents it in its hatred to God and His people; and of this latter power Obadiah treats.
Sketch of the Prophetic Future
The following epitome of the intensely interesting future awaiting Israel and the world is an abstract from the author’s pamphlet entitled, The Eastern Question, and what the Bible says about Coming Events.
Let us now very briefly take a glance at the coming situation. The blessed Lord is calling His “friends” around Himself, making known to us “all things” that He has heard of His Father (John 15:55I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5)). First carefully note that at any moment of time, unrevealed in the Scriptures of truth, and quite independent of political changes in the east or elsewhere, the translation of the saints to meet the Lord in the “air” may take place. My reader, if you are a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed One who suffered may come now, ere you finish the reading of this paper, and fetch you to Himself, would you be glad to see Him? Are your loins girded, your lamp trimmed, and your light burning? After the church’s removal to heaven, and after Canaan’s separation from Turkey, Israel will again come into prominence. The complete independence of Egypt will be secured, and a kingdom equally distinct established by Russian power and influence will occupy the territory north of Israel. The Roman empire will be revived in a ten-kingdom form (Dan. 7; Rev. 13-17). The prophetic references to Rome show the empire distributed into ten kingdoms, while her unity and integrity as a whole are secured by the “little horn” of Daniel 7. These phases of the empire are not yet matters of history, and they are indispensable requisites for the fulfilment of the prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse. When the empire was broken up, its unity was gone. Prophecy demands a strong, compact, and united empire; this Satan will effect as accomplishing the purposes of God: “The beast shall ascend out of the bottomless pit” (Rev. 17:88The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (Revelation 17:8)). The Antichrist or Man of Sin will be settled as a king in Jerusalem (Dan. 11:3636And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. (Daniel 11:36)), and will act in concert with the head of the fourth empire (Rev. 13:12-1712And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:12‑17)). The Jews will have been restored to their land through the aid of a seafaring nation, and for political purposes (Isa. 18). When restored they will accept the false Messiah as their king, and, through their civil and religious leaders, make a seven years’ covenant — Daniel’s last or 70th week — with the Roman prince (Dan. l 9:27; Isa. 28:14-1514Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. 15Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: (Isaiah 28:14‑15)). The unholy compact will not stand, for in spite of the help and protection afforded by the western powers, that is Europe under the headship of Rome, God will bring against His deeply guilty and apostate people the Assyrian or King of the North, who will be as a rod in Jehovah’s hand in the scourging of the guilty nation; at the close of the Lord’s indignation against Israel a remnant will have learned to “stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth” (Isa. 10:2020And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. (Isaiah 10:20)). Further, the Roman Prince or little horn of Daniel 7 will break the agreement formed with the people, which guaranteed safety from their bitter enemy — the King of the North or Assyrian (Isa. 28:1515Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: (Isaiah 28:15)) — and gave them a seven years’ freedom and quietness to worship and sacrifice to the God of their Fathers (Dan. 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)). Antichrist, aided by his chief, the head of the revived empire, will force idolatry upon Christendom (Rev.13) and on the people of Judea (Dan. 11:36-3936And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:36‑39)). The attempt to connect the temple with idol worship in the midst of Daniel’s future and unfulfilled week of seven years, and to suspend the daily and other sacrifices (Dan. 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)) will be resisted by the God-fearing remnant of Judah, whose experiences, prayers, songs, confessions, and trials are detailed at length in the book of Psalms and in the Prophets. The refusal of this remnant to worship “the beast” (Rev. 13:1515And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (Revelation 13:15)) lets loose the rage and malice of Antichrist against these holy sufferers. Idolatry or death is the awful alternative. Many, forewarned by the Saviour, will flee when they “shall see the abomination (idol) of desolation ... stand in the holy place.” When a certain idol (for such is the meaning of abomination as used in Scripture, 1 Kings 11:5-75For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. 7Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. (1 Kings 11:5‑7)) is set up in a prominent part of the temple, it is to be regarded as a signal for instant flight (Matt. 24:15-20,15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: 17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: (Matthew 24:15‑20) with Dan. 12:11And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. (Daniel 12:1)).
Thus the Jews will be doubly oppressed in these days — first, by the Antichrist in the land, their great ecclesiastical oppressor; and secondly, by the Assyrian, their great political oppressor, who will come against them, enter their palaces, tread down the people as mire in the streets, capture Jerusalem, leading many into captivity, and committing the most frightful atrocities upon the inhabitants. This double oppression will continue three years and a-half, immediately after which the Lord Jesus will descend from heaven with all His heavenly saints, stand upon Mount Olivet — whose geographical position is so accurately described, that it cannot but be taken as a literal statement — and deliver His earthly people. Jerusalem will be besieged in the coming crisis more than once (Zech. 12, 14); the last assault upon the city will not be a successful one. The personal intervention of Christ on behalf of His people, at the critical moment, when they are about to fall a prey to their foes, is marked by signs of a striking and miraculous character. The Mount of Olives, when touched by the feet of the Son of God will cleave in two; thus a great gap or valley will be formed, into which the remnant at least will flee for safety. The Lord will Himself thus close the great Eastern — or Jewish — Question in a baptism of blood, Judah assisting in the work. Israel’s place on the earth can only be made good by grace reigning through righteous judgment, both upon themselves and also upon those who burden themselves with Jewish matters.
The nations of the west are not directly involved in this awful struggle at Jerusalem. The Emperor of the west, with his ten vassal kings, will be rather the friend and would-be protector of restored Judah, politically. The peoples composing the Roman earth, if not those of a wider area, will express their hatred to Christ Himself. A solemn future and a terrible end are set before these lands of Christendom (Rev. 17:14; 19:11-2114These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (Revelation 17:14)
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. 19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. (Revelation 19:11‑21)). The Gentiles north and east of Israel are those outside the Roman Empire, and are the nations to be gathered against Jerusalem (Zech. 12-14). The doom of the nations is regulated according to their guilt; thus the northern and eastern peoples are destroyed in a special manner, Israel assisting in the work of judgment. Greece also will figure in the closing scenes, and take part in the coming struggle, but will be most thoroughly vanquished by the sons of Zion (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)). The apostate nations of the west will rise against the Lamb and His heavenly saints, and, accordingly, they have a terrible doom meted out to them (Rev. 19). The three chief agents of Satan’s power and wickedness in these awful times are cast into the lake of fire. (1.) The Beast, head of the apostate civil power, under whose representative Christ was crucified. (2.) “The false prophet,” — ”Antichrist,” — ”Man of Sin,” — the second beast of Revelation 13:1111And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. (Revelation 13:11). These two, namely the Beast and False Prophet — the heads of the civil and ecclesiastical apostasies, and acting in concert — are united in the same doom; “these both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:2020And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)). (3.) The Assyrian, Israel’s determined foe in the coming days (Isa. 30:31-3331For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod. 32And in every place where the grounded staff shall pass, which the Lord shall lay upon him, it shall be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight with it. 33For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it. (Isaiah 30:31‑33)).
The prophet of visions (Ezek. 38-39) tells us of Persia, Ethiopia, and many other nations, coming down under the leadership of Gog “like a cloud to cover the land.” The apparently defenceless state of Judea; its numerous and thriving villages, having neither walls, bars, nor gates, seem to offer an easy prey to the neighboring nations, while the world’s wealth, then centralised in Jerusalem, will awaken the cupidity of these powers (Ezek. 38:10-1310Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: 11And thou shalt say, 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, 12To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. 13Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (Ezekiel 38:10‑13)). To plunder and destroy are the objects of this mighty confederation (see also Isa. 33, which also refers to Gog’s attack). Alas! little do they dream that Jehovah hath girded Zion with strength, and that the keeper of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord Jesus Christ is there — Israel’s glory and defence, and His and their enemies only reach the Judean mountains to find a grave, and their wealth to swell the treasures already gathered in Immanuel’s land (Ezek. 39). The chosen leader of this expedition against restored Israel is Gog. But who is Gog? The answer is at hand. The reference is to the vast and growing power of Russia — the outcome of the warlike Slavonic tribes of ancient origin, descended from Japheth, eldest son of Noah (Gen. 10:22The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. (Genesis 10:2)). The capital cities of European and Asiatic Russia are named in the first verses of the two chapters. “Meshech” (Moscow), formerly the seat of government of European-Russia, and “Tubal” (Tobolsk), chief city of Siberia, are not only thus early designated, but Russia itself is distinctly named and that, too, centuries before she was known as such. The words in the beginning of our chapters “the chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal” — should read, “Prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.” Such is the reading in the Greek version of the Old Testament, so largely quoted from and referred to by our Lord and the New Testament writers. Thus Russia — and were it still doubted, the naming of her chief cities, will surely establish the fact — is clearly pointed out in the Scriptures of truth centuries before she, as such, was known; a certain proof of the futurity of this remarkable prophecy. Gog is a symbolic term for the head of all the Russias; Magog, also symbolic, is his land. Now let us read Ezekiel 38:17,17Thus saith the Lord God; 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? (Ezekiel 38:17) “Thus saith the Lord God; 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?” This being said of Gog, emperor of all the Russias, has led many to suppose that Gog and the Assyrian are one. We conceive, however, that Daniel 8:2424And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. (Daniel 8:24) decides that point. The northern king, of fierce countenance, acts as the vicegerent of another and more powerful chief. The separate identity of Gog, and the Assyrian or King of the North, is clear: they are closely allied however. The relation of these powers to each other is similar to that which will exist between the “beasts” of Revelation 13, namely, the Roman power (verses 1-7), and Antichrist (verses 11-17). The King of the North, or Assyrian, is upheld by the power of Gog (Russia); while Antichrist in the land acts in the power of the Latin empire. What is said by the prophet of the captivity to Gog is attributed by the prophets of Israel to the Assyrian. This need present no difficulty because the latter acts in the power of the former. We will select one passage from the most comprehensive of the prophets (Isa. 10:5-345O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. 6I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. 7Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. 8For he saith, Are not my princes altogether kings? 9Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus? 10As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria; 11Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? 12Wherefore it shall come to pass, that 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. 13For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man: 14And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. 15Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? or shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself, as if it were no wood. 16Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. 17And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; 18And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth. 19And the rest of the trees of his forest shall be few, that a child may write them. 20And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. 21The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. 22For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 23For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land. 24Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, 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. 25For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction. 26And the Lord of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt. 27And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. 28He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages: 29They are gone over the passage: they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled. 30Lift up thy voice, O daughter of Gallim: cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. 31Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee. 32As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 33Behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, shall lop the bough with terror: and the high ones of stature shall be hewn down, and the haughty shall be humbled. 34And he shall cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. (Isaiah 10:5‑34)), as showing who God will bring against His guilty and apostate people, as a scourge in His hand: “O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger ... I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like mire of the streets.” This treading down of the Jewish people we have attributed to “the little horn” of Daniel 8, the same personage as the Assyrian. There will be several invasions of Judea under the leadership of the Assyrian; but the last attack, conducted on a large scale, and by Gog in person, is the one referred to by Ezekiel, and which will take place when the Lord is actually reigning with His risen and glorified saints, not on, but over the earth. The utter defeat of this gigantic expedition against Judea, consisting of cavalry and troops of every description; the awful destruction of the “mighty army,” which for numbers are compared to a cloud covering the land, and of which but a sixth are spared; the burning of the weapons of war for seven years, so that the forests will be untouched, and Israel supplied with firewood by the vast quantity of warlike implements gathered as spoils from the vanquished foe; Jehovah’s hand in judgment reaching Magog (Russia), the center of this terrible outburst of hate against Israel, as well as the near and distant isles; the effect of these awful judgments and marked deliverance of Israel upon the heathen and upon Jehovah’s people are powerfully told us in these chapters.
Russia is destined to become master in Asia. Already her vast empire stretches over half of Europe, and nigh the whole of northern Asia. Her dominions compose about a seventh of the habitable earth. It is very well known that the Russian policy is one of steady aggression, not chiefly in Europe, but in Asia, and that she has long coveted sole mastery in the East. The very rich and fertile provinces desolated by centuries of Mohammedan oppression and misgovernment, have been long and eagerly coveted by the giant power of Russia. There is little doubt but that she will succeed in her designs — that most of the Turkish territory will go to swell her already vast and growing possessions. She will command the powers north of Israel (Lebanon mountains) and those east of the river Euphrates.
The enemies of Israel, spared from judgment, will be converted, and sent out as missionaries to the near and distant heathen — ”they shall declare My glory among the heathen” — and, instead of expressing hatred to the Israelite any more, theirs will be the willing service of love in gathering to Judea those of the people left in distant countries, who will be gathered one by one (Isa. 66:19-2119And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. 20And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. 21And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 66:19‑21)). The long-standing and bitter enmity between Syria and Egypt will also be completely removed. There shall be a highway from Egypt, through Canaan to Assyria, trod in peace and quietness by the traveller. The Egyptians and Assyrians, who in the past most cordially detested each other, and anciently strove for the mastery of the world at the expense of the other’s ruin, will unite in happy service, and bury forever their mutual distrust and hatred. God will unite them in blessing with His earthly people, saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance” (Isa. 19:23-2523In that day shall there 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. 24In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: 25Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance. (Isaiah 19:23‑25)). These will be the three leading powers in the millennial age, Israel being the chief, and Jerusalem the metropolitan city of the earth.
Egypt comes in for special notice, now “the basest of kingdoms,” and the once haughty power which so sorely oppressed Israel at the commencement of her history. That ancient kingdom is destined to play an important part in the future. She will be the theatre of very extensive war operations on the part of certain powers. Besides this, she will be torn by internal commotions, which will drain the country of its strength. God, too, will give the Egyptians a king in retributive justice for their cruel treatment of His people in ancient times; another Pharaoh will be raised up to rule the country and people with rigor and cruelty. Their favourite river (the Nile), the only means of vegetation to the kingdom, will be dried up, and general desolation ensue. The strength, wisdom, and policy of her counsellors and people will utterly fail. But God never forgets what is done to His beloved Son. Egypt opened her friendly shores and received the child Jesus when His own people sought His life (Matt. 2:13-1513And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. (Matthew 2:13‑15)). Egypt knew not what she did, neither did Moses when he identified himself with the afflicted Hebrews; but which, centuries afterward, the Holy Spirit writes down as “the reproach of Christ” (Heb. 11:2626Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. (Hebrews 11:26)). Egypt then will share very specially in the blessing of millennial days — on the ground of sovereign grace alone — the basis surely of all glory and blessing to man — but first she must learn the lesson that “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” The oppressor is in turn oppressed. In their sorrow and affliction the Egyptians will “cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a Saviour, and a Great One, and He shall deliver them. And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord and perform it. And the Lord shall smite Egypt: He shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the Lord, and He shall be entreated even of them, and shall heal them” (Isa. 19). “My people” will be the blessed expression of favour into which the Egyptians will be called in the coming days of glory on earth. How marvellous are the ways of our God! “How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!”
Israel, too, will be considerably enlarged, according to the limits assigned to Abram (Gen. 15:1818In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: (Genesis 15:18)); stretching from the Nile on the west to the head of the Persian Gulf, where the Euphrates empties itself on the east; it will necessarily embrace those parts of Africa and Asia lying between those points. Other changes of a physical and geographical character will take place. The nations may squabble about their commercial interests in the Suez Canal, but God having decreed the utter destruction of the tongue of the Egyptian Sea (Isa. 11:1515And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. (Isaiah 11:15)), formerly the scene of one of the most stupendous miracles recorded in Holy Scripture, it will necessarily involve in the same destruction the desert link connecting the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. The seven streams of the Nile will also be smitten by the hand of judgment (Isa. 11:15-1615And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. 16And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. (Isaiah 11:15‑16)). How ever could Israel traverse her land — which will embrace these parts — ”in shoes” (see margin) save by the accomplishment of these miraculous events? The Euphrates, too, that river so famous in Scripture history, will be literally dried up. 1500 miles long, and in some parts many miles broad, it has ever formed a serious barrier to the mingling of the east and west, but the hindrance will be removed, for the great battle of Armageddon must be fought, hence the removal of the impediment to the gathering of the kings from the east and their armies; the drying up of the river will, of course, facilitate the march of troops into Canaan, “that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared” (Rev. 16:1212And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. (Revelation 16:12)). That justly celebrated river formed the eastern boundary of the Roman conquests, and is marked as the eastern limit of the Holy Land. The nations of the west will then meet in deadly strife with those of the east. Judea will become the great battlefield of the nations. This assemblage of opposed forces in the Holy Land is prefigured in that millennial chapter, Genesis 14. In and about Judea God will gather the nations and kingdoms, to pour upon them His indignation and fierce anger (Zeph. 3:88Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. (Zephaniah 3:8)). The reference to Armageddon is, no doubt, symbolic, and refers to Judges 5:1919The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money. (Judges 5:19).
We wait calmly upon God for the accomplishment of His blessed word. “Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.” May our hearts be kept quiet while we look for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ — our happy hope. The blessed reign of our Lord for one thousand years over the earth (Rev. 20:4-64And I saw thrones, and they 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 which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4‑6)) is near at hand. Those glorious times foretold by prophets, and sung and harped by bards, groaned for by creation, and yearned after by the church, are coming. They are nigh at hand. Our hope, however, is the coming Jesus Himself.
Blessed Lord! prepare Thy saints to meet Thee in the air.