The Future
John Ruskin Gill
Table of Contents
Lecture Number 1
The proper hope of the Christian is to see the coming of the Lord. The world is under condemnation. God is saving men out of it.
The only hope for the sinner is in the death of Christ—not His life. His life was that of a man as it should be. It could only condemn us, but His death opened up the way to glory for us.
His coming, then, is before the Christian. It is not connected in Scripture with any signs and is waiting for nothing. But many things are to transpire after His coming. If we see these things shaping up now, His coming must be very near! “For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37).
We will now speak of things to happen after He comes. Let us begin with the Jews, God’s earthly people.
“He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit, well; and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down” (Luke 13:6-9).
The fig tree is emblematic of Israel; like the lion of England and the eagle of the United States. It is Israel in professed relationship to God.
Here the tree is in the place where care and skill are lavished upon it, but “the certain man,” the Lord on earth, is seeking in vain to find fruit. He complains in verse 7 of three years—His public ministry on earth.
“Cut it down”—the removal of Israel as in professed fruit-bearing for God is here contemplated.
Verse 8: “And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it.” This is the Spirit of God answering with a plea to allow a certain additional time for Israel to respond to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
See Acts 3:19, but read “and” instead of “when.” “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, and the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”
If Israel had then turned, the kingdom would have come—even at that late hour. Many Christians do not know that even after the Lord ascended to heaven, a supplementary period of grace followed. Of this the Holy Spirit here speaks through Peter. They did not turn, however, so mercy was ended and the fig tree was finally cut down.
Matthew 21:17-19: “And He left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and He lodged there. Now in the morning, as He returned into the city, He hungered. And when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”
This again is Israel professing to bear fruit, but bearing none. So sentence was imposed, as in the other parable.
Compare with Mark 11:12-14 and verse 20: “And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, He was hungry: and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply He might find any thing thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever. And His disciples heard it. ... And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.” Notice in verse 20 that the curse did not immediately come.
Again it is Israel not bearing fruit—sentence imposed but not executed at once. Only at Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 A.D.—thirty-seven years after the curse was pronounced—it was carried out in the siege of the city. A million Jews were crucified, until no wood was left; and even Titus called on God to witness he was not responsible, but compelled by the stubbornness of the Jews’ refusal to submit.
With this the fig tree died—the end of any profession of Israel as a nation in relationship with God. Since then they are scattered and peeled, the objects of persecution and contempt—under God’s judgment. “Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever.” It is final—never to bear fruit again.
But the tree will be heard from again. See Mark 13:28-31: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree: When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away.”
He refers to the kingdom coming. See verses 26-27: “And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.”
The tree puts forth leaves. This is future. It revives and sends forth shoots. Under the first covenant it never will revive or bear fruit. But God, out of seeming defeat, is Victor and receives the greater glory.
An artist put long labor on a beautiful painting. A jealous rival spoiled it with a daub of paint. The artist reproduced it, under a spell of enthusiasm, better than it was at first. He reproduced it under pressure in three days. This is a feeble illustration of God’s ways always. This is redemption.
The Jews failed under the first covenant, but the purpose of God is not hindered. Hebrews 8:8-12: “For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
A note reverberates here, “I will.” It is God declaring without reservation. It is the new covenant, and the fig tree will reappear in connection with it.
Luke 21:27-33: “And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And He spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away; but My words shall not pass away.”
The appearing of Christ, the kingdom to be introduced and the judgment of the world are connected with the revival of the fig tree and all the trees. “When ye see.” This is interesting because the fig tree and all the trees—other nations—are now beginning to shoot forth.
The Lord seals this statement of the revival of the fig tree three times with the words of verse 33: “Heaven and earth shall pass away; but My words shall not pass away,” in the three gospels. See Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; and here in Luke 21:33.
The development of national aspirations by the Jews is a new thing in the world since the Jews’ scattering. It is now, in our day, a national spirit revived and the desire to return to their land—the Zionist movement. It is something of the last twenty years; the beginning of the “shooting forth” of the fig tree; or, “budding.”
See Job 14:7-9: “For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.” This anticipates our day in reference to the Jews. The movement is gaining headway slowly like a snowball; 35,000 went back last year (1926), 50,000 this year. A Hebrew college has been established and the language is being taught. Millions of fruit trees have been planted, and the land promises to become prosperous.
“All the trees”—Luke 21:29: “And He spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees.” The other nations are developing national ambitions and sentiments.
Egypt—a dead country for many years; now very different in the direction of independence and self-government.
Arabia—just the same conditions. It is peopled by wandering tribes of Arabs. Now they desire to be recognized as a nation and be independent.
Mesopotamia—almost an unknown country until World War I (1914-1918). English troops were sent there. The battle fought brought it to light.
India—same is true here. No longer satisfied to be a dependency. The cry is, “India for the Indians.”
China—the giant of the East is awakened. Formerly with no patriotic spirit but now this is blazing up.
Russia, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and others: All ablaze with new sentiments of securing more freedom and territory—new ideals.
This is all happening now, at one time. It is significant. If we can see this beginning, it tells us that it will soon become fully manifest. So the kingdom of God is near. Therefore, the coming of the Lord is nearer still, when the Church will go—it cannot be long! These things in their fullness are connected with the establishment of the kingdom of God in the Scriptures referred to above.
Now, the future of God’s earthly people: Isaiah 18:1-2: “Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia: that sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!” “Woe” should read “Ho” in verse 1—it is a salutation.
After the church is gone, the Zionist movement will speed up enormously. There are about 16,000,000 Jews in the world known; 4,000,000 in America and the balance mostly in Europe. All must get back quickly to Canaan, according to prophecy. It will take several years to carry this out for 16,000,000 people. This is the full leafing out of the tree we only see budding now. Then it will take its place as a nation on earth.
They will return aided by some great western maritime nation. It will be a big task to get them settled there and all the conveniences of living there provided. Jewish money will hire the best brains of the world to carry through irrigation schemes, etc. When established there, they will prosper.
Next step—Isaiah 28:14-18: “Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because 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: therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.”
Jews, having prospered in the land, will become the object of envy to the nation to the north and east of them. It will be what is now called Turkey. Turkey has always been a poor country. For centuries it has been the overlord of Palestine.
General Allenby hesitated to bombard Jerusalem with the Turkish flag. He telephoned to England for instructions and then a personal message to the King. The King sent back word to “pray about it.” He did so. A few days later an official came out of the city with a truce flag, and the city was his peaceably. Later England encouraged the national spirit of the Jews and is now committed to this policy definitely.
The “King of the North” is in this 28th chapter of Isaiah seen rising as a sinister figure on the horizon.
The Jews, newly arrived, feel unprepared for the threat from the “King of the North.” They turn not to God but to the Beast of Revelation 13, and he makes a treaty with them to last seven years—to protect them and also to guarantee religious freedom to them. They are to set up the old Mosaic ritual. This is more as a patriotic movement than exercise for God.
So the Jews are carried along on a patriotic wave, taking in the ancient law and temple ritual. The Beast, in the middle of the seven-year period, will break the covenant with them and force on them a religion of his own—setting up Antichrist as its head, who will force them to worship the Beast and the image of the beast that he will set up.
See Daniel 9:24 to end of the chapter (notice especially the last verse): “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And 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.”
The Jews committed themselves to the Beast instead of to God. God is against them. They find idolatry forced on them at the peril of their lives. This introduces the great tribulation for three and one-half years. More terrible than anything ever seen on earth; urged on by the dragon who is now on earth.
By this time there will be a people of God on earth—Jews who will turn to God in their extremity. The Spirit of God undertakes a special work to give them a divine instinct to refuse to bow to the decree of Antichrist. They are a poor, ignorant people compared with Christians. They will be in three classes: (1) Those scattered over the earth to preach the gospel of the Kingdom. (2) Martyrs, and (3) A company miraculously hidden in the land by God from the Beast.
We close with Revelation 19:11 to end: “And 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. His 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. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And 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. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And 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; That 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. And 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. And 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. And 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.”
The “armies” in verse 14 are the glorified saints. This is the end of the power of the beast and of those who trusted in him.
Lecture Number 2
The Beast, the system of nations, is the revived Roman Empire—not new but in substance the old empire. It comes up out of the sea of nations and will be headed by Italy. Italy’s rise has of late been remarkable. Other nations around the Mediterranean, England, France and the Balkans, making up ten nations, will subordinate themselves to Italy.
Why are the armies of the Beast gathered at Armageddon humanly speaking? We do not mean what has God in view. What is the Beast’s object in being in Judea? See Daniel 11:36: “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.”
The king does according to his own will—not the Lord Jesus who did not His own will, but Antichrist.
Verse 37: “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all”—“God of his fathers,” and “desire of women,” which is Messiah. These expressions show that he is a Jew.
Verses 38-39: “But 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. Thus shall he do in the most strongholds 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.”
These introduce us to Jerusalem and Antichrist supreme in Palestine. This is near the end of the three and one-half years of tribulation.
Verse 40 shows what God brings upon him: “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.”
The kings of the South and of the North are plain to understand when we remember God measures this earth from His land, or Palestine. So the King of the South is the King of Egypt, and the King of the North is King of Syria and Turkey. The King of the North is head of these and of other nations of the East leagued with him.
“At the time of the end,”—the end of Antichrist’s power in the land. Palestine is invaded by the King of Egypt, but the King of the North (Assyrian forces) resents this inasmuch as he has had a similar move before him. Antichrist is unprepared. The stronger King of the North pursues the King of the South clear through Palestine to Egypt and Antichrist cannot prevent him. He thinks he has time to dispose of Egypt and return to Palestine before the Beast, who supports Antichrist, can muster strength against him.
Verses 42-43: “He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But 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.” These verses show him in Egypt. In Egypt, at this time, great booty and wealth will be available because of Egypt’s advancement in commerce.
He defeats the Egyptians who are not heard of again in this war. As a conqueror he gets reinforcements also (Libyans and Ethiopians, verse 43).
Then news comes from the east and the north which troubles him. This is from the Holy Land. While he is in Egypt we suppose the Beast, a man of genius and military power, is preparing troops around Jerusalem to oppose the line of communications of the King of the North. So the Beast will probably move his vast armies around Jerusalem in Palestine to give the King of the North the surprise of his life. European armies will, no doubt, be moved as quietly and swiftly as possible into Palestine in vast, unlimited numbers. At this juncture, the heavens open and the Lord Jesus comes (Rev. 19) to destroy these armies and the Beast by the Word of His mouth.
A greater thing yet to trouble the King of the North will probably be the report that suddenly, in the camp of the armies of the Beast, all signs of life are gone. He may figure this is a plot of the Beast to draw him back carelessly. Later reports, however, confirm the news that the Beast’s armies are annihilated completely. Jerusalem is filled with dead apostates and a mighty heavenly Visitor is present there. Whatever measure of these facts the King of the North gets will trouble him greatly. He acts immediately.
Verses 44-45: “But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”
He goes back daring to oppose himself to the Lord, and comes to his end.
What kind of man is he? See Daniel 8:23-24: “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.”
“Fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences.” He is a very wise man; an imitator of God’s man of wisdom (Solomon). He will be expert in occult sciences and spiritism in a day when the Spirit of God’s restraint is removed and Satan himself is cast out of heaven to earth where he concentrates his wickedness in his agents. The King of the North is one of these; being in that day of Satan’s activity a super medium.
Thus, misled by his spiritual advisers, he is deceived into returning up to Jerusalem to his destruction. Daniel 11:45: “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” And thus he is disposed of in one short sentence.
This is also at Armageddon, which is not so much a place as a term descriptive of terrible slaughter.
Until World War I Turkey had sway over Palestine, Egypt, Tripoli, etc. Brethren have in writings predicted that Turkey’s power must be retired. They saw that Turkey, Egypt, and Palestine would all lock horns as we have just seen. William Kelly said that. It is very significant that, as a result of the world war, this has happened—Egypt, Palestine, and Turkey are now separated and ready for this conflict.
When the King of the North returns and is destroyed, the Jews are restored to their Messiah; not after the Beast’s destruction merely.
See Zechariah 12:1-8: “The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness: and I will open Mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will smite every horse of the people with blindness. And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.”
This book’s subject is not the Beast at all but the Assyrian, or the King of the North. The Beast is destroyed by the Lord alone, but the King of the North by Him with the help of the Jews. The Jews are strengthened to perform prodigies of valor.
See also Zechariah 14:14-15: “And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.”
One reason for this is that, when the Lord first descends out of heaven, no godly Jews are in Jerusalem but only apostates who are destroyed with the beasts. After this, however, the remnant from their hiding places in the mountains of Judea will trickle back to the city and, by the time the King of the North returns, they are there ready and reorganized by the Lord to fight—the weakest one like David.
Zechariah 14:4: “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” This speaks of the Lord taking up His earthly relationship with Judea (Mount of Olives is where He left it—See Acts 1).
This brings the full restoration of His people. Faith and sight go together with the Jew when the Lord’s feet stand on the Mount of Olives—they see and believe that their Messiah is there. See Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”
They are already a faithful remnant and some of them preaching the gospel of the kingdom. Jews are not, at that time, saved by faith in the work of Christ. But they are clear that they cannot worship the image of the Beast because the Spirit of God will teach them from Daniel it must not be so. Their light will be very little. See the pleas of the remnant in the Psalms, showing they have not peace and suppose God’s anger is against them for their sins. But they are faithful to their light that the kingdom of the Beast cannot last and that the Kingdom of God is near.
Now, when they see Messiah, as we have read in Zechariah 12:10, the light breaks in. They see at last that the crucified Jesus is visibly their Messiah. It is not national but individual exercise.
Zechariah 13:1 is very sweet: “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.” The fountain is Calvary—the death of Christ brought home to their heart and conscience as the ground of peace, and thus they are brought into relationship with Him as His people.
The destruction of the Beast introduces the Millennium but not settled peace on earth. All does not happen in a moment. The Lord will come as David did, before He reigns as Solomon. A distinct interval elapses during which the Lord is Judge—judging the land.
Can we enter into the Lord’s joy in getting His earthly people in His kingdom? They will never apostatize from Him. The Gentiles who enter the Millennium will, but not the Jews.
Lecture Number 3
After the invasion of Palestine by the armies of the Beast and the King of the North, there remains the invasion of Gog before the peaceful reign of Christ in the Millennium begins.
In Scripture, when distinguished, the Jews mean the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Israel means the remaining ten tribes. These latter, in our study so far, have not returned.
Second Kings 17:6-7 refers to the ten tribes, not the twelve tribes: “In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods.” They are carried away captive while the Jews still remain.
The ten tribes are now lost, in spite of much speculation on their whereabouts. They were taken by the Gozan River. This empties into the Caspian Sea. The cities of the Medes are also easily identified. Media is later associated with Persia. So the location of their dispersion is quite specific. The date here is about 740 B.C.
In Acts 2:9, the “Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites” were not Jews but members of the ten tribes. They were still in the same location about 800 years later—at least a sufficient number so that delegates might be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, as was evidently customary year after year. There is also the evidence of Josephus as well as Scripture. He says, writing one hundred years after Christ, “To this day the ten tribes remain beyond the Euphrates.” They were thus in profane history around the base of the Caspian Sea in the general direction of Afghanistan, as well as in Scripture.
We may note also the precise words of Acts 2:36: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
See also Acts 4:26-27: “The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together.” All Israel are responsible for the rejection and murder of Jesus. Delegates in Jerusalem are here again involved.
So, in these days, they were not yet lost. See also James 1:1: “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.”
Soon after this, however, Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews themselves scattered over the earth. Then the ten tribes dropped out of view and, in spite of much investigation, they cannot be located. The Anglo-Saxon race is not these tribes for one reason, at least: because idolatry characterizes them. “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.” (Hosea 4:17.) See also Hosea 14:8: “Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols?”
Also Romans 11:19-21: “Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not thee.”
A comparison is here given between Israel and Gentiles. And in verses 22-25, unbelief and blindness are attributed to Israel, not Jews merely: “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.”
Now this is not true of the Anglo-Saxon race, which of all nations on earth is most professedly Christian. English-speaking peoples have stood for the maintenance of the truth of the Bible. “In God We Trust” on coinage is peculiar to them.
Others say the most idolatrous nation that looks like the Jew in features is the North American Indian. It is not impossible that they are a small part, but numbers are very few. Others speak of China and its hosts. Possibly, but who can say? It is all guess work. So with the Afghans and races still around the Caspian Sea’s base, and the north of Persia.
As a matter of fact, God knows where they are. “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” applies to earthly people as well as heavenly. This is the foundation of blessing for all on earth and in heaven.
Revelation 7 is a parenthesis preliminary to the great tribulation. Verses 3-8 show that God knows where they all are; and, before the tribulation, the messenger of God sets His seal on a number of them to preserve them for millennial blessing.
Revelation 7:3-8: “Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.”
His purpose concerning them is that they shall be brought back, and in the beginning of His kingdom He will have all there in the land.
Ezekiel 20 refers to this. Verses 33-44 are addressed to the ten tribes: “As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you: and I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against Me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto Me: but pollute ye My holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. For in Mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve Me: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings, and the firstfruits of your oblations, with all your holy things. I will accept you with your sweet savor, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you before the heathen. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up Mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the Lord God.”
God swears by Himself, “As I live.” How doubly sure that it will come to pass! The ten tribes will not go through the tribulation in the land. But, on the way, will be dealt with as we have seen in verses 35-38.
Where is there an event like this recorded? A whole nation brought and gathered from the four quarters of the earth—little by little collected till the numbers are swelled on their approach to the land. What comment it will raise, some favorable and some adverse!
See Jeremiah 31:6-10: “For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.” How sweet and gracious!
Ezekiel showed them under the rod, and rebels purged out. Here in Jeremiah we see great exercise of soul in them, “They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them.” Why the great emotion? For one thing, the sense of the wonderful character of God’s dealing with them. Also because of their previous centuries of idolatry. When God reveals Himself to them, a sense of shame and contrition fills them.
Now Jeremiah 31:15-21: “Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn Thou me, and I shall be turned; for Thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities.”
Rachel is figurative of the two tribes now in the land restored and weeping because of the missing ten tribes and their own decimated numbers. Isaiah 49:12-23 gives a touching picture of the reunion of the two tribes with the ten. The thoughts and exercise of soul of the Jews are faithfully recorded:
“Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the Lord hath comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted. But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy walls are continually before Me. Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth. For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell. Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been? Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up Mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up My standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me.”
Ezekiel gives God’s rod. Jeremiah gives their weeping. Here kings and queens will favor their return and give them material help. So presently they are returned to find the Lord is there.
After their return we get the final invasion of the land.
Ezekiel 38:1-16: “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of Man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Mesheck and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Mesheck and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus 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: and 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, to 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. Sheba, 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? Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: and thou shalt come up against My people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.”
“The chief prince,” referred to in verses 1-2 should read, “prince of Rosh.” Rosh is the ancient form of Russia, Mesheck is the ancient form of Moscow, and Tubal is the ancient form of Tobolsk. These are two of the most ancient cities of Russia, capitals of the western and eastern sections of the country.
Russia did not exist as a nation till centuries after Christ—1,400 years after this Scripture. Gog is the mystical name of the man who will head the Russian Empire. Gog has a combination of countries with him now coming up to attack Christ in His seat at Jerusalem. Gomer is almost certainly Germany.
China and Japan with East Germany will probably lend their hand. All the north of Europe and Asia will funnel-like converge down upon Palestine, aided by Persia and India. The numbers involved stagger the mind. The leader will know that the armies of the Beast and those of the Assyrian were destroyed there, so he spares no limit to roll down upon the land to meet the terrible foe there. See verse 9 as to this; also verses 14-16:
“Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. ... Therefore, son of man, prophecy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: and thou shalt come up against My people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.” God here threatens to advertise Himself in the doom of Gog.
Ezekiel 39:1-6: “Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Mesheck and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: and I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field, to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
Here God threatens judgment on the land that these hordes come from. Also see verses 9-10 for details of the destruction upon them:
“And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God.”
Verses 11-16 give more startling details: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea; and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it, The valley of Hamongog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God. And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land, to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog. And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.”
This is the full, final and complete destruction of all peoples that venture to come against the Lord and His people. This is the final invasion of Palestine before the peaceful reign of Christ in the Millennium. God could do all this in a moment, but the King of the North required time for his maneuvers. So also with Gog. Long months must probably elapse during these events.
We have covered the three main events in the judgment setting up Christ’s kingdom. Having dealt with and judged all that is contrary to Him, the Lord will reign in resplendent glory. Now is the day of His rejection, and we taste it. How wonderful to see and share in His earthly coming glory, to say nothing of His heavenly glory. We know we shall see Him and be with Him in heaven and on earth, see Him taking to Himself His great power and reign, and see the earth blessed under His blessed rule!