Dennis Edwards (Written November 12, 2019)
I have just been listening to another End Time Prophecy show
explaining who the King of the South and the King of the North in Bible
prophecy might be. So many experts have tried their hand at interpreting these
events, although usually from a pro-Israeli and pro-American point of view. Let’s go over the Scriptures
and try to put our prejudices aside for a moment and see if God will give us
understanding that we might properly divide His Word with clarity.
First we will look at Matthew 24 and Jesus’s own words.
“When
ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of
by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him
understand:) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And
except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for
the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”
Jesus tells us himself that the prophecies of Daniel are
important in the understanding of future Bible prophecy. Jesus mentions “the
abomination of desolation.” Where do we find in the Scriptures of Daniel the
phrase or something similar to “the abomination of desolation?” We find it in
two places, in Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 11:31.
“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.”
“And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of
strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination
that makes desolate.”
Some Bible scholars claim that the reference to “the abomination that
makes desolate” in Daniel were fulfilled before the time of Christ by Antiochus
Epiphanes (175 - 164 B.C.). If that is the case, why did Jesus give the placing of “the
abomination of desolation” as a sign to watch out for before His return if it already had happened? That doesn't make any sense. Others
say that the placing of “the abomination of desolation” refers to the invasion
of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Roman General Titus and it was at that time that temple in Jerusalem was made
an abomination and destroyed by the Romans and God. So there are varying
opinions. But still, why did Jesus signify it as a future event closely related
to His coming, if that was not the case?
Some consider that the “Great Tribulation” spoken of by
Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew was the Roman invasion and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the
crucifying of some one millions Jews by Titus’s forces at that time and recorded by the Jewish Historian Josephus. But the trouble with
the interpretation that puts these events in the past is Jesus’s own prediction,
where Jesus seems to connect the placing of the abomination of desolation and the great tribulation that follows together with the future event of His coming. Let us read
from the Gospel of Matthew.
“Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and
they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a
trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one
end of heaven to the other.”
What event does Jesus Himself associate with the Daniel prophecies?
The event that Jesus mentions in the very same sermon where
he is quoted as using the words from Daniel’s prophecy about the “abomination
of desolation,” that event which follows the Great Tribulation is none other
than His miraculous return in the skies to rapture His elect. Surely this did
not take place in 70 AD. Therefore, we can only conclude that though Antiochus
Epiphanes (175 – 164 B.C.) and Titus(70 A.D.) were partial fulfilment of some of these prophecies, they
were not the final fulfilment to which we must still wait. Some scholars have
come to the conclusion that the Antichrist who will reign just before the
return of Christ will be the ultimate fulfilment of the prophecies concerning
“the abomination of desolation.”
Some will claim that the interpretation of Scripture in above manner was first expounded by a Jesuit priest and that therefore it is false. However, interpretations should not rise or fall on their source, but rather on their own merits true of false. The History of Science is filled with Catholic priests and monks who had time to investigate and do experiments in science in search for the truths of nature. It was not unusual to see monks as genuine scholars. But detractors will claim that the interpretation we are offering was originated during the period of the Reformation, in other words around 1500 A.D. It was at that time that the Catholic Church was considered by some of the reformers as the fulfilment of some of the Bible’s prophetic words. Therefore, the Church needed to develop an eschatology that would make the fulfilment of Scripture futuristic and not something in the present. However, a theory is not accepted because of the motivation of the theorist, but on the theory’s validity, how well it explains the data being examined. With that in mind, let us look at our proposed interpretation to see if it coordinates with the other prophecies and makes a coherent interwoven argument for its truth. If it’s just a false fabrication, it should easily fall apart. If it’s true, we should be able to make a good case for it without arbitrary supporting assumptions.
Let us read from Daniel 11 about “the abomination of
desolation” and its evil king.
“For
the ships of Chittim (Cyprus) shall come against him: therefore he shall be
grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall
he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the
holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute
the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and
they shall place the abomination that makes desolate. And such
as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the
people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they
that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by
the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when
they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave
to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to
try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end:
because it is yet for a time appointed.”
Daniel 11:30-35 The abomination of desolation: a past, or future event, or both?
In the above verses some Bible scholars say that the first
verses are not futuristic but past and were fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes.
Again, the trouble with this is why would Jesus mention Daniel and the
abomination of desolation when talking about His return if it had already been
fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes? Maybe Antiochus fulfilment is only a partial and not the complete fulfilment of these verses. Some will say, then that maybe it represents Titus and his conquest of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
But no ships from Chittim, or what is considered Cyprus, came against Titus, and yet Titus again could be a partial fulfilment. But, if we assume the “him” in verse 30 whom the ships of Chittim come against
is the evil king of the future, the Antichrist, then later in verse 31 it is the Antichrist’s forces who are
placing in the Temple “the abomination that makes desolate.”
Many
modern Bible scholars assume “the king” spoken of in verse 36 onward in the Daniel 11 prophecy to be referring to
the Antichrist.
“And
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. 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. But in his estate shall he honour the
God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with
gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus
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.”
The attributes of the Antichrist found in these lines show
that he exalts himself above every god and speaks out against “the God of
gods.” The Apostle Paul writing in the 60s AD tells us that before the coming
of Christ will be the coming of Antichrist. Let us read from 2 Thessalonians
2 and see how the Apostle Paul describes the Antichrist.
“Now
we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our
gathering together unto him [Here Apostle Paul is talking about the rapture event.], that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be
troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the
day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that
day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man
of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye
not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye
know what withholds that he might be revealed in his time. For the
mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now lets will let, until
he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy
with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after
the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because
they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
Here we see Apostle Paul describing some of the same
qualities of the Antichrist that we have seen before. He “opposes and exalts
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped.” His “coming is
after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” In
Revelation Apostle John gives similar characteristics to the “beast.”
“And
the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of
a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his
power, and his seat, and great authority. And they worshipped the
dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying,
Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And
there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;
and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And
he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his
tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given
unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given
him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book
of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
Here we see the “beast” or Antichrist has great power, great
speaking abilities, and blasphemies against God, just as we have seen before.
In Daniel 7 and 8 we see similar qualities.
“And
he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall
wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and
laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the
dividing of time.”
“Yea,
he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him
the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast
down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of
transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it
practised, and prospered. 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 practise, and shall destroy the
mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he
shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his
heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against
the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.”
In Revelation 12 we also see the demonic forces at large not
in the person of the Antichrist but in the manifestation of the Devil himself,
the spiritual force behind Antichrist.
“And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and
his angels were cast out with him. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye
that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the
devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was
cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the
man child. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood
after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed
up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon
was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed,
which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Here we see the Devil being thrown out of the spiritual
realm onto the earth with his fellow demons. They, knowing that their time is
short before they will be thrown into the lake of fire, make havoc on the
earth. We see the attributes of a mouth casting out a flood of lies against the
believers and the persecution of God’s saints. I think the cohesive way all these verses talk about the same ungodly characteristics makes for a good argument that they indeed are talking about the same man,
the Antichrist, the son of perdition. It all weaves very nicely together.
So now we want to talk about these last verses in Daniel 11.
“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. He shall
enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be
overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and
the chief of the children of Ammon. 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. 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.
Who is the “king of the south?” Who is the “king of the
north?” Without understanding these key players it will be hard to interpret
the prophecy. In the first part of the prophecy it says, “the king of the south
shall push at him.” Who is the “him?” By going back to the previous verses we can
find who “he” is, as a pronoun usually refers back to a preceding noun. From verses 36-39 we can see the “him” has the same
attributes given in other scriptures to the “beast” or Antichrist or “son of
perdition.” In verse 36 we read,
“And 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. 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. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces:”
The
person whom the prophecy has been speaking about in the verses prior to verse
40 is generally considered by most Bible scholars today to be the Antichrist. Therefore,
we can conclude that the “him” whom the king of the south pushes against in
verse 40 is also the Antichrist.
The
verse in Daniel continues,
“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
question is who is the “him” that the "king of the north" comes against? One
famous Bible scholar, John Nelson Darby, stated that it seemed to him that the king of the
north comes against the Antichrist in these verses. Darby assumed the "him" was the Antichrist. But then he was honest enough to add that it seemed that the "king of the north" in the rest of the chapter had all the attributes of the Antichrist.
How can this dilemma be solved? Here’s a simple solution: if the “him” that the "king of the north" comes against is not the Antichrist, but the "king of the
south," then the problem is solved. The "him" is referring back referred to the "king of the south" who had just been mentioned before hand in the previous section of the verse, which is how a pronoun is usually used. The "king of the north," the Antichrist and his confederacy, come against the "king of the south" and its confederacy. Who is the king of the south? None other
than Israel and Israel’s allies, who are none other than the USA, Great Britain, and at this moment even Saudi Arabia.
Does
this make any sense? Is there anywhere else in Scripture where we see something
similar happening? Any other confirming Scriptures in the Bible which show the same scenario? In
Zechariah we see other confirming verses that show that God is going to judge
Israel and the world in the last days which seem to verify what we have been discovering.
“The
burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretches forth the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms 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.”
“Behold,
the day of the Lord comes, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of
thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle;
and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and
half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people
shall not be cut off from the city.”
So we see in Zechariah that the Lord is saying that in the last days
Jerusalem would be a problem for the world, a cup of trembling, a burdensome stone.
He says all nations will gather themselves against Jerusalem. Is there any
other place in Scripture depicting a similar event? In Ezekiel we find a very interesting prophecy about the
invasion of Israel from the north in the last days. Let us read from Ezekiel
38.
“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 Meshech and Tubal, and
prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am
against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:”
Some
Bible scholars believe this prophecy is talking about the invasion of Israel by
the “king of the north” in the last days. Some designate Russia as the possible
home of Gog, Magog, Meshech 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 armour, 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.”
Here
we see an immense military force with an alignment of nations Persia, which is
modern day Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, which may be parts of eastern Europe
or Germany, and Togarmah which is often interpreted as Turkey uniting with the
northern force of Gog in an invasion of Israel in the last days. Is it strange
that Russia, Turkey and Iran have recently made a military alliance and are
sharing military information? Turkey for many years had been in the hands of
NATO and thus aligned with America and Israel. But because of the war in Syria,
Turkey has moved closer to Russia without completely breaking its commitments
with the west.
“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.”
We
see the northern confederacy of nations are coming against a restored Israel,
dwelling safely.
“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.”
The
Antichrist forces will come against a restored Israel, a wealthy Israel.
“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?”
Sheba
and Dedan are considered by Bible scholars to be the country of Saudi Arabia
and its Arab allies. Saudi Arabia just happens to be a strong ally of America and Israel at
this moment in time. The Saudis and their Arab allies are Sunni Muslims, while
Iran, not an Arab country, is a Shi’ite Muslim nation. Iran is allied with
Russia and Turkey and Saudi Arabia is allied with America and Israel. There is
a division among the Sunni and the Shi’ite Muslims and especially between Iran
and Saudi Arabia for the title of the most dominant Muslim nation. Russia has
been backing the Syrian Shi’ite nation in the recent conflict in the Middle
East. So in the prophecy we see Saudi Arabia and its allies questioning
Russia’s intentions in the Middle East. Russia also has built a naval base in
Syria just north of Israel.
Concerning
the “merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof,” there has been
much debate about exactly who they represent. Some say Tarshish was Spain and
therefore since the Spanish Empire reached to the Americas, the USA could be
included in her “young lions.” Others push Tarshish up to England as tin was
known to come from Tarshish and England was rich in tin. The British Empire
reached even further than the Spanish Empire including North America, and
Australia which would be considered England’s “young lions.” In either case, we
can include America as part of the “young lions” which ally with Israel. Since
England and America are greater friends of present day Israel than Spain, I am
inclined to give the “merchants of Tarshish” to the British rather than the
Spanish. The British proved far greater merchants than the Spanish and extended
their empire around the world. Back to the prophecy of Ezekiel.
“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. 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?”
It
is at this point in time that Israel will be judged for her sins in sight of
all the nations of the world. The Antichrist, the beast, the king of the north
shall come against Israel to judge her and her allies for their sins against
God and humanity.
The
prophet Jeremiah also spoke concerning the days of Israel’s judgment.
“For,
lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my
people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord : and I will cause them to return to
the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And
these are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and concerning
Judah. For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear,
and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with
child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in
travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he
shall be saved out of it.”
Jeremiah is predicting the return of the Jews to Jerusalem
and Israel after its destruction. Often Scripture has intermediate fulfilment
and then final fulfilment of prophecy. We have seen this with Antiochus
Epiphanes and Titus in their placing the abomination of desolation in the
Temple. Here we see it again. As Jeremiah’s prophecy could be considered
fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem by both Nebuchadnezzar and Titus.
However, many Bible scholar’s predict a third destruction and consider the
final destruction as “Jacob’s trouble.” At the end of the chapter we read,
“Behold,
the whirlwind of the Lord goes forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it
shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the
Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the
intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.”
Here we see God is going to judge the wicked in the latter
days. He is going to judge Israel, judge the Church, and judge the world. In Zechariah we also have seen the same
scenario. God judging both Israel and the world. Let’s get back to Ezekiel 38
where we see the same thing.
“And
it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of
Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in
my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there
shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the
sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping
things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the
earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and
the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And
I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord
God: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead
against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon
his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and
great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify
myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations,
and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
Let us note here the term “great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.”
Do we see these terms used elsewhere in the Scriptures? In Revelation we do.
The first angel of sounded the first trumpet of tribulation and we see hail and
fire mixed together.
“The
first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and
they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and
all green grass was burnt up.”
The next place in Revelation where we see “fire and
brimstone” is close to the end of the tribulation trumpets. There are seven
tribulation trumpets. The seventh is the “last trump” which Apostle Paul said
would be when Jesus returns and the rapture take place. Let’s read from Paul’s
writings.
“Behold,
I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed.”
Obviously, Apostle Paul is talking about the rapture or
resurrection of the saints at the last day when Christ returns for His church.
We see Paul designates it as the “last trump.” Apostle John reveals in
Revelation that there are seven trumpets of tribulation.
“And
when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the
space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God;
and to them were given seven trumpets. And the seven angels
which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”
Of course, I have called them the trumpets of tribulation
because each trumpet pronounces a terrible plague upon the earth, although not
as terrible as the “vials of wrath” which will be poured out later. The
trumpets bring usually a one-third destruction: a one-third destruction of the
trees, one-third destruction of the creatures that live in the sea, one-third
destruction of the ships that sail the seas, a one-third destruction of
nature’s light source, and a one-third destruction of mankind. Let’s look at the sixth trump, the one before the “last
trump,” and see what kind of destruction it foretells.
“One
woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. And the
sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden
altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the
trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river
Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an
hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of
men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred
thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the
horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of
fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the
horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and
smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men
killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which
issued out of their mouths.”
So here we see once again the “fire and brimstone” helping
to bring about the death of a third of mankind with some two hundred million
men going to war. In Revelation, at this point, the seventh angel begins to
sound and John is not permitted to share with us what the seven thunders
uttered. But he does say the following:
“But
in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound,
the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the
prophets.”
Is Apostle John talking about the same mystery Apostle Paul
noted in his letter to the Corinthians, the mystery of the rapture at the “last
trump”? In Apostle Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians we read:
“For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. For 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. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
It looks like that secret rapture that some of the
evangelicals are expecting won’t be so secret after all. Let’s read from
Jesus’s own words in Matthew 24.
“Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of
the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and
they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound
of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
God is going to judge Israel and her allies for their sins
and he will use Antichrist to do it. Just as he used Nebuchadnezzar to judge
Israel in 538 BC and just as he used Antiochus Epiphanes in 175 – 164 BC and the Roman
leader Titus in 70 AD, so will he use Antichrist to judge Israel, the Church,
and the world in the not too distant future. But it doesn’t stop there. God
only let’s evil destroy and punish evil for a time. Then in His righteousness
He must intervene and stop the evil, the Antichrist, and save those who call
upon Him and those who believe in Him. That’s where the rapture takes place at
the end of the tribulation trumpets and before the vials of wrath are poured
out upon the world. Let us continue to read from Ezekiel 39.
“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 Meshech 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:”
This
sounds like the destruction of the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon. What
does the prophet mean by “I will leave but the sixth part of thee?” Could this
prophecy be related to Revelation 9:16 which mentions an army of two hundred
million men? If so, and only one sixth part of them were left or around
thirty-three million, that would mean some one hundred and sixty-seven million
were slain in the invasion of Israel. That’s an awful lot of men.
In Zechariah 13 we read,
"And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord , two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God."[Zechariah 13:8-9]
Does that mean that 2/3 or 5.6 million of present day Israel of 8.5 million people will die under the judgments of God through the wars of the Antichrist? Does that mean only the 1/3 or 2.8 million in Israel will call upon the Lord during the wrath of God and accept Christ and therefore live through the wrath of God on into the millennium age?
The
prophecy in Ezekiel continues,
“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.”Ezekiel 39:4b-6]
The
imagery here could easily depict nuclear exchange between Magog whom we think we
have identified as Russia, and “them that dwell carelessly in the isles.” Who
are they that dwell carelessly in the isles which Magog would want to destroy
as they invaded Israel? Probably Israel’s friends. Both America and Great
Britain have been friends of Israel since its creation. The Balfour Declaration
in 1917, the League of Nations assignment of Great Britain as the governor of
Palestine after the war in 1947 and finally, President Trump’s moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem in 2017, all show how intimately Israel has been
with America and Great Britain. Surely these
are two of Israel’s greatest allies. Could the imagery of “them that dwell
carelessly in the isles” represent Great Britain and her off-shoot or “young
lion” America? If one-third of mankind is to die at this time, or some 2.3
billion people, wouldn’t it seem likely these deaths would occur around the
Middle East. But, if a nuclear exchange occurred between Russia and America,
then much of the northern hemisphere would be affected and could easily end up
killing 2.3 billion people. In Zechariah we read,
“And
this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have
fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon
their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue
shall consume away in their mouth.”]
Those who experienced and lived through the bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki confer that nuclear bombs result in men’s eyes consuming
away in their holes. In Isaiah we read a similar description of the “day of the
Lord.”
“They
come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord , and the
weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. Howl ye; for the
day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the
Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart
shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold
of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed
one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day
of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land
desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the
stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the
sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her
light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the
wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to
cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a
man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of
Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out
of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day
of his fierce anger.”
If so many lives will be destroyed at this time, at least
one-third of mankind, a man will be of more value than gold or silver. Again,
although this prophecy was no doubt partially fulfilled with Nebuchadnezzar and
Titus, could the ultimate fulfilment be with the invasion of Israel in the
last days, the “day of the Lord,” the “day of Jacob’s trouble”? Back to Ezekiel
39.
“So
will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not
let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am
the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done,
saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken. 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
. 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
Hamon–gog. 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 sees a
man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it
in the valley of Hamon–gog. And also the name of the city shall be
Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.”7-16]
In
these verses we see it will take more than a seven month clean up job to bury
the dead bodies of those that fell in that tremendous battle.
“And,
thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and
to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves
on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great
sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink
blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the
princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them
fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood
till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Thus
ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and
with all men of war, saith the Lord God.”[Ezekiel 39:17-20]
Where
else in Scripture doe we see similar imagery? That’s right, in the book of
Revelation chapter nineteen after the destruction of Babylon the Whore. We see
Jesus coming back to “judge and make war.” “And the armies which
were in heaven followed him.” Let us read from Apostle
John’s writings.
“And
out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations:
and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads 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.”Revelation 19:15-21 KJV
The imagery is the same, therefore, we have good reason that
they are describing the same event. Returning to Ezekiel’s prophecy:
“And
I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my
judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So
the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and
forward. And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into
captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid
I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they
all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their
transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.”
Here
God is explaining why this happened. It has happened because God’s people, both
the Jews and the Christians failed in the message they were to bring to the
nations. They failed to be lights shining in the darkness and used God’s
blessing to their own advantage and failed in their mission as God’s emissaries.
God in righteousness had to judge them for their wilful disobedience.
We
see in the many of the psalms prophetic glimpses at the future when God shall
judge the world. Psalm 2 is a notable psalm that speaks of these things as does
Psalm 46 and many others in part speak of the day of judgment for the wicked.
Let’s take a moment to look at these two psalms.
“Why
do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of
the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the
Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder,
and cast away their cords from us. He that sits in the heavens shall
laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto
them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set
my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord
hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of
me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost
parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod
of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise
now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve
the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be
angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
Ultimately the world is rebelling against God and will be
judged accordingly.
“God
is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore
will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be
carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be
troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.
There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy
place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her;
she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The
heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth
melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made
in the earth. He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he
breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in sunder; he burns the chariot in
the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the
heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”
Psalm
46 seems to present a picture of the world after the destruction of the last
days, when Christ shall reign on earth a thousand years. God indeed shall be
exalted and righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters cover the seas. In
Isaiah we read of the millennium period which begins immediately after the great
destruction at the time of the “day of the Lord.”
“The
wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the
kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little
child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young
ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child
shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”[Isaiah 11:6-9 KJV]
In
the book of Revelation we also read of the millennial period after the Battle of
Armageddon.
“And
I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and
a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand
years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a
seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand
years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season. And 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. Blessed
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 20:1-4, 6 KJV
Jesus will reign on earth for a thousand years. During the
beginning of the millennium, or the end of the tribulation, or during the wrath
of God many Jews will come to Christ. In Zechariah we read:
“And
it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations
that come against Jerusalem. 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 mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as
one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”[Zechariah 12:9-10]
It will be at this time, under the mighty hand of God’s
judgments that both unbelieving Jews and Gentiles turn to Christ. Then shall
the words of Apostle Paul be fulfilled,
“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 fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel
shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer,
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”
We return to the prophecy of Ezekiel which talks of the same
event.
“Therefore
thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and
have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy
name; After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses
whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land,
and none made them afraid. When I have brought them again from the
people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in
them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the Lord
their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I
have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more
there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured
out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.”Ezekiel 39:1-29 KJV
Israel, the disobedient Church, and the world will know that
God wants to reign in the hearts of men. All will see that God is righteous in
His judgments, that He does not willingly afflict the children of men and has
no pleasure in their death.
It certainly does seem from today’s current events that we
are moving closer and closer to the “day of the Lord.” God wants us to
acknowledge Him in our lives. He sent His only begotten Son into the world that
we might believe His message which His children, the Jewish people, failed to
propagate. God is love and in Him there is no shadow of darkness. He created
each one of us with a spiritual void in our being so that nothing in this life
could ultimately satisfy our heart except Him alone. He longs to love us intimately. He longs to be our friend, our brother, our father, our mother.
He longs to be the anchor of our soul, a strong tower in days of trouble, a
shoulder to rest on, strong arms to depend on. He asks us to accept Him into our
lives and take up our crosses and follow Him.
Thus we end our study on the king of the south and the king
of the north in Daniel 11. We see if we assume that the king of the south is
the pro-Israel confederacy and the king of the north is the pro-Antichrist
confederacy we can weave together many other confirming Scriptures which give
us a clear picture of Israel’s invasion and the nations involved.
But some might ask, Dennis, where is the destruction of
Babylon the Whore in this scenario? You didn’t mention her at all. Can you
explain where she fits into these end time events? Let me see if I can clarify
her position without writing another twenty pages. But we will leave that for
the next article.
