WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY SAY ABOUT RUSSIA IN PROPHECY?

Our attention is centered upon Eze 38. This chapter, which is often linked with Dan 11, has been a particular focus for Bible students in all ages. And no wonder, for it is one of the most dramatic chapters in the Bible. It portrays God’s people of Israel gathered back to their own land in the latter days, and then being attacked by a large confederate army led by Gog of the land of Magog. The main invading force comes from the north. The AV says they come from “the north parts”, but more recent translations render this as “far north” or “the recesses of the north” or “uttermost parts of the north”. This undoubtedly encouraged Dr John Thomas in his conclusion, stated in Elpis Israel, that this power could be identified with the “King of the North” in Dan 11: 40-45, since both are to meet their doom in Israel in the end time, with other nations in support.

Over the last 400 years, as printed Bibles became more readily available in many languages, there has been enormous speculation as to the identity of Gog, and the nations he would lead into this conflict, and the other nations that would be aligned with him. The level of Bible interest was perhaps at its highest in the western world in the 18th and 19th centuries; this coincided with the time of the powerful czars that ruled Russia from the time of Peter the Great, who came to power in 1689. From then on Russia was a country to be reckoned with. It is natural that Bible scholars of the period should consider Russia as a prime candidate for the “King of the North.” Historical and Scriptural evidence was adduced and a lively debate followed. Bible commentaries in the 19th century reflect this debate and the differing conclusions.

The aim of this article is to revisit this debate. We are particularly interested in the evidence on which the conclusions were based. It may also be that there is clearer evidence today, at least historically, than early brethren had available to them. They were understandably very keen to arrive at a conclusion about such a key chapter on prophecy, especially since they thought it was likely to be fulfilled in their lifetimes. It is natural that, in efforts to reach their conclusions, they would have assessed and taken into account the most current political situations and policies of the nations, giving very considerable weight to those immediate circumstances. We might not like to admit that this was (and is) done, but rather that the Bible only is the basis for prophetic interpretations; however, the evidence is compelling. In the case of the return of Israel to their homeland, by contrast, the scripture testimony was plenteous and unambiguous, and so, despite the lack of outward signs of such a return, our brethren of 150 years ago were confident in their expectations. But the identification of the King of the North was and is a different matter!

Gog of the land of Magog

Eze 38 reveals the final time when the prophet is to set his face against a power and to utter words which signal Yahweh’s pending judgement. Gog is the object of that judgement, he is “of the land of Magog”, and he is a prince. This is the first reference to Gog and Magog in the Bible. There is only one other reference, Rev 20:8, describing the nations that rebel against Christ at the end of the Millennium. In Eze 38 and 39 there are 8 refs to Gog, making it clear he is an individual, the leader of the Host. Magog probably should be seen as a collective term to describe the enemy lands from which the host comes, which is its probable meaning in Revelation although it also carries the implication of being a person. The fact that Magog is one of the sons of Japheth (Gen 10:2) adds an odd note and causes speculation. It may be there was a land named after him as with others from the beginning of history, but the Bible makes no reference to it, so it is wisest to discount it as a factor in our research. However, we should note that Josephus (Ant 1, 123, vi. 1) refers to the land of Magog as the land of the Scythians. But where is that? Scythian appears to be a term covering a multitude of different nomadic peoples of no fixed abode. I have not seen a Bible Atlas that attempts to place Magog on a map, although I found it in the back of one 19th century Bible!

The key factor is that Gog is a prince, captain or ruler! But the Bible versions differ. Some say he is a “chief prince of Meshech and Tubal”, others that he is “prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal.” This difference in translation arises from the fact that the LXX (Septuagint translation, from Hebrew into Greek in the 1st/2nd century BC) translated the word “rosh” as a proper name — as though there were a country by that name. In every other place (nearly 600) in the Old Testament it is indisputably a common noun meaning “chief, head, etc.” The Hebrew text (called the Masoretic) has vowel accents which indicate it is a common noun. Some argue that the sentence structure in the Hebrew is different, and that that justifies making rosh a proper noun. However, rosh occurs within similar sentence structures elsewhere in the Bible, eg, Isa 7:8-9, where it is obviously just a common noun. Today we have some English versions which render it as chief (ie, New Jerusalem) and some as Rosh (i.e. NIV, mg only). Jerome lived in Bethlehem, in the third century, in order to make a new translation of the Bible into Latin from the oldest manuscripts available; he refused to follow the LXX translation of Rosh as a proper noun because there was no existing nation by that name. Jerome’s translation, which became known as the Latin Vulgate, influenced the early English translations, including the AV, to all render rosh as “chief.”

Can Rosh be identified?

There have been many efforts to identify this country in ancient history. None are particularly convincing. The tendency is to quote authorities, selecting the ones who support our line of thinking. A favourite is the historian Bochart; Dr Thomas referred to him as “celebrated” but the Encyclopaedia Brittanica devotes just a few lines to Bochart. He wrote about 350 years ago and viewed Rosh as being Russia. Cook’s voluminous Commentary notes, “Traces of the name (rosh) have been found by Bochart and Frahn in ‘Ar-ras,’ the Arabian name for the river Araxes, and the people who inhabit its shores … from which the Russians are thought to have derived their name.” Is this really appropriate and sufficient evidence to prove such a major point? Even if there might be some connection between Ar-ras and rosh, this river, later called Araxes and now Arak or Aras, flows into the Caspian Sea and forms the northern border of Iran. It rises in the mountains of eastern Turkey after forming the southern boundary of Azerbaijan and Armenia. How would the name of such a river contribute to the name of a people that would be centred on Moscow 2,000 km north and emerge from the 10th century AD onwards?

So much has happened since Dr Thomas wrote his original work over 150 years ago. Archeology was in its infancy then; all the major finds of Layard and others were still in the future. Dr Thomas had to base his investigations on the comments of historians who were forming opinions on very sketchy evidence. With a better knowledge of the times, the evidence is still far from concrete when we go back into prehistory, for there was no real history of the land, the land which is now occupied by Russia, in the era before Christ. We need to realise that this type of historical research leads to very tentative evidence. But some people just have to be dogmatic! The classic case in recent history is Germany. A Cambridge University Professor of History observed that the Germans “harnessed prehistory to their racial mad chariot and did so because they felt somehow that history must be, or must be made to be, on their side…. ‘The one and only thing that matters to us,’ Himmler is supposed to have said, ‘and the thing these people (the State-employed historians) are paid for by the state, is to have ideas of history that strengthen our people in their national pride.’ ” The writer concludes by observing, “And here of course, pre-history, where we really know so little and guess so much, came into its Germanic own.” (Prof Glyn Daniels: The idea of pre-history, p 115)

If Rosh is the name of a country, it is more likely to be the people known as Rash or Rasu. “The land of Rash, on the western border of Elam, is mentioned in the cuneiform inscription (see Delitzsch, Paradies 322),” says Hastings Bible Dictionary (vol 4, page 314), commenting that this is an area further east than the prophecy seems to require. It adds, “Gesenius actually thought of the Russians, but this is impossible.” The recent IVP Illustrated Bible Dictionary (vol 3) refers to the same thing in its entry on Rosh, saying, “Most follow Delitzsch in identifying Rosh with Assyria. Rasu on the NW border of Elam (ie, Media).” Is it too far east? We will look at that later when we consider what is “north”!

Some confidently assert that Rosh is identifiable with Russia; others, like the dictionaries just referred to, equally confidently deny this, saying it is “impossible” or “unlikely,” and the New Bible Commentary Revised (p 682) declares it is “unsupportable.” What is the background to this drastic difference of judgement? We have come to the conclusion that expositors are looking for evidence to support an emotional conviction that Russia must be Rosh, and the result is not dissimilar to the search for scriptural evidence by some who are convinced they have an immortal soul. There is little doubt that the people of Russia in the Moscow region were first called Rus, and this led to the land being called Russia and the people Russians. But where did the term Rus come from? A chronicle of the history of Russia, written in the 12th century AD, says that “Varangians were known as Rus… on account of these Varangians, the Russian land received its name.” The Varangians were Scandinavian migrants from the north. The word, it is suggested, is derived from Rousti, the Finnish name for Sweden, in particular the people of today’s Roslagen area, roosmen, rowers who travelled south down the large Russian rivers. It is said that “north central Russia is full of place names derived from Finno-Ugrian.” (Cultural Atlas of Russia and Soviet Union, p 37) This development occurred in the 8th to 10th centuries AD. There is one source that suggests the name could have been in use as early as the 6th century. But some suggest that earlier the Greeks called the people “Rhos”. It is true Greek colonists before the time of Ezekiel established trading posts on the shores of the Black Sea. We know this because the historian Herodotus has left a record of a visit to the area. But the origins of the evidence that shows the name Rhos or Ros was in use then are never quoted. And even if Ros were so used, it would need to be demonstrated how that led to the name of Russia 1,400 years later. In books like the Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Russia and the Cultural Atlas of Russia, both of which have lengthy sections on the earliest history of the area, there is not the slightest hint of how this might have come about. A number of ancient history sites on the internet offer no answer either.

In the days of Ezekiel, and for more than 1,000 years afterwards, nearly all the land known today as Russia was open steppe country and, further north, forests, roamed by nomadic tribes generally referred to as Scythians. The Scythians themselves left no written records, they were not settled people, their language was not committed to writing, and the historians’ attempts to understand something about them is based almost entirely on the contents of tombs that date from the period. One interesting insight is their apparent appearance in Assyrian records and inscriptions. Kings Sargon and Esarhaddon had battles with these northern neighbours in the times of Judah and Israel. But the area in question in Bible times was that of northern Iran and Azerbaijan, not Russia. Later the Medes and Persians had to contend with the Scythians. (Ency Brit; the World Atlas of Archaeology, p 216) The Assyrians called them the Saka and, because the cuneiform inscriptions refer to “Sariti and Pariza, sons of Gaagi, chief of the Saka,” (History of Assurbanipal from cuneiform inscriptions, p 94, Cook’s Comm); some speculate whether Gaagi was a prototype of Gog! Indeed there are a number of speculations about this name, but they all seem so vague that we have not considered them.

The Nations of Ezekiel 38

If we accept, for the sake of argument, that Rosh might be a proper noun, then there is something particularly odd about the nations listed in Ezekiel 38. The names given, not only Meshech and Tubal, but also Gomer, Togarmah, Cush (Ethiopia) and Phut (Libya), are all grandsons or great grandsons of Noah. They existed from ancient times as peoples mentioned in the early chapters of Genesis — and peoples live in lands and give their names to their lands. But Rosh is the odd one out. There is no other mention of this Rosh in Scripture and no mention in secular history. Seeing that Ezekiel spent much of his life in Babylon where examples of ancient writing have survived in great abundance, the absence of any inscriptions referring to Rosh raises extreme doubt. The one possible piece of evidence is Rash or Rasu, a people lost in ancient history, who may have lived near the border of Elam.

If we accept the argument, against all the evidence, that Rosh refers to Russia, then we have another hurdle to get over. Although the other names are ancient peoples widely known as much as 1,500 years prior to Ezekiel, Russia was not to come into existence for another 1,400 years beyond Ezekiel’s day. There is no other example of God’s prophets anticipating a modern name long before it came into being. Such an approach is without parallel elsewhere in Scripture.

Those who link Rosh with Meshech and Tubal cannot explain why these two countries already warrant a mention twice in Ezekiel (Eze 27:13; 32:26) as nations that traded with Tyre and are later destroyed for their sins. Some see Meshech as being the same as Moscow. As proof they offer the word “Moschi,” but where did this word originate? Nobody has advanced any evidence. How the descendants of a grandson of Noah developed into a people about 4,500 years ago is not difficult to believe, but how they then eventually became the people of a far-distant city four millennia later, defies all but the most elastic imagination. Meshech, Tubal and Togarmah exist in Bible Atlases. But I suspect there is a lot of guesswork involved, as there is so much variation in their placement by different publishers. It may also be noted that none of the major publishers of non-Biblical history atlases place these names in their maps, although they have maps covering the same period of history, ie, the Assyrian/ Babylonian and Greek Empires.

The Russian name for Moscow is Moskva, which is one of the words of Finnish-Ugrian origin referred to earlier. Similarly, Tubal, a people which Nebuchadnezzar destroyed along with Meshech (Eze 32:11,26), surely cannot now mean the inhabitants of Tobolsk! We need more evidence than widely-separated names with similar sounds, which is the most common of occurrences across languages and time. The atlases just referred to always place these names in some part of Turkey. We also have to be consistent in our interpretations. With the ancient people of Moab, Edom, Elam etc, about which there are latter-day prophecies, we look at the areas in which they existed and understand the prophecies concerning these peoples as referring to the same areas today and the nations occupying them. We do not speculate as to where the peoples may have possibly migrated over the many centuries since the prophecies were given.

How far north?

The one remaining point to be considered is the question of “north.” On the surface the geographical evidence looks powerful. Gog will come from the “far north” (Eze 38:15), says the NKJ version. Certainly, as we look at a map, Moscow is just about due north of Jerusalem. But is this proof conclusive? Does it stand close investigation? The Hebrew for “north” has the sense of northward, as when God told Abraham to look northward, southward, eastward and westward, signifying a directional arc; northward (same word) doesn’t just mean due north. In Eze 26:7 we read, “For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings from the north.” But Babylon is almost due east of Tyre! We find several passages that speak of Babylon as being north of Israel, when strictly speaking it is east! (At any rate, the issue might well be as much the direction from which Gog and its allies attack, as their physical location in relation to the land of Israel. It is well known that those who traveled from even the far northeast on their way westward and southward — such as from Persia or Babylon to Egypt — would have entered the land of Israel from the north, due to the prevailing trade routes and best available roads of the times.)

How far north is “far north”? What does the Hebrew mean by the words which the AV renders as “north parts” and “north quarters” in Eze 38:6,15? The Hebrew word basically means border or coast and is usually rendered “side” in the AV. It first occurs in Gen 49:13 concerning “Zebulun… his border shall be unto Zidon.” So the word has the sense of outer boundary. What is the boundary of the north? The ultimate boundary is the North Pole! But surely the prophet means the boundaries of the known north. Zidon and Damascus were cities north of God’s land, but the nations over which Gog was prince were beyond these, and the indications of ancient history concerning the location of Meshech, Tubal and Togarmah fit the picture. It may be that the reason we cannot identify the areas of these nations today with absolute confidence is the outworking of the purpose of God. In the days of the prophet the vast areas of Russia were peopled by wandering nomads who rode horses and herded cattle, who left no written records, and only touched upon known history when they briefly came in contact with ancient civilisations. On the other hand, Ezekiel was writing of known peoples, some of whom were nations that traded with Tyre, even though they were nations remote from Israel.

Gog’s hidden identity in the other prophets

In conclusion, there are no genuine grounds for believing that Russia is mentioned in Bible prophecy. Yet undoubtedly there will be an end time attack on God’s people, and it will come principally from the north. It may well be that Russia will support and aid the attackers, but we cannot believe on Scriptural grounds, that Russia is the leader Gog. There is additional proof of this point in Eze 38 itself. After stating that Yahweh “will be sanctified in thee O Gog, before their eyes.” The prophet continues, “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?” (vv16,17 — a rhetorical question with an affirmative answer). So we can surely find in former prophets more passages that speak of Gog’s attack upon Israel. And we find many of them, and while the name “Gog” is not used, the message of warning is the same. We have Dan 11 of course, but may also consider Jeremiah, Joel, Obadiah, Zephaniah and Zechariah. Ezekiel is blessed with being able to give more detail of the course of events.

Finally there is Isa 14 which, when seen in its proper light, has a compelling impact. Many know this chapter because of its reference to Lucifer. V 4 tells us it is a proverb against the King of Babylon, and we might presume it refers to Nebuchadnezzar or his predecessor — or perhaps to the king of Assyria, which bore rule over Babylon in Isaiah’s day. But while this chapter certainly had an initial application close to Isaiah’s time (whatever that was, exactly), the first 4 vv make it plain that the most important application of this prophecy is to the time when Israel finally rules over its oppressors. This strongly suggests that, in a last days context, Lucifer is Gog!

The apparently never-ending feud between Jews and the Moslem Arabs, could easily see the Moslem nations of the former USSR join the fray in the near future. Turkey is the odd one out, but how quickly things can change — let us remember Iran when the Shah was in power!

We strongly suspect that if Dr Thomas were alive today, he would revise his prophetic anticipations considerably. In his preface to the 4th edition of Elpis Israel, written 17 years after the first, he acknowledges that in the third part, which deals with prophecy, he found it necessary to make the most alterations. And now, 134 years later, the scene is so totally different. His vision was wonderful for the age, but as the age changes, there is a sense in which each generation needs fresh pioneers, and a fresh look at the old interpretations. In saying this, we also most readily acknowledge the fundamental fact that Truth never changes, that there is “one hope, one Lord, one faith…” But in revisiting the question of Russia we have not been talking of fundamental truth. For 30 years the writer lectured following the traditional understanding, but then became uneasy as he saw more and more weaknesses in the evidence — compelling a complete reappraisal. This article shares the substance of that reappraisal.

Let me finish with a very telling example. The brotherhood was faced with a particular crisis of understanding the signs of the times in 1940. England stood alone against the might of Germany, which had made a pact with Russia. The U.S.A. refused to officially enter the war. France fell. (In Elpis Israel, Dr. Thomas had written about Ezekiel’s prophecy and its application of Gog and Magog to Russia and Germany.) But then Germany turned on Russia. There was confusion in the minds of many, a confusion that demonstrates the unwisdom of being dogmatic about the details of prophecy when those details are based on interpretations and not clear-cut statements. The Editor of ‘The Christadelphian’ Magazine made some very pertinent comments; after surveying the course of war as against prophetic expectations, he said, “What conclusion can we reach from these seeming contradictions? Only at present there is no conclusion: we must let events interpret prophecy. The words of the prophets are given not to make us clever but to make us humble: to reveal God’s working, not our superiority.” (May 1941)

It seems to the writer that we need to reflect on these wise thoughts again. It has been said that those who will not learn from history are destined to repeat it. Let that not be said of Christadelphians.

David Caudery

Literally, the phrase is “seventy sevens” — no units are given. However, the only unit of measure which fits is years, as determined by the 7 sevens (49 years) plus 62 sevens (434 years) to the coming “of the anointed one”, that is, Messiah, Jesus the Christ. Confirmation is found in the split of the seventieth “week” into two three and one-half-year periods.

[“The ‘seventy weeks’ prophecy is usually regarded as the classic instance of ‘a year for a day’ in the understanding of prophetic time-periods. It is nothing of the sort, for the original phrase is not ‘seventy weeks’, but ‘seventy sevens’, the unit of time not being specified. (By contrast, Dan 10:2 has the literal word: ‘weeks’)” (WDan).]

“In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering” (Dan 9:27) — this refers to the sacrifice of Christ. His death and resurrection, at the end of his ministry, terminated the first 3 1/2 years — leaving a final 3 1/2-year period to complete the full “week” or “seven”. See Lessons, 3 1/2 years and 1,260 / 1,290 / 1,335 days.)

The duration of Jesus’ covenant with the faithful is said to be “a week”, or better, “one seven” (v 27). But clearly, Jesus’ covenant lasts more than seven literal years. The explanation is found in the “gap” or “discontinuity” of Daniel’s prophecies, which was seen to be characteristic in Dan 2; 7; 8; and 11. Daniel goes from a first-century fulfillment to a “last days” fulfillment, from one verse to the next (eg Dan 8:22,23; 11:39,40), or even in the same verse (Dan 7:24, and here in Dan 9:27)! So from the beginning of his ministry (the first 3 1/2 years) to the time of his Return (the final 3 1/2), Jesus will keep covenant with his disciples.

The details in Dan 9:24 — “to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, etc” — can all be interpreted as applying to Jesus at both his first and second Coming.

The years between the first and second Coming are evidently ignored by Daniel. His prophecy seems to focus only on the critical events of Jesus’ life dealing with the fulfillment of God’s promises. In the first century, Jesus by his death and resurrection conquered sin, so as to confirm the promises (cp Rom 15:8; Acts 13:32,33). In the future, Jesus will judge the world, restore the Kingdom to Israel, and grant eternal life to the faithful, ie fulfill the promises (cp Acts 1:6,11; 3:19-21; Rev 11:18; 20:4; Dan 12:2,3). Relatively speaking, the time between the two Comings of Jesus is unimportant, and thus it is given little, if any, prophetic detail.

There are many among us with an intense interest in the study of prophecy, and everything possible should be done to encourage them. However, as the years pass and more and more divergent interpretations are bantered back and forth, it seems that the entire subject has become a stumbling-block for some. There seem to be more and more “non-student” brethren who are hindered rather than helped by the uncertainty of conflicting opinions. Is this because we sometimes lose sight of the true purpose of Bible prophecy — that is, to prepare us for the coming of Christ? An open policy in regard to non-essentials is a good thing, certainly better than a strict adherence to tradition, come what may. But let each writer or speaker be careful to point out that in such areas his predictions are his alone and are not infallible. Let each conjecture be “salted with (a grain of) salt”; thereby the failure of one will be less likely to “turn off” your audience or reflect unfavorably on the indisputable truths you hold.

There is probably a large section of Christadelphia who would say, “I have no head for prophecy.” To them we would reply, “Perhaps not, but have you a heart for Christ? Surely if you love Christ, you will love his appearing although you think you have no capacity for prophetic exercises”. An affectionate wife may have no head for her husband’s business affairs, but she has a heart for his return from the office each evening. His appointment book may baffle her, but she knows his footstep and recognizes his voice. The saint who feels lost in the Apocalyptic realm should not take pride in his ignorance, of course. But neither should he be unduly discouraged. If only he has affection for his Lord and Master, and a firm resolve to keep his commandments, even the novice may entertain the most fervent desire to see him. This is the paramount hope of each of us — to be accepted by Christ when he comes, not to guess correctly what will happen before he arrives!

The great apostle said to the Thessalonian brethren by way of commendation, “Ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven” (1Th 1:9,10). Evidently, these new brethren had quite an imperfect knowledge of prophecy, since they were perplexed about the “simple” matter of resurrection in the divine time-table (4:13). Yet at the same time, they were in perfect possession of the greatest hope of the ecclesia — even the return of God’s Son! Let us by all means study prophecy, and even disagree if we must; but let us not lose sight of our objective. Let us emphasize the unencumbered hope of the true believer, the coming of the bridegroom. This simple desire, not the names and the dates and the numbers, is the spirit and essence of all Bible prophecy. Robert Roberts succinctly expressed this thought:

“The signs of the times — the events and movements among the nations that indicate the near approach of the Lord… are very interesting and challenge research while we are waiting; but let him appear, and that instant we shall cease all care about the drying of the Euphrates, the increasing aggrandisement of Russia, and so forth” (“My Days and My Ways”).

At some point in the near future, all our personal appraisals of current events will become suddenly meaningless; we will stand before Christ awaiting his direction — to the right hand or to the left. If our present study of God’s word — whether prophecy or otherwise — has not prepared us, and helped us to prepare others, for that awesome day, then it will have been time wasted. Prophecy is devalued in its fulfillment, but faith and hope and love abide forever. If our lives have manifested these qualities, then we may have been wrong in some of our political expectations, but it will hardly matter. We may have known only in part, but then by the Father’s grace we shall know even as also we are known.

Tarshish was a son of Javan (Gen 10:4), a name which came to ref the Phoenicians, with which Tyre was connected. The name may have come in later days to ref to any seafaring merchant power — either to the east or the west of Israel (cp Jon 1:3; Eze 27:12; 1Ki 9:26; 10:22; 2Ch 9:21). Attempts to identify Tarshish with a single marine power — such as Britain in earlier days, or America in later times — always seem to run afoul of at least some of the Bible evidence. (For a more technical discussion, see LGS, Xd 101:401-403.) That Tarshish represents a Last Days power or powers is evident from Eze 38:13 and Psa 72:10. “Tarshish” appears in Ezekiel as an ally of “Sheba and Dedan” (Arab powers: see TofE 58-60), to be broken by God’s power (here; Isa 2:11-17; 23:14). But later it will bring gifts to Christ (Psa 72:10), including “thy sons” (Isa 60:9).

All relevant passages:

1. 1Ki 10:22 / 2Ch 9:21: Ships to Tarshish, with Hiram, bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, peacocks.
2. 1Ki 22:48 / 2Ch 20:36,37: Ships from Tarshish to Ophir to Tarshish bring gold.
3. Psa 48:7: Ships broken by God’s east wind in Kingdom.
4. Psa 72:10: Ships bring presents in Kingdom.
5. Isa 2:16: Ships destroyed by God.
6. Isa 23:1,6,10,14: As above, in a Tyre passage.
7. Isa 60:9: Ships bring sons, silver to Israel in Kingdom.
8. Isa 66:19: Israel sent to Tarshish to declare glory in Kingdom.
9. Jer 10:9: Goods of Tarshish nothing to worship of God.
10. Eze 27:12,25: Goods of Tarshish, in a Tyre passage.
11. Eze 38:13: Talks to Gog about spoil.
12. Jonah 1:3; 4:2: Jonah goes to Tarshish.

The passages in 1Ki are inconsistent with the idea that Tarshish = Britain. Any ships sailing from Ezion-Geber cannot possibly arrive in Britain — as there was no Suez Canal at the time. The cargo involved is unlikely to have come from Britain, either. However, Jonah gives us some more geography; which is inconsistent with the geography given above, as it would require Tarshish to be Mediterranean — or even British.

Also, there are further problems when considering 1Ki 22 = 2Ch 20 (see above). In 1Ki 22 the ships go from Tarshish to Ophir, while in 2Ch 20 they go to Tarshish, and both passages almost certainly refer to the same ships (see context). Thus Tarshish appears to be in two places at once. There are two possible solutions to these difficulties: (1) More than one Tarshish, or something like a far-flung empire, ie the British Empire — in effect, that it is many countries throughout the whole world. (2) Tarshish does not ref a single specific place at all.

In fact, an alternative with Scriptural backing is available. Consider: (a) Tarshish is almost always mentioned in connection with ships, and very often in connection with trading. So perhaps Tarshish is to be taken as an adjective meaning ‘trading’; usually to mean trading ships, sometimes to mean a port connected with trading. This reconciles 1Ki 22 and 2Ch 20. (b) In Isa 23, Tarshish is repeatedly connected with Tyre. So perhaps Tarshish is the prophet’s way of referring to Tyre (for unknown reasons) — because Tyre is the country of trade, Tarshish means to trade, and so the two are practically identical. Thus, Tyre consistently trades with Tarshish (by definition of Tarshish) — hence the connection. In summary, then, I claim that Tarshish refers to anything connected with trading, and, for all prophetic purposes, is identical with Tyre.

So to what does Tarshish refer in Last Days prophecy? The easy answer is ‘Tyre, geographically; in practice, Lebanon’. However, the salient feature of Tarshish (and Tyre) is its role in trading, and (currently) Lebanon has absolutely no reputation as a trading country. Rather, Tarshish should instead be a country/organization which is primarily noted for trade — possibly Britain, USA or Japan — or the WTO, IMF, or ‘world opinion’ (which is largely determined by multinational corporations, it appears). Why? Isa 66:19; 60:9 suggest that Tarshish does — and therefore can — bring the Jews back to their land. Thus Tarshish must have some control over the USA at least; and probably other many nations too.

What will Tarshish/Tyre do in the latter days? Psa 72:10, Isa 60:9 and Isa 66:19 are all quite explicit that Tarshish has a role in the Kingdom, having accepted the rule of Christ. This role includes bringing the Jews back to their land. However, Psa 48:7 is also explicit that God will destroy Tarshish. All of the above are quite definitely latter-day prophecies. How to reconcile them? Considering Tyre (if Tarshish = Tyre) helps to solve this problem. At the time of Nebuchadnezzar, Tyre was condemned by God, for various reasons (Amo 1:9,10; Joel 3:4-8; Eze 26-29; Isa 23: Jer 25:22: Zec 9:2-4). Thus, Tyre was conquered by Babylon (see Eze 29:18; plus the above prophecies). However, this did not last for ever (Isa 23:17,18 — which is fulfilled in Ezr 3:7, and, perhaps, in Neh 13:16). So, Tyre is condemned, conquered, restored, and worships with Israel in the restoration. (Tyre worshipping with Israel had also occurred much earlier: 1Ki 7:13,14, where Tyre helps Solomon build the temple. There are many similar passages during David’s reign.)

How does this fit into the overall picture? Quite well. Perhaps Tarshish = Western opinion, which will turn against Israel.

As a final note, it has been observed (by HAW) that the judgments given against Babylon in Rev 18 are very reminiscent of those against Tyre in Eze 26-28. Is it possible that this is because Babylon = Tyre in latter-day prophecy; or that Babylon is also a major trading power, and thus shares features, and punishment with Tyre?

In dealing with the Gentile nations, TEN may be a significant number:

• The land promised to Abraham is defined as the land of ten kings (Gen 15:19-21).
• The great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is struck on the feet and toes (ten?) by the little stone which represents Christ (Dan 2).
• The great and terrible fourth beast of Dan 7 had ten horns (Dan 7:7;24; cp Rev 12:3; 13:1; 17:7,12).
• Ten nations are listed in Psa 83, which make themselves the enemies of Israel.
• Ten nations are listed in Eze 38:1-6, as participating in (or, in some cases, perhaps, witnessing) the great invasion of Israel in the Last Days.

Isaiah has a section of ten “burdens” upon (presumably) Gentile nations:

• Babylon, or Assyria (Isa 13; 14:1-27),
• Philistia (Isa 14:28-32),
• Moab (Isa 15; 16);
• Damascus (Isa 17);
• Egypt (Isa 18-20);
• the desert of the sea (Isa 21:1-10);
• Dumah (Isa 21:11,12);
• Arabia (Isa 21:13-17);
• the valley of vision (Isa 22); and
• Tyre (Isa 23).

Jeremiah has a similar grouping of approximately ten Gentile nations, against which he issues oracles of warning and doom: Egypt (Jer 46); the Philistines (Jer 47:1-7); Moab (Jer 48); the Ammonites (Jer 49:1-6); Edom (Jer 49:7-22); Damascus, or Syria (Jer 49:23-27); Kedar and Hazor (Jer 49:28-33); Elam (Jer 49:34-39); and Babylon (Jer 50; 51).

In one single prophecy (Jer 25), Jeremiah enumerates approximately ten nations (perhaps as many as 13 or 14, depending on how they are grouped), nations that are destined to drink the cup of the LORD’s wrath — namely, Egypt, Uz, the Philistines, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia, Zimri, Elam, Media, and Sheshach (a cryptogram for Babylon).

Ezekiel also has a similar grouping of judgments against Gentile nations — not quite as many in number: Ammon (Eze 25:1-7), Moab (Eze 25:8-11), Edom (Eze 25:12-14), Philistia (Eze 25:15-17), Tyre (Eze 26-28:19), Sidon (Eze 28:20-24), and Egypt (Eze 29-32)

There is quite a bit of overlapping among the different lists, but there are still somewhat more than ten nations in total which are identified in these lists. Quite possibly, however, ten should be seen as a figurative number, of ALL the enemies of Israel in the last days — which will surely be defeated and destroyed by divine Power if they attack God’s People and Land.

Notice, for example, how “all languages and nations” seem to equate to TEN men in Zec 8:23.

Sometimes, however, TEN seems to signify “more than a few” or “quite a large number”, without being specific: Gen 31:7,41; Num 14:22; Job 19:3; 1Sa 1:8; Ecc 7:19.

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Also see Lesson, Beasts, heads, and horns.

Rome’s 10 Toes and the Gap

“Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron — for iron breaks and smashes everything — and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Dan 2:40-44).

It has been argued that there must be a continuity between the iron Roman Empire and the ten toes, part of iron and part of clay. And that the theory that the ten toe kingdoms (and the ten horns, and the ten kings of Revelation) are 10 Arab nations do not provide such continuity. Implicit in this argument is the assumption that the ten Roman toes represent ten independent European nations that arise out of Roman territory in medieval times and beyond.

However, what sets Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome apart from all kingdoms in world history is that each successively ruled over Jerusalem and the Land of Promise. This leads one to think that the ten “Roman” toes must also participate in the “treading down” of Jerusalem, and this was never true of the European provinces listed by JT in Eureka.

So were there ten “toes” which did participate with the Roman power in the subjugation of Jerusalem? What follows are quotations from Josephus’ “Wars of the Jews”:

“So Vespasian sent his son Titus from Achaia… to Alexandria, to bring back with him from thence the fifth and tenth legions, while he himself, when he has passed over the Hellespont, came by land into Syria, where he gathered together the Roman forces, with a considerable number of auxiliaries from the kings of that region” (III, i, 3).

As the Roman legions, with their “considerable number of auxiliaries”, were making their way into position for an attack on Jerusalem, Jewish rebels mounted an attack on Ashkelon (III, ii), which was repulsed.

“There was also a considerable number of auxiliaries got together, that came from the kings Antiochus [Syria] and Agrippa [Galilee], and Sohemus [Iturea], each of them contributing one thousand footmen, that were archers, and a thousand horsemen. Malchus also, the king of Arabia, sent a thousand horsemen, besides five thousand footmen, the greatest part of whom were archers; so that the whole army, including the auxiliaries sent by the kings, as well horsemen as footmen, when all were united together, amounted to sixty thousand, besides the servants, who, as they followed in vast numbers, so because they had been trained up in war and the rest, ought not to be distinguished from the fighting men” (III, iv, 2).

Then there were the Idumeans, who were particularly vilified by the Jews, because they at one time seemed to be fighting on Israel’s side (IV, v).

So a brief survey of Josephus’s “Wars of the Jews” yields at least six Roman “toes” assisting in trampling down Jerusalem: Syria (with other kings of that region), Ashkelon, Galilee, Iturea, Arabia, and Edom.

Further, Josephus also mentions that Jerusalem was situated in the center of ten other provinces in the whole of Judea, over which it reigned supreme (3:3:5). Some of these other provinces not listed above might well have provided “auxiliaries” to the Roman legions for the assault on Jerusalem, making a full total of ten.

So the continuity is this: Rome (with its Arab auxiliaries) trampling down Jerusalem in AD 70. Then a long “gap” while there are no appreciable numbers of Jews in the Land of Promise, until the Last Days… when the Jews return in large numbers to Palestine, forming an independent nation of Israel, and when out of the old Roman Empire there arise another ten or so Arab “toe kingdoms” to challenge Israel in the Land.

When propounding questions concerning the future, we must be careful to distinguish between the “What” and the “How”. “What hath the Lord spoken?” is always a legitimate question, and it will find in the Bible’s pages a complete answer. But Nicodemus’ question, “How can these things be?”, is quite another matter. God does not always choose to spell out the details of His plan in advance. Consequently, a revelation of the future often involves difficulties; sometimes the whole matter seems impossible, inconceivable. But a man is never so foolish as when he sets himself to “explain away” the simplest sense of a Bible passage only because he cannot see how it could mean just what it says. Many so-called “spiritual interpretations” represent such efforts to bring the word of prophecy within the scope of our little notions and dim comprehensions of things.

This was the point of the Sadducees’ argument against the resurrection. The Lord swept aside their small objections with his great answer: “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God” (Mat 22:29; Mark 12:24). This is still the perfect answer to all human objections against the plain meaning of God’s word. Men tend to feel so wise in their preconceptions, so sure they know how everything must be, that they often reject instantly anything that does not harmonize with their own ideas and traditions. Unfortunately, Christadelphians are not immune to the follies of ordinary men; we invite friends to “come to the Bible with an open mind”, but often our own minds were made up years ago, and are now locked into a rigid system of knowledge, even on such non-fundamentals as the details of prophecy. A couple of examples come quickly to mind here:

• The Location of Christ’s Judgment Seat: A number of Scriptures point very strongly toward (we might almost say “prove”) Jerusalem as the site of the saints’ glorification (Isa 24:23 with 25:7,8; Psa 133:3; 87:5,6; Mat 25:31-34; Isa 4:2,3; Joel 2:28,32) and the wicked’s punishment (Mat 3:12 with 2Ch 3:1 — the “threshingfloor” is the temple mount; Mat 10:28 and others — “Gehenna” is adjacent to Jerusalem). On the other hand, three passages are customarily interpreted as an implication (no stronger word is possible) that the judgment of the responsible will take place at Sinai (Deu 33:2,3; Psa 68:17; Hab 3:1-3). We believe that even the proponents of the “Sinai view” would in all fairness admit that these passages do not really prove their contention.

Without arguing at length the relative merits of either view, what strikes our attention here is this: The justifications for Sinai as the seat of judgment run heavily to just such an “explaining away” as we mentioned above. The justifications become in actuality objections: “

How

can this be — that Jerusalem will be the site of judgment? We can easily contemplate the gathering of resurrected millions to Sinai. It is the appropriate place, physically and geographically.

But we cannot easily imagine

this happening in the present Jerusalem. It is in too public a place for such a purpose. In the first place, where would everybody stand?” Such objections are really quite frivolous. Indeed, they are very much reminiscent of the Sadducees’ “seven husbands” argument; and they are readily answerable in the same way — by an appeal to “the power of God”. Such questions can always be raised — more questions than a dozen wise men working overtime could ever answer! But after all the “difficulties” have been raised, and answered, or gone unanswered, as the case may be, the Word of God still stands. God

will

fulfill all He has promised, to the last letter. Our “practical objections” are meaningless to Him. [Just as one thought, by no means dogmatic: If Elisha could lead an unfriendly army into Samaria, their eyes blinded to their surroundings (2Ki 6), then could not Christ just as easily hold the eyes of the mortal inhabitants of Jerusalem from observing the great spectacle of judgment going on in their midst?]

• Signs in the sun, moon, and stars: We as Christadelphians are always very quick to see symbolic significance in the heavenly bodies. Perhaps this characteristic is an outgrowth of our wrestlings with the traditional error of “heaven-going”; once we set out to show that the “heavens” are sometimes to be understood in a political sense, we scarcely know where to stop. We become almost afraid to consider that references to heaven or the heavenly bodies can ever be taken as literal.

And yet our Faith is built on the bed-rock of literality. If there is a single message that the Christadelphian body has sought to put across to the world more than any other, it is this: “The Bible means what it says. It is always preferable to take the most literal view of a passage unless there is a clear indication to the contrary in the context itself.”

What are we to make then of such a passage as Luke 21:25? Almost by reflex we begin to recite, “The sun, moon, stars, and heavenly bodies denote kings, queens, rulers, and persons in greater power: their increase of splendor denotes increase of prosperity; their declining, setting, or falling, denotes a reverse of fortune… ” (from the earliest “Declaration”). Is it inconceivable that there might, in the last days, be literal signs and wonders in the literal heavens? The first advent of Jesus was heralded by a literal star, or at least a literal light in the heavens; why not his second advent? True, we may not be able to say exactly what the sign will consist of, or how it will appear, or when. But prophecy was not given to us that we might be prophets, Scriptural “fortune-tellers” like Jeanne Dixon. The prophecy is God’s; we may properly ask, “What hath God said?” and the answer is in Luke 21:25,27: “There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars… And then shall they see the Son of Man coming… “

But the follow-up question, “How can this be?”, would seem to border on arrogance. It is as though we are saying, “This is too much for me to comprehend. I will bring God’s message down to my level. I will grapple with it until it fits as smoothly as possible into my limited notion of the fitness of things.” Let it be suggested that this is hardly the most reverential way to treat God’s word, to “spiritualize” literal words just because the alternative seems too extraordinary!

An example of such symbolic interpretation that pales before the wondrous literal fulfillment is 2Pe 3:7,10-12. In this passage the “heavens” have been long considered as political, for how else could the literal heavens “pass away”, or the literal elements melt with fervent heat, or the literal earth be burned up? But since those awesome days at the end of World War II, the literal character of this prophecy has become appallingly obvious. In a terrifyingly real way twentieth-century man now has in hand the potential to split the foundation blocks of his material world, to explode the atmospheric elements, and to incinerate the very earth (or a portion thereof) on which he walks. Who dare say in these days that 2Pe 3 cannot be fulfilled literally? And if this passage, why not many others that we have been so cautious about?

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We might imagine a similar controversy during the days before the birth of Jesus. Perhaps an elderly rabbi, Samuel by name, unspoiled by the “colleges” in Jerusalem, knows nothing better than to read the Scriptures literally. He has never heard, in the relative isolation of Galilee, the Sanhedrin’s “authoritative” interpretations of the passages we know as Psa 22; 1110; Isa 7; 53; and such like. Thus he believes and teaches that the Messiah will be literally the Son of God, born of a virgin of David’s lineage; that he will be not only a king but also a man of sorrow and grief, rejected and despised; that he will literally die, but his life will be the ransom for many; that he will be literally raised from the dead to sit at God’s right hand in the literal heavens. What a wave of protest, of opposition and even scorn, this teaching would have raised in the courts of learning! What “unanswerable” questions his antagonists would ask; what “unassailable” difficulties they would solemnly raise! How absurd, how heretical, they would say, was Rabbi Samuel’s doctrine! Does he really believe that God could actually have a son? What a wild literalism, when we can all see that Isa 7:14 is “highly figurative”! And how could the King of Israel be hated and killed, by his own people no less? It is the most farcical speculation. Why, we can think off-hand of at least fifty good reasons why God would never allow such a thing! To all of which simple old Rabbi Samuel could only answer that the Scriptures say so.

If there is any lesson here for us as a community, may we have the grace and humility to take it to heart. Almighty God, who has created the heavens and given us the written word, will scarcely be limited in His actions by our own imagined “difficulties”.

The writer was requested some time ago to speak on the subject: “The Prophets and their Message”. Upon reflection, this began to take on the dimensions of a lifetime study instead of a 45-minute talk. How does one go about condensing such a vast collection of material into manageable limits? (By actual volume, the “prophets” — including the Apocalypse of John — comprise 21% of the whole Bible.)

And, furthermore, in the welter of various and sometimes conflicting interpretations, just WHAT is the “message of the prophets” anyway?

The matter was considerably simplified by arbitrarily omitting 15 of the 16 Old Testament prophets, along with Revelation, and narrowing down the selection of source material to one, short, little-studied book: Zephaniah.

Why Zephaniah? For one thing, it has been called, as you may have already guessed from the title, “The summary book of all prophecy”. This is because, in only three chapters, it contains ALL of the three basic elements of Bible prophecy:

• God’s judgments on Israel (Zep 1:1–2:3),
• God’s judgments on the nations (Zep 2:4-15), and
• God’s future kingdom, AFTER His judgments are finished (Zep 3:1-20).

And, when you think about it, what else is there, really? In all the other prophets, simply variations of these three themes.

So now we are making progress. Let us consider each element in turn:

GOD’S JUDGMENTS ON ISRAEL

Israel (or shall we say Judah?) was God’s nation, and our example. Everything they did, and everything God brought upon them, are for our examples and admonition. So let us, who THINK we stand in God’s estimation, take earnest heed to these writings — lest we fall, as did Israel (1Co 10:11,12).

” ‘I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth’ ” (Zep 1:2,3).

“I will sweep away — or cut off”… four distinct classes of sinners:

1. The OPEN idolaters: “every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests — those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host” (vv 4,5).
2. The SECRET idolaters: “those who bow down and swear by the LORD AND who ALSO swear by Molech” (v 5).
3. The backsliders: “those who turn back from following the LORD” (v 6).
4. The indifferent: “those who… neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him” (v 6).

That seems to cover the field rather well! Can we imagine any sort of sinner who does not fall into at least one of these categories? Do we not sometimes find even ourselves perilously entrapped in sins of most of these types?

It all has to do with “caring”: the open idolaters CARE, but they care wrongly; they have a zeal but not according to knowledge, and they bow five times a day toward Mecca or burn incense to a smiling stone image, but it profits them nothing.

The secret idolaters CARE too, but only half-heartedly; they serve God at times, but they never quite overthrow the altar of “Mammon” in their lives!

The backsliders CARED for God at one time, but they stopped caring. Perhaps the “cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches” entered their lives and choked the word of God.

And, last, there are the indifferent, who CARE not at all, who cannot be moved even with dynamite from the comfortable ruts of their sad, empty little lives.

What is the lesson for us? God sees and will judge EVERY type of iniquity: the external idolatry of false religion as well as the secret, internal idolatry of covetousness (Col 3:5), which wears a cloak of “righteousness” in order to deceive (both itself and others).

“Search us, Lord, and know our heart.
With every idol bid us part.”

These exhortations are lost on us if we think only of “idols” made of wood and stone, and pride ourselves as having nothing to do with such. But the “idols” that should frighten us, from whose bondage we should pray to be delivered, are the modern “gods” of materialism, licentiousness (in books, movies, and television), and pleasure-seeking! For God WILL judge EVERY type of sin: the open indifference of atheism no more than the hidden indifference of a lax Laodicean faith which seeks its own comfort and ignores its “nakedness” in God’s sight.

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“The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited” (Zep 1:7).

Christ is the one true sacrifice, so that in turn he may also be the bridegroom of the marriage feast. The Father has invited guests to the sacrifice — to partake of the forgiveness of sins which Christ has made possible, and to obtain a “wedding garment” so that they will be suitably attired to attend the feast. But those guests who have not faithfully prepared themselves, when they do try to enter the great marriage feast, will be punished because they are, figuratively, “clad in foreign clothes” (v 8).

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“At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad’ ” (v 12).

Is this the picture of the household of faith in the Last Days? By their attitudes (that is, in their hearts) some appear to be saying (although they would never dream of saying so openly) that God is indifferent to what man does. ‘Don’t remind me that He sees or cares what I do. Leave me alone to while away my satisfied, self-centered little life.’

The great causes of God are not often defeated by open frontal attack, but rather by the slow, crushing, glacier-like mass of indifferent disciples. The Truth of God cannot be destroyed by the enemy, but it can be smothered to death by the lazy “friend”, who sits on it!

Let us examine ourselves. We all build “fences” around ourselves in one way or another. It is a deep-seated desire of human nature to seek protection and security, and to forget unpleasant things. But unless we are careful, we may come to seek our strength and support within ourselves, in our own possessions and accomplishments. “I will build bigger barns,” we say, but God says, “You are fools. This night your lives may be required of you.”

Let us not develop ingenious ways of keeping God and His demands out of our lives. Let us not be children, hiding in our “playpens”, amusing ourselves with expensive and time-consuming “toys”, until the urgency of the Truth has melted away in our lives.

Rather, let us “seek the LORD… righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’S anger” (Zep 2:3).

GOD’S JUDGMENTS ON THE NATIONS

For us, these can be both warning and encouragement: warning, because God is a jealous and holy God, whose longsuffering is not endless; but also encouragement, because His judgments on the nations are the prelude to the kingdom, when “the people of the world learn righteousness” (Isa 26:9).

In this section (Zep 2:4-15), four peoples or groups of peoples stand for the Gentiles in their totality:

1. To the west of Israel were the Philistines (vv 4-7) — modern Palestine;
2. To the east, Moab and Ammon (vv 8-11) — modern Jordan;
3. To the south, Cush (Ethiopia or southern Arabia) (v 12); and
4. To the north, Assyria or Babylon (vv 13-15) — modern Iraq.

These nations encircle Israel, which is of course at the center of God’s plan. Their “bounds” — both as to national boundaries and limits of influence — are set by God according to His purpose with His people Israel (Acts 17:26; Deu 32:8).

This is a comfort to those who see and understand the Divine Hand in world affairs. God has said, in effect, “This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt” (Job 38:11). Even though around us men’s hearts are failing them for fear, if God be for US, then nothing will “harm” US except what HE causes or allows for our betterment.

GOD’S FUTURE KINGDOM

In the last section the prophet Zephaniah looks again at the sins of Judah, but this time with a remedy. First the sins:

The sins of Jerusalem were four, and the reasons for those sins were likewise fourfold:

The sins (Zep 3:2)	The reasons (Zep 3:3,4)
1. No obedience	1. Wicked princes
2. No correction	2. Wicked judges
3. No trust	3. Wicked prophets
4. No atonement (“drawing near”)	4. Wicked priests

In Zephaniah’s day, all the kings and princes (except Josiah) were wicked men who could not lead a wicked nation into obedience. “Like princes, like people.” The judges were accustomed to bribery and graft, and did not teach “correction” or “instruction” (AV mg). With the exceptions of Zephaniah and Jeremiah, the prophets were false and wicked men, who trusted in the arm of flesh and not God. And the priests, who “profaned” the sanctuary, could not help in the least to draw men back to God.

It was a sorry state, but there was yet hope. As the sins of the people fell under four headings, because of the failures of all four classes of national leaders, so God’s remedy for His nation (and for the world) is also seen in four parts — all involving Christ. The recurring theme through the last section is:

“The LORD — Yahweh — is in the midst of you!” (vv 5,12,15,17).

Christ was once, and will be yet again in greater scope, the manifestation of the LORD or Yahweh upon the earth. He will be “in the midst” of men once again, in the capacity of righteous leader, when he returns to set up his Father’s Kingdom. At that time, he will be:

1. A righteous JUDGE (vv 5-7) — who will do no iniquity himself, but will instruct the world in righteousness.
2. A righteous PROPHET (vv 8-13) — who will bring to mankind “a pure lip” or language (v 9), with which they will call upon the LORD, and “the meek and humble” will “trust in the name of the LORD” (v 12).
3. A righteous KING (vv 14-16) — who will deliver his people from evil and lead them in the ways of obedience.
4. A righteous PRIEST (vv 17-20) — who will save his people, and bring them back to oneness, or atonement, with God.

THE PROPHETS’ MESSAGE

This man Christ must be our study, no matter where we turn in the Scriptures. His mind must be in us (Phi 2:5), his delights must be ours, his sorrows ours too. And his perception of the “world” must be shared by us. As he walked with his disciples one day near Herod’s temple, they exclaimed: “What a great building… what great stones…”

To this he replied, “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Mat 24:2).

Thereby he reminds us that nothing of what we see around us is eternal — not the magnificent buildings, nor the noble accomplishments, nor the heaped-up wealth, nor the awesome weapons, nor the seductive “entertainment”. Only character is eternal, and only then when it manifests the righteousness of God. The same prophet (yes, the greatest of all prophets!) who prophesied that every “stone” would be cast down also said:

“Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness” (Mat 6:33).

Even though we cannot see it now, that “city” and that “kingdom” will be eternal; and it will be built up with “living stones” in which righteousness will dwell.

Judgments there must be first, on God’s people no less than on the world. But the storm clouds will finally expend their force, and a new day will dawn — brighter and more blessed than we have ever witnessed — with joys unspeakable for those who have truly sought the LORD.

This is the prophets’ message.

The 3 1/2 “times” or years of Dan 12 is identical with the 3 1/2 “times” of Rev 12:14, which in turn appears to be identical with the 42 months of Rev 11:2 and the 1,260 days of Rev 11:3; 12:6. It is evident that all these prophetic time periods use a month of 30 days. Thus, 3 1/2 years = 3 1/2 x 12, or 42 months = 42 x 30, or 1,260 days.

Daniel, in Dan 12, is being told what will befall his people (Dan 12:1) in the Last Days. Much (all?) of Daniel plainly has to do with the fortunes of the holy people Israel (v 7) and their special holy place (v 11; Dan 9:24-27). Therefore it is reasonable to assume that the time periods involved in the angel’s answer to Daniel’s “How long?” (v 6) will conform to the Jewish calendar.

Key factors in the Jewish calendar

When the Jewish calendar is analyzed, it is found that there are three very special times each year. These are the three times that the men of Israel were commanded to appear before the Lord (Exo 23:14-17). The feast of unleavened bread, following the Passover, was a 7-day period in early spring (Abib 14-21). The feast of harvest, or first fruits, which the NT calls “Pentecost” (Acts 2:1), came 49 days (seven weeks), or the 50th day (hence “Pente-cost”), after the day following Passover (Abib 15), and thus approximately 45 days after the end of the feast of unleavened bread (Abib 21). The calendar date was usually between Sivan 3 and Sivan 5. The small discrepancies here arise because sometimes Jewish months were 29 days long and sometimes they were 30, and sometimes days were counted inclusively (ie counting the beginning and ending days) and sometimes they were counted exclusively (ie not counting the beginning and ending days). Finally, the third time of general gathering came in early fall. This was a 21-day period commencing with the Feast of Trumpets (Ethanim 1), continuing on to the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) (Ethanim 10), and culminating in the Feast of Ingathering, or Tabernacles (Ethanim 15-21).

The seven annual holidays, called “holy convocations”, all fall within these three times (Lev 23:4-43). They are: (1) Abib 14 = Passover; (2) Abib 21 = The last day of Feast of Unleavened Bread; (3) Sivan 3,4, or 5 = Pentecost; Feast of Firstfruits; (4) Ethanim 1 = Feast of Trumpets (also called Rosh Hashanah: New Years Day); (5) Ethanim 10 = Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur); (6) Ethanim 15 = The first day of Feast of Tabernacles; (7) Ethanim 21 = The last day of Feast of Tabernacles. Many significant events in Israel’s Bible history, far too numerous to list here, occurred on these special days. Other days in the Jews’ annual cycle were relatively unimportant.

Relevant to this discussion are the following points:

1. From Abib 21 (the last day of the Passover “cluster”) to Ethanim 21 (the last day of the Tabernacles “cluster”) is exactly 1/2 year.
2. From Ethanim 21 to Abib 21 is, of course, exactly 1/2 year also.
3. Thus, a time period that begins with either Abib 21 or Ethanim 21, and runs precisely 3 1/2 years, will end on the other of the two.
4. A time period beginning Ethanim 21 and ending Abib 21, with another 45 days (1,335 less 1,290) added on, would climax at the third significant date in the Jewish calendar (Sivan 3, 4, or 5) — Pentecost.
5. A 30-day period is the difference between the 1,290 days and the 1,260 days.

The extra 30 days

The Jews generally added an “intercalary” 13th month to their calendar (a sort of “leap-month”) every third year or so. This was done to keep their calendar in line with the seasons, since their months were either 29 or 30 days, and thus their ordinary year was only about 354 days. The “shortfall” of 11 1/4 days added up each year, so that every third year (or more precisely, 7 years out of every 19) an extra month was needed. So, assuming that a 3-year period would necessitate one intercalary month, we have the reason why 3 1/2 years of 30-day months (ie 1,260 days) becomes 1,290 days — the addition of precisely one month. Using a 30-day model, then, there are exactly 1,290 days from the end of the Tabernacles “cluster” of holy days (including Yom Kippur and the week-long Feast of Tabernacles) to the end of the Passover “cluster” of holy days (including the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread) 3 1/2 years later. And another 45 days (for a total of 1,335) brings us to the final “holy convocation” day, and the third “general assembly” of the year — Pentecost.

Significance of the feast dates

Given the backdrop of Jewish feast dates, it is interesting to speculate on how God may be using these particular feasts as key points in His timetable for the final deliverance of Israel in the Last Days:

a.	The Tabernacles “cluster” begins with the Feast of Trumpets (Lev 23:24). The blowing of trumpets is especially associated with the proclaiming of the Law of God (Neh 8:2; Exo 19:16,19; Amo 3:6,7), but particularly with respect to warnings to Israel (Eze 33:1-6; Num 31:6; Jer 4:19; 1Co 14:8). It could be the beginning of the events introduced by the trumpets in Rev 8 and 9, which depict punishments upon Israel.
b.	This “cluster” also includes the Day of Atonement (Ethanim 10) — a day of national soul-searching and repentance (Lev 16:29,31; Psa 81:3,4,8,13,14; Isa 58:1-6; Joel 2:15). The time of Jacob’s last great trouble (lasting 3 1/2 years) could also be the time of the “Elijah” prophet’s preaching to Israel and his call for repentance (Rev 11).
c.	The Feast of Tabernacles (Ethanim 15-21) could begin, during the 3 1/2-year period, the final in-gathering of Israel.
d.	Passover (Abib 14) could mark the beginning of Israel’s deliverance from their oppressors, as has been the case (in limited ways) so many times in the past.
e.	The end of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Abib 21) could be the time when Israel ceases to eat “the bread of affliction” (Deu 16:3). From this date forward “the abomination that maketh desolate” would be removed from the Land and the Holy Place (Dan 12:11).
f.	The earlier Pentecost (in Acts 2) was the time of the bestowal of the Holy Spirit upon the believers. But the ultimate fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32 (quoted that day by Peter) remains for the future. Here could be the final salvation for the remnant of Israel; therefore, “Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the [end of the] 1,335 days” (Dan 12:12).

Conclusion:

g.	All three time periods slip neatly into the Jewish calendar, incorporating the three great assemblies, and all 7 special “holy convocation” days. It would be practically impossible to produce such an arrangement with any set of numbers other than 1,260, 1,290, and 1,335. Either this is the most extraordinary coincidence, or we are being directed to interpret Daniel 12 with the Jewish calendar in mind.
h.	The appropriateness of these time periods to the Jewish calendar is a very strong argument in favor of their literalness. On the other hand, any scheme of interpretation that turns the 1,260, 1,290, and 1,335 days into like numbers of years loses all possible connection with a literal calendar, and prompts the question: ‘Why these numbers?’
i.	The nature of these periods in Daniel has ramifications for Rev, where identical periods (and implied Jewish applicability) provide the “backbone” of the Book. Thus, Rev can be seen to involve a literal period of about 3 1/2 years, which involves Israel especially, and which culminates in the return of Christ and the establishment of God’s Kingdom.

1. Daniel and Revelation not only share the characteristic of having specific time periods mentioned: they have identical time periods. Rev 12:14 seems to equates “a time, and times and half a time” with “one thousand two hundred and sixty days” (Rev 12:6). Assuming that “a time” = one year, and “times” = two years, the equation is 3 1/2 years = 1,260 days. This just happens to equal 42 30-day months. Since the period of 42 months appears to be equated with 1,260 days in Rev 11:2,3, the assumption is validated.
2. When the same or similar activity occurs in both books, it is reasonable to believe that the same event is being described. Thus the little horn’s war on the saints for 3 1/2 years (Dan 7:25) = the beast’s war on the saint for 42 months (Rev 13:5). Indirectly, this equates 42 months with 3 1/2 years, and further confirms the argument in point #1 above: 42 months = 3 1/2 years = 1,260 days.
3. Most interestingly, the three years and six months when there was an Elijah-implored drought upon Israel (Jam 5:17; Luk 4:25) corresponds exactly with the time period of the Elijah-like witnesses in Rev 11:3-6. This strongly suggests that the literality of 3 1/2 years can be used when estimating the actual duration being prophesied.
4. Significantly, Daniel’s “seventy weeks prophecy” has a final “week” divided into two (Dan 9:27), the first half of which surely corresponds to the 3 1/2-year ministry of Jesus at his first coming. (The Hebrew for “weeks” here is not necessarily restricted to “weeks” of 7 literal days; rather, it simply means “sevens”!) The second half-“week” readily aligns with the other 3 1/2-year periods in Daniel and Revelation, which demonstrably end with the return of Christ (cp Dan 7:21-27; Rev 11:2,3,15-18). Since a literal 3 1/2 years was used in the first half of the “week”, it would be consistent to deduce a literal 3 1/2 years in the second half.
5. Although not explicitly mentioned in Daniel, the 1,260 days is inherent in the 1,290 days and 1,335 days of Dan 12:11,12 and is effectively referred to by the 3 1/2 times of Dan 12:7. The 1,290 = 1,260 plus 30, where the extra 30 days probably reflects the “intercalary” month the Jews inserted in their calendar (a sort of “leap-month” added 7 out of every 19 years, or approximately once every three years) in order to keep the planting of crops in line with the actual seasons.
6. Rev 11:2 says, “…and they [the nations] shall trample over the holy city for forty-two months.” Dan 8:13 asks, “For how long is the vision concerning… the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled under foot?” So when Jesus is predicting the overthrow of Jerusalem, it is not surprising to see him using the same terminology: “They [the Jews] will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luk 21:24).
7. In the Olivet prophecy, Jesus was predicting a first-century fulfillment. In Rev, Jesus reinforced that prediction, for he spoke about “what must soon take place”, and he said that “the time is near” (Rev 1:1,3; 22:6). But Jesus also said: “Behold, I am coming soon” (Rev 22:7,12,20). Since his personal return to earth is still future, these words of Rev are describing a Last Days scenario. So one fulfillment of these prophecies is past, and we can read about it in the history books. The next fulfillment is upon us, and we can read about it in our Bibles.