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.

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.

1. THE WORLD TEST. Is it worldly? Will it make me worldly to do it (Joh 15:19; 1Jo 2:15-17)?
2. THE QUALITY TEST. Is it good for me physically, emotionally, and spiritually (Rom 12:9)?
3. THE TEMPLE TEST. Can I do it when I remember my body is God’s temple and must not be marred or misused (1Co 6:19)?
4. THE GLORY TEST. Will it glorify my Lord, or will it on the other hand possibly bring shame to his name (1Co 6:20; 10:32)?
5. THE BLESSING TEST. Can I honestly ask God’s blessing on it and be sure I’ll not regret doing it (Pro 10:22; Rom 15:29)?
6. THE REPUTATION TEST. Is it apt to damage my testimony for the Lord (Phi 2:15)?
7. THE CONSIDERATION TEST. Am I being considerate of others and the effect this might have on them (Rom 14:7,21)?
8. THE APPEARANCE TEST. Will it look bad? Does it have the appearance of what is wrong or suspicious (1Th 5:22)?
9. THE WEIGHT TEST. Could this slacken or sidetrack me in running the Christian race (Heb 12:1; 1Co 9:24)?
10. THE COMING OF CHRIST TEST. Would I be ashamed to be found doing this when he comes again (1Jo 2:28)?
11. THE COMPANION TEST. Can I invite Christ to go with me and participate with me in this (Mat 28:20; Col 3:17)?
12. THE PEACE TEST. After having prayed about it, do I have perfect peace about doing it (Col 3:15; Phi 4:6-7)?

The Old Testament is a book of unfulfilled prophecies… fulfilled in his life by Christ the prophet.

The Old Testament is a book of unexplained ceremonies… explained in his death by Christ the priest.

The Old Testament is a book of unsatisfied longings… satisfied in his resurrection by Christ the king.

God has given instructions to His servants in many different ways; He has spoken “at sundry times and in divers manners”, as the apostle puts it, and He has chosen very different instruments to convey the messages. The perfection of divine wisdom was revealed in a divinely perfect man who is to us “wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” Divine wisdom has also come to us through very imperfect men who have been “wisdom” and warning.

In many ways the most remarkable example of divine instruction coming through a faulty man is in the writings of Solomon the son of David. Solomon would seem to have been the most favoured of mortals; the son of a great king and the heir to the throne, coming into power at the most favourable time in his nation’s history when all enemies were subdued and when even Egypt sought alliance with the growing strength of Israel. Solomon had wealth in abundance, he had bodily health and such vigorous mentality that according to Jewish tradition he could speak all the languages known in his day. Finally, in addition to all this God granted to him a special wisdom so that he became a vehicle for the conveyance of divine instruction to mankind. He is the supreme example of the ease with which natural blessing may be turned into spiritual curse, of how a man who knows may fail to perform, and of how the treasures of divine knowledge and wisdom may be contained in an “earthen vessel” which perishes even while it conveys imperishable truth.

In writing of the Proverbs there is no difficulty in applying the lessons to the circumstances of our own time. They are astonishingly “up to date”. There is vitality and freshness in the Scriptures after all the centuries that have passed since the words were written. A sermon only a hundred years old seems old-fashioned and dead, but the words of scripture are continually new and living. They keep pace with a growing intelligence, yielding further messages as we are able to receive them. “The dark sayings of the wise” often seem perfectly clear and simple. They do not in any way obscure truth or confuse the mind of a reader. They are simple in the first message that they yield, but that is not all that they contain. The darkness is in hidden depths.

The Proverbs are not intended merely for one class of reader or one grade of intelligence. Their appeal is universal. “A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will attain unto sound counsel.” Indeed in this as in so many human lessons, those who would seem to need the instruction least get the most out of it, while those who need it most refuse to listen. This incongruity is noted in the first chapter of the book. It is the wise man who hears and increases his knowledge. “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

There is a fundamental truth regarding the human mind which everyone ought to know and which in all probability everyone will claim to know when once it is mentioned. We refer to the fact that the mind is so constituted that we are bound to learn gradually. Some can take the successive steps much quicker than others, but it is always by steps that we make any advance. The best way of learning, in fact the only satisfactory way, is in the manner of a child. It involves much repetition; we pass repeatedly over the same mental track, but each time makes it a little deeper, a little clearer, and perhaps carries it a little further. A man has so much in his mind that he may be able to put thoughts together much more rapidly than is possible for a child, but in this essential matter of forming really fresh impressions, our aptitude diminishes as we grow older. There is no such thing as sudden enlightenment, for we are not able to receive it. It is possible to concentrate a great amount of instruction in few words, but those few words are unintelligible to a man who is unprepared. We have heard lectures which would express a great mass of truth to hearers who were well prepared, but the only definite impression made on a complete stranger was a headache. Indeed, as we have often remarked, a book entirely filled with new ideas would be as unintelligible as one written in an unknown tongue. Take a text book regarding some technical matter that you have never studied and you will make nothing of it. It may be an excellent book giving all the main facts that are known concerning the subject under review. It would be sudden enlightenment if you were able to grasp the meaning of it all at a single reading, but that is impossible. If you want to understand it you have to learn in the ordinary way, gradually building up from that which you already know and with much repetition as knowledge is extended. In other words, you have to learn in the manner of a child.

It is worth while to emphasize this truth, for so many people in later life, and perhaps especially in this generation, become impatient of instruction that might help them. Some teaching is rejected because it is new and they can make nothing out of it, everything else is despised because it is old and they know all about it. With less aptitude for receiving new impressions than was once theirs, they decline to pass with childlike interest along a well trodden path of thought and so they never carry it any further.

This is not an age for serious reading. Millions of people with all the advantages of modern education pass through life without ever reading a single good book. They read a great deal of trash and perhaps Macaulay’s dictum is true that it must be a very bad book to be worse than no book at all, but this is only a negative recommendation. Much can be learned by good reading if the student is willing to learn in the manner of the inquiring and interested child, pleased to renew acquaintance with that which is well known and anxious to understand that which seems new and obscure.

One who tries to write with the sole object of serving and helping must have two questions before his mind. Can I give some instruction or suggest thoughts that will be helpful? Can I write in a manner sufficiently interesting for people to read? It is easy to do either of these things alone but difficult to combine them, yet the combination must be effected if we are to achieve our purpose. The Lord Jesus suggested the right way. The instructed scribe must be like a householder bringing forth from his treasures things new and old. They must not be all new or no one would understand, but if possible some of the treasures must be new at least to some readers. It may be possible, too, to show the old in a new light so that even those who have forgotten how to learn may be stimulated into a revival of interest. It is not merely in the matter of humility that we need to become like children. Those who seek the Kingdom of God also need the childlike interest in things both new and old and the child’s readiness to learn, step by step, carrying the old thought a little further.

(PrPr)