- May 15, 2005
- 11,935
- 1,498
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- CA-Conservatives
(continued from Post 21)
There are also less obvious reasons for the conclusion that Ezekiel 38 and 39 take place after Daniel’s seventieth week. The first of these is that throughout this prophecy the land and the people are called Israel, not Judah. In prophecies about suffering in the land during Daniel’s seventieth week, the word Israel is never used. This is because only Judah will be in the land during that seventieth week. All Israel will not be in the land until Messiah comes.
We know this for the following reasons:
In Ezekiel 36:10, the Lord tells the “mountains of Israel” (verse 8) that He “will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it.” Again, in Micah 2:12, the Lord says “I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold.” It is clear that this has not yet happened, for there are still Jews elsewhere in the world. But when will it happen?
We see this in Ezekiel 20:33-38, where we read: “‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,’ says the Lord GOD.
“‘I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
When the Lord brings Israel “out from the peoples” and gathers them “out of the countries” where they “are scattered,” He will plead His case with them “face to face,” Just as He did with their fathers ”in the wilderness of the land of Egypt.”And the transgressors among them will be brought “out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel.” This is plainly after Messiah comes, so all Israel will not be there until that time.
All this agrees perfectly with the fact that those who have now returned to the land are called Jews. The word Jew does not mean an Israelite. It means a descendant of the ancient kingdom of Judah, that is, a member of either the tribe of Judah or the tribe of Benjamin. This can be seen from the Hebrew words translated “Jew” in the Old Testament. The most commonly used one is yeudiy (word number 3064 in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary). The meaning of this word becomes obvious when we see the word it is derived from, yehudah (word number 3063 in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary). This is the name transliterated Judah, the name of the tribe and kingdom of Judah. Thus we see that the original form of the word Jew was Judie, or a citizen of Judah.
There is another detail only slightly more obvious, which shows that Gog’s attack cannot be before Daniel’s seventieth week. The prophecy repeatedly states that at the time of the attack, the people of Israel will be dwelling “safely.” (Ezekiel 38:8,11,14) The Hebrew word translated safely in each of these places is betach. (word number 983 in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary) This word doesn’t only refer to the actual fact of safety. It also refers to a feeling of being safe. Whether the word refers to the fact or the feeling of safety can only be determined from the context. In this case, the meaning is plainly the feeling of safety, rather than the actual fact. This can be seen from verse 14: “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it?’”” If the meaning was that Gog knew the people were actually safe, this would not make him decide to attack. But if the meaning was that Gog knew they felt safe, it would encourage him to attack. We see this more clearly in verse 11: “You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’” Thus we see that the word safely in this prophecy refers to feeling safe, not actually being safe.
In Daniel 9:27 we are told that The Roman prince will make a seven year covenant with Judah. This seven year period is Daniel’s seventieth week. This covenant will give them a false sense of security. (Isaiah 28:14-18) It seems obvious that those who dwell in present day Israel will never feel safe until the Roman prince’s treaty is confirmed. But we cannot interpret prophecy on the basis of current events. We need scripture for even this. In Amos 1:11 we read, “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishent, Because he pursued his brother with the sword, And cast off all pity; His anger tore perpetually, And he kept his wrath forever.” The anger and wrath of Edom will never cease. The ancient land of Edom covered the southern portion of present day _Jordan and the north-western part of today’s Saudi Arabia. Again, in Amos 1:6 we read “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver them up to Edom,” clearly showing that Gaza will join Edom in their wickedness. The next verse, 8, mentions that this is the land of the Philistines. (that is, the Palestinians) And verse 9 adds that Tyre (in present day Lebanon) will join in as well. Thus we see that until Edom is destroyed there will never be a time when Judah (which is now called Israel) will have reasonable cause to feel safe. But this will not happen until Messiah comes.
We know this because we read in Jeremiah 49:20-22, “Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Edom, And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them. The earth shakes at the noise of their fall; At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea. Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle, And spread His wings over Bozrah; The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.”
Again, we read in Isaiah 34:5-10, “For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, It is made overflowing with fatness, With the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom. The wild oxen shall come down with them, And the young bulls with the mighty bulls; Their land shall be soaked with blood, And their dust saturated with fatness. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion. Its streams shall be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night or day; Its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; No one shall pass through it forever and ever.”
This judgment begins at Bozrah, about thirty miles south of the Dead Sea. It then goes some twenty-five miles south to Teman, and from there to within hearing of the Red Sea. Habakkuk 3:3 mentions the Lord’s coming from Mount Paran, which is approximately one hundred and sixty miles southeast of Teman, and is on the shore of the Red Sea. This entire area will receive the same judgment as Sodom and Gomorrah.
This obviously takes place at the time when Messiah comes in power and glory, so we know Edom will not be destroyed until that time. And from this, we know that Israel will not dwell safely before that time, and therefore that Gog’s invasion cannot be before that time.
There are also less obvious reasons for the conclusion that Ezekiel 38 and 39 take place after Daniel’s seventieth week. The first of these is that throughout this prophecy the land and the people are called Israel, not Judah. In prophecies about suffering in the land during Daniel’s seventieth week, the word Israel is never used. This is because only Judah will be in the land during that seventieth week. All Israel will not be in the land until Messiah comes.
We know this for the following reasons:
In Ezekiel 36:10, the Lord tells the “mountains of Israel” (verse 8) that He “will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it.” Again, in Micah 2:12, the Lord says “I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold.” It is clear that this has not yet happened, for there are still Jews elsewhere in the world. But when will it happen?
We see this in Ezekiel 20:33-38, where we read: “‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,’ says the Lord GOD.
“‘I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
When the Lord brings Israel “out from the peoples” and gathers them “out of the countries” where they “are scattered,” He will plead His case with them “face to face,” Just as He did with their fathers ”in the wilderness of the land of Egypt.”And the transgressors among them will be brought “out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel.” This is plainly after Messiah comes, so all Israel will not be there until that time.
All this agrees perfectly with the fact that those who have now returned to the land are called Jews. The word Jew does not mean an Israelite. It means a descendant of the ancient kingdom of Judah, that is, a member of either the tribe of Judah or the tribe of Benjamin. This can be seen from the Hebrew words translated “Jew” in the Old Testament. The most commonly used one is yeudiy (word number 3064 in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary). The meaning of this word becomes obvious when we see the word it is derived from, yehudah (word number 3063 in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary). This is the name transliterated Judah, the name of the tribe and kingdom of Judah. Thus we see that the original form of the word Jew was Judie, or a citizen of Judah.
There is another detail only slightly more obvious, which shows that Gog’s attack cannot be before Daniel’s seventieth week. The prophecy repeatedly states that at the time of the attack, the people of Israel will be dwelling “safely.” (Ezekiel 38:8,11,14) The Hebrew word translated safely in each of these places is betach. (word number 983 in Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary) This word doesn’t only refer to the actual fact of safety. It also refers to a feeling of being safe. Whether the word refers to the fact or the feeling of safety can only be determined from the context. In this case, the meaning is plainly the feeling of safety, rather than the actual fact. This can be seen from verse 14: “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it?’”” If the meaning was that Gog knew the people were actually safe, this would not make him decide to attack. But if the meaning was that Gog knew they felt safe, it would encourage him to attack. We see this more clearly in verse 11: “You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’” Thus we see that the word safely in this prophecy refers to feeling safe, not actually being safe.
In Daniel 9:27 we are told that The Roman prince will make a seven year covenant with Judah. This seven year period is Daniel’s seventieth week. This covenant will give them a false sense of security. (Isaiah 28:14-18) It seems obvious that those who dwell in present day Israel will never feel safe until the Roman prince’s treaty is confirmed. But we cannot interpret prophecy on the basis of current events. We need scripture for even this. In Amos 1:11 we read, “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away its punishent, Because he pursued his brother with the sword, And cast off all pity; His anger tore perpetually, And he kept his wrath forever.” The anger and wrath of Edom will never cease. The ancient land of Edom covered the southern portion of present day _Jordan and the north-western part of today’s Saudi Arabia. Again, in Amos 1:6 we read “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment, Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver them up to Edom,” clearly showing that Gaza will join Edom in their wickedness. The next verse, 8, mentions that this is the land of the Philistines. (that is, the Palestinians) And verse 9 adds that Tyre (in present day Lebanon) will join in as well. Thus we see that until Edom is destroyed there will never be a time when Judah (which is now called Israel) will have reasonable cause to feel safe. But this will not happen until Messiah comes.
We know this because we read in Jeremiah 49:20-22, “Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Edom, And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them. The earth shakes at the noise of their fall; At the cry its noise is heard at the Red Sea. Behold, He shall come up and fly like the eagle, And spread His wings over Bozrah; The heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be Like the heart of a woman in birth pangs.”
Again, we read in Isaiah 34:5-10, “For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, It is made overflowing with fatness, With the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom. The wild oxen shall come down with them, And the young bulls with the mighty bulls; Their land shall be soaked with blood, And their dust saturated with fatness. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion. Its streams shall be turned into pitch, And its dust into brimstone; Its land shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night or day; Its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; No one shall pass through it forever and ever.”
This judgment begins at Bozrah, about thirty miles south of the Dead Sea. It then goes some twenty-five miles south to Teman, and from there to within hearing of the Red Sea. Habakkuk 3:3 mentions the Lord’s coming from Mount Paran, which is approximately one hundred and sixty miles southeast of Teman, and is on the shore of the Red Sea. This entire area will receive the same judgment as Sodom and Gomorrah.
This obviously takes place at the time when Messiah comes in power and glory, so we know Edom will not be destroyed until that time. And from this, we know that Israel will not dwell safely before that time, and therefore that Gog’s invasion cannot be before that time.
Upvote
0