Just as the Bible predicted the modern reestablishment of
Israel, it also indicates the revival of other ancient countries in the Middle
East, one of these being Philistia. Perhaps as many as seven prophetic
scriptures in the Hebrew Bible indicate a rebirth of Israel’s ancient arch
rival—Philistia.
Two passages which clearly signify the reestablishment of
Philistia are:
Isaiah 11:12-16: It will happen in that day that
the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is
left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from
Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
He will set up a banner for the nations and
will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of
Judah from the four corners of the earth.
The
envy also of Ephraim will depart, and those who persecute Judah will be cut
off. Ephraim won’t envy Judah, and Judah won’t persecute Ephraim. They will fly
down on the shoulders of the Philistines on the west. Together they will
plunder the children of the east. They will extend their power over Edom and
Moab, and the children of Ammon will obey them. Yahweh will utterly destroy the
tongue of the Egyptian sea, and with his scorching wind he will waive his hand
over the River, and will split it into seven streams and cause men to march
over in sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant that is left of his
people from Assyria, like there was for Israel in the day that he came up out
of the land of Egypt.
Zechariah
9: 5-8: Ashkelon will
see it, and fear; Gaza also, and
will writhe in agony; as will Ekron,
for her expectation will be disappointed; and the king will perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
Foreigners will dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the
Philistines. I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his
abominations from between his teeth; and he also will be a remnant for our God;
and he will be as a chieftain in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. I will encamp around my house against the army
that none pass through or return; and no oppressor will pass through them anymore,
for now I have seen with my eyes.
Others
that can be put forward with varying degrees of certainty are:
Joel
3.4-8: Yes, and what are you to me,
Tyre and Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Will you repay me? And if you repay me, I will
swiftly and speedily return your repayment on your own head. Because you have taken my silver and
my gold, and have carried my finest treasures into your temples, and have sold the children of Judah
and the children of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks, that you may remove
them far from their border. Behold,
I will stir them up out of the place where you have sold them, and will return
your repayment on your own head; and I will sell your sons and your daughters
into the hands of the children of Judah, and they will sell them to the men of
Sheba, to a faraway nation, for Yahweh has spoken it.”
Obadiah
19:
Those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau, and those of the lowland,
the Philistines. They will possess
the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria. Benjamin will possess Gilead.
Zephaniah
2.4-7: For Gaza will
be abandoned, and Ashkelon will
become a desolation. They will drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron will be uprooted. Woe to the
inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Yahweh is against you, O
Canaan, land of the Philistines. I will destroy you, so that there will be
no inhabitant left. The seacoast will become pastures, with meadows for
shepherds and folds for flocks. And the coast will be for the remnant of the
house of Judah. They will find pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon, they will lie down in the
evening, because Yahweh their God will visit them and restore their fortunes.
Psalms
60
God,
you have rejected us. You have broken us down. You have been angry. Restore us
again. You have made the land tremble. You have torn it. Mend
its fractures, for it quakes. You have shown your people hard things. You have
made us drink the wine that makes us stagger. You have given a banner to those
who fear you, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. So that
your beloved may be delivered, save with your right hand and answer us. God has
spoken from his sanctuary: “I will triumph. I will divide Shechem, and measure
out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine. Ephraim also
is the defense of my head. Judah is my
scepter. Moab is my wash basin. I will throw my sandal on Edom. I shout in triumph over Philistia.” Who
will bring me into the strong city? Who has led me to Edom? Haven’t you, God,
rejected us? You don’t go out with our armies, God, give us help against the adversary, for the help of man is vain.
Through God we will do valiantly, for it is he who will tread down our
adversaries.
Psalm
108
My heart is steadfast, God. I will sing and I will make
music with my soul. Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn. I will
give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations. I will sing praises to you among
the peoples. For your loving kindness is
great above the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be
exalted, God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth. That
your beloved may be delivered, save with your right hand and answer us. God has
spoken from his sanctuary:
“In triumph I will divide Shechem and measure out the
valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine. Ephraim also is my helmet.
Judah is my scepter. Moab is my wash
pot. I will toss my sandal on Edom. I
will shout over Philistia.” Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who
has led me to Edom? Haven’t you rejected us, God? You don’t go out, God, with
our armies. Give us help against the enemy, for the help of man is vain. Through
God we will do valiantly, for it is He who will tread down our enemies.
Interpretation
of Biblical Prophecy
There are two kinds of Bible prophecies. There is
prophecy which communicates God’s message to people, called preaching or forth-telling.
And there is prophecy which predicts the future, called foretelling. Old
Testament prophets did both.
There are two kinds of predictive prophecy in Scripture:
fulfilled prophecy, which has already happened, and unfulfilled prophecy, which
has not yet occurred.
The following writing will concern mostly unfulfilled
predictive prophecy, to which the words “prophecy” and “prophecies” will
henceforth refer. There are at least four crucial principles to which a
prophetic student must adhere in order to understand biblical prophecies:
1. Consider
the context in order to establish the time of the event being prophesied.
2. Interpret prophecies
literally unless there is clear evidence indicating otherwise.
3. Compare Scripture with
Scripture.
4. Accept the possibility of
multiple fulfillments, usually dual fulfillments, i.e., a partial fulfillment
in a time near the prophet and a more complete fulfillment in the far, distant
future.
The context often reveals if a fulfilled prophecy has a
more complete fulfillment yet to be accomplished. Careful analysis and
interpretation are required.
With regard to Messianic prophecies, the apostle Peter
claims that the scriptural prophets themselves “made careful search and
inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of God’s anointed one
within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of God’s anointed one
and the glories to follow” (1 Peter 1.10-11). Unfulfilled prophecies are the
most difficult portions of the Bible to interpret.
Even if the above
principles are followed, there will be differences of interpretation among the
best of teachers on the prophetic scriptures. In addition, the student will be
well guided in attempting to distinguish between those biblical prophecies
whose interpretations are more clearly discernible and those which remain
obscure. Students ought to seek to be tentative with their opinions regarding
the latter
History
of Prophetic Interpretations
We know the church was predominantly pre-millennial in
belief during the first three centuries. Later, Roman Catholic and most
Protestant scholars dismissed the literal interpretation of OT prophecies
indicating Israel’s future triumph. Instead, they interpreted these
allegorically as signifying the church’s general victory over evil.
Literal
Method of Interpreting Prophecy
In contrast to Roman Catholic and Protestant scholars,
pre-millennialists have always agreed with past eminent Jewish commentators on
many points of prophecy, especially the re-emergence of a literal nation of
Israel in its former homeland before Messiah’s coming in glory. The mid-20th
century establishment of the State of Israel proved this “theory” correct.
Here is solid evidence that pre-millennialists, and often
Orthodox Jews, are more reliable interpreters of OT prophecies regarding Israel.
Thus, it is best to interpret prophecy literally, according to the
historical-grammatical method of interpretation. Unless clear evidence
indicates otherwise, names of historical persons, tribes, nations, cities and
other geographical locations, along with numbers, do not constitute symbols but
are to be understood literally.
The interpreter of biblical prophecy is wise to consider
how prophecy has been quite literally fulfilled in the past. The following are
some examples:
1. It was foretold that the
kingdom of Israel would be divided in two. One division would consist of two
tribes (1 Kings 11.11-13) and the other division of ten tribes (vv. 29-31).
2. Judah was prophesied to
go into captivity in Babylon for 70 years (Jeremiah 25.11; Daniel 9.2; 2 Chronicles
36.21; Ezra 1.1).
3. Moses predicted the
Diaspora, in which, because of their sins, God would remove the Jews from their
land and scatter them throughout the nations of the world (Deuteronomy 4.26-27;
28.64; 30.1).
4. Hosea foresaw the
Diaspora, predicting that “the sons of Israel will remain for many days without
king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or
household idols” (Hosea 3.4).
5. Ezekiel envisioned modern
Israel when he predicted that “in the latter years” many Jews would return from
the Diaspora to the land of Israel, “which had been a continual waste” (Ezekiel
38.8).
6. The NT interprets many OT
Messianic prophecies as being literally fulfilled in Jesus: He was born in
Bethlehem (Micah 5.2), rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9.9), was
rejected by the Jews (Isaiah 53.3), was sold for 30 pieces of silver, with
which they bought the potter’s field (Zechariah 11.12-13), died by crucifixion
with casting of lots for His clothing (Psalm 22.14-18; Zechariah 12.10) and
rose from the grave (Psalm 16.10).
7. In A.D. 30 Jesus
predicted that Jerusalem and its temple would be destroyed within a generation.
It happened in A.D. 70, exactly one generation later.
The list could go on. The evidence is overwhelming that
most prophecy is to be understood literally.
Introduction
to Isaiah 11
The prophet Isaiah predicted more about the promised
Messiah and His kingdom than any of the other writing Hebrew prophets. Most of
his writings concern the time when Messiah will come to deliver Israel, destroy
its enemies and establish His worldwide kingdom on earth, with its center at
Jerusalem.
The eleventh chapter of Isaiah is one of the primary
Messianic passages in the Hebrew Bible (OT). The majority of Jewish
commentators regard its entire contents as Messianic. The chapter concerns
Messiah’s deliverance of Israel and the establishment of His kingdom. In Isaiah
11.14 the prophet Isaiah provides the clearest indication in Scripture that at
the time of the coming of the conquering Messiah, an adversary of Israel will exist
in the southwestern coastal plain of Palestine. This adversary is called “the
Philistines.” Most commentators, however, interpret the passage figuratively
and/or regard it as already completely fulfilled in history. Thus, they neglect
the prospect that a people whom the prophet called the Philistines
(Palestinians) might yet be re-established in “the land of the Philistines.”
It must first be established, however, that the context
of Isaiah 11:14 concerns the yet future Messianic destruction of Israel’s neighbors,
the Philistines (Palestinians) and the Jordanians.
Isaiah
11
1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a
branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of Yahweh will rest on Him, the spirit
of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of
knowledge and the fear of Yahweh.
3 And He will delight in the fear of Yahweh, and He will
not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and
decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the
earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay
the wicked.
5 Also, righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
and faithfulness the belt about His waist.
6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard
will lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together; and a little boy will lead them.
7 Also the cow and the bear will graze; their young will
lie down together; and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 And the nursing child will play by the hole of the
cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the
sea.
10 Then it will come about in that day that the nations
will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples;
and His resting place will be glorious.
11 Then it will happen on that day that Yahweh will again
recover the second time with His hand the remnant of His people, who will
remain from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the
islands of the sea.
12 And He will lift up a standard for the nations, and
will assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of
Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 Then the jealousy of Ephraim will depart, and those
who harass Judah will be cut off; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and
Judah will not harass Ephraim.
14
And they will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the west; together
they will plunder the sons of the east; they will possess Edom and Moab; and
the sons of Ammon will be subject to them.
15 And Yahweh will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea
of Egypt; and He will waive His hand over the River with His scorching wind;
and He will strike it into seven streams, and make men walk over dry-shod.
16 And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant
of His people who will be left, just as there was for Israel in the day that
they came up out of the land of Egypt (emphasis added).
Israel’s
Promised Messiah
Isaiah begins his chapter eleven by announcing that “a
shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse.” Jesse was King David’s father.
Jewish and Christian commentators unanimously concur that this phrase
identifies the Messiah’s physical line of descent. The Hebrew prophets
frequently predicted that Messiah would descend from the tribe of Judah, the tribe
to which Jesse and David belonged, and that he would sit on David’s throne as
King of Israel. That is why he was called “the son of David.”
Next, Isaiah describes how “the Spirit of Yahweh will
rest on him” (v. 2). This suggests that either there would be a greater measure
of the Spirit on Messiah than on anyone before (cf. Colossians 1.19:
“fullness”) or that the Spirit would rest on Him permanently, or both. Jesus
identified himself as the one whom Isaiah here presents (Luke 4.17-21; cf. Isaiah
61.1-2). (See also Isaiah 42.1; cf. Matthew 12.18.)
It could only be the Messiah that is in view here. In the
remainder of our consideration of Isaiah 11, our purpose will be to discover
the time to which the prophet refers. Upon establishing this context, we will
then be able to see clearly the time of fulfillment of the reference to the
Philistines in v. 14, the ultimate focus of this presentation.
Messiah
and His Glorious Kingdom
In vv. 3-4 Isaiah reveals that Messiah will judge the
poor with fairness and will destroy the wicked. Following the Messianic
destruction depicted in v. 4 (“He will strike the earth . . . and . . . slay
the wicked”), the prophet pens one of the most beautiful and beloved passages
in all of Scripture. It describes peace on earth among the animals and implies
the same among men (cf. vv. 6-9 with 9.6-7). Such universal peace and knowledge
of Yahweh can only identify the future Messianic (millennial) kingdom (cf.
2.2-4). For Christian believers, this means the second coming of Jesus God’s
anointed one.
Isaiah writes in v. 10 a pivotal phrase which identifies
the time period prophesied. The words, “Then it will come about in that day,”
refer both to the time when Messiah initially comes to judge (v. 4) and when
Edenic conditions are restored to earth (vv. 6-9). Consequently, “that day”
cannot be reckoned as a twenty-four-hour period of time. “That day,” like the
phrase “the day of the Lord,” translates technical words frequently used by the
Hebrew prophets. It can refer to any period of judgment by Yahweh. But it
usually identifies that final “day of Yahweh” when Messiah comes in his kingdom
and apparently includes the time period of his subsequent reign. Herein, that
final day of Yahweh is distinguished by capitalizing it, e.g., “the Day,” “the
Day of the Lord,” or “the Day of Yahweh.”
Final
Return of Jews to Eretz Israel
Isaiah reveals that the nations will come to worship
Messiah, who will sit on His glorious throne (v. 10). At the same time, Yahweh
will gather the surviving Jews “the second time” to the land of Israel (vv.
11-12). This second ingathering points to God’s re-gathering of the Jews at the
coming of Messiah to deliver Israel. So far, God has taken the Jews to
Palestine twice: at the initial conquest following the exodus and at their
return from the Babylonian exile. But God has only ’’recovered” (v. 7) the Jews
to their land once: the return from Babylon in 537 B.C. God’s second promised
re-gathering awaits the coming of Messiah in power and great glory.
Some more liberal commentators interpret that Isaiah’s re-gathering
in v. 11 does not refer to the Messianic age but only the post-exilic return.
This passage shows three evidences against this view:
1. This re-gathering will
occur “on that day,” i.e., the final Day. Only then will all the conditions in
vv. 3-10 transpire, including universal justice and peace.
2. This re-gathering is not
from one particular region, as was the return from Babylonia. Instead, Isaiah
names many other lands from which Jews will return (v. 11), as well as “the
four corners of the earth” (v. 12). This expression, which denotes the earth’s
four continental land masses with Israel as the center, indicates a worldwide
re-gathering.
3. This re-gathering is not
partial. The return from Babylonia consisted of only a minority of Jews from
the tribe of Judah. In contrast, this final re-gathering includes both
divisions of the kingdom: Israel (Ephraim) and Judah (vv. 12-13).
In addition, Isaiah repeats these two themes; the
complete recovery of the Diaspora and the conversion of the Gentile nations within
a Messianic kingdom context (e.g., 2.2-3; 27.13). He even relates these events
to each other, showing that the Gentile nations will come to Jerusalem to
worship Yahweh, bringing the dispersed Jews with them (42.2; 43.5-6; 49.22-23;
60.4, 9; 66.20). Such a dramatic event can occur only in the Messianic kingdom.
Isaiah next reveals in v. 13 that following this re-gathering of the Jews,
“Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, and Judah will not harass Ephraim.”
Ephraim was one of the two sons of Joseph. His tribe later became the most
powerful of the ten tribes of the northern kingdom. Following the monarchy,
either “Ephraim” or “Israel” was frequently used to identify the northern
kingdom. “Judah” stood for the southern kingdom, which consisted of the tribes
of Judah and Benjamin. Will the distinction and perhaps some of the strife that
existed between the two divisions of ancient Israel someday recur in Israel
(cf. Ezekiel 37.15-28)?
Isaiah adds that at this time “those who harass Judah
will be cut off.” This apparently refers to the defeat of the nations at the
end of the age, when they gather to destroy Judah and Jerusalem (Isaiah 29.7-8;
Joel 3.2, 12; Zechariah 12.2-9; 14.2).
Thus,
throughout vv. 3-13 Isaiah prophesies of a time that can only be understood as
the coming of Messiah at the end of this age to destroy the wicked, to gather
dispersed Jews worldwide and to unite them in a glorious kingdom of peace on
earth.
For a moment, let us skip the focus of our study, v. 14,
and consider the time depicted in the remaining verses of Isaiah 11.
In v. 15 the prophet reveals that Yahweh will destroy the
“tongue of the Sea of Egypt,” probably the Gulf of Suez but maybe the Suez
Canal. About the same time, God will strike the Euphrates River with a
scorching wind. Seven shallow streams will remain, enabling men to cross over
dry shod. These acts are reminiscent of Yahweh’s parting of the waters of the
Red Sea. The purpose of these wonders is either to provide Israel with a route
of attack on its southern and northern neighbors (cf. 27.12) or to make a
passage for the Jews of the Diaspora to return to Israel, or perhaps both.
There is no evidence in Israel’s history that anything like this has ever
happened to these waters. Surely this
prophecy refers to no other time than the coming of Messiah in victory.
In v. 16 Isaiah indicates that some Jews of the Diaspora
will return via an elevated highway extending from Assyria to Israel. This,
too, can only be fulfilled during the millennial kingdom (cf. 19.23; 35.8;
40.3; 62.10).
Many contemporary writers rightly regard Isaiah 12 as a
hymn of thanksgiving which anticipates the Messianic age, the ultimate time of
thanksgiving, comfort and joy.
To sum up, except for v. 14, it has been established that
Isaiah 11.3 - 12.6 pertains exclusively to the coming of Messiah to deliver
Israel from its enemies and establish the promised kingdom.
Because of this context, Isaiah 11.14 can
refer to no other time than the Messianic age.
Messianic
Destruction of Philistia and Jordan
Now we turn to Isaiah 11.14, which reads, “And they will
swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines on the west; together they will
plunder the sons of the east; they will possess Edom and Moab; and the sons of
Ammon will be subject to them.” The Hebrew word translated “swoop” is usually
used to depict a bird of prey swooping down upon its victim. (See Habakkuk
1.8.)
The
Hebrew word rendered “slopes” is literally “shoulder.” It signifies the sloping
Shephelah (“lowland”), which connects the elevated Judean hill country with the
relatively flat, Philistine coastal plain.
In v. 14 Isaiah continues with his previous theme, that
of Ephraim and Judah being united. Together, these Israelites will make a
surprise attack on a people dwelling on their west. Like a bird of prey, they
will swoop down upon the shoulder (Shephelah) of their victim. They presumably
continue their assault upon the inhabitants of the coastal plain. This is implied
in the remainder of the verse, in which the Israelis are seen plundering and
subjugating their eastern adversary. These eastern ancient place names of Edom,
Moab and Ammon comprise modern western Jordan. It must be concluded that the
Israelis would not attack those dwelling to the west if they themselves
possessed that territory.
Notice!
The language of Isaiah 11.14 therefore requires that Israel will not possess
the ancient land of the Philistines in the last days preceding the Messianic
kingdom.
Isaiah does not specifically identify Israel’s western
enemy in Isaiah 11.14. Yet the language, “slopes of the Philistines,” implies
that the Philistines (Palestinians) will then possess the coastal plain and
perhaps part of the Shephelah. (See, however, remarks on Obadiah 19 in Chapter
13.)
Thus, according to Isaiah
11.14, the Philistines will become re-established on the southwestern
coastal plain of Palestine.
This
requires that Israel will someday release the Gaza Strip, either voluntarily or
involuntarily, as well as adjacent land eastward and northward.
Synthesis
of the Last Days
A synthesis of the Hebrew prophecies concerning the last
days provides the following scenario:
1. At the end of this age
the nations’ armies will converge on Israel to annihilate it (Isaiah 29.7; Ezekiel
38-39; Joel 3.2, 12; Micah 4.11—5.1; Zechariah 12.3, 9; 14.2).
2. A Jewish remnant will
gather at the temple in Jerusalem to repent of their sins and pray to God for
deliverance (2 Chronicles 6.24-25; Joel 2.12-17).
3. Messiah will come in
glory to deliver the surviving remnant in Jerusalem and throughout all of
Israel (Isaiah 59.19- 20; Zechariah 9.14-16; 14.3-5).
4. Physically strengthened
and united, these Israelites will join Messiah in destroying the nations’
armies in their land (Isaiah 11.13; 41.11-16; Micah 5.7-9; Zechariah 9.13-15;
10.3-7; 12.6-8; 14.14).
5. The Israelites will
expand their conquest by destroying neighboring nations (Isaiah 11.14; 19.16;
34.5-6; 63.1; Zephaniah 2.4- 5).
6. Gentiles who survive a
worldwide earthquake, fire and other calamities attending the Day of Yahweh
will bring all remaining Jews of the Diaspora to Israel. There they will bow
down and worship Yahweh and His Messiah (Isaiah 14.2; 49.22- 23; 60.3-4).
7. The earth’s curse will be
removed and the earth will be restored to pre-Fall, Edenic conditions (Isaiah
35; 65.17-25). 8. Israel will be glorified as head of the nations and a
blessing to all Gentiles (Deuteronomy 28.13; Zechariah 8.13).
Note: In Isaiah 11:14 Isaiah returns to the
theme he first presented in v. 4, showing that the Israelites will accompany
Messiah in defeating the nations’ armies gathered against Jerusalem and Judea
(Zechariah 10.3-7; 12.3-9; 14.3-4; Joel 3.2, 12) and afterwards in destroying
their surrounding neighbors. Throughout vv. 3-16, however, Isaiah remains
within the timeframe of “that day,” i.e., the Day of Yahweh.
Reestablishment
of Philistia
Like the Jews, many pre-millennial
commentators have not only interpreted from the Bible that Israel will be re-established
before the triumphant coming of Messiah, but that Israel’s ancient neighbors
will re-emerge as well.
Premillennialist William
Kelley was the close associate of J.N. Darby, the “father of dispensationalist.”
In 1871 Kelley expounded on Isaiah 11.14, maintaining that Israel’s neighbors
in antiquity would in the future become re-established in their respective
lands:
As for [Israel’s] plotting
neighbors, they may reappear. . . . It is a favourite infidel argument against
the literal accomplishment . . . that the people mentioned in verse 14 have
disappeared from the stage of history, and therefore that neither the
restoration of Israel nor the events growing out of it can be so understood. But
this is sheer unbelief of the power of God and of the reliability of scripture.
The God Who will bring His hidden ones of Ephraim out of the darkness that
still veils them will disclose the descendants of their old adversaries in due
time, and among these of their neighbours (emphasis added).
Thus, Kelley foresaw the re-establishment of Israel,
Jordan and Philistia. This successor to the father of dispensationalist cannot
therefore be regarded as a Christian Zionist, as are some dispensationalists
today.
After affirming that Isaiah 11.4 refers to God’s anointed
one’s coming in judgment, premillennialist W.E. Vine (author of Vine’s
Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) claims that “the rest of this
chapter depicts millennial conditions.” Concerning vv. 14-15, he explains that
the Jews “will subdue surrounding foes.”
E.H. Plumptre provides a summary of the entire chapter as
it relates to v. 14:
The seer has had revealed to
him the glory of the Messianic kingdom as a restored Eden, full of the
knowledge of Yahweh, the Gentiles seeking light and salvation from it.
Suddenly, he blends this with anticipations that belong to the feelings and
complications of his own time. He sees Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, in
that far future. They will be then as they were in his own times, the
persistent foes of Israel (compare Zephaniah 2:7-9), but will be, at last,
subdued.
In more recent times, J. Barton Payne has authored the
most useful English resource for prophetic students. In his Encyclopedia of
Biblical Prophecy (1973), Payne interprets Isaiah 11.14 literally, that at the
second coming of God’s anointed one, “Israel will despoil the territories of
Philistia, Edom, Moab . . . and Ammon.”
Thus, these men had not only foreseen from Scripture that
Israel would become a nation again, but that Philistia would as well. It must
be concluded from Isaiah 11:14 that the ancient land of Philistia will in the
future become re-established. What else can it be but the Palestinian state?
“All
the regions of Philistia. . . . I will return your recompense on your head”
(Joel 3.4).
The Hebrew prophet Joel wrote about that grand theme of
Holy Scripture; “the day of the Lord,” or “the day of Yahweh.” In that final
Day, Yahweh will manifest His awesome power by destroying the nations that come
against Israel and consummating His plan not only for Israel, but for all
mankind.
In
Joel 3 the prophet implies that Philistia will exist as a separate entity from
Israel at the end of this age. As in Isaiah 11, this can
only be determined by analyzing the context.
Israel’s
Repentance
Joel begins his little book by depicting an unprecedented
invasion of locusts (grasshoppers) over the land of Israel (1.4). To this
pestilence are added drought, fire and famine. The prophet exhorts Israel to
follow King Solomon’s instruction to assemble at the temple during such times
of distress and pray to Yahweh for deliverance (1.13-14; cf. 1 Kings 8.23-61).
Joel himself interprets this invasion of insects as a harbinger of a future
military invasion of the land of Israel. “A great and mighty people” will
attack Israel from the north (2.2, 20) as divine punishment for Israel’s sins.
To what army and time does the prophet refer? If the book
of Joel was written before King Hezekiah’s time, as conservative scholars
generally believe, part of Joel 2 was no doubt fulfilled by Assyrian King
Sennacherib’s assault on Judah in 701 B.C. (2 Kings 18-19). Because good King
Hezekiah prayed at the temple, Jerusalem was delivered when “the angel of Yahweh”
destroyed 185,000 Assyrian troops. Yet some parts of Joel 2 can refer only to
that future invasion of the land of Israel by all the nations’ armies at the
end of the Tribulation, as depicted in Joel 3. For instance, after the invasion
from the north (2.1-9), the gathering of the Israelites at the temple to repent
(vv. 12-17) and the removal of the enemy (v. 20), God says:
19 . . . I will never again
make you a reproach among the nations.
26 . . . Then My people will
never be put to shame.
27 . . . And My people will
never be put to shame.
When will God remove forever the reproach of the Jews? It
will not be until the coming of the Messianic kingdom (Isaiah 25.8).
Thereafter, Jews will never be put to shame (Isaiah 45.17; Ezekiel 39.26).
Joel
2.1-27 must therefore be presenting a dual prophecy which, in addition to
predicting the Assyrian invasion, anticipates the future Messianic deliverance.
Note:
Tribulation often refers in Scripture to Satan-inflicted persecution of God’s
people. The term, “the Tribulation,” appears herein to distinguish it from all
previous periods of tribulation, which have been less severe and/or less
widespread. That is why it is called in the NT, “the great tribulation” (Matthew
24.15; Revelation 7.14). In the OT the same period is called “the time of
Jacob’s distress” (Jeremiah 30.7; cf. Daniel 12.1). The Tribulation lasts three
and a half years. It begins with an act in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem,
when the regular sacrifice is removed and replaced by “the abomination of
desolation.” The Tribulation ends at the coming of Messiah in glory (Daniel
9.27; 11.31-33; 12.11; Matthew 24.15).
Outpouring
of the Spirit and Heavenly Signs
Joel
2.28-32 is further evidence that all of Joel 2 refers to the latter days, as
the following verses attest:
28 And it will come about
after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.
31 The sun will be turned
into darkness and the moon into blood.
The Spirit of God has never been poured out on all
mankind. This will not happen until the Messianic kingdom comes. The words
“after this,” in Joel 2.28, indicate that the outpouring will occur just after
the time previously described, when the invading army will have been removed
(v. 20).
The prophet Joel is increasingly concerned with the
subject of the last days, especially the Day of Yahweh. The same events
recorded in Joel 2.10-11 and 30-32 are further delineated in Joel 3 in a
context which indisputably concerns that final Day (3.14). While Joel 2.1-27
seems to continue the theme presented in the previous chapter; the invasion of
locusts; the language appears figurative, pointing to an invasion of the
nations in the last days. Indeed, an invasion of Israel by its enemies is
definitely the theme of Joel 3.4
Cataclysmic disturbances in the sun and moon in Joel 2.10
and 30-31 are mentioned again in Joel 3.15 (cf. Isaiah 13.9-10; Matthew 24.29;
Revelation 6.12). These astronomical signs have never yet occurred. In that Day,
Yahweh will utter His voice before His army (2.11; cf. Isaiah 42.13; 1 Thessalonians
4.16) from Mount Zion in Jerusalem (3.16). Those who call upon Yahweh will be
delivered and escape the final onslaught (2.32). They are the same ones who
find refuge in Him in Joel 3.16.
Joel
3.1-8:
1
“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of
Judah and Jerusalem,
2
I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat.
Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of my people and my
inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have
divided up my land.
3
They have also cast lots for my people, traded a boy for a harlot, and sold a
girl for wine that they may drink.
4
Moreover, what are you to Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia?
Are you rendering me a recompense? But if you do recompense me, swiftly and
speedily I will return your recompense on your head.
5
Since you have taken my silver and my gold, brought My precious treasures to
your temples,
6
and sold the sons of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks in order to remove them
far from their territory,
7
behold, I am going to arouse them from the place where you have sold them, and
return your recompense on your head.
8
Also I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the sons of
Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans, to a distant nation,” for Yahweh
has spoken (Joel 3.1-8; emphasis added).
Valley
of Jehoshaphat
The words in Joel 3.1, “in
those days and at that time,” refer to the time period last referred to in Joel
2. It is the time immediately preceding and including the “day of the Lord.”
Joel maintains that God will draw all the nations’ armies to the land of
Israel. Their purpose will be to exterminate all the Jews (Joel 3.2; cf. Isaiah
29.7; 34.2; Zechariah 12.3; 14.2). Instead, God will gather them into the
“valley of Jehoshaphat” (meaning “Yahweh judges;” 3.2, 12). There, Yahweh will
destroy the nations for assaulting Israel, dividing its land and selling Jews
into slavery (3.2-3, 12).
Since the 4th century A.D.,
the Valley of Jehoshaphat has been identified as the Kidron Valley, located just outside Jerusalem on the east,
between the temple grounds and the Mount of Olives. It is called a “winepress” or “wine trough” in the Bible because this
is where Messiah will trample the nations’ armies as men trample grapes in a
winepress (Joel 3.13; Isa 63.1-6; Rev 14.18-20; 19.15).
Gentile nations have a long
history of possessing and dividing Yahweh’s land. Although God has used the
nations in disciplining Israel, He will nevertheless hold them responsible for
what they have done to His people. On account of the crimes mentioned by Joel,
Yahweh says to Tyre, Sidon and Philistia, “I will return your recompense on
your head” (3.4, 7).
With this mention of
Philistia we have arrived at the critical passage relating to our theme.
Future
of Tyre, Sidon and Philistia
Most biblical commentators regard Joel 3.4-8 as having
been fulfilled in Israel’s past, with no future fulfillment remaining, yet they
admit that the surrounding context clearly concerns the last days. There has
probably been some fulfillment of Joel 3.4-8 in Israel’s history, though most
evidence offered for it is weak. The following reasons
suggest that Joel 3.4-8
also awaits a future fulfillment:
1. Tyre,
Sidon and Philistia seem to be included among the nations which attack Israel
in the last days. Tyre and Sidon were the foremost cities of the Phoenicians.
The Phoenicians and Philistines were infamous slave traders in antiquity. The word
“They,” which begins v. 3, suggests that many of the nations to be gathered
into the valley, not just Phoenicia and Philistia, sold and scattered the Jews
and divided their land. History affirms this. The word “They” also seems to
disallow severing vv. 4-8 from the context of the last days and restricting
these verses to a past fulfillment.7 A.C. Gaebelein, while admitting a possible
past fulfillment of vv. 4-8, remarks on vv. 7-8, “But the words must also have
their final fulfillment when the nations are in the valley of Jehoshaphat.”8
2. It
is doubtful that the prophet would interrupt the flow of this important
prophetic chapter, which otherwise describes exclusively the last days, with
vv. 4-8 if they refer only to events long past.
For those who would argue that the Philistines will not
exist in the last days, v. 4 only specifies “all the regions of Philistia,”
i.e., the geographic area, and does not identify the Philistines themselves.
Note
that the future Philistia will encompass all of its former territory, not just
the Gaza Strip. Here is evidence that Egypt will relinquish its northeastern
corner of the Sinai, between the Gaza Strip and the Wadi el Arish.
Following the depiction of the Messianic destruction,
God’s retribution on Tyre, Sidon and Philistia is described. The Philistines
and others took God’s silver and gold from Jerusalem (Joel 3.5; cf. 2 Chronicles
21.16-17; 36.10). Now they will honor the Jews with gifts of silver, gold and
other wealth (Isaiah 60.6, 9, 11, 17). With these, the fourth (millennial)
temple will be built (Zechariah 6.12-15; cf. Isaiah 60.10), just as the
tabernacle in the wilderness was constructed with gold from Egypt (Exodus
12.35-36; 30.12-16).
Joel 3.4-8 is no doubt the most difficult Philistia
passage to fit into a yet future scenario. Yet it is certain that it cannot
refer to the Babylonian exile because of v. 6, which portrays Jews being sold
as slaves to the Greeks.
Because of their selling Jews as slaves, God says to
Tyre, Sidon and Philistia, “I will sell your sons and your daughters into the
hand of the sons of Judah, and they will sell them to the Sabeans” (v. 8).
Selling slaves at the beginning of the Messianic kingdom may seem preposterous,
but a characteristic of Messiah’s government is justice. As the nations did to
Israel, so at this time will Israel do to the nations (Obadiah 15).
Isaiah provides further insight into how this justice
will be meted out during the Messianic kingdom. Like Joel, he foresees the Jews
enslaving some Gentiles. Gentiles will gather the remaining Jews of the
Diaspora, “take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of
Israel will possess them [those Gentiles] as an inheritance in the land of Yahweh
as male servants and female servants; and they [the Jews] will take their
captors captive, and will rule over their oppressors” (Isaiah 14.1-2; cf.
49.22-23).
This prophecy by Isaiah can be fulfilled only in the
Messianic kingdom. It was not fulfilled by the returning exiles from Babylonia.
The Persian forces that escorted the Jewish exiles from Babylon to their former
homeland did not include women. Neither did the Persians remain to become the
Jews’ servants (Ezra 8.22; Nehemiah 2.9). The returning exiles never took their
captors; the Babylonians; captive nor ruled over them.
Moreover, this prophecy by Isaiah refers to a time when
Yahweh’s hand will be stretched out against all the nations and a king of
Assyria will be trampled on the mountains of Israel (Isaiah 14.25-26). This
cannot refer to any other time than the Day of Yahweh. That is when He will
destroy the Antichrist, an Assyrian (Isaiah 10.12, 24; 14.25; Micah 5.5-6), by
the hand of God’s anointed one.
It is conceivable that God will bring this retribution of
Joel 3 on the inhabitants of Tyre, Sidon and Philistia on day of Lord - Yahweh,
which immediately follows the Messiah’s return. Perhaps it is then when the
Israelis will sell some of their former enemies to the Sabeans, who were
ancient traders. The Sabeans were inhabitants of Sheba, located on the
southwestern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in present South Yemen. Maybe the
Sabeans will be spared enslavement because they will not participate with the
nations in the final attack on Israel (Ezekiel 38.13).
The prophet Zephaniah writes of a time when all the
nations will bow down to Yahweh (Zephaniah 2.11). This can only refer to the
time of the Messianic kingdom. Just before this, the prophet relates concerning
Israel’s neighboring foes, Moab and Ammon, “The remnant of my people will
plunder them, and the remainder of my nation will inherit them” (2.9). Thus,
the Messianic victory will result in Israel’s acquiring some citizens of both
Philistia and present western Jordan as their servants.
Yet God is not only just, but merciful. Assuming that the
Mosaic civil law prevails throughout the Messianic kingdom, perhaps these
Philistine servants and others will be loosed in the 50th year, the Year of
Jubilee (Leviticus 25.10). That is when all slaves were freed under the
Levitical law.
In Israel’s early history no people “divided up” Israel’s
territory by possessing it more than did the Philistines. The implication of
Joel 3.2-8 is that, in turn, God will give the land of the Philistines to
Israel as a portion of the Promised Land. Indeed He will which is a subject
which the prophet Zephaniah addresses.
ANNEXATION
OF PHILISTIA TO JUDEA
“And
the coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah” (Zephaniah 2.7).
Like Joel, Zephaniah is a prophet of the “day of the
Lord.” The two books are similar and should be compared. Because of its
indefiniteness, however, the small book of Zephaniah has been regarded as one
of the most difficult prophetic books in the Bible to interpret.1 Zephaniah
provides a sweeping general summary of the future.
Notice some material in the first two chapters of
Zephaniah directly corresponds to Zephaniah 3.8-20, as well as end time
material in other prophetic books. This suggests that much of Zephaniah’s book
concerns the last days as well.
Our interest in Zephaniah centers on the prophet’s
mention of the Philistines in Zephaniah 2.4-7. What time is the prophet writing
about? An analysis of the preceding verses is necessary in order to grasp the
context of Zephaniah 2.4-7.
Zephaniah
1
In the first chapter of Zephaniah, the prophet describes
in vv. 2-3 and 14-18 a worldwide destruction. If understood literally, these
events can only describe the end of the world, on the eschatological Day of the
Lord. Note the following examples from Zephaniah, with direct parallels to
other end time passages added in brackets:
2 I will completely remove
all things from the face of the earth. [Cf. Isaiah 24.3.]
3 I will remove man and
beast; I will remove the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, . . . and I
will cut off man from the face of the earth. [Cf. Isaiah 24.6b.]
14 Near is the great day of
the Lord, near and coming very quickly. . . .
18 And all the earth will be
devoured in the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed a
terrifying one, of all
the inhabitants of the earth. [Cf. Zephaniah 3.8; Micah
7.13.]
Zephaniah 1.4-13 portrays God judging sinful Judah and
Jerusalem. These verses have no doubt had some remarkable literal fulfillment
in the assaults on Jerusalem by Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar and Rome’s
General Titus. Nevertheless, because vv. 2-3 and 14-18, were not fulfilled
during those times, Zephaniah 1 must await a final and complete fulfillment in
the end time.
The
Great Day of the Lord
In Zephaniah 1.14 the prophet adds a qualifying word to
the expression, “the day of the Lord.” He specifies “the great day of the
Lord.” Like “the great tribulation,” “the great day of Yahweh” distinguishes it
from any previous “day of the Lord.” On all of those days Yahweh exercised His
power in judgment, yet always with restraint. In contrast, on “the great day,”
the Almighty will pour out all, of His wrath without holding back. It must be
concluded that that great day will be “near,” as Zephaniah says in v. 14, when
Judah and Jerusalem will be assaulted by the nations at the end of the age.
Israel’s
Call to Repent
When the nations attack Jerusalem, Zephaniah exhorts
sinful Israel to gather at the temple, humble itself and repent (cf. Joel
2.12-17). If the Israelites do this, they may escape the onslaught and be
hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger (cf. Joel 2.32; Zechariah 14.5).
Zephaniah
2.1-3:
1 Gather yourselves,
together, yes, gather, O nation without shame,
2 Before the decree takes
effect; the day passes like the chaff; before the burning anger of Yahweh comes
upon you, before the day of Yahweh’s anger comes upon you.
3 Seek Yahweh, all you
humble of the earth who have carried out His ordinances; seek righteousness,
seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden in the day of Yahweh’s anger.
Zephaniah 2.1-3 cannot apply to the Babylonian conquest
in the 6th century B.C. Despite the greatest reforms in Israel’s history under
King Josiah, which occurred immediately beforehand, God said he would still
remove the Southern Kingdom as He had the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 23.25-27).
Long before the Babylonian advance, God’s decree of judgment on those Judeans
was irrevocable. Zephaniah’s call to repentance here clearly refers to the time
of Israel’s destruction at the end of the yet future Tribulation.
Neither was Zephaniah 2.1-3 fulfilled by the Romans’
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. All of those Jews closed up inside became
victims of the siege and final onslaught. Many erroneously thought they could
“be hidden in the day of Yahweh’s anger” (v. 3). Josephus witnessed it all. He
reports that Jerusalem’s citizens hid themselves “in the caves and caverns
underground; whither, . . . they did not expect to be searched for; but
endeavoured that, after the whole city should be destroyed, and the Romans gone
away, they might come out again, and escape from them. This was no better than
a dream of theirs; for they were not able to lie hid either from God or from
the Romans.”
Hiding
Place
How appropriate that God would choose Zephaniah to write
about His hiding place on the Day of the Lord! Zephaniah means “Yahweh hides.”
Sometimes God has a hiding place for the humble who seek Him. The final Day of
the Lord is one of those times. This theme in Zephaniah 2.3 is repeated in
3.12, “I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take
refuge in the name of Yahweh.” The context of this verse exclusively concerns
the end-time. The repentant Jews will be hidden from the awesome wrath that
Yahweh will pour out on the earth at the end of the Tribulation (cf. Zechariah
14.4-5).
With this context established, we now turn to the focus
of our study.
Zephaniah
2.4-7:
4 For Gaza
will be abandoned, and Ashkelon a
desolation; Ashdod will be driven
out at noon, and Ekron will be
uprooted.
5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of
the Cherethites! The word of Yahweh is against you, O Canaan, land of the
Philistines; and I will destroy you, so that there will be no inhabitant.
6 So the seacoast will be pastures, with caves for
shepherds and folds for flocks.
7 And the coast will be for the remnant of the house of
Judah, they will pasture on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at
evening; for Yahweh their God will care for them and restore their fortune.
Messianic
Destruction of Philistia
Following the predicted invasion of Judah and Jerusalem
and the exhortation to repent, in Zephaniah 2.4-5 the prophet describes an
invasion and destruction of Philistia on the Day of the Lord (cf. v. 2). Only
four cities of the Philistine pent polis are mentioned. By Zephaniah’s time,
Gath had declined (cf. 2 Chronicles 26.6). The Cherethites of v. 5 lived just
south of the Philistines, on the coastal plain toward Egypt. As mentioned in
Chapter 2, they are probably to be regarded as a branch of the Philistines.
As in Zephaniah 1, the destroying power is not
specifically identified. Could it be the aforementioned Jews at Jerusalem, who
will have escaped destruction on account of their repentance? Indeed, this
becomes evident in the verses which follow, and it corresponds with other
prophets.
In Zephaniah 2.4-15 it is not only the nation of Philistia
that Yahweh will destroy, but also Moab and Ammon (present Jordan), Ethiopia
and Assyria. These are Israel’s enemies according to the four directions of the
compass.
Concerning the inhabitants of the land presently known as
Jordan, Zephaniah proclaims: “The remnant of my people will plunder them, and
the remainder of my nation will inherit them” (v. 9). It is therefore the Jews
who will destroy Jordan. They are likely, then, the same power who will
overtake Philistia. But could these predicted destructions of Philistia and
Jordan have already been completely fulfilled in the Hasmonean era, under
Alexander Jannaeus, and therefore require no further fulfillment? Not at all!
Following Jordan’s destruction, Zephaniah claims “all the
coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him [Yahweh], everyone from his own
place” (v. 11; cf. Isaiah 45.23; Romans 14.11; Philippians 2.10-11). This is
unmistakably the universal worship of Yahweh during the Messianic kingdom.
Therefore, all these judgments will most likely occur at the same end-time.
H.A. Ironside regards all of Zephaniah 2 as a picture of the time of the end.
Judah then will be much in the position she occupied in Zephaniah’s day; in the
land, surrounded by enemies, a feeble remnant, crying “How long, O Lord?” the
mass, apostate and swayed by Antichrist. . . . And their enemies who have
glorified over their helplessness shall become the objects of [the Lord’s]
avenging wrath, preparatory to the ushering in of the world-kingdom of our God
and His anointed one Jesus.
Coastland
for Judah
The Hebrew word chebel, which appears three times in vv.
5-7, is translated “seacoast” and “coast.” It means “a measuring cord,” and
here it denotes a “country” or “region.”7 The district of the Philistines is
intended, with its four cities bound together as one whole.8 Thus, prior to the
Messianic destruction, the entire Philistine coastal plain will designate a
region separate from Judea, a nation of the Philistines.
Verse 7, “the coast will be for the remnant of the house
of Judah” implies that this region is not possessed by the Judeans immediately
prior to the Day of Yahweh. Only after Philistia is conquered on that Day will
it belong to the remnant of Judah forever.
This
passage cannot be regarded as completely fulfilled during Israel’s past. Even
during the Hasmonean occupation of most of the Plain of Philistia, the Jews
never retained the enlarged district of Ashkelon.
Furthermore, Zechariah relates concerning the Jews, that
“in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down at evening” (v. 7). Israel’s physical
security and financial blessing, indicated in v. 7, is so complete that it
cannot pertain to either the post-exilic return or modern Israel, but only to
the Messianic kingdom. The “lying down” is also mentioned in Zephaniah 3.13 in
an exclusively Messianic context. Only at that time “Israel will do no wrong
and tell no lies,” and there will be “no one to make them tremble.” Verse 7 is
echoed at the end of Zephaniah: “I will give you renown and praise among all
the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes”
(3.20). The contexts of these verses, as well as their similarities to Zephaniah
2.7, suggest that Zephaniah 2.7, indeed, all of Zephaniah 2.1-7, awaits an end-time
fulfillment.
Annexation
of All the Promised Land
The prophet Isaiah prophesied concerning the annexation
of the remaining Promised Land in the early days of the glorious Messianic
kingdom:
26.1 In that day this song
will be sung in the land of Judah:..
26.15 “Thou hast increased
the nation, O Lord, Thou hast increased the nation, Thou art glorified;
Thou
hast extended all the borders of the land.”
54.3 For you will spread
abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations,
and they will resettle the desolate cities (emphasis added).
The Messianic destruction will encompass the entire
Promised Land; “The Lord will start His threshing from the flowing stream of
the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt” (Isaiah 27.12; cf. 9.4-5).
The Messianic destruction will be immediately followed by
the promised ingathering. He will “multiply the nation” (Isaiah 9.3), gathering
all Jews remaining from the Diaspora (Isaiah 27.13). Upon their arrival they
will say, “The place is too cramped for me; make room for me that I may live
here” (Isaiah 49.20).
Then Yahweh will extend the borders of Israel to include
all of the Promised Land (Micah 7.11). He will settle Jews east and north, in
“the land of Gilead and Lebanon, until no room can be found for them” (Zechariah
10.10). They will “feed in Bashan and Gilead [present northwestern Jordan] as
in days of old” (Micah 7.14), when the two and a half tribes lived east of the
Jordan River. But Israel will not only annex territory to the east.
Isaiah says the Israelites will spread both right and
left, meaning east and west (Isaiah 54.3). Although the entire western border
of land which modern Israel now controls is the Mediterranean Sea, this cannot
mean that the present return fulfills Isaiah 54.3. Isaiah 54 clearly portrays
the Messianic kingdom. Only then will Israel no more feel humiliated or
disgraced (v. 4), or will Israel’s sons be taught the Lord and be far from
oppression and fear (vv. 13-14).
Israel cannot spread to the left if its western border is
the Mediterranean Sea, as it is presently. Therefore,
between now and the coming of the Messianic kingdom, a portion of the
Mediterranean coast will be severed from the State of Israel, presumably to
form the Palestinian state (Philistia).
Thus, when Messiah comes to establish His glorious
kingdom, Israel will be extended in every direction. The following lands will
be annexed: the Sinai in the south, western Jordan to the east, Lebanon and
much of Syria in the north and Philistia on the west.
Zephaniah 2.4-7, combined with Isaiah 54.3 and 26.15,
makes it certain that the State of
Israel will not possess the Philistine Plain in the end-times preceding the
Messianic kingdom. Yet Israel will thereafter be enlarged by Yahweh to include
all of Philistia.
Psalms
60 and 108: Defeat of the Philistines
The book of Psalms was the Hebrews’ hymnal. It consisted
of 150 poems set to music. King David composed many of them out of his own
experiences. God sometimes spoke through David as He did through the prophets.
Accordingly, some of these psalms go beyond David’s life to predict the
sufferings and triumphs of Messiah.
A subtitle appended to Psalm 60 reveals that it was
occasioned by the most notable victory in David’s military career. This battle
against the Mesopotamians in Syria may prefigure Messiah’s “battle on the great
day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16.14 NIV; cf. 19.11-21), known popularly as
Armageddon.
Psalms 60.6-12 and 108.7-13 are almost identical. They
celebrate military victories by the Jews over their neighbors. Verses from
Psalm 60, also in Psalm 108.7-9, read as follows in the RSV:
2 Thou hast made the land to quake, thou hast rent it
open; repair its breaches, for it totters.
6 God has spoken in his sanctuary: “With exultation I
will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph”
(emphasis added).
Such victories by Israel over its neighbors have never
occurred. In v. 8, “casting the shoe” is an idiom signifying possession. Israel
will indeed conquer and possess Edom (southwestern Jordan) when the Messianic
age begins (cf. Isaiah 34.5-17; 63.1; Joel 3.19; Obadiah 18-19). Likewise,
shouting over Philistia indicates God’s victory, accomplished through a united
Ephraim and Judah (vv. 7,9-12), over the inhabitants of the Plain of Philistia.
And we have already seen that during the Messianic age, Israel will possess
Gilead, Bashan, Ammon and Moab (northwestern and central western Jordan).
Psalm 60.2 identifies the time of this psalm. It pictures
a great earthquake that causes huge cracks in the earth’s surface. This bears
striking similarity to cataclysmic disturbances depicted in other apocalyptic
scriptures (e.g., Isaiah 24.18-20; Revelation 6.12; 16.18). These suggest that
Psalm 60 pertains to the end-time as well. In that case, Yahweh will accomplish
these victories in vv. 6-8 by Messiah’s leading Israel in battle on the final
Day of the Lord - Yahweh.
If
Psalm 60 and 108 refer to Messianic victories, they indicate that Philistia
will exist in the latter days as a country separate from Israel. As with the
other conquered neighbors, it too will be annexed to Israel.
Obadiah
15-21: Israel Will Possess Philistia
Obadiah 15-21 depicts Yahweh’s judgment at the end of
this age. Portions of this passage appear below.
15 For the day of the Lord
draws near on all the nations.
16 Because just as you drank
on My holy mountain, all the nations will drink and swallow, and become as if
they had never existed.
17 But on Mount Zion there
will be those who escape, and it will be holy. And the house of Jacob will
possess their possessions.
19 Then those of the Negev
will possess the mountain of Esau, and those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain; . . .
21 . . . And the kingdom
will be Yahweh’s (emphasis added).
Near the end of the Tribulation, all the nations’ armies
will gather at Armageddon to attack Israel (Revelation 16.16). What they won’t
know is that God will be gathering them there and into the Kidron Valley to destroy them (Joel 3.14). Upon taking Jerusalem,
the nations’ leaders will celebrate with a toast on Mount Zion (Obadiah 16).
But the tide will turn. At the coming of Messiah in glory, Mount Zion will
become the rallying place for Israelis who survive the nations’ slaughter.
Following the Messianic destruction of the nations’ armies, Israelis will possess
the spoil (Zechariah 14.1, 14; Ezekiel 39.10). Only then can it be said that
Zion “will be holy” (Obadiah 17).
Obadiah 19-21 means that Israelis living in southern
Israel (“those of the Negev”) will take possession of their neighbors’ lands to
the east and west. Was this scripture fulfilled by the Hasmonean Kingdom in the
early 1st century B.C.? That was certainly not a time in which it could be
said, “Mount Zion . . . will be holy” or “the kingdom will be the Lord’s” (vv.
17, 21). Note that the Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus, who accomplished much
land expansion, was a cruel and godless tyrant. Instead, this passage more
aptly describes the Messianic era, as is generally maintained by Jewish
commentators. It is only then will the kingdom of Israel truly belong to
Yahweh. Even non-premillennialist C.F. Keil concludes concerning Obadiah, “the
fulfillment of vv. 17-21 can only belong to the Messianic times . . . in a
complete fulfillment at the second coming of our Lord.”
Obadiah
19: indicates that the Israelis will already possess both the Negev and the
Shephelah near the end of the Tribulation, but not southwestern Jordan or the
Philistine Plain. Messianic victories, however, will result in Israel’s
annexing both of these territories as part of the Promised Land.
Turning
to the present Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Obadiah 19 is the only biblical
passage which expressly identifies the future border between Israel and the
Palestinian state as the western edge of the Shephelah, their common border in
ancient times.
Here is additional evidence that the land dispute between
the Israelis and the Palestinians will be resolved according to historical
precedent.
Conclusion
On
the final Day of Yahweh, Messiah will come to lead the Israelis in conquering
their enemies. Neighboring lands, including Philistia, will afterwards be
annexed to Israel. Then all Jews will realize that neither they nor their
forefathers could obtain the Promised Land by their own shrewdness and
strength. Instead, the Jews will know that Yahweh, their Sovereign God, gives
them all the land He promised, including the Plain of Philistia. But it will
only happen according to His timing and plan, when they repent and turn to Him.
Note:
The Philistine Plain will thus be annexed to Judea in the Messianic kingdom,
and the Philistine (Palestinian) remnant will be incorporated into the Jewish
population.
Being “like a clan in Judah,” they will enjoy a greater
status than the alien or sojourner did in ancient Israel (e.g., Exodus 12.45;
20.11; Leviticus 25.35). Philistine (Palestinian) sons will be like native-born
Jews in Israel.
The prophet Ezekiel claims that during the Messianic
kingdom, aliens will receive an inheritance of land in Israel, just as the Jews
will:
So you shall divide this land among yourselves according
to the tribes of Israel. And it will come about that you shall divide it by lot
for an inheritance among yourselves and among the aliens who stay in your
midst, who bring forth sons in your midst. And they shall be to you as the native-born
among the sons of Israel; they shall be allotted an inheritance with you among
the tribes of Israel. And it will come about that in the tribe with which the
alien stays, there you shall give him his inheritance (Ezekiel 47.21-23).
Thus, each surviving Palestinian family will be allotted
its inheritance of land in expanded Eretz Israel. Palestinians will probably be
allotted land in their homeland of Philistia. Thereafter, Yahweh will no longer
permit Israelis to buy and keep Palestinian land, as they have done in the 20th
century. Instead, every 50th year, during the Year of Jubilee, everything,
including real estate, will revert to its original owner (Leviticus 25.10).
“I
Will Camp Around My House”
Zechariah 9.8 offers overwhelming evidence that this
prophecy regarding the Philistines has never been completely fulfilled in
history. Nonetheless, Alexander’s activities remarkably fit this verse.
Josephus provides a fascinating account of Alexander the
Great. When he was about to destroy Tyre, the Macedonian king sent messengers
to Jerusalem requesting provisions for his army and promising reward. Yaddua,
the honorable high priest, refused on account of his previous oath to Persian
King Darius.
Alexander became enraged. He swore he would do to
Jerusalem what he was about to do to Tyre and in this way teach all men to whom
they ought to perform their oaths. After destroying Tyre, however, he passed by
Jerusalem on his way south along the Philistine coast to Gaza.
Except for Gaza, all of the Philistine cities surrendered
to Alexander. Gaza, which means “strong,” had a history like that of Tyre, of
surviving long sieges. Yet after a two-month siege, Alexander’s troops stormed
Gaza. In v. 5 Zechariah had predicted that “the king will perish from Gaza.” In
a brutal display of triumph, Alexander dragged the king of Gaza behind his
chariot throughout the city.
After destroying Gaza, Alexander headed hastily northeast
to fulfill his threat against Jerusalem. Josephus explains that when Alexander
approached Jerusalem, he saw the high priest in his priestly attire coming out
to meet him. Alexander’s troops thought him mad when he dismounted and bowed
down to the high priest.
Josephus relates that when Alexander had earlier been
contemplating how he might overtake Asia, he had had a dream. In it someone in
priestly garments and headdress, exactly like this priest, assured the warrior
that God had given him Asia. Thus, the priest appeared to Alexander as a divine
portent, and the warrior changed his mind about destroying Jerusalem.
Alexander’s movements in relation to Jerusalem appear to
fulfill remarkably the first half of Zech 9.8, “but I will camp around my house
because of an army, because of him who passes by and returns.”
Most commentators think “My house” refers to the temple
at Jerusalem or to the city itself. God did indeed “camp around [His] house”
when Alexander passed by and returned.
The Jewish Targum, however, maintains that Zechariah 9.8a
is an amplification of the security of Jerusalem during the Messianic kingdom,
described earlier in Zechariah 2.4-5, 10.5 In these verses an angel assures
Zechariah: “Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls, because of the multitude
of men and cattle within it. ‘For I,’ declares Yahweh, ‘will be a wall of fire
around her, and I will be the glory in her midst’” (cf. Ezekiel 39.26).
Zechariah 2.11 also depicts the same conversion of the nations during the
Messianic kingdom as described in Isaiah 2.3 and Micah 4.1-2. Kimchi, eminent
medieval Jewish commentator, comments on the entirety of Zechariah 2, “It is
certain that this vision is of the future, referring to the days of Messiah.” Accordingly,
the similarity of Zechariah 2.4-5 to 9.8a suggests that the latter describes
the Messianic kingdom as well. Unger and Tatford regard all of Zechariah 9.8 as
being fulfilled exclusively in the end time.
The
Antichrist: Israel’s Last Oppressor
The one who “passes by and returns” in v. 8 not only
refers to Alexander the Great but also to Israel’s last and worst oppressor—the
final Antichrist. The Antichrist will one day make a seven-year covenant with
Israel but break it with three and a half years left (Daniel 9.26-27). Near the
end of this period, the Antichrist will pass through “the Beautiful Land” of
Israel on his way to subdue Egypt then return (Daniel 11.40-45). Then he will
lead all the nations in an effort to destroy helpless Israel.
Suddenly, Messiah will appear and destroy the great
oppressor; the Antichrist. Henceforth, Yahweh will “camp around His house”
forever.
No
More Oppressors
The second half of Zechariah 9.8 certainly never came to
pass following Alexander’s visit to Jerusalem. It reads “and no oppressor will
pass over them anymore.” The Jews continued to suffer under various Gentile
oppressors, even some of their own, like Alexander Jannaeus.
Furthermore, if Zechariah meant for his prophecy in v. 8b
to refer to any period other than the end-time, he would be contradicting
himself in Zechariah 12.3 and 14.2. There, the prophet relates that all the
Gentile nations will besiege Jerusalem and Judah in the end-time, destroying
two-thirds of the population (13.9). Then Messiah will come to deliver the
surviving Jewish remnant (14.4-5). Until then it cannot be said that “no
oppressor will pass over them anymore.”
For a long time God “hid His face” from Israel (Deuteronomy
32.20; Isaiah 8.17; Hosea 5.15), turning the sinful nation over to domination
by the Gentiles. God no longer “shined His face” upon Israel, a Hebrew idiom
indicating divine blessing and protection. Thus, the Messianic deliverance of
Israel is immediately preceded by Yahweh turning His face back upon Israel to
view with compassion the suffering, penitent nation (Ezekiel 39.23, 29). This
is the meaning of Yahweh’s words, “For now I have seen with my eyes” (Zechariah
9.8b).
Reestablishment
of the Philistines
The least that can be said of Zechariah 9.1 -8 is that,
despite some fulfillment in Alexander’s career, vv. 7-8 still awaits a future,
complete consummation. In sum, three things prophesied in Zechariah 9.7-8 have
not yet happened:
1. The conversion of the
Philistines to the God of Israel.
2. The assimilation of the
Philistines into the Jewish population.
3. God’s establishment of
perfect and everlasting security for
the nation of Israel.
These points suggest that not only vv. 7-8, but the
entire section of vv. 1-8 awaits a complete fulfillment at the end of this age.
Accordingly,
a people called the Philistines must again become a recognizable people
dwelling in their ancient homeland.
Indeed, this is the interpretation provided by perhaps
the preeminent American premillennial expositor of the early 20th century. A.C.
Gaebelein claimed not only that Israel would someday be re-established in its
ancient homeland, but that Israel’s ancient neighbors would re-emerge in their
lands as well. Gaebelein wrote about Zechariah 9.1-8:
This puts before us again the final deliverance of
Jerusalem and Israel’s land . . . A final destructive visitation will be upon
the enemies of Israel and Jerusalem; in fact, many of the ancient foes of
Israel are seen revived in prophecy in the latter days, then to be swept away,
while Jerusalem will again be miraculously saved (emphasis added).
Premillennialist H.A. Ironside agreed substantially with
Gaebelein’s comment on Zechariah 9.1-8. He remarked that these verses
“evidently have a double application, setting forth, as they do, the past
overthrow of the kingdoms ere the first coming of the Lord . . . as well as the
future doom of the powers which will be in those lands when comes the final
triumph of the King of kings.”
Premillennialist Charles Feinberg concurs concerning all
of Zechariah 9.1-8: “The section before us has a double application: it sets
forth the past judgment upon the kingdoms surrounding Israel as well as the
future punishment that awaits the enemies of God’s people which will be living
in lands contiguous to Palestine.”
Israel’s
Destruction of Philistia
Much of Zech 9.9-17 relates to the same period of time as
that of vv. 1-8.11 consequently, these two sections of Zech 9 should not be
separated from one another, as is frequently done by commentators. The Hebrew
prophets often wrote thematically rather than chronologically. They would fade
in and out between a near and a far-distant future event. Such is the case with
Zechariah 9.7-17.
The Messianic destruction is depicted in vv. 7-8. In v. 9
the prophet presents Messiah riding in humility into Jerusalem on a donkey, a
prediction which Christians believe was fulfilled by Jesus. In vv. 10-17
Zechariah returns to the time-frame of vv. 7-8, when the Jews will take
possession of all of the Promised Land and Messiah’s “dominion will be from sea
to sea” (v. 10).
Most interpreters, even some premillennialists,
exclusively restrict fulfillment of Zech 9.11-17 to the Maccabeus era in the
2nd century B.C. However, the Scofield Bible, both the old and new editions,
correctly notes that “after the King is introduced in v. 9, the following
verses look forward to the end time and the kingdom.”13 Zechariah 9.11-15 no
doubt finds some fulfillment in the wars of the Maccabeus. Yet vv. 13-17 bears
such striking resemblance to chapters 12 and 14 that they must also depict the
Messianic victory in which the Jews will participate.
It therefore seems that nearly all of Zechariah 9-14
applies to the last days. A chronological scenario of the events of these
chapters appears to be as follows:
1. The nations will attack
Israel in the last days (12.2-3,9; 14.2,16).
2. Yahweh will deliver the remnant of Israel
through His Messiah (9.9-10; 10.11; 14.4).
3. Messiah will lead the
invigorated Israelis in a crushing defeat of their neighbors (9.10-15; 10.3-7;
12.5-9; 14.14).
4. Israel will take possession of the entire
Promised Land (9.5-7; 10.10).
Conclusion
The Hebrew prophets predict that in the end of this age
the land of Philistia will belong to non-Jews, sometimes called “Philistines.”
It
appears that today’s Palestinians will fulfill the prophecy of those people
designated Philistines, and that they will have their independent state in the
Philistine Plain. When the State of Palestine becomes established in its land
it will be, one more sure evidence that Almighty God has spoken through His
prophets.
Only Yahweh knows and controls the future
A Day is coming when God will remember the Jews. In the
midst of their greatest suffering ever, He will turn to them with compassion,
sending His Messiah to deliver them from their enemies and to bring the
glorious kingdom to earth. God will finally give Israel all of the Promised
Land, including the Philistine Plain. Eretz Israel will stretch from the
Euphrates River to the Wadi el Arish and from the Mediterranean Sea to the
Arabian Desert.
But Yahweh is not only the God of the Jews; He is the God
over all the earth. When His kingdom comes, He will remember not only Israel
but all who have ever bowed before His authority and put their trust in Him.
They will all be rewarded in that Day.
In
those days of universal peace and glory, Palestinians and Jews will live
together as brothers and sisters in the Promised Land. Palestinians will be
full citizens of Israel. They will be like a cherished clan in Jerusalem. And
the chosen people; the Jews; will fulfill their destiny to be a blessing to the
Palestinians and to all the peoples of the earth forevermore.
Note:
The present return of Jews to the land of Israel is not
described in Scripture as God’s promised re-gathering. The present and future
returns can be distinguished in the following ways:
1. The present return is partial. In contrast, God’s
promised re-gathering will include every Jew throughout the world (Isaiah
43.5-7; 49.18; 66.20; Ezekiel 36.10; 39.28).
2. The present return has been a gradual process. God’s
promised re-gathering will be accomplished in days, not decades, as the
Gentiles bring the Jews back to the land (Isaiah 11.11-12; 60.9).
3. The present return is a return in unbelief. In
contrast, the Jews of the future return will be called “the holy people” (Isaiah
62.11-12; cf. Zephaniah 3.9-10). Zionism is a secular movement.
Furthermore, along with the rest of the world, Israel is predicted
to apostatize (fall away from truth and righteousness) toward the end of the
age (Deuteronomy 31.29).
4. The future return will be preceded by the Jews’
humility and repentance. Unconverted Israeli Jews will begin to repent and seek
God at the end of the age (Isaiah 59.20; Joel 2.12-17); Jews of the Diaspora
will do likewise throughout the world (Deuteronomy 4.27-30; 30.1-5; Hosea
3.4-5). Then God will gather the dispersed Jews back to the land of Israel (Isaiah
60.4, 9). Upon their arrival, their humility will become even more pronounced,
after which they will realize total forgiveness (Zechariah 12.10; Ezekiel
36.24, 32).
5. The future return will be accompanied by an
instantaneous conversion of the entire nation of Israel. At the future return,
Israel will be spiritually reborn in a day (Isaiah 66.8, 20). God will put both
His Spirit and a new heart in every Jew, after which they will keep His
commandments forever (Jeremiah 31.31-34; Ezekiel 36.26-27; 39.29).
6. The present return is restricted chiefly to the
historical land of Israel, whereas the future return will pertain to all of the
Promised Land (Isaiah 49.20; 54.3; Obadiah 19; Micah 7.11, 14; Zephaniah 2.7;
Zechariah 10.10).
7. The future return will begin during, or soon after,
the Messianic conquest of the nations (Isaiah 10.16-23; Jeremiah 30.3-7; Daniel
12.1; Zechariah 10.5-12).
8. The future return will be accomplished by Gentiles
escorting Jews back to their land. Many of these Gentiles will become their
servants (Isaiah 14.2; 35.10; 49.18-23; 66.20).
9. God’s promised re-gathering will commence the promised
Messianic kingdom. This is indicated by the context of many of the above
passages.
Ezekiel
36-37
Perhaps the most prominent passage which is mistakenly
applied to the present return is Ezekiel 36-37.5 These two chapters provide
some of the most vivid and cherished prophecies in the Hebrew Bible: “O
mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for my
people Israel; for they will soon come. . . . O house of Israel, . . . I will
take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into
your own land. . . . Everyone who passed by . . . will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of
Eden’” (Ezekiel 36.8, 10, 22, 24, 34-35).
1. It will be a complete re-gathering of “all of the
house of Israel, all of it” (36.10).
2. There will be no more bloodshed in Israel and Jews
will never again be bereaved of their children (36.14).
3. Israel will no longer hear insults from the nations
nor bear any disgrace (36.15).
4. God will cleanse all Jews from their sins upon their
arrival in the land of Israel, and He will enable them to keep His commandments
(36.25-28; 39.29; Joel 2.28-32).
5. All Jews will thereafter worship God (36.11, 28, 38).
6. The nations will know that Yahweh is God (36.36;
37.28; 39.23).
Also to be considered is the scriptural principle that
God hides His face from Israel until the nation repents (Deuteronomy 31.17-
18;
32.20-21; Isaiah 6.9-10; 30.20; 45.15; 54.8; 64.7; Ezekiel 39.29; Hosea 5.15;
Romans 11.25). God hiding from Israel further precludes the present return
being His promised ingathering.
Even though God has turned away from Israel, He still
desires that individual Jews repent and turn to Him. “‘Return to me,’ declares Yahweh
of hosts, ‘that I may return to you’” (Zechariah 1.3; cf. Malachi 3.7). When
the nation of Israel does begin to repent at the end of this age, God will turn
to shine His face on His covenant people. Then He will finally gather all Jews
to the land of Israel and bless them abundantly, just as He promised to their
father Abraham.
From Palestine is Coming by Kermit Zarley and edited by Bruce Lyon
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