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HABAKKUK’S PROPHECY of THE
DAY OF THE LORD
Habakkuk ministered for
about 10 years to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
This was from 608 to 598 BCE
(3517 -3527 AH).
His primary message was a
warning to Judah about the impending 5th cycle of discipline at the
hands of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 605 BCE. This is recorded in chapters
one and two. He ends this record of his ministry with an expression of total
trust in God in the face of the destruction of his nation. Verses 3:16-19.
But sandwiched in between
that expression of faith, and the indictment on the nation, is a look to the
END-TIMES at verses 3:3-15.
In verses 1-2, the national discipline of
605 to 536 BCE is used as a launching pad to look forward to the deliverance
of the nation from its invaders during the DAY OF THE LORD.
This is represented by the
term, “in the midst of the years” at verse 3:2; a term not used anywhere else
in the Bible.
In this section, chapter
3:3-15, the context is the time of God’s wrath during the day of the LORD. The
great tribulation will have been brought to an end, being interrupted by the
return of Jesus in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (Mat.
24:21-30).
But the nation of Israel is
still under national discipline from God.
See Topic: Israel’s National Discipline
At Habakkuk 3:2, “in wrath
remember mercy,” indicates the fact of continued discipline still in place
upon the nation of Israel.
The prophet's faith-rest prayer anticipates God's deliverance of the nation
from the Babylonian invasion. He trusts God's wisdom and timing for personal
protection and national preservation.
As the prophet's message extends far into the future to the time of Jacob's
distress and God's deliverance of the nation, he sees the judgment on Edom
and the nations what will invade Palestine.
THE TIME OF INDIGNATION
At Isaiah 26:20, the Jews of
the land are told to
“enter into your rooms,
And close the door behind you;
Hide for a little while,
Until indignation runs its course.”
This INDIGNATION refers to the national
discipline on Israel that has been effect since 70 AD. But the focus is
primarily on the 4th phase of that discipline - the time of Jacob's distress
which will BEGIN with the great tribulation. That period of discipline has 4
phases to it.
1. The nation's priestly function will be taken away. Mat.
21:43.
2. Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed. Mat. 23:38; Lk. 19:43-44;
21:22-24.
3. The people will be scattered throughout the world. Lk. 21:24
4. A specific future "time of Jacob's distress." Jer. 30:4-11.
This will begin with the great tribulation and be finished
after the battle of Armageddon.
That final
phase of national discipline will come to an end THROUGH the events
initiated by the arrival of the Lord at the DAY OF THE
LORD.
That is, the events that are initiated at His return will culminate with the
end of Israel's discipline and the nation's restoration to blessing in the
Messiah's earthly kingdom.
Isaiah 26:21, “For behold, Yahweh is about to come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed,
And will no longer cover her slain.”
“My
people” are to hide and therefore BE PROTECTED until the danger is gone. These
"my people" are those Jews who hold onto the standards of their culture
founded upon the Mosaic law. They will resist beast worship and find shelter
in the mountainous wilderness of Edom, Moab and Ammon. These are described
at Rev. 12:6-16 as "the woman who fled into the
wilderness where she had a place prepared by God so that she might be
nourished for 1260 days."
The indignation will "run its course" by means of the PRESENCE (parousia) of
Jesus the Messiah, and after the events of the day of the Lord.
The day of the Lord judgments will pave the way for ALL Israel to be saved
(Rom. 11:26). After Armageddon, during the 45 days before the kingdom (Dan.
12:12), all the unbelieving Jews (fat sheep) will be removed from the earth,
and the believing Jews (lean sheep) will go alive into the earthly kingdom
(Ezk. 34:17-22).
Only
Israel
is shown to us as HIDING and being protected for 1260 days in the wilderness –
during the time that –
1. The tribulation is going on: From the midpoint of the week until it is cut
short approximately between 6 to 18 months before the end of the week.
2. And during the Day-of-the-LORD judgments: From the arrival of the Lord
until the battle of Armageddon – 30 days after the end of the week. (Daniel
12:11
and Revelation 11, 15-16).
The
people of Israel
who will be hiding in the wilderness area of Edom are not delivered until the
Lord's physical descent ONTO the earth during the Armageddon campaign. This is shown to us
at Revelation 12:6, 13-16 compared with Matthew 24:16-18 and Daniel 11:41.
When Jesus descends ONTO the earth, He goes first to Edom (Isaiah 63:1; Hab.
3:3; Isaiah 34:5-6). This seems to be because the inhabitants of this
“Edomite” area will be oppressing the Jews who are hiding in the mountains.
(Obadiah 1:10-14; Ezekiel 35:1-9).
In Isaiah, the word, indignation (zaam) is used of national discipline and for
the Day of the Lord judgments. It is not used in Isaiah to designate the
tribulation. However, the tribulation of Daniel 12:1 is an extension of
NATIONAL discipline on Israel. So that discipline extends beyond the time of
tribulation until the end of Day of the Lord judgments. In fact, Israel, as a
people and nation – still in rejection of Jesus and under discipline – are warned by God that the
arrival of the Messiah at the Day of the Lord will be for them a day of
darkness and not light (cursing rather than blessing). Amos 5:18-20.
It
seems best then, to view this “indignation” at Isaiah 26:20 as the time of
discipline on the nation of
Israel, which will not be concluded until AFTER the battle of Armageddon.
REMOVAL OF
NATIONAL DISCIPLINE
There will come a time
when Israel’s national discipline will be removed.
“In wrath REMEMBER MERCY.”
And at Jeremiah 30:7, "but he will be delivered from it (the time of Jacob's
distress)."
Isaiah speaks often of this
national blessing.
Isaiah 40:1-2
This refers to the restoration of Israel through the removal of her national
discipline.
“Comfort, O comfort My people, says your God. Speak kindly to Jerusalem
And call out to her that her warfare has ended,
That her iniquity has been removed,
That she has received of Yahweh’s hand
double for all her sins.”
1.
The word for warfare is tsAbhA. It can refer to warfare or hard service.
In context, Israel has been out under the 5th cycle of national
discipline since 605 BCE.
And actually many years before that in the 4th cycle of discipline.
2. Even though the nation was restored from the Babylonian captivity in 536
BCE
with the decree of Cyrus, it still remained under the 4th cycle
until 70 AD.
In 70 AD, the nation was once again placed under the 5th cycle of
discipline
where it will remain until the Messiah delivers it during the Day of the Lord.
The DOUBLE comfort is for the DOUBLE payment for her sins.
The double payment is (1) the Babylonian captivity from 605 to 536 BCE,
and (2) from 70 AD until the restoration of the nation after Armageddon.
That is why Isaiah teaches about the Messiah’s first advent (40:3-8)
and His second advent (40:9-11) as the basis for national restoration.
3.
The period of her “hard service” is the period of Hosea 3:4-5
”For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince,
without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.
AFTERWARD, the sons of Israel will return and seek Yahweh their God and David
their king; and they will come trembling to Yahweh and to His goodness in the
last days.”
and
Hosea 5:14-15
”For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of
Judah,
I, even I, will tear to pieces and go away,
I will carry away, and there will be none to deliver.
I will go away and return to my place
Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
The “affliction” refers to the time of discipline with emphasis on the great
tribulation.
The tribulation will begin at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week
and continue until the Lord arrives in the clouds of the sky with power and
great glory (Mat. 24:21-30).
However, even though the GREAT tribulation will have ended, God’s discipline
on the nation will continue until Jesus descends physically ONTO the earth
during the Armageddon campaign and destroys all the nations that have
assembled in Palestine and around Jerusalem.
At
Luke 21:22-24 Jesus gives the duration of the time of discipline.
”Because these are the days of vengeance, in order that all things which are
written may be fulfilled . . . for there will be great calamity upon the
land, and wrath to this people, and they will fall by the edge of the sword,
and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled
under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”
THE
TIMES OF THE GENTILES
A. Jesus told the disciples that, “Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by
the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” Luke 21:24
At Revelation 11:2, the temple in Jerusalem “has been given to the
nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.”
B. The “times of the Gentiles” extends from the Babylonian captivity of 605
BCE until removal of the abomination of desolation 30 days after the end
of the 70th week of Daniel. It has three stages.
1. The first stage is from the Babylonian captivity until 70 AD.
2. The second stage is from the destruction of the nation in 70
AD
until the start of the great tribulation.
3. The third stage is from the midpoint of the 70th week,
the
start of the tribulation, until after the battle of
Armageddon, 1290 days later.
C.
This 42-month period refers specifically to the time which will begin at the
midpoint of the 70th week. Shortly before that Satan will be
kicked out of heaven after being defeated by Michael. Rev. 12:7-12.
AT that time, Satan will empower the beast of Rev. 13:3-8, who will
begin the great tribulation of persecuting anyone who will not worship Satan and
the beast. Paul describes this to be when the man of lawlessness places
himself in the temple and proclaims himself to be God. 2 Thes. 2:3-4.
D. It is during this time of great distress, that Israel will be greatly
convicted through extensive evangelism.
1. The DRAWING invitation of God: Jeremiah 31:3
“I have loved you with an everlasting love
Therefore I have drawn you with grace kindness.”
2. Through the church:
Daniel 11:33-35
a. V. 33 refers to the ministry of the church prior to 70 AD.
“And those who have insight among the people will give
understanding to the many, yet they will fall by sword an by flame, by captivity
and by plunder, for many days.” (the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Dan.
9:26b).
b. V. 34, the covenant of Daniel's
70th week. Dn 9:27a.
c. Verse 35, the evangelist activity of the church prior to the
second coming of the Messiah. “And some of those who have insight will fall
(martyrdom), in order to refine, purge, and make them pure, until the end
time.”
3. Through the ministry of the two witnesses. Rev. 11:1-13; Mal 4:4-6.
See Topic:
THE TWO WITNESSES
4. Elijah’s message: “And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to
their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” See
Mal. 3:1-6
E. The result will be that during the tribulation, there will be a great
calling out to God by the people of Israel. Hosea 5:15,
“I will go away and return to My place
Until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
F. And as a result of that, both before and after the arrival of the
Day of
the Lord, there will be many converts among the Jews.
1. BEFORE the rapture: Assumed based on the fact that
evangelism
occurs.
2. AFTER the rapture: The conversion of the 144,000 Jews of
Rev. 7:1-8, and many others as a result of the evangelism
of
Rev 14:1-7, the proclamation of the everlasting gospel.
G. The
Jewish people who are protected in the wilderness will not be "positive" to
the gospel for they are clearly differentiated from believers in Jesus at
Rev. 12:17. But through the foreknowledge of God, they are being preserved
so that after the dust settles at Armageddon, many of these, if not all of
them, will trust in Jesus as Savior. These will be among the "lean sheep" of
Ezekiel 34:17-22, and go alive into the Davidic earthly kingdom.
This will be revisited later.
Isaiah 40:1-2
4. Her iniquity has been removed. This refers to the NATIONAL sin of Israel
from two perspectives.
A. The failure of the nation prior to 605 BCE that lead to her 70 years
of
captivity in Babylon. 2 Chron. 36:15-16
“And Yahweh God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by
His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place; but
they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His
prophets, until the wrath of Yahweh arose against His people, until there was no remedy.
Verses 17-21, “Therefore He brought up against them the king of the
Chaldeans . . . and those who escaped the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were
servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the
word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the
days of its desolation it kept Sabbath until seventy years were complete.”
B. The rejection of Jesus as their Messiah in 30 AD.
Luke 19:44, "you did not recognize the time of your visitation."
Matthew 21:33-45;
23:29-38
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are
sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Behold, your house is being
left to you desolate.”
5.
She has received from Yahweh’s hand DOUBLE for all her sins.
The double payment is
(1) the Babylonian captivity from 605 to 536 BCE, and
(2) from 70 AD until the restoration of the nation after Armageddon.
The deliverance of Israel
will come during the Armageddon campaign, when the armies of the world will
have gathered into Palestine. Jesus will descend from His location in THE
CLOUD to begin His
3-stage confrontation with the armies. This is part of the SECOND COMING of
the Messiah.
There are
three STAGES to the second coming of the Messiah.
(1) His
arrival in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory: This arrival will
be in the sky ONLY. Then from his position in the clouds or ON THE CLOUD (Rev.
14:14) He will pour out the judgments from God’s wrath through the trumpets
and bowls recorded in the book of the Revelation. There four phases to it.
(A) The SIGNS phase. Joel 2:30-31; Mat. 24:29-31; Rev. 6:12-14; Isaiah
13:10,
13;
(B) The arrival phase. Mat. 24:30; 16:27; Rev. 6:15-16;
Isaiah 30:27-30; 60:1-2; Ps. 96:13; Rev. 19:1-16.
(C) The rapture phase. Matthew 24:31-44; John 14:1-3; 1Thes. 4:14-17;
1Cor. 15:51-52
(D) The judgment phase. Rev. 6:15-17; 1Thes. 5:1-2.
(2) The second stage is His physical descent ONTO the earth at which time He
will personally confront the armies of the world that are gathered into
Palestine to loot and destroy the people of Israel (Zech. 14:3-5a).
Through His physical descent to the earth He will rescue the Jews and prepare
for His earthly kingdom.
There are four phases to it.
(A) The Edom phase. Isaiah 34:6; 63:1-6; Hab. 3:3
(B) The Jerusalem phase. Isaiah 63:1; Zech. 14:4; Joel 3:16.
(C) The Megiddo/Armageddon phase. Joel 3:9-16; Rv. 19:17-21
(D) The separation phase: when all unbelievers will be removed
from the
earth and only believers will be left alive to dwell
on the earth in Christ’s
kingdom.
Ezek. 34:17-22; Mat. 25:31-46.
(3) The KINGDOM stage when Jesus sets up His 1000 year earthly reign.
There are four phases to it.
(A) The cleansing phase: Ezek 39:9-16.
(B) The building phase: Isaiah 60:4-11; 61:4; Ezek. 43:10-18;
Dan.
8:15-26.
(C) The reigning phase: Isaiah 9:7; Jer. 23:5-6;
Ezek. 37:24-28; Dan.
7:13-14.
(D) The completion phase: 1 Cor. 15:24-28; Rev. 20:7-10.
The Old Testament prophets viewed the second coming and the arrival of the DAY
OF THE LORD as having one starting point. They
did not make a distinction between the Messiah’s initial arrival IN THE CLOUDS
and His subsequent PHYSICAL descent onto the earth. They viewed the second
coming primarily as a visible arrival to the earth that would begin the Day of
the Lord.
Sometimes
the prophets focused on the inception of the day of the Lord; sometimes on
some aspect of the judgment that will happen DURING the day; and sometimes on
the kingdom blessing that follows the judgment.
The
reader/interpreter needs to be very diligent to recognize the context in each
of the passages.
But it
is not until the New Testament teaching by Jesus and the apostles that we
learn that Jesus will FIRST arrive in the clouds of the sky and remain there
until His subsequent physical descent onto the earth during the 30-day
period after the end of the 70th week.
The first stage of the second coming will be when Jesus
arrives in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. Matthew 24:29-30;
Rev. 19:11-16.
At that time He will begin to carry out His KINGDOM agenda which includes both
blessing and judgment.
This also constitutes the arrival of the Day of the Lord,
and will be “announced” by several phenomenal things.
(1) The darkness of the sun, moon and stars. Basically, “the powers of the
heavens will be shaken.” Matthew 24:29; Luke 21:25a; Joel 2:30-31; Rev.
6:12b-14a
(2) ON the earth, there will be great earthquakes and turmoil in the oceans.
Luke 21:25b; Rev. 6:12a, 14b;
(3) The specific sign of the Son of Man. Luke 21:25b; Mathew 24:30a
(4) Then his VISIBLE arrival will be seen by all mankind. Luke 21:27; Matthew
24:30b; Revelation 1:7; 6:16-17.
This is
taught by Jesus at Matthew 24:29-31
“But
immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and
the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and
the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of man
will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and
great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they
will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one of the sky to the
other.”
(Mark 13:27, "FROM the farthest end of earth TO the farthest end of the
sky/heaven," ouranos.")
The
MOURNING of all the tribes of the earth will BEGIN as soon as these awesome
signs are seen, so that as Jesus said, “and THEN all the tribes of the earth
will mourn.
But WHILE they are mourning in anticipation of the things that are happening,
as Luke records, “men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things
which are coming upon the world” (Luke 21:26),
THEN they will actually see Jesus “coming in the clouds of the sky with power
and great glory.” At this time the mourning will continue and of course,
increase.
Thus at
Revelation 1:7, additional “mourning” will occur AFTER “every eye will see Him.”
This is
also portrayed symbolically at the 6th seal of Revelation 6:12-17.
Even though there is not specific mention of the arrival of Jesus in this
passage, it is clear that the many peoples who are mentioned there HAVE SEEN
HIM.
After
seeing the heavenly and earthly signs, and the sign of the Son of man, the
people of the earth will try to hide from the FACE (presence) of the Father
and of Jesus (the Lamb). Jesus taught that it is AFTER they see the “sign of
the Son of Man” that “all the tribes of the earth will mourn.”
Here at
Revelation 6, it should be obvious that their reaction indicates they have
indeed SEEN Him come in the clouds. After the initial “mourning” they will
then take action to try to hide from Him, for they will be well aware that
“the great day of their wrath has come and who is able to
stand?” Revelation 6:17.
Thus, the return of the Lord will occur right
after verse 14, but before v. 15. It is summarized in a later vision at Rev.
19:11-16.
The
arrival of the Lord is also envisioned by Joel as the arrival of THE DAY OF
THE LORD.
Joel saw
the signs as occurring BEFORE the Day of the Lord arrives. Joel 2:30-31.
”And I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire, and columns of smoke.
The sun will be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.”
From the
apostles we learn that that “the day of the Lord” will BEGIN at the very
moment of Christ’s arrival in the clouds, and upon His gathering of the saints
at the rapture.
1
Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2; 2 Peter 3:10.
Jesus will NOT step foot ONTO the earth at this time, but will remain in the
clouds, or rather, ON THE CLOUD to administer God’s wrath through the trumpet
judgments of Revelation 8-11 and the first 6 bowl judgments. Revelation
14:14-16.
THE
ARRIVAL
1. The
first thing that will happen when Jesus arrives in the clouds of the sky, will
be the gathering out of the believers through the rapture.
Matthew 24:31; John 14:1-3; 1 Thes. 4:14-17
This was
not taught by the Old Testament prophets.
In fact,
the Old Testament prophets did not see the arrival in the clouds as distinct
from His physical descent to the earth. The main things they focused on were -
(A) The coming of the Messiah
(B) Physical deliverance for Israel
(C) And judgment on all the spiritual rebels of the world.
(D) And the Messiah’s earthly reign over Israel.
It is not until we look to New Testament revelation that we are able to see
the distinction between these two STAGES of the second coming. The New
Testament focuses on the arrival in the clouds, the rapture, and the judgment
of the earth-dwellers that will occur after the rapture. But it is not until
Revelation 14:17-20; 16:17-21 and 19:17-21 that we are shown indication of His physical decent ONTO
the earth.
2. After the rapture of the saints, God will return to using Israel as the
evangelistic agent for proclaiming the Messianic promise to the world.
A. Israel’s evangelistic commission:
Exodus 19:5-6; Deut. 4:5-6;Rom.
9:4-5;
Isaiah 41:8-9; 43:7; 49:3; 7:6; 28:9-10; Psalm 118:1-4
B. See
Topic: ISRAEL’S NATIONAL DISCIPLINE
C. This is through the conversion of the 144,000 Jewish bond servants.
Revelation 7:1-8; 14:1-8
3. After that He will begin to pour out His judgments on the world as
portrayed by the first six trumpets. Rev. 6:12-17; 8-9;
14:14-16.
4. Those six judgments will conclude at the end of the 70th week.
Rev. 10:7; 11:1-17.
5. Then will come the FINAL expression of divine wrath. This is portrayed by
the 7th trumpet and the bowl judgments, and will occur during the
next 30 days after the end of the 70th week. Dan. 12:11;
Rev. 11:14, 18-19; 15-16; 19.
THE
PHYSICAL DESCENT ONTO THE EARTH
THE SECOND
STAGE of the second coming is when Jesus will descend physically to the earth
to confront the worlds armies assembled in Palestine. The last two bowl
judgments portray this physical descent of the Messiah to the earth.
Revelation 16:12-21.
Zechariah
14:3-5a.
The second stage is usually called the Armageddon stage, and has four phases.
As portrayed in the last two bowl judgments Jesus will descend PHYSICALLY to the earth toward
the end of the 30 day-period that follows the end of Daniel’s 70th
week (Dan. 12:11). At
that time, He will come down from His cloud (Rev. 14:14), from where He has
been administrating the trumpet and bowl judgments after the rapture (6th
seal).
The physical descent of Jesus has four phases.
(1) The descent to Edom.
(2) The descent to Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.
(3) The descent to the Valley of Megiddo for the battle of Armageddon.
(4) The Cleansing phase, when all unbelievers will be removed from the earth. Ezekiel 34:17-22; Mat. 25:31-46.
Quite often the Old Testament prophets viewed the Messiah's arrival simply as
the FACT of His arrival, and then revealed some event involved with the day
of the Lord. Other times they would reveal some event involved with the day
of the Lord, and then backtrack to show the arrival as the basis for the
event in view.
Many times these details will have a LOCALIZED focus and only the
people in those specific areas will see His coming. The arrival in the clouds
of the sky, however, which will precede the physical descent by several
months, will have a UNIVERSAL focus and “every eye will see Him.” Revelation
1:7 with Matthew 24:30.
John's vision at Revelation 19:11-16 does the same thing. It
states the arrival of the Messiah in glory, that was anticipated at Rev. 1:7
and indicated at the 6th seal of Rev. 6:12-17.
This is not the so-called "second coming" in contrast to the rapture. This
is in fact THE one and only second coming.
“And
I saw the sky/heaven (ouranos) opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it {is}
called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
And His eyes {are} a flame of fire, and upon His head {are} many diadems; and
He has a name written {upon Him} which no one knows except Himself.
And {He is} clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The
Word of God.
And the armies (angels) which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white
{and} clean (Rev. 15:6), were following Him on white horses.
The armies are all the holy ones; the angels who come with Him.
Mat. 16:27; Mat. 24:30-31; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 2Thes. 1:7, 10; Jude 14.
And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the
nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine
press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”
And this is a summary of the judgment
events that will occur through the trumpets and bowls.
Then the vision skips over the events that will occur after
His arrival in the clouds of the sky, and shows a vision of the final battle at Armageddon at Rev.
19:17-21.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice,
saying to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great
feast of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of
commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who
sit on them, and the flesh of all people, both free and slaves, and small
and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies,
assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His
army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed
the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received
the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were
thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone. And the rest
were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the
horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
I believe that Zechariah 14:5b-7 does
exactly the same thing.
HABAKKUK
3:3
"God comes from Teman and the Holy One from Mount Paran."
This
passage in Habakkuk, describes that first phase.
He goes to Edom and enters into judgment with the armies who have assembled
there.
THE BATTLE OF EDOM is described at
Isaiah 34:5-15.
“For My sword is satiated in heaven,
Behold it shall descend for judgment upon Edom,
And upon the people whom I have devoted to destruction.”
Isaiah
63:1-6 shows us the Lord coming to Jerusalem AFTER that battle.
But this chapter still describes the NATURE of that battle in Edom.
Here, we find a specific focus on Edom. Edom comes under
a special judgment from God because of its historical oppression of Israel and
its allegiance to the beast in the end-times. Ezekiel 35:1-15; Obadiah
1:10-14.
The
great tribulation will begin at the midpoint of the 70th week, when the beast
places the abomination of desolation in the holy place of the re-built Jewish
temple.
Matthew 24:9-21.
Because of this oppressive reign of this “man of lawlessness”
(2Thes. 2:4), who will be empowered by Satan (Rev. 13:4-7), a remnant of
“fundamentalist” Jews (those faithful to their religious culture) will leave
Judea and find shelter in the mountainous wilderness of Edom, SE of Jerusalem
(modern-day Jordan).
These are not ones who have trusted in Jesus, but ones who are loyal to their
Jewish heritage. If they were ALREADY believers, they would not NEED to be
protected for the remaining 1260 days, because they would be removed at the
rapture prior to the end of the week. Nor would they be distinguished from the
believers in Jesus who are mentioned at Rev. 12:17.
Revelation 12:6
“And
the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so
that there she might be nourished for 1260 days.”
Verse 13-14
“And
when the dragon (Satan) saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he
persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child.
And two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, in order that she
might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a
time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
It
seems likely then that Jesus has this in view at Matthew 24:15-26. Although
this warning to flee is directed to ALL who read or hear it, it will have
special import to the Jews IN THE LAND who refuse to accept the authority of
the beast. We learn from Revelation 12:6, 13-14, that the “woman,” who
represents the Jews of the land during the time of the great tribulation, will
be given protection in the wilderness for the duration of the last half of
Daniel’s 70th week.
Also
at Isaiah 26:20-21
“Come, My
people, enter into your rooms,
And close the doors behind you;
Hide for a little while,
Until indignation passes over.
For behold, Yahweh is about to come out from His place
To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
And the earth will reveal her bloodshed,
And will no longer cover her slain.”
The
term, “My people,” is not a term that indicates any salvation relationship. It
simply indicates that the Jewish people are in view; those who have ever been
God’s chosen “race” and people.
The
instruction to “enter into your rooms,” does not contradict the instructions
to FLEE the city. The image communicates seclusion and protection, which is
exactly what God provides for them in the wilderness. The warning given by
Jesus at Mat. 24:16-20 is "general" instructions to whoever might read
the account of His words in this gospel. "Let HIM who is in Judea flee."
It includes any Christians who are in the area, as well as anyone of
national Israel.
As
the Jews are fleeing and even once they are located in the wilderness
“fortress,” there will be false prophets who say, “behold, He is in the
wilderness or behold He is in the inner rooms.”
It is very probable that the “false prophets” of Mt. 24:24-26 include the peoples of Edom who
will be trying to get the Jews to come down out of the mountains so they can
kill and/or imprison them.
The people of Edom will be in league with the world dictator and be allowed to
“plunder” Jerusalem for themselves.
In addition, on the trip to this “shelter,” the Arab people of the land will
seek to kill these fugitives and imprison any they can capture.
It will all be done with an arrogant attitude of hatred toward the Jews.
This is indicated by the details of the warning that was given to the people
of Edom in about 860 BCE by the prophet Obadiah.
A. Verses 10-11 review the past history of the
Edomites in oppressing Israel.
B. Verses 12-14 give the warning.
C. Verses 15-18 announce the arrival of the Day of the Lord to judge
the nations.
D. Verses 19-21 describe aspects of the Messiah’s earthly kingdom.
THE PAST OPPRESSION OF ISRAEL BY EDOM
Verse 10
“Because of violence to your brother Jacob,
You will be covered with shame,
And you will be cut off forever.”
Verse 11
“On the day that you stood aloof,
On the day that strangers carried off his wealth,
And foreigners entered his gate
And cast lots for Jerusalem –
You too were as one of them.”
WARNING FOR THE DISTANT FUTURE
They are warned that they should not participate in oppressing Israel during
the time of her great “distress” (tribulation).
(1)
Do not gloat.
(2) Do not rejoice.
(3) Do not boast.
(4) Do not enter their gate.
(5) Do not loot their wealth.
(6) Do not kill them as they flee.
(7) Do not take them captive.
Obadiah 1:12-14
“Do not GLOAT over your brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And do not REJOICE over the sons of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Yes, do not BOAST
In the day of {their} distress.
“Do not ENTER the gate of My people
In the day of their disaster.
Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity
In the day of their disaster.
And do not LOOT their wealth
In the day of their disaster.
“And do not stand at the fork of the road
To CUT DOWN their fugitives;
And do not IMPRISON their survivors
In the day of their distress.”
DAY
OF THE LORD JUDGMENT
If the people of Edom do not heed the warning, but instead participate in this
hostility toward Israel, they and their land will be judged by God during the
Day of the Lord when the Messiah will pour out God’s wrath upon the world.
Obadiah 1:15-16
“For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it
will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.
“Because just as you drank on My holy mountain,
All the nations will drink continually.
They will drink and swallow,
And become as if they had never existed.
FUTURE FAILURE
However, failure to heed the warning is also prophesied, as is the resultant
judgment from God upon the land area of Edom; Mount Seir.
Ezekiel 35:2-9.
“Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir, and prophesy against it -
And say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir,
And I will stretch out My hand against you,
And I will make you a desolation and a waste.
“I will lay waste your cities,
And you will become a desolation.
Then you will know that I am the LORD.
THE REASON FOR JUDGMENT
“Because –
(1)
You have had everlasting enmity: Ezek. 35:5a
This
refers to the conflict that has ever existed between Edom and Israel. But the
emphasis here is placed on what Edom has done to Israel all throughout the
years.
This was first demonstrated when Israel requested passage through the land of
Edom, as recorded at Numbers 20:40-21. (Amos 1:11; Psalm 137:7; Ezek. 25:12).
(2) And have delivered the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the
time of their calamity, at the time of the punishment (punishment for
iniquity) of the end: Ezek. 35:5b
This
indicates that the inhabitants of Edom did not heed the warning given to them
at Obadiah 10-14.
Although, there is no evidence that everything mentioned there will occur,
the general oppression of the Jews who escape the area of Judah is
prophesied as occurring.
Furthermore, this is referring to something that takes place in an end-times
context.
THE TIME OF THE INIQUITY OF THE END
A. This term is used earlier in Ezekiel (21:25,29), to refer to the
destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek.
21:18-32). The word, iniquity can also be used to indicate punishment FOR
iniquity.
However, verse 27 allows us to make an "end times" application.
"A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I shall make it. This also will be no more until He
comes Whose right it is, and I shall give it to Him."
At Ezek. 21:26, The removal of priestly function (turban) and the removal of
rulership (crown) in 586 BCE is used to make a FAR application to the
removal of the same in the Messiah generation (Mat. 21:23-34).
At that time, it will removed UNTIL the Messiah comes (2nd advent).
The basis for acceptance before God is always true humility.
"Exalt (honor) that which is low (humble) and abase (dishonor, judge) that
which is high (proud, arrogant)." Micah 6:8.
Then at Ezek. 35:5b, the term is used to go beyond the 586 BCE context and
looks forward to the final time of national discipline; the time of Jacob's
distress; the tribulation.
This term corresponds with the term seen at Daniel 8:19, "the final period
of the wrath (indignation, zaam).
B. However, Edom did not participate in harassing Israel during the
Babylonian captivity. 2 Kings 24:2 tells us what groups aided Babylon, and
Edom is not included in that list.
C. It is true that in 738 BC, Edom invaded Judah “and carried away
captives” (2 Chron. 28:17), but our context seems to be looking at a still
future event.
D. In addition, the context of Ezekiel 35 indicates a final or “total”
destruction of Edom which has never happened historically.
E. Edom was indeed indicted and judged historically, but not for the
activity indicated at Ezekiel 35:5.
F. Based on this, it seems that this term, “time of the
iniquity of the end,” at Ezekiel 35:5, refers to a yet future time period of discipline on
Israel, during which Edom will have participated in oppressing Israel. This
future time period is probably the time of Jacob's
distress.
(3)
“Because you have said, These two nations and these two lands will be mine,
and we will possess them.” Ezek. 35:10.
This
expresses blatant arrogance and aggression toward God and God’s people,
Israel. It is a claim that they will possess the physical land-area and
resources of Israel - EVEN THOUGH God is there.
In other words, they are speaking and acting against God Himself.
This is amplified in verses 11-15.
A. Anger, envy and hatred toward Israel: Ezekiel 35:11
B. Reviling against Israel: Ezekiel 35:12
C. Spoken in arrogance against God: Ezekiel 35:13
D. Rejoiced because Israel’s land was desolate: V. 15.
As a
result of this, Edom will come under a very special judgment from God when the
Messiah physically descends to the earth. We already saw a summary statement
of this judgment at Isaiah 34:5 and
Obadiah 1:15-16.
Ezekiel gives much more detail.
The result will be total destruction of the land area of Edom through the Day
of the Lord judgments.
Ezekiel 35:6-9
(6)“As I live,” declares the Lord GOD, “I will give you over to bloodshed, and
bloodshed will pursue you; since you have not hated bloodshed, therefore
bloodshed will pursue you. (7) And I will make Mount Seir a waste and a
desolation, and I will cut off from it the one who passes through and returns.
(8) And I will fill its mountains with its slain; on your hills and in your
valleys and in all your ravines those slain by the sword will fall. (9) I will
make you an everlasting desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited.
Then you will know that I am the LORD.”
This is the same quality of future judgment that Isaiah describes as
Isaiah chapter 34 continues.
Isaiah 34:6-8
"The sword of the LORD is filled with blood,
It is sated with fat, 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.
Wild oxen shall also fall with them,
And young bulls with strong ones;
Thus their land shall be soaked with blood,
And their dust become greasy with fat.
For the LORD has a day of vengeance,
A year of recompense for the cause of Zion."
Edom will be destroyed just before Jesus descends to
Jerusalem. Notice, this is "for the cause of Zion." Edom will be in the
process of oppressing the refugees of Judah who have fled the reign of the
beast and taken shelter in the mountainous wilderness of Edom (Mat. 24:15-21;
Rev. 12:6, 13-16).
Isaiah 34:9-10
"And its streams shall be turned into pitch,
And its loose earth into brimstone,
And its land shall become burning pitch.
It shall not be quenched night or day;
Its smoke shall go up forever;
From generation to generation it shall be desolate;
None shall pass through it forever and ever."
The judgment on the land area of Edom will be total.
During Messiah's kingdom, it will be a desolation with no population.
HOWEVER, the destruction will not be worked by any kind
of nuclear or chemical weapons. The context indicates that the land area
will be filled with a massive wildlife population. However, I will concede the
possibility that even IF such destructive weapons were to be used, the land
could be CLEANSED before the kingdom begins and still be the home of all the
wildlife mentioned.
Isaiah 34:11-15
11
But pelican and hedgehog will possess it,
And owl and
raven will dwell in it;
And He will stretch over it the line of
desolation
And the plumb line
of emptiness.
12
Its nobles -there is no one there
Whom they may proclaim king –
And all its princes will be nothing.
13
Thorns will come up in its fortified towers,
Nettles and thistles in its fortified cities;
It will also be a haunt of jackals
And an abode of ostriches.
14
The desert creatures will meet with the wolves,
The hairy goat
also will cry to its kind;
Yes, the night
monster will settle there
And will find herself a resting place.
15
The tree snake will make its nest and lay eggs there,
And it will hatch and gather them under its
protection.
Yes, the hawks
will be gathered there,
Every one with its kind.
16
Seek from the book of the LORD, and read:
Not one of these will be missing;
None will lack its mate.
For His mouth
has commanded,
And His Spirit has gathered them.
17
He has cast the lot for them,
And His hand has divided it to them by line.
They shall possess it forever;
From generation
to generation they will dwell in it.
THE ARRIVAL FROM EDOM
The progress of the Messiah
FROM Edom to do battle with the nations is envisioned by Habakkuk. Habakkuk
3:3a
“God comes from Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.”
At first glance it appears
that this may simply be saying that the Messiah comes from the SOUTH EAST.
However, in view of Isaiah 34 and 63, it is clear that He comes from this area
AFTER judging it.
Teman is a region in Edom
named after an early prince of the Edomites.
And Paran is a mountain and wilderness area directly south of Jerusalem in the
Sinai Peninsula.
The area of the Edomites embraces generally the area South and East of Judah.
There is great SPLENDOR
evidenced in the sky when He comes to Jerusalem from Edom.
Verses 3b-4
“His splendor covers the heavens,
And the earth is full of His praise.
{His} radiance is like the sunlight;
He has rays {flashing} from His hand,
And there is the hiding of His power.”
Isaiah describes this at
63:1.
“This One is majestic in His apparel,
Marching in the greatness of His strength.”
One might be tempted to
associate this SPLENDOR with the “great glory” that attends Christ’s arrival
in the clouds of the sky, as described at Matthew 24:29-30. But since THIS
splendor is given a specific context of arriving FROM Edom, it cannot be the
same.
It seems then, that whenever Christ will move
from one phase of His second coming agenda to the next, there will be great
glory and splendor manifested to the earth dwellers.
Habakkuk 3:5
"Before Him goes pestilence,
And plague comes at His feet."
This probably refers to the two types of
judgment that Jesus will bring when He leaves Edom and arrives in Jerusalem.
The context is still "God comes from Teman" as at verse 3.
BEFORE HIM: The use of the preposition,
lepenay, indicates either physical presence (as, “in front of”) or a
chronological factor.
In this case, in connection with AT HIS FEET
(after Him), the idea presented to us is
that the LORD will bring both pestilence and plague to the armies that have
invaded Jerusalem.
But before the plague HITS the invaders,
Jesus will first stand on the Mount of Olives.
When Jesus arrives from
Edom, it is to confront ALL the armies that have assembled in Palestine, and
the first item on the list is the Northern alliance that has invaded the city
of Jerusalem.
Habakkuk 3:6a
“He stood and surveyed the earth;
He looked and startled the nations.”
There are two ways to understand this verse.
The survey of the nations WHEN he descends. Or the survey of the nations
after He stands on the Mt. of Olives.
FIRST: It could refer to a summary statement of the judgments that come upon the
area of Edom.
(1) First He descends from His cloud in the sky.
(2) He evaluates the nations.
(3) His arrival in the midst of darkness will startle the nations.
(4) His judgment on Edom will be topographically devastating.
(5) The whole area of the Edomites were under distress and trembling.
But I prefer to understand the verse to refers to Christ's arrival onto the
Mt. of Olives.
SECOND: It describes what will happen AFTER He leaves Edom and arrives in
Jerusalem. Habakkuk 3:6a
“He stood and surveyed the earth;
He looked and startled the nations.”
It seems that the prophet has in mind the
general judgment on the rest of the nations.
The VISIBLE glory of His presence as He arrives at Jerusalem will get the
attention of the armies gathered in Palestine.
And His arrival onto the Mount
of Olives will split the mount down the middle and cause a great earthquake.
The combination of both will thus, “startle” the nations; the armies
gathered in and around Jerusalem. Zech. 12:4 and 14:12-13.
They had been gathering to fight with each other for dominance in the area
and control of the material resources that the beast had hoarded there. But
when they see Jesus standing on the Mt. of Olives, they change their focus
and join together to fight against Him.
As Jesus takes His stand on the Mt. of Olives,
He
looks out over (surveys) the vast horde of armies that are assembled around Jerusalem
and in the valley of Megiddo, and at that moment splits the mountain downs
the middle with a stomp, as it were, of His resurrected foot.
The administration of divine justice will
begin with the help Jesus will give to the believing Jews fighting in
Jerusalem.
Habakkuk does not mention the battle of Jerusalem specifically
but Zechariah does at
chapters 12 and 14.
THE BATTLE OF JERUSALEM
Zechariah also begins
with a GENERAL focus on the gathering of the nations into Palestine using the
terminology “all the nations.”
Zechariah 12:3
“And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it (Jerusalem).”
Zechariah 14:2
“For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle.”
Those nations first assemble
in the land in order to gain material resources, including control of
Jerusalem. But it seems that it is the king of the North that will invade
Jerusalem.
However that Northern ALLIANCE includes MANY nations. Joel 2 and Ezekiel 38.
Zechariah 14:3
“And Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights
on a day of battle.”
Zechariah first gives us a
GENERAL look at the many nations gathered into Judah, “in the vicinity of”
Jerusalem – looking to Jerusalem as their ultimate destination. But he then
focuses just on the battle of Jerusalem.
Habakkuk does the same thing
except that he does not mention Jerusalem specifically.
The judgment on “the nations” at verse 3:6 includes the battle of Jerusalem
FIRST, and then the battle of Armageddon.
EARTHQUAKES
There are earthquakes that will occur all
throughout the time period known as the day of the Lord.
1. The great shaking of the earth at the initial arrival of Jesus in the
clouds of the sky with great power and glory. Rev. 6:12-13; Is. 13:13;
2. At the end of the 70th week in Jerusalem. Rev. 11:13
3. At the 7th seal (probably when Jesus stands on the Mount of Olives at
Zech. 14:4). Rev. 16:17-18.
At Rev. 16:17, the "great earthquake" will occur only in this context of Christ’s
standing on the Mount of Olives. There is no earthquake that occurs when Jesus
confronts and destroys the armies in the final battle of Armageddon.
From Christ’s perspective,
when He first arrives at Jerusalem, He will “survey” the situation probably
after He
sets foot on the Mount of Olives. Or perhaps, AFTER His quick survey of the
nations, He simply stomps His foot which triggers the earthquake and
following events.
Jesus will then begin His
personal judgment on these armies by bringing some kind of death-producing
plague that seems to disintegrate the flesh form the bones. This would be
caused by some kind of extreme HEAT, but probably not nuclear. Jesus would not
need to use such a weapon as that, but would simply produce the heat that
causes the plague.
Habakkuk 3:5
“And plague comes after Him.”
Zechariah 12:4
“In that day I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with
madness.”
Zechariah 14:12-13, 15
“Now this will be the plague with which Yahweh will strike all the people who
have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will rot away while they stand
on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will
rot in their mouth. And it will come about in that day that a great panic for
Yahweh will fall on them; and they will seize one another’s hand, and the
hands of one will be lifted against the hand of another. So also like this
plague, will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey, and
all the cattle that will be in those camps.”
Habakkuk just mentions this
plague without providing any details. He then “backs up” and describes the
great earthquake that will occur when Jesus descends to the Mount of Olives.
The arrival of Christ in
Jerusalem will be with great splendor and power. It will be both the
spectacular physical arrival and the great earthquake that will startle and
shock all the nations. This is a DIFFERENT earthquake from what will occur
when Jesus first arrives in the clouds of the sky. Revelation 6:12 is
different from Revelation 16:18-19. It seems that the earthquake of the 7th
bowl judgment is more intense than the earthly disturbances at His initial
arrival.
Habakkuk 3:6b-15 next describes the results of
the great earthquake.
"Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills collapsed.
His ways are everlasting."
This earthquake is also
described at Zechariah 14:4-5, in direct association with Christ’s descent to
the Mount of Olives.
At that time, the mountain
will be split down the middle from east to west, which is what causes the
great earthquake.
This is probably what is in view at Ezek.
38:14, "In
My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare that on
that day there will certainly be a great earthquake in the land of Israel."
Joel also speaks of earthquakes associated
with Yahweh's advance into Megiddo. It probably refers to the earthquake of
Zech. 14:4, but it could be indicating that additional quakes hit the land as
He deals with the armies in the valley. Joel 3:16,
"The Lord roars
from Zion
And utters His voice from Jerusalem,
And the heavens and the earth quake.
But the Lord is
a refuge for His people,
And a stronghold for the sons of Israel."
The earthquake is also
described at Revelation 16:17-20 in connection with the final bowl judgment.
There it says that “the great city” (Jerusalem) was split into three parts.
This is not inconsistent with the splitting of the mount of Olives down the
middle. Zechariah’s facts do not require ONLY a two-part division of the city.
John’s vision simply adds additional details to the results of the earthquake
that will occur when Jesus stands on the mount.
It seems that the only place
to assign this earthquake in “the great city” is at the Jerusalem earthquake
of Zechariah 14:4 when Jesus stands on the Mount of Olives.
The splitting of the
mountain will create a huge valley extending about 6 miles west of Jerusalem
to Azel.
At Rev. 16:19, There
is a difference of opinion as to the identification of “the great city.” It
seems that since Babylon is mentioned in the next sentence as coming under a
separate judgment, the mention here of “the great city,” refers to Jerusalem
which is identified as “the great city . . . where also their Lord was
crucified,” at Rev. 11:8.
Among those additional
details provided by John’s vision are
(1) every island and mountain are
affected, and
(2) there is a huge plague of hailstones.
#1 does not contradict the
context of Zechariah 14, but simply extends the effects of the earthquake to a
world-wide context. The focus of Zechariah’s prophecy is not worldwide.
#2 seems to be something that does not occur in the context of Zechariah 14,
the battle of Jerusalem. But it could come upon the rest of the world
during that battle.
Because of this they are
given further occasion to attack the character and plan of God.
“And men blasphemed God because of the plague.”
THE EFFECTS ON PALESTINE AND THE REST OF THE
WORLD
Hab. 3:7-15
Habakkuk 3:7
Here the prophet looks BACK and describes the devastation that God's wrath
brought upon the land of Edom.
“I saw the tents of Cushan under distress,
The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.”
We know nothing about this word, Cushan.
Speculation suggests it to be another form of CUSH, the Ethiopian area,
south of Egypt.
But it probably refers to the Sinai Peninsula
area inhabited by nomads from Cush, and was closely associated with Midian.
Today, that is an area controlled by Egypt.
Midian is the land area south of Judah, below the Edomite area, and
encompassing basically the Sinai peninsula, which is part of Egypt today.
But as with Cushan, these areas OVERLAP and basically embrace the land area
of the Edomites, SOUTH of the Dead Sea and then toward both the west and
east.
In both cases, the general land area to the
distant south of Israel is in view as it was at that time, inhabited by
nomads who dwell in “tents,” and it corresponds with “Teman” and “Paran” of
verse 3.
It seems that at this point, the vision seen
by the prophet “backs up” and sees the results of the Lord’s VISIT to the
land area of Edom.
It seems unlikely to mention effects of the
earthquake ONLY here to the south. The earthquake would certainly extend
equally in all directions. Furthermore, this EDOMITE area will have ALREADY
been judged by the Lord BEFORE He is shown to come FROM THAT area.
For this reason I think that the vision has
“backed up” to show that the Edomite area has indeed been judged by God, as
has been described in Isaiah 63:1-6 and Ezek. 35.
Hab. 3:8-15
The section is separated
from the previous verses by a natural break in the Hebrew. The break is
indicated by the use of the 2nd person of the verb for direct address as the
prophet declares what YOU (Yahweh) has done. The language
indicates the results of the great earthquake. It affects the rivers, the sea
and the mountains. And then the Lord will judge the nations that have gathered
in Palestine with special focus on the ruin of the King of the West – the
beast (verse 13b).
Here the
prophet sees a massive judgment on the land of Palestine and on the armies of
the nations that are gathered there “to scatter” the Jews (verse 14).
This is what Christ will do as He confronts
the armies at Armageddon.
The prophet sees this in a PAST TENSE format to communicate the certainty of
the divine judgment that will be meted out.
Thus, as seen in so many
other passages, WHEN the Messiah arrives on the earth, He will begin to
express God’s wrath upon the unbelievers (the earth-dwellers) through many
NON-MILITARY judgments (except for the 6th trumpet and 6th bowl). That judgment will culminate
with the physical destruction of the world’s armies that are gathered into
Palestine. But it will be in three phases as Jesus descends first to Edom,
then to Jerusalem and finally to Megiddo for the battle of Armageddon.
The focus in the prophecies
of Habakkuk is that the Messiah will come FROM Edom and initiate the battle of
Jerusalem with earthquake and plague, and then judge the rest of the nations
gathered in Palestine at Armageddon.
It seems that other than the
plague, Jesus will be relatively inactive in the battle of Jerusalem. It seems
that He will serve as a catalyst for the people of Israel to fight back and
successfully defend themselves against the invading armies. He will thus,
OVERSEE the battle, as the nation’s commander-in-chief, and probably not too
long after arriving there, He will continue on to Megiddo.
There appears to be a DELAY
before Jesus arrives at Megiddo. It seems that there needs to be some kind of
TIME FRAME for the battle of Jerusalem to play out, but I suppose it could be
resolved in that same day. Thus, any “delay” would be a matter of hours only.
Then again, there is no
reason why the descent to Armageddon could not occur on the next day.
Revelation 19:19
“And I say the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to
make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army.”
As previously mentioned, it seems to me that
Rev. 19:11-16 is a summary statement that states the FACT of Christ's second
coming that will have occurred at the 6th seal. This statement of the
OFFICIAL second coming of Jesus is given to indicate THE specific event that
will trigger all the other events between His arrival and the battle of
Armageddon. The OT does not focus on the INITIAL arrival of the Messiah in
the clouds of the sky described at Mat. 24:29-31. The focus in the OT is
simply on the PHYSICAL presence of the Messiah and the events that will
occur DURING that presence.
The vision then skips over those events and focuses on that
final great battle in the valley of Megiddo.
These armies are the same ones who
will be gathered by the demon influence of the 6th bowl judgment.
Revelation 16:14 and 16.
"For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings
of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of
God, the Almighty. And they gathered them together to the place which in
Hebrew is called Har-Mageddon."
But before that gathering,
and perhaps DURING it, the king of the North will have invaded the city of
Jerusalem. Then, before the city can be totally devastated Jesus will arrive
from Edom and “set down” on the Mount of Olives and produce the great
earthquake of Zechariah 14:4 and the 7th bowl judgment of
Revelation 16:17-21.
So Jesus will finish His
work in Jerusalem perhaps AFTER the battle has been won by the forces of
Judah and Jerusalem. Or He will leave the battle in the capable hands of the
Jewish fighters and proceed to Megiddo.
He will then go to Megiddo and confront the bulk of the
world’s armies who have assembled there. That will include the King of the
East, the King of the West (the beast), and the remainder of the King of the
North (who will have his forces split into two sections – Joel 2:20).
This will be THE battle of
Armageddon.
See Topic:
Armageddon – When Armies Move
However, Armageddon is NOT
THE END OF THE WORLD.
It is only a LOCAL battle in the land of Palestine.
Furthermore, for
clarification, the term Armageddon should never be used to describe the
catastrophic events that are symbolized by the trumpets and the first 5 bowls.
For that matter, these
events should not be viewed as any “end of the world” scenario.
Yes, they are serious and
world-wide judgments that will result in much death and destruction. And
ultimately they will result in the death and removal of ALL unbelievers.
But “they” and “it” are not
the end of the world.
The Messiah’s kingdom will
be established, and that will be a time of world-wide blessing and prosperity
for all the peoples who have trusted in Christ as Savior.
HABAKKUK 3:8-15
This section of Habakkuk is given in a PAST TENSE mode because
it is in view of what the prophet has ALREADY stated at verse 6. That is, the
arrival of Yahweh in Jerusalem; His stand on the Mount of Olives; and the
impending judgment on the armies surrounding Jerusalem.
Verse 8a
"Did Yahweh rage against the rivers?" (NASB)
The prophet asks a rhetorical
question that is immediately answered in the following verse as expressed by using the second person of
direct address.
The subject of the verb is Yahweh as is inherent in the form
as a 3rd person singular.
The verb is chArAh as a qal imperfect/jussive, 3rd masc. singular
to indicate the rhetorical question that is answered by the prophets next
sentences. It means to kindle or burn and expresses extreme anger. The noun
form is chAron, which of course means great fiery anger.
"Against rivers was IT kindled, O Yahweh?"
The IT refers to the "understood" expression of wrath indicated by
the previous verb for anger.
The NIV does not recognize
the 3rd person singular of the verb: “Were you angry with the rivers O LORD,”
but makes LORD the subject of the verb.
The NASB does not recognize the rhetorical question that is addressed to "O
Yahweh," and instead makes Yahweh the subject.
However, the answers given in verses 8-15 use 2nd person pronouns to
indicate the prophet is indeed addressing Yahweh.
"Against the rivers, was it kindled, O Yahweh –
Or against the streams, your anger,
Or against the seas, your wrath,
When you rode on your horses,
On your chariots of deliverance?"
The question is answered in verses 9-10 in the affirmative.
Yes – God’s anger and wrath were expressed UPON THE LAND.
“Your bow was made bare,
The rods of chastisement were sworn.
You cleaved the earth with rivers.
The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep uttered forth its voice,
It lifted high its hands.”
This describes the effects of the 7th bowl judgment and the
earthquake that occurs when Jesus stands on the Mount of Olives.
Revelation 16:17-21 adds some more details.
Then the
seventh angel poured out his bowl upon the air,
and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying, "It is done."
18
And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder ; and
there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be
upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty.
19
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.
Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine
of His fierce wrath.
20
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21
And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon
men ; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its
plague was extremely severe.
Habakkuk 3:11
“Sun and moon stood in their places;
The went away at the light of Your arrows,
At the radiance of Your gleaming spear.”
This is not referring to a DARKNESS effect, but an “over shadowing” effect.
The GLORY of the Lord will be so great that it will OUTSHINE the sun and moon.
Habakkuk 3:12
“In indignation You marched through the land;
In anger You trampled the nations.”
Here, the prophet sees the judgment on “the nations” but this is judgment on
the ARMIES of the nations that are gathered in Palestine.
None of the judgment passages teach that the Lord will GO throughout ALL THE
EARTH and trample or thrash or destroy the nations. Its focus is always on the
land of Palestine and all the “nations” that are gathered there.
However, there will be judgment on the nations of the Gentiles as taught at
Rev. 16:20-21 and Ezek 39:6.
NATIONS GATHERED IN PALESTINE
Zechariah 12:3
"And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it."
Zechariah 14:2
"For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle."
Revelation 16:14
"For they are spirits of
demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to
gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. And
they gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Mageddon."
Revelation 19:19
“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to
make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army.”
Habakkuk 3:13a
“You went forth for the deliverance of Your people,
For the deliverance of Your anointed.”
"Your people" refers to the entire nation of the Jewish people.
It is comprised of ALL 12 tribes, as they all were reunited in Judah after
the Babylonian captivity. There are no "10 lost tribes."
See topic: Lost tribes theory
“Your anointed” refers specifically to the Davidic dynasty as preserved in the tribe of
Judah.
This of course, is an obvious purpose. In the end-times, everything revolves
around the nation of Israel and God’s deliverance of them from both their
physical enemies, demonic enemies, and their national discipline, which will
come to an end.
Ezekiel 36:5-9
Therefore
thus says the Lord GOD, "Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken
against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My
land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of
soul, to drive it out for a prey."
'Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel
and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys,
"Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath
because you have endured the insults of the nations.'
"Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, 'I have sworn that surely the nations which
are around you will themselves endure their insults.
'But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear
your fruit for My people Israel ; for they will soon come.
'For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated
and sown.
THE KING
OF THE WEST
Habakkuk 3:13b-14a
"You struck the head of the house of the evil one
To lay him open from thigh to neck.
You pierced with his own spears
The head of his throngs."
This gives us a special focus on the king of the west, who is the beast of
Revelation 13 and 19:19.
Daniel 11:45
"And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the
beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help
him."
This is the one "whom the Lord will take away with the breath of His mouth and
bring to an end by the appearance of His coming." (2 Thes. 2:8).
Revelation 19:20
“And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet . . . these two were
thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.”
Habakkuk 3:14b
“They stormed in to scatter us (me – the prophet as representative of the
nation).
Their exultation was like those
Who devour the oppressed in secret.”
As already indicated, the armies of the nations will gather into Palestine and
against Jerusalem in order to gain material resources for themselves since the
judgments of the Lord will have greatly diminished the availability of these
things.
Ezekiel 36:2-5; 38:10-12;
Habakkuk 3:15
“You stomped on the sea with Your horses,
On the surge of many waters.”
This is a
summary statement to indicate the victory of the Lord in defeating the
oppressors.
The prophet thus concludes his periscope “launch” into the end-times, and in
the next section returns to the immediate national crisis at hand in 605 BCE.
The last section, verses
16-19, occurs after another natural break in the text. That break is indicated
by the prophet's use of the first person of the verb. These verses
SPECIFICALLY describe the attitude of the prophet as he anticipates the
national judgment that is coming at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar as shown in
the first two chapters. These thoughts of Habakkuk are personal and
contemporary and do not have any end-times focus.
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