The Prophet Ezekiel Part 18

THE VISION OF THE DRY BONES.

Chapter x.x.xvii.

The future restoration or Israel, both their national and spiritual revival, which the Lord announced in the previous chapter, is now shown to the prophet in a remarkable vision. The vision emphasizes once more what Jehovah in grace will do for them. "And I will put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land" (verse 14). The second half of this chapter predicts the reunion of Judah and Israel represented by two sticks, which are joined together.

I. The Vision of the Dry Bones and their Resurrection.

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which _was_ full of bones. And caused me to pa.s.s by them round about: and, behold, _there were_ very many in the open valley; and, lo, _they were_ very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord G.o.d, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord G.o.d unto these bones, Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I _am_ the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but _there was_ no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord G.o.d; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied, as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived; and Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord G.o.d; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I _am_ the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken _it_, and performed _it_, saith the Lord (verses 1-14).

Once more the hand of the Lord is upon the prophet, and he is carried out in the Spirit of the Lord and is set down in the midst of a valley.

The valley was full of bones and they were very dry. These dry bones, disjointed and bleached, picture in the vision the national and spiritual condition of the whole house of Israel. There was no life in these bones and all is hopeless as they themselves are concerned. Then the Lord spoke to His prophet, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And the prophet answered, "O Lord G.o.d, Thou knowest!" Ezekiel knowing the impossibility that these bones could ever live, puts the question of their living upon the Lord. With Him nothing is impossible. He then is commanded to prophesy: "O ye dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord G.o.d unto these bones, Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you and ye shall live." And there is to be a complete reconstruction of these dry bones. Sinews and flesh is to cover them and the breath of life is to return. And the prophet speaks the word and there was a noise (literal: voice) and a commotion, bone came to bone, sinews and flesh came into view and skin covered them; but they were still dead, as no breath was in them. Again the prophet is commanded to prophecy, to utter the word: "Thus saith the Lord G.o.d: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live."

No sooner had the prophet spoken the word as commanded, when suddenly the breath came into them, and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then the Lord explains the vision, so that we are not left in doubt of what is meant by it. The dry bones are typical of the whole house of Israel; they themselves confess "our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts." Thus saith the Lord in answer to their despairing confession, what the vision so strikingly foreshadows, "I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel, ... and shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land."

The national resuscitation of the whole house of Israel, the restoration to their own land and the accompanying spiritual revival (though the latter does not fully come into view here) is the meaning of the vision.

It may be used in application[30] in different ways, to ill.u.s.trate certain truths, but the true and only interpretation is the one which is given by the Lord in verses 11-14. But there is an erroneous interpretation of a serious nature which is widely taught and believed among many Christians. Because "graves" are mentioned, besides the dry bones and their resurrection, it is being taught that the vision means physical resurrection. Systems, like Millennial Dawnism _alias_ International Bible Student a.s.sociation and others, which teach the so-called larger hope, a second chance for the impenitent dead, the rest.i.tution of the lost, teach that all the Israelites who have died in their sins will be brought out of their graves and then be saved. They use this vision to confirm this invention. An advocate of this theory declared that all the Christ-hating Pharisees and Sadducees who lived when our Lord was on earth would be raised up when He comes and then believe on Him. Matthew xxiii:39 was used by him as an argument. These rest.i.tution teachers also teach that inasmuch as Israel will have a second chance when they are raised from the dead, the Gentile dead will share also in the same. It needs no argument to refute this. The Word of G.o.d teaches a twofold resurrection: a first resurrection and a second resurrection, a resurrection of the just and a resurrection of the unjust (John v:28-29). According to the above theory there would have to be a third resurrection, a resurrection for a second chance and ultimate salvation of those who died in their sins. Of such a resurrection the Bible knows nothing.

[30] We heard once a Baptist preacher speak on this vision, and he used the dry bones as a picture of the dead members of his own denomination, and spoke of them as "the dry bones." A Methodist, Presbyterian, etc., might do the same.

In this vision of the dry bones physical resurrection is used as a type of the national restoration of Israel. It is used in the same way in Daniel xii:2. In that pa.s.sage the sleep in the dust of the earth is symbolical of their national condition. And when their national sleep ends there will be an awakening.[31] When we read here in Ezekiel of graves it must not be taken to mean literal graves, but the graves are symbolical of the nation as being buried among the Gentiles. If these dry bones meant the physical dead of the nation, how could it be explained that they speak and say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost?" The same figure of speech is used in the New Testament. Of the prodigal it is said, "For this my son was dead, and is alive again"

(Luke xv:24). Yet he was not physically dead, nor was he made alive physically. Therefore, this vision has nothing whatever to do with a physical resurrection. The late Dr. Bullinger, whose erroneous suggestions have led astray some, also taught that the vision of the dry bones includes resurrection as well as restoration.

[31] See "Exposition of Daniel," by A. C. G., page 200.

Equally bad is that spiritualizing method which takes a vision like this, as well as the hundreds of promises of a coming restoration, and applies it all to the church, ignoring totally the claims of Israel and their promised future of glory. This is the general trend of commentators.

They say that all these visions and promises were exhausted in the return of the remnant from Babylon (less than 43,000 souls) and the spiritual and larger fulfilment is now going on in the church. This method is evil, for it robs the Christian of the true key which unlocks the prophetic Word.

"Their interpretation of prophecy in particular is vitiated by this fatal mistake, which practically razes the hopes of Israel from the Bible and lowers ours to a mere succession to their hope and inheritance with somewhat better light and privilege. It is a part of the first and widest and most tenacious corruption of Christianity against which the apostle fought so valiantly. And it comes in the more insidiously, because it seems to those under its influence that they are of all men the most distant from the false brethren Paul denounced. To their minds the truest guard against Judaizing is to deny that the Jews will ever be reinstated as a people, or be restored consequently to their own land.

All the predictions of future blessedness and glory to Israel they turn over to Christendom now or to the church in glory. Most pernicious error! For this is exactly to Judaize the Christian and the church by making them simply follow and inherit from Israel. The truth is thus swamped; Israel's bright prospects are denied; Gentile conceit is engendered; and the Christian is rendered worldly, instead of being taught his place of blessing on high in contrast with Israel's on the earth."[32]

[32] Wm. Kelly.

II. The Reunion of the Nation and their King.

The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou Son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and _for_ all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou _meanest_ by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord G.o.d; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which _is_ in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, _even_ with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord G.o.d; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and I will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwelling-places, wherein they have sinned and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their G.o.d. And David my servant _shall be_ king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, _even_ they, and their children, and their children's children, for ever: and my servant David _shall be_ their prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them; yea, I will be their G.o.d, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore (verses 15-28).

The prophet is next commanded to demonstrate another coming event for G.o.d's ancient people by a symbolical action. He was to take a stick and write on it "for Judah and for the children of Israel his companions."

On the second stick, he was to write, "for Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions." He was then to join the two sticks so that they became one in his hand. It denotes the reunion of the house of Judah with the house of Israel. The sad division of the nation will end and both will be in His hand one, symbolical of the royal rod or sceptre, which will be in the hand of the Lord in the midst of His redeemed people. The Lord will do all this. "Behold I will take the children of Israel from among the nations whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall no more be two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all." The house of Israel never returned from the captivity; only a remnant of Judah came back. Since then they have been termed "the lost tribes," though this term is incorrect, for the Epistle of James is addressed to the twelve tribes of Israel. Nothing is lost with G.o.d. They are hidden rather, and the time will come when the enigma of the two tribes will be solved. Attempts have been made to locate them but all have failed. The Anglo-Israel theory (that England and America are the lost tribes) is so ridiculous and fantastic that it merits not even an investigation. G.o.d has kept track of them, and when this promised restoration takes place they will be brought to light. Then, reunited as they were under David and Solomon, they will have one King over them.

This King is foreshadowed by both David and his son Solomon. As King he is called, "David, my servant," who will be the One Shepherd. And "my servant David, their prince forever." It is the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of David, the true and greater Solomon, the Prince of Peace. How obvious it is that all this does not mean the church. The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the church in glory, but He is also the King of Israel. When the restoration takes place the angelic message finds its blessed fulfillment: "The Lord G.o.d shall give unto Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke i:32-37). But how can anyone believe that the words of promise given through Ezekiel have no future meaning for the seed of Abraham? Has Israel ever been restored as announced in these words? Have they ever been saved as promised in verse 23? Have they ever walked as a nation in perfect obedience, as stated in the words, "They shall also walk in My judgments, and observe my statutes and do them." And verse 25 promises an abiding dwelling in their land which at this time they do not yet possess. It is the sanctuary of the Lord set up in their midst.

Only when our Lord returns will all this be accomplished. Then will it be true, "My tabernacle also shall be with them; yea, I will be their G.o.d and they shall be My people."

GOG AND MAGOG

Chapter x.x.xviii.

The great restoration vision of the preceding chapter is followed by another great prophecy concerning the last enemy of Israel, and how the Lord will deliver His people and deal in judgment with the invading hordes. This prophecy is in chapters x.x.xviii and x.x.xix. These two chapters are of great interest and demand a careful study; they have been misunderstood by many. Frequently the Gog and Magog have been identified with the final revolt at the close of the millennium, when Satan is loosed for a little season (Rev. xx:7-9). The text shows that this is incorrect. The invasion which Ezekiel describes takes place in the beginning of the millennium; the invasion of Gog and Magog in Revelation is postmillennial. Ezekiel's invasion takes place from the North and the nations are designated; the nations which gather under Satan at the close of the millennium are from the four quarters of the earth. The invaders in Ezekiel's vision fall on the mountains of Israel, while those a.s.sembled after the millennium are devoured by fire from heaven.

Others have identified these invading enemies with the nations gathered in the revived Roman Empire. This also cannot be, for we find that the nations Ezekiel names are outside of the territory of the restored Roman Empire. We have to turn to the text itself to find the correct meaning of this prophecy.

I. The Invasion of Israel's Land.

And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord G.o.d: Behold, I _am_ against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and hors.e.m.e.n, all of them clothed with all sorts of _armour_, _even_ a great company _with_ bucklers and s.h.i.+elds, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with s.h.i.+eld and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: _and_ many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are a.s.sembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land _that is_ brought back from the sword, _and is_ gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely, all of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus saith the Lord G.o.d: It shall also come to pa.s.s, _that_ at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwellings without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places _that are now_ inhabited, and upon the people _that are_ gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land. Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tars.h.i.+sh, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (verses 1-13).

The first question which confronts us in giving an exposition of these verses is, When does this enemy fall into Israel's land? At what time does this invasion take place? We find the answer in the text. The statement is made in verse eight that Gog and Magog and the other nations with them invade the land "that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people;" they come "against the mountains of Israel, which have always been waste; but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely, all of them." In verse eleven the evil purpose of the invader is made known. He says, "I will go up to the land of unwalled villages, I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates." He comes "upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land" (verse 12). From all this we learn that the invasion takes place at the time when the Lord has brought back His people and resumed His relations.h.i.+p with the remnant of Israel.

The invasion will happen some time after the beastly empire with its beasthead (the revived Roman empire), in its final ten kingdom form and the clay, with the little horn as leader (Dan. vii; Rev. xiii:1-10) and the false prophet, the personal Antichrist (Rev. xiii:11, etc.) have been dealt with in judgment (Rev. xix:19-20). The stone out of heaven has then fallen upon the feet of the great dream image of Nebuchadnezzar, and as far as the Western confederated world power is concerned it is now ended. But other nations gather now for an a.s.sault.

It is a Northern confederacy which sweeps southward to invade the land as Antiochus Epiphanes did in the past, as well as the a.s.syrian in the days of Isaiah. These final invading hosts, under the leaders.h.i.+p of a powerful king, come like a storm, and like a cloud to cover the land.

In verse 17 we read "Thus saith the Lord G.o.d: Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old times by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring thee against them?" By the way, in these words we have a very clear statement concerning the prophets of G.o.d. They all were the mouthpiece of Jehovah; He has spoken through them. According to this verse other prophets prophesied of the same enemy. Some expositors have stated their inability to find a single prophecy elsewhere which would confirm Ezekiel's vision and prophecy.

We believe the foe, of whom Isaiah speaks as the a.s.syrian, foreshadows this one coming with his hordes from the North. The a.s.syrian in the days of Isaiah, who threatened to cover the land like a cloud, was Sennacherib. How the Lord dealt with him by wiping out his proud army with a single stroke is known to every reader of the Bible. But he also foreshadows the final a.s.syrian, the last King of the North. He is described in Isaiah x. A significant statement is made in that chapter as to the time when the Lord will deal with this a.s.syrian of the future.

It is this "Wherefore it shall come to pa.s.s that when the Lord has performed His whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of a.s.syria and the glory of his high looks" (verse 12). When the Lord has performed His work in judgment and in mercy upon Mount Zion and in behalf of Israel and their enemies, then He will also punish the last invader and spoiler of His people, the one foreshadowed by the a.s.syrian.

The Antichrist, who opposed the heavenly rights and glory of Christ, has then already been overthrown by the brightness of His coming; and next this last enemy who opposeth the earthly rights of the King of kings will also meet his defeat. Notice that in the same chapter of Isaiah the Lord comforts His people in view of the invader, showing thereby that He is with them and on their side. "Therefore, thus saith the Lord G.o.d of hosts, O my people that dwelleth in Zion, be not afraid of the a.s.syrian"

(Isa. x:24).

The prophet Micah bears a similar testimony to the same person. In chapter v we have a prophetic announcement of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem Ephrata. We also read of His rejection: "they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek." Then the nation is seen as rejected--given up, set aside--till Israel brings forth in travail pains a G.o.dly remnant during the end of the age. Then the Lord returns. "And He shall stand and rule in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His G.o.d; and they shall abide, for now shall He be great unto the ends of the earth" (verse 4).

When this has come to pa.s.s then the a.s.syrian appears on the scene, invading the land. But Micah tells us: "And this man (Christ) shall be the peace when the a.s.syrian shall come into the land" (verse 5). All this confirms the story of Ezekiel x.x.xviii. The reader may also turn to Isaiah x.x.xiii, to Joel and find there a description of the same invading forces which Ezekiel describes and their judgment.

But some will find a difficulty here. If the Lord has returned and His people Israel are being gathered to dwell in safety in their own land, if the Lord has revealed His glory, how is it possible that such an invasion can take place? Is not Satan to be bound at once after Christ has come back? And if Satan is put into the pit of the abyss to seduce the nations no more, how is it that these nations are so blind to come up into Immanuel's land to challenge the earthly rights of the King of kings?

Satan will be bound for a thousand years, but the last act by which he attempts to oppose Christ will be through Gog and Magog. The evil thought the leader, the prince of Rosh, thinks (verse 10) is inspired by Satan. He stands behind this wild company of nations and blinds them as he blinded the kings of the Roman Empire and their armies to make war against Him that sat upon the horse. (Rev. xix:19). But then Satan has spent his last arrow. He has completely failed and is then put into the prison for a thousand years to seduce the nations no more. His last attempt was through the prince of Rosh with the nations mentioned in the beginning of this chapter.

And when the Lord looses him, after the thousand years, he is still the same old devil, as he always will be forever and ever; once more he gets a Gog and Magog, this time from the four quarters of the earth, to put up his very last fight. How that will end we know from Revelation (xx:7-9).

Still another question is raised, and this one in connection with the judgment of the nations, as revealed by our Lord in Matthew xxv:31, etc.

After the Lord has returned He will receive His own throne and begin to judge the nations He finds then upon the earth. That this is not what has been termed the final--universal judgment of the quick and the dead--must be apparent to all who divide the Word of Truth rightly. It is the judgment of the living nations. Now the question is asked, if the Lord judges at once all living nations when He comes, how is it that these nations can invade the land? Why were they not also consigned to the place of eternal punishment? Why are they still unjudged?

We do not believe that the judgment of the living nations takes place on a single day. Such a judgment of necessity covers a longer period of time. Nation after nation will have to come up for judgment. This will consume considerable time. There is no question the millennial reign of our Lord will have two sides. There is first the Davidic aspect. He will begin to reign first as David did; His people are with Him and blessed, but all their enemies are not yet subdued and overcome. He will have to rule first with a rod of iron. And then when this final enemy is dealt with, He begins to reign as Prince of Peace, foreshadowed in the Solomonic reign. Gog and Magog, etc., complete and end the judgment of the nations. They are the last enemies to disappear.

After we have ascertained the time when this prophecy concerning Gog and Magog will be accomplished, we inquire next who this final enemy is.

"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of Man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and hors.e.m.e.n, all of them thoroughly equipped, a great a.s.semblage with targets and s.h.i.+elds, all of them handling swords. Persia, Cush, and Phut with them, all of them with s.h.i.+eld and helmet; Gomer and all his bands; the house of Togormah from the uttermost north, and all his bands--many peoples with thee." Here then we have a confederacy of nations. The leader is the Prince of Rosh (not as the authorized version has it "the chief prince"), of Meshech and Tubal. This prince is the head of the confederacy, and with him allied are Persia, Cush, Phut, Gomer and Togormah. They come out of the north, or, as it is in Hebrews, "out of the uttermost north" (verse 15).

Inasmuch as the Prince of Rosh is addressed in verse 3 as Gog, we take it that Gog is the name given to this prince and leader of these nations. His dwelling place is in the land of Magog. We know from Genesis x:2 that Magog was the second son of j.a.pheth. Gomer, Tubal and Meshech were also sons of j.a.pheth; Togormah was a grandson of j.a.pheth, being the third son of Gomer. Magog's land, was located in, what is called today, the Caucasus and the adjoining steppes. And the three Rosh, Meshech and Tubal were called by the ancients Scythians. They roamed as nomads in the country around and north of the Black and the Caspian Seas, and were known as the wildest barbarians. We learn from this that the invading forces, which fall into Israel's land in the future, when Israel has been regathered, come from a territory north of Palestine, which today is in the hands of Russia. And here we call attention to the prince, this northern leader, or king, who is the head of all these nations. He is the prince of Rosh. Careful research has established the fact that the progenitor of Rosh was Tiraz (Gen. x:2) and that Rosh is Russia. All students of Prophecy are agreed that this is the correct meaning of Rosh. The prince of Rosh, means, therefore, the prince or king of the Russian empire. But he also is in control of Meshech and Tubal, which are reproduced in the modern Moscow and Tobolsk.[33] Russia, we may well conclude from this, will furnish the man who will lead this confederacy of nations. We write this at a time when Russia is pa.s.sing through horrors upon horrors. A revolution changed the autocratic government into a democracy and that given way to anarchy, produced by the satanic treachery of Germany. From what is written in this chapter we learn that Russia will ultimately return to the old regime and will once more become a monarchy to fulfill her final destiny as made known in this sublime prophecy. Well known it is that Russia has been in the past the most p.r.o.nounced and bitterest enemy of the Jewish people. What she pa.s.ses through today is but a fulfillment of what the Lord has spoken: "I will curse them that curse thee." Today the Jews in Russian may have bright hopes of getting their rights and complete emanc.i.p.ation at last. For a time this may come to pa.s.s, but ultimately Russia will turn against them and like Pharaoh did, when Israel had left his domain, so this coming King of the North, the prince of Rosh, when Israel is back in the land, will turn against them.

[33] The Septuagint translates, "Mesoch and Thobel."

With him come the other nations. Persia, which is even now in part occupied by Russia, will finally be a va.s.sal to this prince of Rosh.

Ethiopia and Phut are also in this confederacy. There also is Gomer and all its bands. Gomer, says Delitsch, "is most probably the tribe of the Cimmerians, who dwell, according to Herodotus, on the Maeotis, in the Taurian Chersonesus, and from whom are descended the c.u.mri or Cymry in Wales and Britain, whose relation to the Germanic Cimbri is still in obscurity." Valuable information is given in the Talmud; Gomer is there stated to be the Germani, the Germans. That the descendants of the Gomer moved northward and established themselves in parts of Germany seems to be an established fact. All this is of much interest. Germany did not belong to the Roman empire, at least the greater part of Germany was never conquered by Rome. She will therefore not partic.i.p.ate in the Western confederacy. Will she then become united to Russia and march under the prince of Rosh into the land of Israel? We cannot be sure about all these things. This, however, we know, that a powerful confederacy of nations, under the leaders.h.i.+p of the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal, will come up against Immanuel's land, when Israel has been restored and dwells safely.

II. The Disastrous Defeat of the Invaders.