There are many among us with an intense interest in the study of prophecy, and everything possible should be done to encourage them. However, as the years pass and more and more divergent interpretations are bantered back and forth, it seems that the entire subject has become a stumbling-block for some. There seem to be more and more “non-student” brethren who are hindered rather than helped by the uncertainty of conflicting opinions. Is this because we sometimes lose sight of the true purpose of Bible prophecy — that is, to prepare us for the coming of Christ? An open policy in regard to non-essentials is a good thing, certainly better than a strict adherence to tradition, come what may. But let each writer or speaker be careful to point out that in such areas his predictions are his alone and are not infallible. Let each conjecture be “salted with (a grain of) salt”; thereby the failure of one will be less likely to “turn off” your audience or reflect unfavorably on the indisputable truths you hold.

There is probably a large section of Christadelphia who would say, “I have no head for prophecy.” To them we would reply, “Perhaps not, but have you a heart for Christ? Surely if you love Christ, you will love his appearing although you think you have no capacity for prophetic exercises”. An affectionate wife may have no head for her husband’s business affairs, but she has a heart for his return from the office each evening. His appointment book may baffle her, but she knows his footstep and recognizes his voice. The saint who feels lost in the Apocalyptic realm should not take pride in his ignorance, of course. But neither should he be unduly discouraged. If only he has affection for his Lord and Master, and a firm resolve to keep his commandments, even the novice may entertain the most fervent desire to see him. This is the paramount hope of each of us — to be accepted by Christ when he comes, not to guess correctly what will happen before he arrives!

The great apostle said to the Thessalonian brethren by way of commendation, “Ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven” (1Th 1:9,10). Evidently, these new brethren had quite an imperfect knowledge of prophecy, since they were perplexed about the “simple” matter of resurrection in the divine time-table (4:13). Yet at the same time, they were in perfect possession of the greatest hope of the ecclesia — even the return of God’s Son! Let us by all means study prophecy, and even disagree if we must; but let us not lose sight of our objective. Let us emphasize the unencumbered hope of the true believer, the coming of the bridegroom. This simple desire, not the names and the dates and the numbers, is the spirit and essence of all Bible prophecy. Robert Roberts succinctly expressed this thought:

“The signs of the times — the events and movements among the nations that indicate the near approach of the Lord… are very interesting and challenge research while we are waiting; but let him appear, and that instant we shall cease all care about the drying of the Euphrates, the increasing aggrandisement of Russia, and so forth” (“My Days and My Ways”).

At some point in the near future, all our personal appraisals of current events will become suddenly meaningless; we will stand before Christ awaiting his direction — to the right hand or to the left. If our present study of God’s word — whether prophecy or otherwise — has not prepared us, and helped us to prepare others, for that awesome day, then it will have been time wasted. Prophecy is devalued in its fulfillment, but faith and hope and love abide forever. If our lives have manifested these qualities, then we may have been wrong in some of our political expectations, but it will hardly matter. We may have known only in part, but then by the Father’s grace we shall know even as also we are known.

Tarshish was a son of Javan (Gen 10:4), a name which came to ref the Phoenicians, with which Tyre was connected. The name may have come in later days to ref to any seafaring merchant power — either to the east or the west of Israel (cp Jon 1:3; Eze 27:12; 1Ki 9:26; 10:22; 2Ch 9:21). Attempts to identify Tarshish with a single marine power — such as Britain in earlier days, or America in later times — always seem to run afoul of at least some of the Bible evidence. (For a more technical discussion, see LGS, Xd 101:401-403.) That Tarshish represents a Last Days power or powers is evident from Eze 38:13 and Psa 72:10. “Tarshish” appears in Ezekiel as an ally of “Sheba and Dedan” (Arab powers: see TofE 58-60), to be broken by God’s power (here; Isa 2:11-17; 23:14). But later it will bring gifts to Christ (Psa 72:10), including “thy sons” (Isa 60:9).

All relevant passages:

1. 1Ki 10:22 / 2Ch 9:21: Ships to Tarshish, with Hiram, bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, peacocks.
2. 1Ki 22:48 / 2Ch 20:36,37: Ships from Tarshish to Ophir to Tarshish bring gold.
3. Psa 48:7: Ships broken by God’s east wind in Kingdom.
4. Psa 72:10: Ships bring presents in Kingdom.
5. Isa 2:16: Ships destroyed by God.
6. Isa 23:1,6,10,14: As above, in a Tyre passage.
7. Isa 60:9: Ships bring sons, silver to Israel in Kingdom.
8. Isa 66:19: Israel sent to Tarshish to declare glory in Kingdom.
9. Jer 10:9: Goods of Tarshish nothing to worship of God.
10. Eze 27:12,25: Goods of Tarshish, in a Tyre passage.
11. Eze 38:13: Talks to Gog about spoil.
12. Jonah 1:3; 4:2: Jonah goes to Tarshish.

The passages in 1Ki are inconsistent with the idea that Tarshish = Britain. Any ships sailing from Ezion-Geber cannot possibly arrive in Britain — as there was no Suez Canal at the time. The cargo involved is unlikely to have come from Britain, either. However, Jonah gives us some more geography; which is inconsistent with the geography given above, as it would require Tarshish to be Mediterranean — or even British.

Also, there are further problems when considering 1Ki 22 = 2Ch 20 (see above). In 1Ki 22 the ships go from Tarshish to Ophir, while in 2Ch 20 they go to Tarshish, and both passages almost certainly refer to the same ships (see context). Thus Tarshish appears to be in two places at once. There are two possible solutions to these difficulties: (1) More than one Tarshish, or something like a far-flung empire, ie the British Empire — in effect, that it is many countries throughout the whole world. (2) Tarshish does not ref a single specific place at all.

In fact, an alternative with Scriptural backing is available. Consider: (a) Tarshish is almost always mentioned in connection with ships, and very often in connection with trading. So perhaps Tarshish is to be taken as an adjective meaning ‘trading’; usually to mean trading ships, sometimes to mean a port connected with trading. This reconciles 1Ki 22 and 2Ch 20. (b) In Isa 23, Tarshish is repeatedly connected with Tyre. So perhaps Tarshish is the prophet’s way of referring to Tyre (for unknown reasons) — because Tyre is the country of trade, Tarshish means to trade, and so the two are practically identical. Thus, Tyre consistently trades with Tarshish (by definition of Tarshish) — hence the connection. In summary, then, I claim that Tarshish refers to anything connected with trading, and, for all prophetic purposes, is identical with Tyre.

So to what does Tarshish refer in Last Days prophecy? The easy answer is ‘Tyre, geographically; in practice, Lebanon’. However, the salient feature of Tarshish (and Tyre) is its role in trading, and (currently) Lebanon has absolutely no reputation as a trading country. Rather, Tarshish should instead be a country/organization which is primarily noted for trade — possibly Britain, USA or Japan — or the WTO, IMF, or ‘world opinion’ (which is largely determined by multinational corporations, it appears). Why? Isa 66:19; 60:9 suggest that Tarshish does — and therefore can — bring the Jews back to their land. Thus Tarshish must have some control over the USA at least; and probably other many nations too.

What will Tarshish/Tyre do in the latter days? Psa 72:10, Isa 60:9 and Isa 66:19 are all quite explicit that Tarshish has a role in the Kingdom, having accepted the rule of Christ. This role includes bringing the Jews back to their land. However, Psa 48:7 is also explicit that God will destroy Tarshish. All of the above are quite definitely latter-day prophecies. How to reconcile them? Considering Tyre (if Tarshish = Tyre) helps to solve this problem. At the time of Nebuchadnezzar, Tyre was condemned by God, for various reasons (Amo 1:9,10; Joel 3:4-8; Eze 26-29; Isa 23: Jer 25:22: Zec 9:2-4). Thus, Tyre was conquered by Babylon (see Eze 29:18; plus the above prophecies). However, this did not last for ever (Isa 23:17,18 — which is fulfilled in Ezr 3:7, and, perhaps, in Neh 13:16). So, Tyre is condemned, conquered, restored, and worships with Israel in the restoration. (Tyre worshipping with Israel had also occurred much earlier: 1Ki 7:13,14, where Tyre helps Solomon build the temple. There are many similar passages during David’s reign.)

How does this fit into the overall picture? Quite well. Perhaps Tarshish = Western opinion, which will turn against Israel.

As a final note, it has been observed (by HAW) that the judgments given against Babylon in Rev 18 are very reminiscent of those against Tyre in Eze 26-28. Is it possible that this is because Babylon = Tyre in latter-day prophecy; or that Babylon is also a major trading power, and thus shares features, and punishment with Tyre?

In dealing with the Gentile nations, TEN may be a significant number:

• The land promised to Abraham is defined as the land of ten kings (Gen 15:19-21).
• The great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is struck on the feet and toes (ten?) by the little stone which represents Christ (Dan 2).
• The great and terrible fourth beast of Dan 7 had ten horns (Dan 7:7;24; cp Rev 12:3; 13:1; 17:7,12).
• Ten nations are listed in Psa 83, which make themselves the enemies of Israel.
• Ten nations are listed in Eze 38:1-6, as participating in (or, in some cases, perhaps, witnessing) the great invasion of Israel in the Last Days.

Isaiah has a section of ten “burdens” upon (presumably) Gentile nations:

• Babylon, or Assyria (Isa 13; 14:1-27),
• Philistia (Isa 14:28-32),
• Moab (Isa 15; 16);
• Damascus (Isa 17);
• Egypt (Isa 18-20);
• the desert of the sea (Isa 21:1-10);
• Dumah (Isa 21:11,12);
• Arabia (Isa 21:13-17);
• the valley of vision (Isa 22); and
• Tyre (Isa 23).

Jeremiah has a similar grouping of approximately ten Gentile nations, against which he issues oracles of warning and doom: Egypt (Jer 46); the Philistines (Jer 47:1-7); Moab (Jer 48); the Ammonites (Jer 49:1-6); Edom (Jer 49:7-22); Damascus, or Syria (Jer 49:23-27); Kedar and Hazor (Jer 49:28-33); Elam (Jer 49:34-39); and Babylon (Jer 50; 51).

In one single prophecy (Jer 25), Jeremiah enumerates approximately ten nations (perhaps as many as 13 or 14, depending on how they are grouped), nations that are destined to drink the cup of the LORD’s wrath — namely, Egypt, Uz, the Philistines, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon, Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia, Zimri, Elam, Media, and Sheshach (a cryptogram for Babylon).

Ezekiel also has a similar grouping of judgments against Gentile nations — not quite as many in number: Ammon (Eze 25:1-7), Moab (Eze 25:8-11), Edom (Eze 25:12-14), Philistia (Eze 25:15-17), Tyre (Eze 26-28:19), Sidon (Eze 28:20-24), and Egypt (Eze 29-32)

There is quite a bit of overlapping among the different lists, but there are still somewhat more than ten nations in total which are identified in these lists. Quite possibly, however, ten should be seen as a figurative number, of ALL the enemies of Israel in the last days — which will surely be defeated and destroyed by divine Power if they attack God’s People and Land.

Notice, for example, how “all languages and nations” seem to equate to TEN men in Zec 8:23.

Sometimes, however, TEN seems to signify “more than a few” or “quite a large number”, without being specific: Gen 31:7,41; Num 14:22; Job 19:3; 1Sa 1:8; Ecc 7:19.

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Also see Lesson, Beasts, heads, and horns.

Rome’s 10 Toes and the Gap

“Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron — for iron breaks and smashes everything — and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Dan 2:40-44).

It has been argued that there must be a continuity between the iron Roman Empire and the ten toes, part of iron and part of clay. And that the theory that the ten toe kingdoms (and the ten horns, and the ten kings of Revelation) are 10 Arab nations do not provide such continuity. Implicit in this argument is the assumption that the ten Roman toes represent ten independent European nations that arise out of Roman territory in medieval times and beyond.

However, what sets Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome apart from all kingdoms in world history is that each successively ruled over Jerusalem and the Land of Promise. This leads one to think that the ten “Roman” toes must also participate in the “treading down” of Jerusalem, and this was never true of the European provinces listed by JT in Eureka.

So were there ten “toes” which did participate with the Roman power in the subjugation of Jerusalem? What follows are quotations from Josephus’ “Wars of the Jews”:

“So Vespasian sent his son Titus from Achaia… to Alexandria, to bring back with him from thence the fifth and tenth legions, while he himself, when he has passed over the Hellespont, came by land into Syria, where he gathered together the Roman forces, with a considerable number of auxiliaries from the kings of that region” (III, i, 3).

As the Roman legions, with their “considerable number of auxiliaries”, were making their way into position for an attack on Jerusalem, Jewish rebels mounted an attack on Ashkelon (III, ii), which was repulsed.

“There was also a considerable number of auxiliaries got together, that came from the kings Antiochus [Syria] and Agrippa [Galilee], and Sohemus [Iturea], each of them contributing one thousand footmen, that were archers, and a thousand horsemen. Malchus also, the king of Arabia, sent a thousand horsemen, besides five thousand footmen, the greatest part of whom were archers; so that the whole army, including the auxiliaries sent by the kings, as well horsemen as footmen, when all were united together, amounted to sixty thousand, besides the servants, who, as they followed in vast numbers, so because they had been trained up in war and the rest, ought not to be distinguished from the fighting men” (III, iv, 2).

Then there were the Idumeans, who were particularly vilified by the Jews, because they at one time seemed to be fighting on Israel’s side (IV, v).

So a brief survey of Josephus’s “Wars of the Jews” yields at least six Roman “toes” assisting in trampling down Jerusalem: Syria (with other kings of that region), Ashkelon, Galilee, Iturea, Arabia, and Edom.

Further, Josephus also mentions that Jerusalem was situated in the center of ten other provinces in the whole of Judea, over which it reigned supreme (3:3:5). Some of these other provinces not listed above might well have provided “auxiliaries” to the Roman legions for the assault on Jerusalem, making a full total of ten.

So the continuity is this: Rome (with its Arab auxiliaries) trampling down Jerusalem in AD 70. Then a long “gap” while there are no appreciable numbers of Jews in the Land of Promise, until the Last Days… when the Jews return in large numbers to Palestine, forming an independent nation of Israel, and when out of the old Roman Empire there arise another ten or so Arab “toe kingdoms” to challenge Israel in the Land.

When propounding questions concerning the future, we must be careful to distinguish between the “What” and the “How”. “What hath the Lord spoken?” is always a legitimate question, and it will find in the Bible’s pages a complete answer. But Nicodemus’ question, “How can these things be?”, is quite another matter. God does not always choose to spell out the details of His plan in advance. Consequently, a revelation of the future often involves difficulties; sometimes the whole matter seems impossible, inconceivable. But a man is never so foolish as when he sets himself to “explain away” the simplest sense of a Bible passage only because he cannot see how it could mean just what it says. Many so-called “spiritual interpretations” represent such efforts to bring the word of prophecy within the scope of our little notions and dim comprehensions of things.

This was the point of the Sadducees’ argument against the resurrection. The Lord swept aside their small objections with his great answer: “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God” (Mat 22:29; Mark 12:24). This is still the perfect answer to all human objections against the plain meaning of God’s word. Men tend to feel so wise in their preconceptions, so sure they know how everything must be, that they often reject instantly anything that does not harmonize with their own ideas and traditions. Unfortunately, Christadelphians are not immune to the follies of ordinary men; we invite friends to “come to the Bible with an open mind”, but often our own minds were made up years ago, and are now locked into a rigid system of knowledge, even on such non-fundamentals as the details of prophecy. A couple of examples come quickly to mind here:

• The Location of Christ’s Judgment Seat: A number of Scriptures point very strongly toward (we might almost say “prove”) Jerusalem as the site of the saints’ glorification (Isa 24:23 with 25:7,8; Psa 133:3; 87:5,6; Mat 25:31-34; Isa 4:2,3; Joel 2:28,32) and the wicked’s punishment (Mat 3:12 with 2Ch 3:1 — the “threshingfloor” is the temple mount; Mat 10:28 and others — “Gehenna” is adjacent to Jerusalem). On the other hand, three passages are customarily interpreted as an implication (no stronger word is possible) that the judgment of the responsible will take place at Sinai (Deu 33:2,3; Psa 68:17; Hab 3:1-3). We believe that even the proponents of the “Sinai view” would in all fairness admit that these passages do not really prove their contention.

Without arguing at length the relative merits of either view, what strikes our attention here is this: The justifications for Sinai as the seat of judgment run heavily to just such an “explaining away” as we mentioned above. The justifications become in actuality objections: “

How

can this be — that Jerusalem will be the site of judgment? We can easily contemplate the gathering of resurrected millions to Sinai. It is the appropriate place, physically and geographically.

But we cannot easily imagine

this happening in the present Jerusalem. It is in too public a place for such a purpose. In the first place, where would everybody stand?” Such objections are really quite frivolous. Indeed, they are very much reminiscent of the Sadducees’ “seven husbands” argument; and they are readily answerable in the same way — by an appeal to “the power of God”. Such questions can always be raised — more questions than a dozen wise men working overtime could ever answer! But after all the “difficulties” have been raised, and answered, or gone unanswered, as the case may be, the Word of God still stands. God

will

fulfill all He has promised, to the last letter. Our “practical objections” are meaningless to Him. [Just as one thought, by no means dogmatic: If Elisha could lead an unfriendly army into Samaria, their eyes blinded to their surroundings (2Ki 6), then could not Christ just as easily hold the eyes of the mortal inhabitants of Jerusalem from observing the great spectacle of judgment going on in their midst?]

• Signs in the sun, moon, and stars: We as Christadelphians are always very quick to see symbolic significance in the heavenly bodies. Perhaps this characteristic is an outgrowth of our wrestlings with the traditional error of “heaven-going”; once we set out to show that the “heavens” are sometimes to be understood in a political sense, we scarcely know where to stop. We become almost afraid to consider that references to heaven or the heavenly bodies can ever be taken as literal.

And yet our Faith is built on the bed-rock of literality. If there is a single message that the Christadelphian body has sought to put across to the world more than any other, it is this: “The Bible means what it says. It is always preferable to take the most literal view of a passage unless there is a clear indication to the contrary in the context itself.”

What are we to make then of such a passage as Luke 21:25? Almost by reflex we begin to recite, “The sun, moon, stars, and heavenly bodies denote kings, queens, rulers, and persons in greater power: their increase of splendor denotes increase of prosperity; their declining, setting, or falling, denotes a reverse of fortune… ” (from the earliest “Declaration”). Is it inconceivable that there might, in the last days, be literal signs and wonders in the literal heavens? The first advent of Jesus was heralded by a literal star, or at least a literal light in the heavens; why not his second advent? True, we may not be able to say exactly what the sign will consist of, or how it will appear, or when. But prophecy was not given to us that we might be prophets, Scriptural “fortune-tellers” like Jeanne Dixon. The prophecy is God’s; we may properly ask, “What hath God said?” and the answer is in Luke 21:25,27: “There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars… And then shall they see the Son of Man coming… “

But the follow-up question, “How can this be?”, would seem to border on arrogance. It is as though we are saying, “This is too much for me to comprehend. I will bring God’s message down to my level. I will grapple with it until it fits as smoothly as possible into my limited notion of the fitness of things.” Let it be suggested that this is hardly the most reverential way to treat God’s word, to “spiritualize” literal words just because the alternative seems too extraordinary!

An example of such symbolic interpretation that pales before the wondrous literal fulfillment is 2Pe 3:7,10-12. In this passage the “heavens” have been long considered as political, for how else could the literal heavens “pass away”, or the literal elements melt with fervent heat, or the literal earth be burned up? But since those awesome days at the end of World War II, the literal character of this prophecy has become appallingly obvious. In a terrifyingly real way twentieth-century man now has in hand the potential to split the foundation blocks of his material world, to explode the atmospheric elements, and to incinerate the very earth (or a portion thereof) on which he walks. Who dare say in these days that 2Pe 3 cannot be fulfilled literally? And if this passage, why not many others that we have been so cautious about?

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We might imagine a similar controversy during the days before the birth of Jesus. Perhaps an elderly rabbi, Samuel by name, unspoiled by the “colleges” in Jerusalem, knows nothing better than to read the Scriptures literally. He has never heard, in the relative isolation of Galilee, the Sanhedrin’s “authoritative” interpretations of the passages we know as Psa 22; 1110; Isa 7; 53; and such like. Thus he believes and teaches that the Messiah will be literally the Son of God, born of a virgin of David’s lineage; that he will be not only a king but also a man of sorrow and grief, rejected and despised; that he will literally die, but his life will be the ransom for many; that he will be literally raised from the dead to sit at God’s right hand in the literal heavens. What a wave of protest, of opposition and even scorn, this teaching would have raised in the courts of learning! What “unanswerable” questions his antagonists would ask; what “unassailable” difficulties they would solemnly raise! How absurd, how heretical, they would say, was Rabbi Samuel’s doctrine! Does he really believe that God could actually have a son? What a wild literalism, when we can all see that Isa 7:14 is “highly figurative”! And how could the King of Israel be hated and killed, by his own people no less? It is the most farcical speculation. Why, we can think off-hand of at least fifty good reasons why God would never allow such a thing! To all of which simple old Rabbi Samuel could only answer that the Scriptures say so.

If there is any lesson here for us as a community, may we have the grace and humility to take it to heart. Almighty God, who has created the heavens and given us the written word, will scarcely be limited in His actions by our own imagined “difficulties”.

The writer was requested some time ago to speak on the subject: “The Prophets and their Message”. Upon reflection, this began to take on the dimensions of a lifetime study instead of a 45-minute talk. How does one go about condensing such a vast collection of material into manageable limits? (By actual volume, the “prophets” — including the Apocalypse of John — comprise 21% of the whole Bible.)

And, furthermore, in the welter of various and sometimes conflicting interpretations, just WHAT is the “message of the prophets” anyway?

The matter was considerably simplified by arbitrarily omitting 15 of the 16 Old Testament prophets, along with Revelation, and narrowing down the selection of source material to one, short, little-studied book: Zephaniah.

Why Zephaniah? For one thing, it has been called, as you may have already guessed from the title, “The summary book of all prophecy”. This is because, in only three chapters, it contains ALL of the three basic elements of Bible prophecy:

• God’s judgments on Israel (Zep 1:1–2:3),
• God’s judgments on the nations (Zep 2:4-15), and
• God’s future kingdom, AFTER His judgments are finished (Zep 3:1-20).

And, when you think about it, what else is there, really? In all the other prophets, simply variations of these three themes.

So now we are making progress. Let us consider each element in turn:

GOD’S JUDGMENTS ON ISRAEL

Israel (or shall we say Judah?) was God’s nation, and our example. Everything they did, and everything God brought upon them, are for our examples and admonition. So let us, who THINK we stand in God’s estimation, take earnest heed to these writings — lest we fall, as did Israel (1Co 10:11,12).

” ‘I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth’ ” (Zep 1:2,3).

“I will sweep away — or cut off”… four distinct classes of sinners:

1. The OPEN idolaters: “every remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests — those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host” (vv 4,5).
2. The SECRET idolaters: “those who bow down and swear by the LORD AND who ALSO swear by Molech” (v 5).
3. The backsliders: “those who turn back from following the LORD” (v 6).
4. The indifferent: “those who… neither seek the LORD nor inquire of him” (v 6).

That seems to cover the field rather well! Can we imagine any sort of sinner who does not fall into at least one of these categories? Do we not sometimes find even ourselves perilously entrapped in sins of most of these types?

It all has to do with “caring”: the open idolaters CARE, but they care wrongly; they have a zeal but not according to knowledge, and they bow five times a day toward Mecca or burn incense to a smiling stone image, but it profits them nothing.

The secret idolaters CARE too, but only half-heartedly; they serve God at times, but they never quite overthrow the altar of “Mammon” in their lives!

The backsliders CARED for God at one time, but they stopped caring. Perhaps the “cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches” entered their lives and choked the word of God.

And, last, there are the indifferent, who CARE not at all, who cannot be moved even with dynamite from the comfortable ruts of their sad, empty little lives.

What is the lesson for us? God sees and will judge EVERY type of iniquity: the external idolatry of false religion as well as the secret, internal idolatry of covetousness (Col 3:5), which wears a cloak of “righteousness” in order to deceive (both itself and others).

“Search us, Lord, and know our heart.
With every idol bid us part.”

These exhortations are lost on us if we think only of “idols” made of wood and stone, and pride ourselves as having nothing to do with such. But the “idols” that should frighten us, from whose bondage we should pray to be delivered, are the modern “gods” of materialism, licentiousness (in books, movies, and television), and pleasure-seeking! For God WILL judge EVERY type of sin: the open indifference of atheism no more than the hidden indifference of a lax Laodicean faith which seeks its own comfort and ignores its “nakedness” in God’s sight.

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“The LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited” (Zep 1:7).

Christ is the one true sacrifice, so that in turn he may also be the bridegroom of the marriage feast. The Father has invited guests to the sacrifice — to partake of the forgiveness of sins which Christ has made possible, and to obtain a “wedding garment” so that they will be suitably attired to attend the feast. But those guests who have not faithfully prepared themselves, when they do try to enter the great marriage feast, will be punished because they are, figuratively, “clad in foreign clothes” (v 8).

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“At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad’ ” (v 12).

Is this the picture of the household of faith in the Last Days? By their attitudes (that is, in their hearts) some appear to be saying (although they would never dream of saying so openly) that God is indifferent to what man does. ‘Don’t remind me that He sees or cares what I do. Leave me alone to while away my satisfied, self-centered little life.’

The great causes of God are not often defeated by open frontal attack, but rather by the slow, crushing, glacier-like mass of indifferent disciples. The Truth of God cannot be destroyed by the enemy, but it can be smothered to death by the lazy “friend”, who sits on it!

Let us examine ourselves. We all build “fences” around ourselves in one way or another. It is a deep-seated desire of human nature to seek protection and security, and to forget unpleasant things. But unless we are careful, we may come to seek our strength and support within ourselves, in our own possessions and accomplishments. “I will build bigger barns,” we say, but God says, “You are fools. This night your lives may be required of you.”

Let us not develop ingenious ways of keeping God and His demands out of our lives. Let us not be children, hiding in our “playpens”, amusing ourselves with expensive and time-consuming “toys”, until the urgency of the Truth has melted away in our lives.

Rather, let us “seek the LORD… righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’S anger” (Zep 2:3).

GOD’S JUDGMENTS ON THE NATIONS

For us, these can be both warning and encouragement: warning, because God is a jealous and holy God, whose longsuffering is not endless; but also encouragement, because His judgments on the nations are the prelude to the kingdom, when “the people of the world learn righteousness” (Isa 26:9).

In this section (Zep 2:4-15), four peoples or groups of peoples stand for the Gentiles in their totality:

1. To the west of Israel were the Philistines (vv 4-7) — modern Palestine;
2. To the east, Moab and Ammon (vv 8-11) — modern Jordan;
3. To the south, Cush (Ethiopia or southern Arabia) (v 12); and
4. To the north, Assyria or Babylon (vv 13-15) — modern Iraq.

These nations encircle Israel, which is of course at the center of God’s plan. Their “bounds” — both as to national boundaries and limits of influence — are set by God according to His purpose with His people Israel (Acts 17:26; Deu 32:8).

This is a comfort to those who see and understand the Divine Hand in world affairs. God has said, in effect, “This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt” (Job 38:11). Even though around us men’s hearts are failing them for fear, if God be for US, then nothing will “harm” US except what HE causes or allows for our betterment.

GOD’S FUTURE KINGDOM

In the last section the prophet Zephaniah looks again at the sins of Judah, but this time with a remedy. First the sins:

The sins of Jerusalem were four, and the reasons for those sins were likewise fourfold:

The sins (Zep 3:2)	The reasons (Zep 3:3,4)
1. No obedience	1. Wicked princes
2. No correction	2. Wicked judges
3. No trust	3. Wicked prophets
4. No atonement (“drawing near”)	4. Wicked priests

In Zephaniah’s day, all the kings and princes (except Josiah) were wicked men who could not lead a wicked nation into obedience. “Like princes, like people.” The judges were accustomed to bribery and graft, and did not teach “correction” or “instruction” (AV mg). With the exceptions of Zephaniah and Jeremiah, the prophets were false and wicked men, who trusted in the arm of flesh and not God. And the priests, who “profaned” the sanctuary, could not help in the least to draw men back to God.

It was a sorry state, but there was yet hope. As the sins of the people fell under four headings, because of the failures of all four classes of national leaders, so God’s remedy for His nation (and for the world) is also seen in four parts — all involving Christ. The recurring theme through the last section is:

“The LORD — Yahweh — is in the midst of you!” (vv 5,12,15,17).

Christ was once, and will be yet again in greater scope, the manifestation of the LORD or Yahweh upon the earth. He will be “in the midst” of men once again, in the capacity of righteous leader, when he returns to set up his Father’s Kingdom. At that time, he will be:

1. A righteous JUDGE (vv 5-7) — who will do no iniquity himself, but will instruct the world in righteousness.
2. A righteous PROPHET (vv 8-13) — who will bring to mankind “a pure lip” or language (v 9), with which they will call upon the LORD, and “the meek and humble” will “trust in the name of the LORD” (v 12).
3. A righteous KING (vv 14-16) — who will deliver his people from evil and lead them in the ways of obedience.
4. A righteous PRIEST (vv 17-20) — who will save his people, and bring them back to oneness, or atonement, with God.

THE PROPHETS’ MESSAGE

This man Christ must be our study, no matter where we turn in the Scriptures. His mind must be in us (Phi 2:5), his delights must be ours, his sorrows ours too. And his perception of the “world” must be shared by us. As he walked with his disciples one day near Herod’s temple, they exclaimed: “What a great building… what great stones…”

To this he replied, “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Mat 24:2).

Thereby he reminds us that nothing of what we see around us is eternal — not the magnificent buildings, nor the noble accomplishments, nor the heaped-up wealth, nor the awesome weapons, nor the seductive “entertainment”. Only character is eternal, and only then when it manifests the righteousness of God. The same prophet (yes, the greatest of all prophets!) who prophesied that every “stone” would be cast down also said:

“Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness” (Mat 6:33).

Even though we cannot see it now, that “city” and that “kingdom” will be eternal; and it will be built up with “living stones” in which righteousness will dwell.

Judgments there must be first, on God’s people no less than on the world. But the storm clouds will finally expend their force, and a new day will dawn — brighter and more blessed than we have ever witnessed — with joys unspeakable for those who have truly sought the LORD.

This is the prophets’ message.

It really was an astonishing dream which Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had. No wonder he came out of it with a scream. And it must have a terribly important meaning, something to do with himself, for hadn’t he seen his own face in it?

Well, he had an entire trade union of sorcerers, soothsayers and magicians to be his interpreters in all mysterious matters. They’d tell him what it meant!

But could they? He was pretty sure that more than once they had “conspired to tell (him) misleading and wicked things” (Dan 2:9). So to test them he demanded that they tell him first the details of the dream. Then he’d be prepared to listen to their interpretation of it.

Of course, that stumped them completely. So, “Off with their heads!”

But in the nick of time, there stepped forward a young Hebrew prophet claiming that with the help of his God both the dream and its meaning would be made known.

An image of metal

Sure enough, next day Daniel began to spell out the dream, detail by detail, while Nebuchadnezzar sat there on his throne wide-eyed with astonishment.

What the king had seen was a great metallic image with:

1. A head of gold.
2. Chest and arms of silver.
3. Belly and thighs of bronze.
4. Legs of iron.
5. Feet of mixed iron and clay.

What did it stand for? Daniel explained that here was a succession of empires, beginning with the empire of Babylon — of course, for that face had Nebuchadnezzar’s own features.

Its meaning

The identification of these empires is easy to anyone who knows a bit of ancient history. Indeed, other places in the Bible provide simple clues to confirm that the sequence goes like this:

1. Gold / Babylon
2. Silver / Persia
3. Bronze / Greece
4. Iron / Rome

But why stop there? Since the time of Rome there have been quite a few other empires, most of them every bit as important as these. What about the Mongol empire of Genghis Khan? the T’ang and Ching dynasties? the Aztec and Mayan empires? Philip II’s Spain? Napoleon’s Imperial France? the British Empire? The British Empire of Queen Victoria encompassed fully 25% of the land mass and population of the whole world, considerably more than did any of the four “empires” of Daniel!

An important qualification

There is a simple explanation why these other empires are not part of the prophecy. The vision was not intended to be a prophetic history lesson about all future world empires. These four empires were the powers that would oppress the Jews, Daniel’s people, in their own Land of Israel. This qualification explains what would otherwise be two difficulties:

1. The third kingdom of bronze is described (Dan 2:39) as “(ruling) over the whole earth”. But the Greek empire of Alexander the Great, big as it was, did not cover all the earth, not even all known civilization. However, the Old Testament word eretz, translated “earth”, also very commonly means “land” — and quite especially the Land of Israel. Alexander incorporated Israel into his growing empire.
2. Secondly, the empire of Rome is described as “strong as iron — for iron breaks and smashes everything — and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others” (Dan 2:40). Yet this “crush-and-break” description seems inappropriate to Rome. For wherever the Romans went, they took the blessings of law and order and settled government, the famous “Pax Romana”. But — once again — these words were grimly true concerning Rome’s relations with that little province of Judea. Unable to tame these turbulent Jews, the frustrated Romans eventually trampled down Jerusalem and leveled the land from end to end. Jews were deported everywhere, and a decree was issued that they must not return to their own land. So Daniel’s prophecy — when taken as relating to Israel — turned out to be marvelously exact in this detail also.

Bible students will readily recognize the importance of Israel, and especially Jerusalem, to God’s purpose. The Old Testament was written by Hebrews, for Hebrews, about Hebrews, in the land of the Hebrews, and in the language of the Hebrews. And the New Testament, though spread across the Roman world in Greek, was also written — predominantly — by Hebrews and about Hebrews, and in language rich with allusions to the Old Testament Hebrew Scriptures.

So the image which Daniel saw and interpreted began with Babylon, not because Babylon was the first “world empire”, but because Babylon was the first Gentile power to rule over God’s people in Jerusalem. The Persians were the second, but they did not “conquer” Jerusalem — they inherited it from a distance, simply by defeating the Babylonians. And similarly with the Greeks: their rule of Jerusalem came with the defeat of the Persians at a place quite remote from Jerusalem, in what is now Turkey.

And then there was Rome. Jerusalem passed into the possession of the Romans in their annexation of the Seleucid portion (called ‘the king of the north’ in Dan. 11) of the Grecian empire, in what is now Syria.

In proportion?

If we assume that the components of the image refer to the Gentile kingdoms during the times when they ruled over a Jewish Jerusalem, then a remarkable proportion becomes apparent:

1. Babylon conquered and trampled down Jerusalem in the days of Nebuchadnezzar (c 609 BC.). The time during which Babylon was destined to rule over Jerusalem was scripturally designated, as 70 years (Jer 25:12; 29:10). The prophet Daniel, while in captivity in Babylon, understood by reading Jeremiah’s writings that the period of “70 years” was coming to an end (Dan 9:2).
2. True to Jeremiah’s prophecy, Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon in 539 BC, ending the Jewish captivity in Babylon. Ezr 1:1 refers to this event as the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Some Jews returned to their land, and Persian rule over Jerusalem continued until Alexander crushed the Persian army at Issus, and moved southward through Jerusalem in 332.
3. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, control of Jerusalem alternated between the Seleucids of Syria (the “king of the north”) and the Ptolemies of Egypt (the “king of the south”) for another 160 years. Eventually, a revolt broke out among the Jews because the Grecian “king of the north”, Antiochus Epiphanes, deliberately desecrated the Jewish temple in 167 AD. In 161 AD the Jewish leaders, the Maccabees, sought a Roman alliance for protection.

Thus, the first three portions of the image endured, respectively, 70 (the head), 206 (chest and arms), and 170 years (belly and thighs) — give or take a couple of years! This is just about perfectly proportional to the human form.

Now comes the hard part! We can assign the Roman portion of the image a starting point of 161 BC, but where does it end? Some historians consider that the Roman Empire endured until 565 AD — a total period of 726 years. But such a period for the fourth portion of the image (the legs, from knees to feet) would yield, in proportion, legs almost twice as long as all the rest of the body: something like a circus clown on ridiculously long stilts!.

But consider the alternative, as suggested earlier: that the Roman empire should be of consequence only when it was ruling over God’s people in Jerusalem. This would yield a period of 230 years (161 BC through 70 AD — when Jerusalem was trodden down by the Romans, and the Jews were scattered); such a shorter period would restore the whole image to proper perspective .

The “gap” in the image

Finally, what about the toes of iron and clay? If we remain true to our assumption (ie, that the “kingdoms” enumerated in Daniel 2 are those that bore or will bear rule over Jews in Jerusalem), then — after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD — there can/could be no fifth and final part of the image until there are/were Jews back in the Land again. And so we are compelled, by this assumption, to allow for a sizable “gap” between the first four parts of the image and the last and most crucial part, the feet and toes.

Such a gap certainly appears to work against the congruity of the image in its time perspective, and might be construed as a point against this view. However, it must be admitted that a similar “gap”, of almost 2,000 years, is by far the most reasonable interpretation of the Olivet prophecy (Mat 24; Mar 13; Luk 21), which clearly contains elements already fulfilled in 70 AD and elements yet to be fulfilled in the Last Days. And, likewise, the Book of Revelation (with its oft-repeated ‘I come quickly… shortly… or soon’, but also with prophecies plainly about the Last Days) is most easily reconciled by a “gap”, or “deferment”, hypothesis.

[The “deferment” theory — put simply — differs from the “gap” theory in this: The “deferment” theory is of an initial but partial fulfillment of the whole of a prophecy, to be followed by a final and complete fulfillment of the whole — thus involving some repetition. (For more information, see WRev 259-273.)]

And, in each case, the gap (or deferment) in prophetic fulfillment is for the same reason: During that period, the Jews were not in their Land or in possession of Jerusalem. It is not stretching the point too far to say that the Divine “clock” seems to stop when the conditions in the Middle East are not immediately favorable to the fulfillment of God’s purpose.

Who are the toes?

These “toes” must refer to ten powers, some strong, some weak, who oppress the Jews when they are finally back in the Land of Israel, and who subdue Jerusalem once again. Daniel provides the clue for their identification: “Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed [ereb] with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed [ereb] with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture [ereb] and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes [ereb] with clay” (Dan 2:41-43).

The “mixed”, or “ereb”, peoples are of course the Arabs of the Middle East (cp also the same Hebrew word in 1Ki 10:15; Jer 25:20,24; 50:37; Eze 30:5; Neh 13:1,3). These are peoples of mixed ancestry, descended variously from Ishmael, Esau, Lot, the Philistines, and others. They have never “remained united”, always quarrelling and falling out among themselves… except in one particular: they are almost always solidly united in their hatred of Israel!

Thus, Nebuchadnezzar’s vision, fully authenticated so far, suggests an Arab conquest of Israel in the not too distant future. This is exactly in line with what is evident in many other Bible prophecies.

However, just as the toes take up only a small amount of space in the human figure, so also it may be expected that the Arab domination will last for only a very short while. And the Bible gives us that time period also: 3 1/2 years… 42 months… 1,260 days (Dan 7:25; 9:27; 12:7,11,12; Rev 11:2,3; 12:6; 13:5). Such a period — if taken literally — would preserve the perfect proportion of Nebuchadnezzar’s image.

Roman, or European, “toes”?

There is, of course, another and very different view of things held by some prophecy students, as follows: The feet and toes of Daniel’s image, being extensions of the legs, have often been equated with the “divided Roman empire” that followed the decline and fall of Rome herself in the sixth century AD. It is suggested that this “divided” state of Europe corresponds to the feet and toes of the image, the last part of the image.

Beginning in the late 1950s, it was for some time popular to interpret the “ten toes” as the European Economic Community. The nations of the EEC were, according to this view, the last vestige of the old Roman Empire, and would be the final part of the Kingdom of Men. (It is generally forgotten that there are about 50 nations in existence today, many of them not even in Europe — including most of the Arab nations — that occupy territory formerly held by the old Roman Empire. So any of these other nations could also be considered “successor nations” to Rome.)

But, as the member nations in the EEC climbed to 12 and then 14, and with more almost certain to be admitted as of this date, this interpretation has fallen on hard times.

There is another problem with the “European toe” interpretation. If all the divided states of Europe, from approximately 565 AD to the present and beyond, are represented by the feet and toes of the image, then our image is grossly out of proportion. Not only does the image look like a man on ridiculously tall stilts, but he is standing on “feet” with seven or eight toes each, which are now more than half again as long as the rest of the body, including the greatly elongated legs!. The absurdity of this figure is a good reason for rejecting the interpretation which suggested it.

Sudden destruction

In the vision a stone cut out of a mountain without human hands (ie, a divinely-appointed “stone”!) comes flying through the air and crashes into the feet of the image, completely pulverizing them; the image crashes to the ground, and every bit of it is similarly ground to powder; then a mighty wind blows the whole out of sight, while the stone grows and grows until it becomes a mighty mountain filling all the earth (Dan 2:34,35,44,45).

The “stone” is clearly Jesus: the Son of God is the precious stone, the stone which the builders rejected, the stone of stumbling, but also the stone which God will make the chief cornerstone in His eternal temple (Psa 118:22; Isa 8:14,15; 28:16; Mat 21:44; Mar 12:10,11; Luk 20:17; 1Pe 2:4-8).

A different kingdom

This “great mountain” which grows from a little stone will be a Kingdom set up by God Himself, which will last forever (Dan 2:44). When the Arab “toes” overrun Israel and trample down Jerusalem once again (as did the Babylonians and the Romans before them), then they will themselves be smashed swiftly by the coming of Christ in power and glory.

Where will this kingdom begin?

Hoping not to belabor an obvious point, we must nevertheless ask the question: Where will this eternal Kingdom begin? All Scriptures point to Jerusalem (Psa 2:6; Isa 2:2-4; 24:23; Jer 3:17; Mic 4:1,2; Joel 2:32; Oba 1:17; Zec 14:1-4; etc, etc).

So, working backward, if Jerusalem is where the Kingdom of God will begin (ie, where the “little stone” will begin to grow into a “great mountain”), then Jerusalem must also be the place upon which that stone falls in the first place.

And if this is so, then where will the feet of the image be standing when they are struck by that little stone? Jerusalem again. Jerusalem, the center of Bible prophecy — not Rome or Europe!

Author: Daniel

Time: 605 – 535 BC

Summary: The book of Daniel predicts the destiny of two opposing powers: The Kingdom of Men and the Kingdom of God, stressing that “the Most High rules in the Kingdom of Men”. Daniel’s prophecies generally deal with the nations that control Israel, from Daniel’s day until the return of Christ.

Key verse: “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure for ever” (Dan 2:44).

Outline

1.	Prologue: the setting: Dan 1
	a)	Daniel and his friends taken captive: Dan 1:1-7
	b)	The young men are faithful: Dan 1:8-16
	c)	The young men are elevated to high positions: Dan 1:17-21
2.	The destinies of the nations that rule Israel: Dan 2-7
	a)	Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a large statue: Dan 2
	b)	Nebuchadnezzar’s gold image: Dan 3
	c)	Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of an enormous tree: Dan 4
	d)	Belshazzar’s and Babylon’s downfall: Dan 5
	e)	Daniel’s deliverance: Dan 6
	f)	Daniel’s dream of four beasts: Dan 7
3.	The destiny of the nation of Israel: Dan 8-12
	a)	Daniel’s vision of a ram and a goat: Dan 8
	b)	Daniel’s prayer and his vision of the 70 “sevens”: Dan 9
	c)	Daniel’s vision of a man: Dan 10:1-11:1
	d)	Daniel’s vision of the kings of the south and the north: Dan 11:2-45
	e)	The end times: Dan 12

Background

In 605 BC Prince Nebuchadnezzar led the Babylonian army of his father Nabopolassar against the allied forces of Assyria and Egypt. He defeated them at Carchemish near the top of the Fertile Crescent. This victory gave Babylon supremacy in the ancient Near East. With Babylon’s victory, Egypt’s vassals, including Judah, passed under Babylonian control. Shortly thereafter that same year Nabopolassar died, and Nebuchadnezzar succeeded him as king. Nebuchadnezzar then moved south and invaded Judah, also in 605 BC. He took some royal and noble captives to Babylon including Daniel, whose name means “God is my judge” or “God is judging” or “God will judge” (Dan 1:1-3), plus some of the vessels from Solomon’s temple (2Ch 36:7). This was the first of Judah’s three deportations in which the Babylonians took groups of Judahites to Babylon. The king of Judah at that time was Jehoiakim (2Ki 24:1-4).

Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah and Coniah) succeeded him in 598 BC. Jehoiachin reigned only three months and 10 days (2Ch 36:9). Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah again. At the turn of the year, in 597 BC, he took Jehoiachin to Babylon along with most of Judah’s remaining leaders and the rest of the national treasures including young Ezekiel (2Ki 24:10-17; 2Ch 36:10).

A third and final deportation took place approximately 11 years later, in 586 BC. Jehoiakim’s younger brother Zedekiah, whose name Nebuchadnezzar had changed to Mattaniah, was then Judah’s puppet king. He rebelled against Babylon’s sovereignty by secretly making a treaty with Pharaoh Hophra under pressure from Jewish nationalists (Jer 37; 38). After a two-year siege, Jerusalem fell. Nebuchadnezzar returned to Jerusalem, burned the temple, broke down the city walls, and took all but the poorest of the Jews captive to Babylon. He also took Zedekiah prisoner to Babylon after he executed his sons and put out the king’s eyes at Riblah in Aramea (modern Syria; 2Ki 24:18 — 25:24).

Scope

Daniel, the main character from whom this book gets its name, was probably only a teenager when he arrived in Babylon in 605 BC. The Hebrew words used to describe him, the internal evidence of Dan 1, and the length of his ministry seem to make this clear. He continued in office as a public servant at least until 538 BC (Dan 1:21) and as a prophet at least until 536 BC (Dan 10:1). Thus the record of his ministry spans 70 years, the entire duration of the Babylonian Captivity. He probably lived to be at least 85 years old and perhaps older.

Writer

There is little doubt among conservative scholars that Daniel himself wrote this book under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Probably he did so late in his life, which could have been about 530 BC or a few years later. Several Persian-derived governmental terms appear in the book. The presence of these words suggests that the book received its final polishing after Persian had become the official language of government. This would have been late in Daniel’s life. What makes Daniel’s authorship quite clear is both internal and external evidence.

Internally the book claims in several places that Daniel was its writer (Dan 8:1; 9:2,20; 10:2). References to Daniel in the third person do not indicate that someone else wrote about him. It was customary for ancient authors of historical memoirs to write of themselves this way (cf Exo 20:2,7).

Language

Daniel is written in two languages, not just one. The Book is written in Hebrew and in Aramaic:

• Dan 1:1 through 2:4a: Hebrew language
• Dan 2:4b through 7:28: Aramaic language
• Dan 8:1 through 12:13: Hebrew language

There are a number of theories why two languages were used. One reason may be that the Spirit of God was indicating that the message of this book was for both Jews and Gentiles. Thus, the Hebrew portions would get the attention of the Jews, while the Aramaic portion would have the attention of the Gentiles.

Does the “day-for-a-year” principle pass the Scriptural test?

The day-for-a-year principle is one of the foundation stones for much of traditional Christadelphian prophetic interpretation. The continuous-historic viewpoint of prophecy that our pioneer brethren endorsed is especially dependent upon this principle. It is therefore incumbent upon us to test this principle against Scripture.

The day-for-a-year principle presumes that the word ‘day’, when found in a prophetic passage, should be interpreted as representing a literal year. For example, the 1,260,1,290, and 1,335 days of Daniel and Revelation are read as 1,260, 1,290, and 1,335 years (Dan 7:25; 12:7,11,12; Rev 11:2,3; 11:6,14; 13:5). In short, prophetic ‘days’ represent literal years.

There are passages that are quoted in support of this day-for-a-year principle. Do they prove it? Let us look at them one at a time.

1. Numbers 14:34: “After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know My breach of promise.”

This verse apparently supports the principle, especially the phrase “each day for a year”. But, if we pay closer attention, we immediately notice two things about the passage. First, both phrases, “forty days” and “forty years” are in the text. Second, both time periods are literal.

There is a correspondence between the two time periods in the use of the Scripturally significant number forty (that is, “after the number of the days”). But there is absolutely no evidence that the phrase “forty days” is to be interpreted as “forty years”. The facts, as plainly declared in the passage itself, are that the spies searched the land for forty literal days and the nation wandered in the wilderness forty literal years.

In short, though initially this passage might seem to support the principle, after a more careful analysis we find that it actually does not.

2. Ezekiel 4:4-6: “Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.”

Again, at first this passage seems to teach a principle that prophetic days are to be interpreted as representing years. But we must read carefully.

The passage actually says that Ezekiel was to lie on his left side for 390 literal days and on his right side for forty literal days, each representing the corresponding number of literal years of the iniquity of Israel and Judah. Here, as before, we find that, in the text of Scripture itself, “days” means literal days and “years” means literal years. Let us suppose that, instead of what is written, Ezekiel had been told: “Lie on your left side 390 days, and on your right side forty days. For I have laid upon you the time of Israel’s punishment.” (Note that the word ‘years’ does not occur in this hypothetical text.) Now let us suppose that the corresponding punishment of Israel’s iniquity was shown to be a Scripturally-attested 390 years and forty years. Such would be Biblical precedent for a day-for-a-year interpretation. However, this is not the case.

Both passages (1) and (2) use the same method: a certain number of literal days for individuals corresponding to the same number of literal years for the nation. In each case all the Scriptural time periods are literal periods.

3. Daniel 9:24: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city…”

This passage is used as support for the day-for-a-year principle as follows: 70 weeks = 70 x 7 days = 490 days; then, 490 days = 490 years, this last equality being supported by the principle in question. The problem with this analysis — and it is a fatal problem — is that the Hebrew word “shabua” (translated “week” in the AV) means nothing more than ‘a seven’. This explains why John Thomas used the anglicized Greek word ‘heptade’, meaning ‘a group of seven things’, in his translation of this passage given in his “Exposition of Daniel”. Eze 45:21 emphasizes that it cannot be simply read as “seven days” because in that verse the same Hebrew word “shabua” is combined with the word for days. In short, the “seventy weeks” of Dan 9 stands for a group of ‘seventy sevens’ of something to be determined [“seventy ‘sevens’ ” (NIV), “seventy weeks of years” (RSV, Roth)].

From the context, we discover that Daniel was asking (in v 2) about the seventy years prophesied by Jeremiah. Gabriel then gives him a prophecy concerning seventy times seven years. The result of 490 years is the same as that derived earlier, but now it is on a much firmer basis. The point can be set out graphically as follows:

Wrong formula:

70 weeks = 70 weeks x 7 days = 490 days = 490 years

Right formula:

70 x 7 (what?) = 490 (what?).

The variable (what?) becomes ‘years’ only after consideration of the context. There is no need for application of a day-for-a-year principle.

4. Luke 13:32,33: “And he [Jesus] said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk today, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.”

We would never have suspected that these verses would be quoted in support of the day-for-a-year theory until a well-respected speaking brother did just that at an American Bible School.

There are at least four problems in taking the passage to be a prophecy indicating that our Lord’s ministry would last three years.

First, his ministry lasted longer than three years. Second, these verses were spoken in the fourth year of the ministry, making them too late for the purpose indicated. Third, there is nothing at all in the passage itself to suggest that the day-for-a-year principle should even be applied. Finally, his interpretation ignores the most likely basis for Christ’s expression. The idiomatic phrase “yesterday, the third day” is used about two dozen times in the Old Testament to indicate an indeterminate period of time.

Whatever the correct interpretation of this passage, by itself it does not support the hypothesis.

As far as we know, these are the only passages that have been quoted as direct support for the principle that prophetic days represent literal years. As we have seen, these passages do not actually support this hypothesis. On the other hand, we have seen that in the two strongest passages (Num 14 and Eze 4) the words ‘day’ and ‘year’, when used in the text of Scripture, mean precisely day and year, even by the admission of those who would find support for their theory here.

Are there any passages that support the hypothesis that prophetic time periods should be taken literally? The answer is definitely yes. The following are several examples in which prophetic time periods are necessarily literal:

1.         On many occasions Jesus predicted that he would be raised the third day. These are all quite literal.

2. Genesis 15:13: “And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.”

3.         Genesis 41:29,30: “Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: and there shall arise after them seven years of famine.”

4. Isaiah 38:5: “Behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.”

5. Jeremiah 25:11,12: “And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.”

6. Jeremiah 29:10: “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.”

7. Daniel 9:2: “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalern.”

These examples are sufficient. They provide conclusive evidence against the theory of a day-for-a-year. However, there may still be those that argue against this result on the basis that the passages to which the principle is applied are symbolic, whereas the passages cited against it are all literal. But, when we go through the passages, we see that making such a distinction does not save the theory.

Before we examine the passages, we ask the question: Did John, for example, apply the day-for-a-year principle when interpreting his own visions? If he did, then certainly he would have passed this much along to Polycarp, Irenaeus and others of the first and second centuries. But “it is admitted that, for the first four centuries, the days mentioned in the prophecies of Daniel and in the Apocalypse were interpreted literally by the Fathers of the Church” (“Literary History of the New Testament”. as cited in “Tregelles on Daniel”: The Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony, Chiswick, 7th ed, 1965, p 112.)

On the other hand, Tregelles wrote: “As far as I know, the first who spoke of a period of twelve hundred and sixty years was the celebrated Abbot Joachim of Calabria at the close of the twelfth century. But he did not excogitate this as a prophetic period by using any year-day theory, but he formed it from the designation of ‘a time, times, and the dividing of time’, thus: he assumed a time to be the largest measure of time in use amongst men, a thousand years; times to be two of the next smaller measures of time, two hundred years; the dividing of time he assumed to be part of the last-named measure. He probably adopted sixty precisely (instead of fifty which he should have done as it is properly ‘half a time’) from the analogy of the 1,260 days. I ought to inform the reader that Abbot Joachim considered himself to be inspired. The year-day theory of two centuries later seems to be only a carrying out of the supposed revelation to Abbot Joachirn” (“Tregelles on Daniel”, footnotes on pp 123,124).

Now to the passages.

1. In Dan 4:16,23,25,32 Nebuchadnezzar was told that he should be driven from men “till seven times pass over him”. The “seven times in these verses is generally taken to be seven years, a conclusion that is most likely correct. (The Hebrew word for “time”, moed, is the same as that used for the yearly feasts of Israel, especially the Feast of Passover.) This period of seven years must be taken literally. In fact, vv 28-37 detail the fulfilment of the dream, recounted by Nebuchadnezzar in vv 10-18, precisely as interpreted by Daniel in vv 19-27. Verse 28 is emphatic: “All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.”

Application of a day-for-a-year principle in this passage results in nonsense. But that does not stop some expositors who tell us that the seven times represents 2,520 (7 x 360) years.’ However, their interpretations of the prophecy are completely unrelated to the details given in Daniel 4. The prophecy deals specifically with Nebuchadnezzar, with no implication otherwise.

This example is particularly important with regard to our discussion. The primary application of the day-for-a-year principle is to the various time periods in Daniel and the Apocalypse. One of these periods is the “time and times and half a time” (RV) of Dan 7:25; 12:7 and Rev 12:14. This corresponds to exactly half the period given in Dan 4. Because the seven times in Dan 4 must be seven literal years, the three-and-a-half times in the other passages should reasonably and consistently be interpreted as three-and-a-half literal years, in the absence of clear evidence to the contrary.

2.         “Time and times and half a time” (RV) in Dan 7 is not found in the symbolic part of the prophecy, but in the interpretation given to Daniel. The rest of the interpretation is literal, so the time period should be also. In Dan 12 “the man clothed in linen… sware by Him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half.” The fact that the time period was part of an oath would seem to emphasize that it is literal. There are three methods used to describe this same period of time: the “time, times, and an half” we have been discussing; “a thousand two hundred and threescore” in Rev 11:3; 12:6; and “forty and two months” in Rev 11:2; 13:5. It is as though God intended there to be no room for confusion. He was saying it would be three-and-a-half years; that is, forty-two months; in short — 1,260 days. Simply put, if an inspired apostle, in this case John, tells us exactly the same thing in three different ways, it ill becomes us to insist that he did not really mean what he said!

3. The “thousand two hundred and ninety days” and the “thousand three hundred and five and thirty days” in Dan 12:11,12 are both associated with the 1,260 days, in that the 1,290 days would end one (thirty-day) month after the 1,260 days, and the 1,335 would end 45 days later. These particular numbers are most likely to be connected with the Jewish calendar. Nevertheless, there is nothing in the passage in Daniel to suggest anything but a literal interpretation of these time periods.

4. The “hour, and a day, and a month, and a year” of Rev 9:15 surely refers to a specific and precise point in time and not a period (that is, the very hour, day, month, and year).

5. There is no reason why the “three days and an half” in Rev 11:9 should not be taken literally. The 31/2 days that the two witnesses are dead corresponds to the 31/2 years that the holy city is trodden under foot. This parallels the method used in the Num 14 and Eze 4 passages discussed earlier: a certain number of literal days for specific individuals corresponding to the same number of literal years for the nation.

It is interesting that the usual continuous historic interpretation of this time period does not use the day-for-a-year principle; otherwise it would signify three-and-a-half years, not 105 years as is often given. This inconsistency in the application of the principle is itself evidence against the principle.

6. The “thousand years” of Rev 20 provides another example of this inconsistency. This time period is always assumed to be literal by the continuous-historicists.

We could discuss other prophetic time periods but this collection should be convincing. We have concluded that the day-for-a-year principle not only lacks evidence to support it, but that it is actually contrary to many plain examples in which time periods must be literal. Given this result, it is urgent that we, as seekers of Bible truth and not men’s traditions, review many commonly accepted interpretations of prophecy. Specifically, all the standard continuous-historic results that depend so heavily on the day-for-a-year principle must be seriously questioned.

(Joe Hill and George Booker)

These words are quoted from the Lord Jesus as recorded in his Olivet prophecy:

“There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11; cp Mat 24:7; Mark 13:8).

The context of Jesus’ words tell us several things:

a. “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ ” (Mat 24:3). Great earthquakes will be one of the signs of Christ’s coming and the end of the age.

b. “Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, ‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down’ ” (Luke 21:5,6). This suggests that at least some of the “great earthquakes” will cause the “throwing down” of the great and beautiful stones of the temple mount in Jerusalem. That is what great earthquakes do! Although the stones of Herod’s temple itself were torn down and scattered by the Romans, the foundation stones of the Wailing Wall remain in place since the days of Jesus. Therefore, we could expect that there will be a “Last Days” earthquake in Jerusalem to finish the job.

California Shaking!

Recently [January 1990] an earthquake of more than moderate intensity struck the Los Angeles area. Local mountains rose as much as one foot. Nine highway overpasses snapped like twigs. An oil main and 250 gas lines ruptured, igniting untold numbers of fires. Over 3 million people were plunged into total darkness. 5,900 were injured. Twenty thousand were left homeless.

The toll in lost life (55 at last count)         has been quite small in comparison to other great quakes, due in large part to modern building codes. But the property damage (variously estimated at up to 30 billion dollars)         has been enormous, because the southern California area is one of the world’s richest and most developed. This quake follows by just over four years an earthquake of comparable intensity, and comparable loss of life and property, in San Francisco.

The scientists, called “seismologists”, who study earthquakes were quick to point out, in both cases, that these recent quakes — and aftershocks — were in no way “The Big One”. This, they warn, is still coming… any time within the next 25 years, give or take a few! “The Big One”, when it does strike, will be of an intensity many times greater than the most recent quakes. (An 8 on the Richter scale, by no means out of the question, would be 125 times more powerful than the recent 6.6!)         The consequent loss of life and property will be — probably — exponentially higher!

Such moderate earthquakes (although it is doubtful that they seem “moderate” to those who suffer through them!)         remind us of a couple of things: Firstly, that the very earth on which we stand, and which we take so much for granted, is a living, moving thing… controlled by a Power greater than man! And, secondly, that Jesus warned that “great earthquakes” will be a sign of the nearness of his return.

The causes of earthquakes

As a result of thermal energy within the earth’s interior, the outer layers are subjected to various elastic stresses and pressures which build over periods of years or even of centuries. When these stresses exceed some local breaking point there is a sudden deformation in the earth’s crust, accompanied by the release of vast amounts of stored-up energy. A fracture or rift occurs as portions of the earth’s surface move one against another. Shock waves, of great intensity and causing enormous damage, emanate from the seismic center and radiate in all directions. These tremors are recorded in observation stations all over the world. By collating this information, seismologists can determine the focus and intensity of the earthquake.

Volcanic eruptions are sometimes associated with earthquakes, and these can add a further horror.

There is nothing new in the phenomena of earthquakes. They have been going on all through history, and form a part of the natural processes by which the surface of the earth is changed and molded through the centuries. Thus mountain ranges are raised up, river courses and coastlines changed, islands created or destroyed, and — where human populations are involved — many lives may be lost or irrevocably altered.

Quakes in earlier times, and even now in other parts of the world where modern building codes are primitive or non-existent, have resulted in enormous loss of life, in contrast to those earthquakes which have occurred virtually under the eye of the camera in California. Some examples:

Year	Country	Estimated lives lost
856	Greece	45,000
1268	Asia Minor	60,000
1290	China	100,000
1556	China	830,000
1693	Italy	93,000
1737	India	300,000
1868	Peru	25,000
1898	Japan	22,000
1908	Italy	160,000
1962	Iran	12,000

These few examples demonstrate the worldwide distribution of earthquakes, and give some indication of the extent of damage and suffering that can result.

Are there more earthquakes today?

Some statistics indicate a sizeable increase in earthquakes in recent years.

The US Department of the Interior makes available publications such as Earthquakes and Volcanoes (bimonthly)         and Preliminary Determination of Epicenters (monthly). The latter publication lists all earthquakes recorded by some 350 centers throughout the world, listing details such as location and duration. These records show that up to 1948 (!)         the highest number of quakes reported in one year was 905. However, thereafter the annual totals (of all earthquakes of magnitude 3 or greater on the Richter scale)         have increased markedly.

Year	Earthquakes recorded
1948	620
1948	1,152
1950	2,023
1959	3,186
1961	4,740
1964	5,134
1965	6,686
1975	7,190
1988	Over 13,000

It is possible, however, that some part of this perceived increase may be just that: a perception, caused by the continuing development and increasingly wider use of more sophisticated detection instruments.

While the increase of earthquakes worldwide, and the observation of earthquakes close at hand, may be serious reminders to us of the nearness of Christ’s coming, surely the greatest signs — including those involving earthquakes — are to be seen in the Middle East.

Earthquakes in Israel: Rev 6

It has been pointed out that there are very many parallels between the Olivet prophecy and the Seals of Rev 6. In the sixth seal (Rev 6:12-17), there is a “great earthquake”, bringing about signs in the sun, moon, and stars (cp Mat 24:29), and causing the “figs” to fall from the “fig tree” (cp Mat 24:32) — surely an indicator that this prophecy has to do with Israel — just as does the Olivet prophecy! And the result of the sixth seal is… “the great day” of the “wrath of the Lamb… who can stand?”

Isaiah 2-4

“The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted… for all the cedars of Lebanon… all the oaks of Bashan… Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from dread of the LORD and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth” (Isa 2:12,13,19).

That this great shaking is centered upon Israel is clear from Isa 3:1,8 (part of the same prophetic section, despite the chapter break), where Jerusalem (compared to wicked Sodom in v 9; note the parallel in Rev 11:8)         will stagger, and Judah will fall. It is the Israelis whose great pride will be brought down by this divine shaking!

But, after Israel’s pride is abased, then Jerusalem (with its survivors, by faith!)         will be made “holy” again (Isa 4:2-6).

Isaiah 24

This is one of those passages, quite common in the Old Testament, where the Hebrew eretz should be translated “land” (ie, of Israel) rather than “earth”:

“See, the LORD is going to lay waste the Land (eretz)         and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants — it will be the same for priest as for people… The Land (eretz)         will be completely laid waste and totally plundered… The Land (eretz)         dries up and withers… the exalted of the Land (eretz)         languish. The Land (eretz)         is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant” (Isa 24:1-5).

That such severe devastation is to be visited upon Israel is proven by v 5: what land in all the earth is special home to the people who have broken God’s everlasting covenant?

How is the devastation wrought? By a severe earthquake:

“The foundations of the Land (eretz)         shake. The Land (eretz)         is broken up, the Land (eretz)         is split asunder, the Land (eretz)         is thoroughly shaken. The Land (eretz)         reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind” (Isa 24:18-20).

But, once again, the final outcome, when the proud of Israel have been abased, is that the LORD Almighty will reign in His city, Jerusalem, in the presence of the holy ones of old (v 23).

Ezekiel 38

But the divine wrath of earthquake will be directed not just against God’s own nation Israel, but also and foremost against the enemies of Israel, led by “Gog”:

“When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground” (Eze 38:18-20).

Joel 3

Once again, the prophet Joel sees Arab nations (Tyre, Sidon, Philistia, Edom, Egypt: vv 4,19) gathered into the Valley of Jehoshaphat (near Jerusalem) in the Last Days (vv 2,14). But they will fall!

“The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble… But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel” (v 16).

Habakkuk 3

The language of this prophet is graphic, reminiscent of the pictures in Exodus, when God came down upon Mount Sinai in a cloud, with fire and lightning and thunder. In Habakkuk, God manifests Himself in judgment against the enemies of Israel and on behalf of His faithful people:

“He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed… the mountains saw you and writhed…” (vv 6-10).

Haggai 2

“In a little while,” promises God, “I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations — and… THEN… the desired (one) of all nations will come, and I will fill this house (the temple on mount Zion in Jerusalem) with glory” (vv 6,7). A great shaking in the Last Days, which will affect all nations, but which will also usher in the Day of the Desired One, who will return to his city and his temple, and will fill it with Divine glory!

Zechariah 14

And when he returns, that “Desired One”, he will confront a city that is captive, in Gentile hands. His feet will stand upon the mount of Olives, to the east of the Holy City, and there will be a “great earthquake”, causing the mount of Olives to be split in two from east to west (vv 3,4). And Jerusalem will be, literally, “raised up” (v 10), and figuratively exalted above all other “mountains” (cp Isa 2:2-4; Psa 48:2).

Revelation 16

Just as Jesus himself said, in the Olivet prophecy, the greatest of all earthquakes will be the prelude to the appearance of Israel’s King, who will come to rule over Israel and all nations in the Kingdom of God:

“Behold, I come like a thief!… Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon… Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake… and the cities of the nations collapsed” (vv 15-19).

Acknowledgements

1. Allan Dangerfield, “There will be great earthquakes”, The Christadelphian, Nov 1990, pp 412,413.
2. F. Russell, “The Bible and Earthquakes”, The Australian Christadelphian Shield, Nov 1993, pp 8-11.
3. Tony Benson, Stormy Winds Fulfilling His Will, pp 85-89,108-122.
4. Harry Whittaker, Revelation: A Biblical Approach, pp 85-89.