Who are the “nations/enemies round about”?

• Jos 23:1,2: All the Canaanites, and Moab, Ammon, and Edom.

• Jdg 2:14: Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Canaanites, Midianites, Amalekites, etc.

• 1Sa 10:1: Ammonites (1Sa 11); Philistines (1Sa 14); and Amalekites (1Sa 15).

• 2Sa 7:1: Zobah, Philistia, Moab, Syria, Edom, Ammon, Amalek (2Sa 8-10).

• 1Ki 4:31: Same as above. Also, Tyre and Ethiopia.

• 2Ki 17:15: Edom, Moab, Ammon, Syria, and the Canaanites — whose abominable fertility rites Israel imitated.

• 1Ch 22:9: Same as 1Sa 10:1; 2Sa 7:1; and 1Ki 4:31 above.

• Neh 6:16: The Arabians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites (Philistines) (Neh 4:7).

• Jer 25:9: All the Arab peoples, including Egypt and the Medes (see the full list in Jer 25:19-25).

• Eze 5:4,15: Ammon, Moab, Edom, Philistia (Eze 25), Tyre (Eze 26-28), Egypt (Eze 29,30), Assyria (Eze 31).

• Eze 36:4: See list above, but esp Edom (Eze 35).

• Joel 3:11,12: Specifically mentioned are Tyre, Zidon, and Palestine/Philistia (Joel 3:4); and Egypt and Edom (Joel 3:19).

• Oba 1:16: Edom esp (Oba 1:1), but all of Obadiah is similar to Jer 25 (see above).

• Zec 12:2,6: Specifically, Syria, Tyre and Zidon, and the Philistines (Zec 9); Egypt and Assyria (Zec 10); and Egypt and the Canaanites (Zec 14).

• Zec 14:14: Same general context as Zec 12 above.

In most of the above, the immediate context answers the question: “Who are the ‘nations round about’?” In a few instances, the answer comes from the wider context (ie, the section of a few chapters in which the passage is found).

When looking for a Last Days application, it makes sense to interpret the “nations round about” with reference to their proximity to Israel, which obviously is the point of reference of the prophets. Also, it makes sense to take those people who occupy those same geographical areas today as the logical successors of the peoples mentioned in the Bible. Such an interpretation harmonizes with a major Bible theme begun in Genesis: that God’s chosen seed (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes of Israel) would be in almost perpetual conflict with those neighbors (and relatives!) nearest to them (Lot, Ishmael, Esau, etc) over the ownership of the special Land which God promised to them.

The practical implications for us? When studying Bible prophecy, look first to the Middle East, not to Europe. This may require, for some, a rethinking of their personal views on Last Days events. It would be wrong to reason: ‘The Arabs can’t be the intended peoples, because they don’t fit into my prophetic scenario.’ It may be the scenario itself that needs changing!

When the child-murderer Herod was dead, Joseph the foster-father of Jesus was visited in Egypt by an angel. The glorious messenger reassured him that it was now safe for the little family to return to Israel. And so they came and would have taken up residence in Judea, probably again in Bethlehem the city of Joseph’s royal ancestor. Had Joseph and Mary decided that Judea and Jerusalem would be the proper home for the “Son of the Highest”? Here he could converse with noted rabbis and attend the best traditional schools. Here he could celebrate all the feasts in the shadow of the Temple. Here he could have the “best” opportunities and meet the “best” people.

It was the common feeling of the Pharisees of Judea — among others — that Judea was the “holy place” while Galilee was at best the “court of the Gentiles” — an out-of-the-way, backward place of little consequence, only marginally related to the divine worship. It was simply “the wrong side of the tracks”. And so it must have been with some surprise that Joseph heard the divine command turning himself and his dependents toward Galilee.

“And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene“ (Mat 2:23).

This is a passage of some difficulty, inasmuch as there is no such direct statement in any prophetic Scripture. But it is unlikely that Matthew would quote with authority any non-canonical source; so the answer must be there, in the pages of the Bible!

Let us note two comparatively minor points first of all: First, the stress on “which was spoken” (v 23) possibly suggests something not written, perhaps a well-known (at the time) oral prophecy given by Isaiah or some other prophet. (But we should expect that in the written word we will find at least a general confirmation of this theme of the “Nazarene” to explain why Matthew even mentioned it at all.) Secondly, “he shall be called…” is really a Hebrew idiom signifying “he shall be…” “Nazarene” was not to be the literal name of Jesus any more than was “Immanuel” (Isa 7:14), “Wonderful Counsellor” (Isa 9:6), or “Branch” (Jer 23:6). All these “names”, as a matter of fact, are to be understood as divine descriptions, each one telling us something more of the Messiah’s character.

Not a “Nazarite”

Now, as to the major points: A Nazarene is not a Nazarite! The two words are distinctly different in the Hebrew and the Greek. Also, Christ drank wine (Mat 11:19; Luke 7:34; John 2:1-11) and touched the dead (Mark 5:41; Luke 7:14). Holiness and separation he exemplified, certainly, but it was of a different and a higher order than that of the legal Nazarite.

A champion of the poor

The name “Nazareth” is from the Hebrew “netzer”, meaning primarily “to preserve or protect”. Certainly the child Jesus was providentially protected from the wrath of Herod first, and indeed from all harm later — until the appointed time for his deliverance into the hands of wicked men.

As a noun, “netzer” means a new plant, or sucker, which springs from an old root. The word is translated “branch” in Isa 11:1 — a branch sprung up from the old root of Jesse. (Jesse is mentioned here, and not David, since at the time of the birth of Jesus the once-prominent house of David had returned to relative obscurity and poverty, where it had been before David’s reign.)

In Isa 11 we read that this “netzer” was to receive the spirit of wisdom, that he might judge the poor and the meek of the earth (vv 2,4). He was in fact to be the champion of all the weak ones of creation, causing the lamb and the calf and the baby to dwell at peace among their natural predators (vv 6-8).’ Furthermore, this “netzer”, this root of Jesse, was to be the ensign or rallying standard for the Gentiles (!) and the outcasts (!) of Israel (vv 10,12). Apparently this fellow was not to be the product nor the friend of the “privileged class”, but instead a friend of the friendless, a defender of the defenseless! Certainly not much like the ordinary run of lords and kings’

Other Old Testament prophecies refer to Christ as the “branch” (this is the different, though practically equivalent, word “tsemach”), with much the same emphasis — as the Saviour of the weak and oppressed, for he had once been weak and oppressed himself:

Jer 23:5,6; 33:14-16: Here certain shepherds have persecuted and scattered the defenseless flocks, but the good shepherd named the “Branch” will gather the frail remnant and they shall fear no more.

Zec 3:8; 6:12: In these passages the priest Joshua, clothed with filthy garments, an object of ridicule and rejection, is typically cleansed and elevated — and given the prophetic name “My servant the Branch”.

“Despised and rejected”

Nazareth was a city of poor repute, a despised place. It was a proverb in Israel: “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). For that matter, all of Galilee was a poor and dirty place in the eyes of the elite. It was a “dry ground” (Isa 53:2) from which no good “plant” could spring forth:

“Shall the Messiah come out of Galilee?… Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet” (John 7:41,42,52).

Solomon cared little for Galilee; he gladly gave away twenty cities thereof to Hiram of Tyre as wages. (Is this part of the reason for the common name “Galilee of the Gentiles”? — Isa 9:1,2.) Hiram promptly protested, naming them “Cabul”, or “dirty and displeasing” (1Ki 9:11-13). Apparently they were of little value to him, for we read in a parallel passage that he soon returned them to Solomon (2Ch 8:2). And so the despised cities of “Cabul” or “Galilee” became a fitting symbol of the despised son of Galilee, passed in chains from Jew to Gentile and back to Jew again. Truly he was a “Nazarene”!

Any Bible student will readily acknowledge this general theme of the Scriptures — the Messiah as a suffering servant, a man of sorrows, despised and rejected, the embodiment of all that the Jews saw in Nazareth and Galilee. Particularly is this evident in:

Psa 22:6,7: “A worm, and no man…”

Psa 69:7,8: “A stranger or alien to my brethren”

Isa 53:2,3: “A root (‘shoresh’) out of a dry ground…”

In the fullest and most meaningful sense, he was a “Nazarene”. And we can only bow in wonder at the great love and wisdom of the Father who provided for our salvation such a Son. Jesus came to the outcasts and the Samaritans. He came to the sinners, bent double with their burdens of sorrow. He came to the blind and the lame and the poor and the forgotten. And to each of them… and to us… he says,

‘I know you; you are my brethren. Have I not been an outcast, a minority? Have I not been a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief? Have I not been poor and despised and slandered, and forgotten in a tomb of stone? Come unto me, all you Nazarenes, you Galileans, and I will give you rest.’

And so it was best that God’s Son grow up in lowly, despised Nazareth, as the “son” of a poor carpenter, with the “shadow” of illegitimacy hanging over him. The scenes of his childhood were remembered by Jesus, and later incorporated into his teachings. They present a grim picture, of a family living on the hard edge of poverty — the mending of garments, the frantic search for one lost coin, the poor widow pleading with the Judge.

The little that we know of Jesus’ youth teaches us that no man need ever be ashamed of where he comes from, how he makes a living (if it’s honest!), what accent he speaks with, what he wears, or where he lives. Neither should he ever “glory” in such things!

“Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord” (Jer 9:23,24).

What if our Lord returned tonight? Would he find me still a Nazirite? Have I maintained the vows I vowed? Am I still his who set me free, Who poured his lifeblood out for me? Or do I belong to that milling crowd Who recognize in name alone The one who shares Jehovah’s throne?

As the Nazirite left his hair to grow, Have I endeavored to grow in strength? Am I stronger now than a year ago Through reading the word of God at length? Have I conquered the inward man at all? Or have I perhaps grown weak and small?

Have I put aside the worldly wine? Am I drunken with pride or worldly conceit? Am I falling into a sad decline? Or do I still kneel at the Master’s feet, Seeking his counsel in daily prayer, Finding my peace and wisdom there?

Have I left the company of the dead? Do I find my company with those who spurn The Lamb of God, the Heavenly bread, Whose only thought is the bread they earn? Am I bound in thought to those faithful few Who are holding fast to the pure and true?

Suppose I now were brought face to face With Jesus Christ, would I feel disgrace? What if our Lord returned tonight? Would he find me still a Nazirite?

(BAWO, Dawn May 1956)

Nebuchadnezzar, the ancient king of Babylon, need not have feared a recurrence of his bad dreams if he had only accepted the inevitability of the Kingdom of God on earth.

If Nebuchadnezzar had only learned the lesson of his first bad dream — of the terrible image that was finally destroyed by the stone cut from the mountain, but not by human hands (Dan 2) — he would have had no reason to worry. But the more he thought about the God of heaven setting up a kingdom that would never be destroyed and grinding all human kingdoms to powder, the more he thought about the integrity and stability of his own kingdom. Perhaps he also pondered the make-up of the terrible image, a head of gold and feet of part iron and clay.

If his kingdom was to last, it must have cohesion. It must be united, purged of all opposing ideas and forces — it must be of pure gold, not fragmented bits of different metals, as the image in his vision. Then it would be indestructible. This was the lesson which Nebuchadnezzar wrongly learned from his dream.

So, in keeping with the character of all tyrants, he reacted in rebellion to the God of heaven instead of submission. As if to challenge the intent of the Divine message, he now built his own image [notice the connection with Rev 13:14,15], an image of pure gold. The dimensions of the image are given in the Babylonian numbering system of six: six cubits wide and 60 cubits high. (Or, quite literally, a multiple of six’s high. It could almost be said that the number of the Babylonian image was “666”! [Rev 13:18]) In any case, it was an image associated with the number six.

This image was to be the focus of the empire. A great Babylonian music festival was instituted with new music composed for an array of instruments, at the sound of which all peoples were to bow down before the image. There were, incidentally, six instruments in all. And bowing down to the image was not an option.

“Then the herald loudly proclaimed, ‘This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace’ ” (Dan 3:4-6).

All seemed well until it was discovered that certain people in the empire refused to bow down. Some of the king’s counselors came forward with this important statement…

“But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon — Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego — who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up” (v 12).

Thank God for the Jews! The Eternal Jew, he is God’s witness [Isa 43:10; 44:8; Rev 11:3?] that He is God! This is the reality that has stood in the way of all world rulers: “there are some Jews!” They were and are the one nation that will remain separate from all the others. All human plans will, sooner or later, be interrupted by God or His eternal purpose through His people.

The reaction of Nebuchadnezzar to their refusal was predictable. He was filled with rage and heated the great furnace [was this the same furnace used in the forging of the great image?] seven times hotter than before. There had been extreme reactions before against God’s people when they stood apart, from Pharaoh king of Egypt, and there would be again with a whole host of oppressors of God’s people, including Adolph Hitler and Saddam Hussein.

The reply of the three Jews is a classic study in faith:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Dan 3:16-18).

These three courageous men had a song in their hearts. It was a hymn that had been written down years before by the prophet Isaiah:

“…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze… All the nations gather together and the peoples assemble. Which of them foretold this and proclaimed to us the former things? Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they are right, so that others may hear and say, ‘It is true.’ ‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen…You are my witnesses… that I am God’ ” (Isa 43).

Indeed, they did not need to defend their position before some pagan king who was only ruling because the God of Israel allowed it, or to plead their cause before some gold image. They served the Living God who could rescue and deliver. They were His witnesses. Someone had to stand for truth and this was their moment.

They were prepared to stand whatever the outcome. “Even if he does not…” indicates their acceptance of the sovereign will of God in this matter. It is not for us to decide just how God will respond; He has His own reasons. It is for us to accept the outcome, whatever it be, to His glory.

“We will not serve or worship…” was their calm and confident reply. They would stand on the commandment that said, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exo 20:3). They served a living God who had the power to save, who rules in the kingdoms of men giving them to whomsoever He wills. Why then bow down to an image made by man’s hands?

Well, by this time Nebuchadnezzar was backed into a corner. Furious, he commanded that the three Jews be thrown into the furnace. The flames were so hot, the soldiers who threw them in perished from the heat. Then the king was in for the shock of his life.

“These three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, O king.’ He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods’ ” (Dan 3:23-25).

The king commanded the Jews to come forth from the fire as he and his advisors crowded around inspecting them.

“They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched… there was no smell of fire on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God’ ” (vv 27,28).

As always, there are some important lessons to be learned from these accounts.

The statement made to the ancient king of Babylon, “there are some Jews…”, is as arresting and insightful today as it was then. We have a few million Jews surrounded by at least one hundred million hostile Arabs or Moslems today. There is the miraculous return of hundreds of thousands of Jews from the north and south in literal fulfillment of prophecies made over 2,500 years ago. The “Jewish Problem” is not going to go away. They continue to be the living witness to an eternal divine plan.

How far are we away from the time when some power in the Middle East [perhaps another “Nebuchadnezzar” of “Babylon”?] will seize control and institute some international focus as the means of consolidating his rule? Religion could well be the focus, or some personality cult. There could well be a new “image” to bow down to; a worldwide boycott for those who are different [Revelation 13:16,17?]; and a new “furnace” awaiting those who refuse.

And some will refuse. The Bible continues to assure us, even in 1991, that those who refuse to bow down have nothing to fear. We can still serve this same Living God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He has the same power to save and rescue. His plan is alive, His invitation is current. If forces close around our personal liberties to serve Him, He has promised to be near each one of us through the presence of His Son, Jesus Christ — who is available to be “our man in the furnace” today!

Our individual challenge is to take a stand with all of God’s people, including the Jews. We must be prepared to give up our life if it is God’s will, knowing that He is able to save us eternally through the promised resurrection from the dead, and to make us part of His eternal kingdom that will soon be established on the ruins of the kingdoms of men.

Clyde Snobelen

Author: Nehemiah.

Time: 445 – 432 BC.

Summary: The book begins with Nehemiah returning from Babylon as Governor of Jerusalem. He plans and oversees the rebuilding of the city wall despite discouraging opposition and disunity within the Jewish population. The wall is completed and more exiles are returned and registered as Jewish citizens. Nehemiah’s dedication to God drives him to make several religious reforms including a public reading of the Law and arrangements for worship.

Time of writing: The mention of Darius the Persian (Neh 12:22) probably refers to Darius II, the successor of Artaxerxes I (Longimanus). Darius ruled from 423-404 BC. Therefore Nehemiah must have written the book sometime after that reign began. Since there are no references to Nehemiah’s age in the text, it is hard to estimate how long he may have lived. When the book opens, he was second in command under King Artaxerxes. If he was 40 years old then and 41 when he reached Jerusalem in 444 BC, he would have been 62 years old in 423 BC when Darius replaced Artaxerxes. Consequently he probably wrote the book not long after 423 BC, most likely before 400 BC.

Key verse: “So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart” (Neh 4:6).

Outline

1.	Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem: Neh 1:1 – 2:20
	a)	Tragic news from Jerusalem, and Nehemiah’s prayer: Neh 1:1-11
	b)	The granting of Nehemiah’s request: Neh 2:1-8
	c)	Nehemiah’s survey of the walls, and his report: Neh 2:9-20
2.	The building of the wall: Neh 3:1 – 7:4
	a)	The workmen and their tasks: Neh 3:1-32
	b)	The opposition of enemies: Neh 4:1-23
	c)	Reforms of Nehemiah as governor: Neh 5:1-19
	d)	The wall finished despite opposition: Neh 6:1-7:3
3.	List of exiles: Neh 7:4-73a
4.	Ezra’s preaching and reforms: Neh 7:73b — 10:39
	a)	The reading and observance of God’s Law: Neh 7:73b – 8:18
	b)	A public confession and covenant: Neh 9:1-10:39
5.	Lists of inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem: Neh 11:1-12:26
	a)	New residents of Jerusalem: Neh 11:1-24
	b)	New residents of Judah: Neh 11:25-36
	c)	List of priests and Levites: Neh 12:1-26
6.	Dedication of walls and organization of temple services: Neh 12:27-47
7.	Nehemiah’s second administration: Neh 13:1-31
	a)	Abuses during his absence: Neh 13:1-5
	b)	Nehemiah’s return to Jerusalem: Neh 13:6-9
	c)	Reorganization and reforms: Neh 13:10-31

Many lessons of a very practical nature might be gleaned from the inspired diary of “the king’s cupbearer” (Neh 1:11). For the present purposes, however, we shall concentrate on the qualities of character that constituted Nehemiah “a wise masterbuilder” (1Co 3:10) and give us guidelines to do likewise.

Having learned from his brother Hanani (Neh 1:2) that the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and the gates burned (v 3), Nehemiah pleaded with Artaxerxes for permission to travel to the land of his fathers to promote a reconstruction program (Neh 2:1-8). After a long and rigorous journey he finally arrived at Jerusalem; within only three days, ever the tireless worker, he was up and about on an inspection tour of the city and its fortifications. Nehemiah found many adversaries ready to hinder the work (v 10), while very few were willing to help in the building.

After viewing the desolations, he called the nobles and the priests together and explained his purpose, and how the king had supported him. They were so impressed that their response was immediate, concerted, and sincere — “Let us rise up and build” (Neh 2:18). The work was well-organized by Nehemiah, and construction began without delay.

But it did not go perfectly; the characters of Nehemiah and his brethren, like ours, must be tempered by adversity and hardship. There was opposition from the neighboring Samaritans and Gentiles, who used both guile and physical threats in an attempt to intimidate Nehemiah and impede his work. Most troublesome yet, there were internal dissensions: the Tekoite nobles would not “put their necks to the work” (Neh 3:5), and the men of Judah were prophets of pessimism (Neh 4:10). But Nehemiah did not despair, or lose hope; he maintained his impressive example and cheerful disposition at all times. It was characteristic of this man (and typical of Christ!) that he prayed for the forgiveness of the sins of the people as though they were his sins too! “We have sinned”, said he, and he was willing to share in the guilt of his nation, his “ecclesia” (Neh 1:6,7). The knowledge of the sins of his brethren did not discourage him, nor impel him to disassociate himself from the work, but only to redouble his efforts to bring the nation to repentance and finish their task. His enthusiasm was infectious, and the great work of repairing the wall was completed in only 52 days (Neh 6:15), “for the people had a mind to work” (Neh 4:6).

” ‘The people had a mind to work.’ When that is condensed into one word, it spells cooperation. The same idea was expressed by the apostles in such terms as ‘one mind’, ‘like-minded’, and ‘with one accord’. This thought should impress us deeply, because it is the only way possible for an ecclesia to succeed.

“If we do not work together, our love will grow cold; bitterness and evil speaking will be generated, and if this is augmented by the continual agitation of some crotchet which has been developed by our desire to have our own way, the foundations of our ecclesia will disintegrate and the whole structure will collapse. We must be on our guard at all times, and examine our purpose and motives….” (GAG, “The People Had a Mind to Work”, Ber 59:354).

Neh 3 enumerates 44 teams who begin work on the wall. Each team is assigned its own portion to build. Did some complain about the quality of their brethren’s work at other stations? Did others grumble because they could not be everywhere and do everything and supervise? Did some sit down and refuse to help?: ‘We just are not sure that we can approve of all the details of this operation.’ In the divine retrospect on the work of Nehemiah, all such petty hindrances and worries are put to one side. “Let us rise up and build” was the mandate; this call to the men of the city did not admit of any paltry quibbles. The work was too great to let personalities and prejudices and pride stand in the way.

It is the same with us as we strive to fortify God’s “city” today. There may be fears without, fightings within; but each brother, each individual ecclesia has pressing responsibilities near to home. Each of us has his portion of the “wall” to build, and no matter what we think of our neighbor’s building, or that “shoddy bit of work” way across on the other side, when the True Masterbuilder comes to inspect the work, each of us will be judged on his own portion!

“Every unit of the body must do its part by — ‘…. speaking the Truth in love,… growing up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto edifying of itself in love’ (Eph 4:15,16).

This is the only formula of a true ecclesia. What we do for our brethren and sisters, is what we do to God. If what we do is dominated by love, all will be well, but if we are not truly motivated by love and kindness in all we say and do, there will be no edification, and no bodily growth, and we will be brought into condemnation, and will never enter the kingdom of God. For, said Jesus, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me’ (Mat 25:40).

Passages using “ktisis” (“creation”): Col 1:16,17; Gal 6:15; 2Co 5:17; Jam 1:18; Eph 2:10,14,15; 4:24.

Other similar passages: 2Co 4:4-6; Isa 51:6,16; 45:7,11,12,13; 42:5,6; Psa 102:18,25-28.

Isaac Newton was born about 350 years ago, in 1643. Though he possessed probably the greatest scientific mind of all time, Newton believed that his expositions in the spiritual realm far outweighed in importance his scientific discoveries of the physical world. Yet his religious writings have been permitted to languish in obscurity and neglect. Today, the greatest part of his historical-theological manuscripts are hidden away in the Jewish National Library and University Library in Jerusalem. Newton believed firmly in the literal Second Coming of Christ and the return of the Jews to their Land. He refuted the “orthodox” opinion that the Judgment is to be accompanied by the literal burning up of the earth. His determination to reconstruct the ancient teaching of the first century church caused him to reject many commonly received church teachings: for example, he saw the “devil” as a term expressing the lusts of the flesh as manifested in various forms.

On the Importance and Significance of Prophecy

Giving ear to the prophets is a fundamental character of the true Church. The authority of councils, synods, bishops, and presbyters is human. The authority of the prophets is divine and comprehends the sum of religion, reckoning Moses and the Apostles amongst the prophets. And if an angel from heaven preach any other Gospel than what they have delivered, let him be accursed.

Daniel was in greatest credit among the Jews, and to reject his prophecies is to reject the Christian religion. For this religion is founded upon his prophecy concerning the Messiah.

For Daniel’s prophecies reach unto the end of the world; and there is scarce a prophecy in the Old Testament concerning Christ which doth not in something or other relate to his second coming.

God gave the Apocalypse [Revelation] and the prophecies of the Old Testament not to gratify men’s curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event, and His own providence, and not the interpreters’, be then manifested to the world.

Search the Scriptures thyself. By frequent reading, constant meditation, and earnest prayer, enlighten thine understanding if thou desirest to find the Truth — to which, if thou shalt at length attain, thou wilt value above all other treasures in the world by reason of the assurance and vigour it will add to thy faith, and steady satisfaction to thy mind which he only can know who shall experience it.

On the Return of the Jews to their Land

It may perhaps come about not from the Jews themselves but from some other kingdom friendly to them.

The return from captivity and coming of the Messiah and his Kingdom are described in Dan 7; Rev 19; Act 1; Mat 24; Joel 3; Eze 36; 37; Isa 60,62,63,65, 66, and many other places of Scripture. The manner of the return I know not. [This was written 300 years ago!] Let time be the interpreter.

On the Millennium as the Fulfillment of the Promises to Abraham

The Kingdom of God on earth involves the coexistence, during that period of one thousand years, of mortals and immortals, the latter in glory as the children of the resurrection. Seeing then this Kingdom outlasts the Millennium in so vast a disproportion of time and its end after that is nowhere predicted, we may well conclude with Jeremiah that it shall last as long as the ordinances of the sun and moon and stars; with Daniel, John and the other prophets that it shall stand for ever and ever, and with Luke that it shall have no end.

This was God’s covenant with Abraham when He promised that his seed should inherit the land of Canaan for ever; and on this covenant was founded the Jewish religion as well as the Christian; and therefore this point is of so great moment that it ought to be considered and understood by all men who pretend to [ie, profess] the name of Christians.

Appendix:

“The temporal distance of Newton’s conception of the Jewish Restoration from his own time is startling. While Finch thought the conversion of the Jews would begin in 1650, Mede at a date no later than 1715, William Lloyd by 1736, and his own erstwhile protégé Whiston by 1766, Newton saw it as centuries away. There can be no doubt that his vision of the return of the Jews was strong. Few intellectuals of Newton’s day could match the vigour of his faith in this prophetic event. Nevertheless, there is no sense of apocalyptic urgency. While the otherwise similarly-minded Whiston preached the nearness of the end, the imminence of the Jewish Restoration and toured the English resort towns with a model of the Millennial Temple, Newton stayed at his desk, communed with his books and worked and reworked prophetic treatises that few in his own lifetime would read. However, while he did not think apocalyptically about his present, he did see an intensely apocalyptic period focused at the end of time. Implicit in this eschatological profile one can also see Newton’s inherent religious radicalism. By contending that the true Gospel would not be widely preached until the end, he marginalizes the Reformation and distances himself from the mainstream Protestantism of his day. This belief even leads Newton to read Rom 11 differently: the time when “all Israel shall be saved” was not the time when the converted Jews would be added to already believing Gentiles. Rather, for Newton this referred to the moment at the end when all Israel — Jew and Gentile alike — would convert together to true Christianity. Unlike many other Christians, Newton refused to place Jewish faithlessness over Gentile Christian unbelief. Moreover, Newton’s prophetic world was a very private one. Unlike so many others of his age, there is no direct political context for his belief in the return of the Jews, no discussion of mercantile interests and no evidence of involvement in efforts to convert the Jews in his time.

“It is difficult to estimate the impact of Newton’s published writing on the return of the Jews. While it would be wrong to argue that his influence was great, conservative Protestants nevertheless saw him as an important prophetic authority and recent scholarship has demonstrated that his published Observations — which includes a detailed section on the return of the Jews — was a chief source for fundamentalist exegetes of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. And, while it is not overly lengthy, the section on the return of the Jews in the Observations is one of the fullest and most detailed articulations of his views on this subject. Nor must we overlook the secondary albeit likely more important influence he exerted through theological disciples such as Whiston, who published several works that deal with the Jewish Restoration. In both cases Newton’s exegesis merged with a prophetic tradition that helped create during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the religious and political climates that paved the way for the resettlement of Jews in Palestine — the longed-for vision of the Restoration. Newton would have approved.” (Stephen Snobelen, “Isaac Newton on the Return of the Jews”)

“About the time of the End, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the prophecies, and insist on their literal interpretation in the midst of much clamor and opposition” (Sir Isaac Newton, 1643-1727).

(From Caribbean Pioneer)