NATIONS OF PROPHECY
By Matt Leasher
When one examines
the geographical
scope of Bible
prophecy, one can’t
help but easily
observe the divine
prominence of the
nation of Israel—and
rightfully so, as
God has undoubtedly
chosen Israel to be
the centerpiece for
fulfilling His
purpose for all of
history.
Upon further
examination of Old
Testament
Scriptures, we also
see a repeated
mention of the
nations that
surround Israel that
are her adversaries.
The prophetic
books of Scripture,
particularly those
of Isaiah, Jeremiah,
and Ezekiel, all
tell of the fate of
Israel’s enemy
nations—some of
which seem to have
already come to
pass, while others
are still at hand.
The fate of
these enemy nations
of Israel is God’s wrath.
In fact, to
be quite precise,
Ezekiel 32 mentions
several nations that
are consigned to the
Pit…and we all know
what the Pit is!
What I find
especially
significant about
the nations listed
in Ezekiel 32 that
are consigned to the
Pit is that they are
all the same Muslim
nations that are
persistently
threatening Israel
today.
They are:
Egypt (v. 18);
Assryia, which is
today’s Syria (v.
22); Elam, which is
today’s Iran (vs.
24); Meshach and
Tubal, which are
today’s Turkey (vs.
26); Edom, which is
today’s Jordan (vs.
29); and the
Sidonians, today’s
Lebanon (vs. 30).
This is by no
means a coincidence.
In fact, the
word “coincidence”
doesn’t even belong
in Bible prophecy
and isn’t found
anywhere in the
Bible.
Let’s further
examine these
prophetic nations
that surround Israel
and what the Bible
has to say about
them and how they
relate to today’s
headlines.
For starters, it is
only in this day and
age that we can even
do an examination
such as this, for if
it were a mere one
hundred years ago, a
map of the Middle
East wouldn’t show
the boundaries of
the nations there
today. Nor was
Israel back in
existence at that
time. But in the
twentieth century,
all of that changed.
We know that
we are in the last
days because Israel
is back in the land,
as of 1948, when she
became a nation
again and the
prophecies
concerning the Lord
returning to Israel
can now be
fulfilled. But what
tends to get
overlooked are the
enemy nations around
Israel that have
returned to their
same approximate
biblical borders,
but with different
names.
Almost all of
them have done this
in the twentieth
century, as if that
century was a “stage
setting” era for the
end-time events that
are soon to take
place.
There is the old
saying that history
repeats itself.
Looking back
upon history, we see
many examples of
that.
The most
current one is the
uncanny similarity
between today’s
Iranian regime and
the 1930s Nazi
regime.
Both were led
by a maniac bent on
eradicating the
existence of the
Jewish people while
threatening the rest
of the West by
parading extravagant
media displays of
all of their latest
weaponries.
The only
difference is that Iran is on the brink of obtaining
weapons of mass
destruction.
One can only
imagine what would
have happened if
Hitler had possessed
such weapons.
You would
think that the world
would have learned
its lesson, and that
people would not
have been sitting
around twiddling
their thumbs all
those years watching
Hitler build a
military arsenal of
evil.
But as King
Solomon says in
Ecclesiastes 1:9,
“That which has been
is what will be,
that which is done
is what will be
done, and there is
nothing new under
the sun.”
It is
with that notion
that we can come to
understand that
Israel’s enemy
nations have
re-emerged into
history, just as
Israel has.
With this in
mind, let’s look at
the nations listed
in the prophetic
books of the Bible
as being Israel’s
direct enemies and
who they are now.
I will list
them by their
biblical references
and where they are
now. Take special
note of the dates
that they re-emerged
into their current
territories.
Egypt – An enemy
of Israel since the
days of Moses when
the nation enslaved
the Israelites, it
has been an
adversary of Israel
ever since.
Although the
great empires and
dynasties of Egypt
are long gone, today
it is a prominent
Muslim nation with
ties to many of
Israel’s other
enemies.
Egypt
became independent
from the
United Kingdom
in 1922 and then a
Republic in 1953.
God’s anger
and wrath against
Egypt is declared in
Psalm 78:43–51,
Isaiah 19, Jeremiah
46, and Ezekiel 29,
30, and 31.
Lebanon – Once
an ally to Israel
during the days of
King Solomon, it
quickly became an
enemy after Solomon
died.
Lebanon
remained in
opposition to Israel
throughout the years
of the kings of
Israel and Judah.
God’s anger and
wrath towards
Lebanon is declared
in Isaiah 23
(Phoenicia being
Lebanon), Ezekiel
26, 27, and 28
(specifically Tyre
and Sidon, which are
capital cities still
present in Lebanon
today).
Lebanon
declared its
independence from
France in 1941, and
was recognized in
1943.
Today,
Lebanon is a major
Muslim nation that
firmly opposes
Israel and is home
of the Hezbollah
terrorist
organization.
Syria – A
remnant of the
biblical Assyria, it
was a major enemy of
Israel throughout
the entire Old
Testament.
The capital
city of Damascus is the oldest
inhabited city in
the world. Isaiah
17:1 declares a
prophecy of the
destruction of
Damascus
that is still yet to
be fulfilled!
“The burden against Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease from
being a city, and it
will be a ruinous
heap.”
If a
nuclear exchange
were to occur
between Israel and
Iran, Damascus is
just between those
two nations.
God’s anger
and wrath against
Syria is declared in
Isaiah 10:5–19,
Isaiah 14:24–27,
Jeremiah 49:23–27,
and Zephaniah
2:13–15; the whole
book of Nahum
prophecies judgment
on Nineveh, the
ancient capital city
of Assyria.
Modern
Syria
became independent
from
France
in1946.
Syria is
currently in
coalition with
Lebanon and Iran,
plotting against
Israel under radical
president Bashar
al-Assad.
Ammon, Moab, Edom
– All of these make
up today’s nation of
Jordan.
All three
were descendants of
Israel. The
Ammonites and
Moabites were
related to
Israel
through Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Ammon and Moab were the two sons
born out of the
incestuous relation
of Lot and his two
daughters (Genesis
19:29–38).
Edom is
another name for
Jacob’s twin
brother, Esau.
Throughout
the Old Testament,
the Ammonites,
Moabites, and
Edomites are
constantly at war
with Israel, and
often would ally
with other empires
such as Babylon
against Israel.
God’s anger
and wrath towards
Ammon, Moab, and
Edom is declared in
Isaiah 15, Isaiah
21, Jeremiah 48 and
49, Ezekiel 25 and
35 (Mount Seir being
Edom). The book of
Obadiah is about the
judgment and
destruction of
Edom.
The prophecy
declares that Edom would be forever desolate. Even
though the area
where Edom once
existed is currently
controlled by
Jordan, it still
remains a barren,
desolate land.
The
boundaries that
these three nations
used to inhabit are
together the same
boundaries that
today’s nation of Jordan resides. Jordan became an
independent nation
in 1946 and is the
base of the
Palestine Authority.
It has been in
opposition and
conflict with Israel
for decades,
particularly the
West Bank section of
Israel.
Philistia –
Approximately in the
same area as today’s
Gaza Strip,
Philistia which has
been a thorn in
Israel’s side since
it was organized in
1993.
Ancient
Philistia was an
enemy of Israel
since the days of
Joshua and
especially in the
days of King David.
Goliath the
giant was a
Philistine.
The name
“Palestine” was
derived from the
word “Philistine.”
God’s anger
and wrath towards
Philistia is
declared in Isaiah
14:28–32, Jeremiah
47, and Ezekiel
25:15–17.
The Gaza
Strip acquired its
current boundaries
after the 1948
Arab-Israeli war and
was organized in
1993 out of the
Oslo
accords.
Israel
gave it over to full
control of the
Palestinians in
2005.
Today, the
Gaza Strip is the
home of the
terrorist
organization of
Hamas, and a
constant exchange of
rocket missiles goes
on between them and
Israel to this day.
Elam – This is
the ancient name of
the area that became
Persia, which became
Iran in 1935.
Elam was the
oldest son of Shem,
the son of Noah
after whom the
ancient country was
named.
The Elamites
later became the
Medes, and then came
the Median-Persian
Empire, infamous for
conquering the
Babylon Empire. The
Persians were both
friend and foe to
Israel.
King Cyrus
was the Persian king
who allowed the
Jewish captives to
return to Israel and
rebuild their temple
and city after they
conquered Babylon,
but later King
Xerxes decreed to
wipe out the Jewish
people by the
request of his
adviser Haman as
reported in the book
of Esther.
(But of
course we know that
Esther saved the
day).
Persia
remained Persia for
centuries, even
after the Persian
Empire fell to the
Grecian Empire. In
1935 it became Iran,
and then the Islamic
Republic of Iran in
1979.
God’s anger
and wrath against
Elam is declared in
Isaiah 11:11,
Jeremiah 25:25, and
Jeremiah 49:34–39,
which is an
apocalyptic oracle
against Elam!
Today, Iran
is undoubtedly the
most ominous threat
to Israel. Its
maniacal leader,
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
has openly declared
his intention to
eliminate Israel as
a nation, echoing
verse 4 from Psalm
83 (whether he knows
it or not).
Iran’s
ever-increasing
military strength
and alliances are
beyond any other
threat that Israel
faces today.
Ezekiel 38
and 39 foretell
Persia (Iran) as
being one of the
coalition of nations
that attempts to
invade Israel in the
last days, provoking
divine interaction
from the Lord
Himself.
The other nations
listed in Ezekiel 38
and 39 are many of
Israel’s current
Muslim enemies as
well.
There is Put,
which is today’s
Libya, a
Muslim-dominant
nation led by
longtime radical
leader and
Israel-hater Muammar
al-Gaddafi. Then
there are Cush,
which is today’s
Ethiopia, and/or
Sudan. Sudan is a
Muslim country, but
Ethiopia is still a
country of mixed
religions.
There are
Meshech, Tubal and
Lydia, areas located
in today’s
Turkey—the newest
nation to become a
Muslim-dominant
enemy to Israel.
Turkey was a
longtime ally of
Israel and a secular
nation until just
recently, when
Abdullah Gul became
the first Islamic
president since the
fall of the Ottoman
Empire in 1923.
Turkey has recently
turned its back on
Israel. Turkey also has a very large and
powerful military.
Then there
are Rosh and Magog,
areas determined to
be in today’s
Russia.
Russia has
recently become a
vastly large Muslim
populace, but is
still an independent
federal republic of
its own; however,
within the last
seven or so years,
it has become a very
strong ally with
Iran and has
assisted Iran
greatly in its
nuclear program.
So looking at
these nations from
the Ezekiel 38 and
39 prophecy that is
yet to be fulfilled,
we can certainly see
that the prophet
Ezekiel clearly was
seeing into the
current day that we
are living in.
The names of
the nations may have
changed, but the
circumstance is
exactly as Ezekiel
predicted it would
be… in the last
days!
In addition to the
nations listed
above, there are few
short mentions from
the Old Testament
prophets of some
other areas
significant to
today’s headlines.
This includes Kedar
and Hazor, whose
judgment is declared
in Jeremiah
49:28–33.
They are
areas in today’s
Saudi Arabia.
The prophecy says
that Hazor will be a
desolation forever,
a dwelling place for
jackals where no one
will reside (vs.
33).
Today’s
Saudi Arabia
is full of desert
wilderness where no
one dwells.
There is also
the mention of Teman
several times. This
is in the area of
today’s nation of
Yemen.
Prophecies
concerning Teman are
found in Jeremiah
49:7, Ezekiel 25:13,
Amos 1:12, and
Obadiah 1:9.
Yemen is yet
another Muslim
country that has
recently been in the
news headlines
several times in
regards to various
terrorist plots.
Then there is
Babylon.
God used the
Babylonian Empire to
chastise His people
in Judah by allowing
them to conquer
Jerusalem, destroy
the first temple,
and take His people
captive for seventy
years. But Babylon
was then conquered
by the Media-Persian
Empire and went out
of existence. God’s
anger and wrath
against Babylon are
declared in Isaiah
13, Jeremiah 50 and
51, and Revelation
17 and 18. The
capital city of
Babylon itself is
located in today’s
Iraq, and Saddam
Hussein began to
reconstruct the
ancient ruins of
Babylon with
intentions of making
it a palace and
headquarters for his
own regime. Several
prophecies in
Zechariah and
Revelation declare
that Babylon will be
the headquarters and
religious fortress
for the Antichrist
in the last days.
Currently,
the future of Iraq
seems to be in limbo
as the government is
still in a state of
repair and the U.S.
military is in the
process of pulling
out.
If anywhere
in the Middle East
would be up for
grabs for a world
dictator to use as a
headquarters in the
near future, it
would be Iraq…which
is where Babylon is.
On a side
note, Babylon is
also the location of
the tower of Babel
(Genesis 11), in an
area known as the
land of Shinar in
those times.
The
construction of the
tower of Babel was
the last time the
entire world tried
to come together as
one entity in
opposition to God.
That same
geographical area
just may very well
be the center of a
coming New World
Order that we see
rapidly forming
before our very eyes
today.
So looking back at
all of the nations
listed above and
their scenarios,
what does all of
this mean?
It means that
Bible prophecy is as
relevant today as it
was when it was
written.
It means that
the geographical
aspect of Bible
prophecy is one of
the most visible and
tangible evidences
to the truth and
accuracy of the
prophetic
Scriptures.
You can
literally hold the
world news section
of your newspaper
and your Bible side
by side and see the
stunning accuracy.
It means that we
should take all of
the yet-unfulfilled
prophecies
literally, since
history shows us
that the fulfilled
prophecies have come
true just as they
were written.
It means that
the Lord has warned
us of things to come
so that we may know
when His return is
near, and it means
that the nations
that go against
Israel (God’s land)
are going to be
subjected to His
divine wrath (see
Genesis 12:2–3).
We can be
sure of this because
we have His Word on
it!
Bible
prophecy is not
meant to scare us,
but to prepare us.
And so we have the prophetic word confirmed,
which you do well to
heed as a light that
shines in a dark
place until the day
dawns and the
morning star rises
in your hearts;
knowing this first,
that no prophecy of
Scripture is of any
private
interpretation, for
prophecy never came
by the will of man,
but holy men of God
spoke
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit
(2 Peter
1:19–21).