The Enemies of Israel — Their Ultimate End
Biblical Research Monthly, October - December 1968 — by Dr. David L. Cooper
I. God's Attitude Toward Anti-Semites
1. God to curse those who curse Israel
Those who curse Israel shall be cursed (Genesis 12:3). No
weapon that is formed against Israel shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17). These
Scriptures are of vital importance on this subject. Genesis 12:1-3
constitutes the cornerstone, the monument, of all prophecy. No
one can mistreat the Jew and get away with it, as we say.
Now Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I
will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and
I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a
blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth
thee will I curse: and in thee shall all the families of the earth
be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
These verses constitute the second call of God to Abram. When
Abram was in Ur of Chaldea, God-called him to leave everything; to
separate from his parents; leave his brothers, friends, and all
his possessions; and to go to the land that God would show him.
Abram obeyed partially. He went from Ur and stopped at Haran, near
Carchemish, in upper Mesopotamia (Acts 7:2-5). But God would not
allow him to go any farther because he had taken his father with
him. So he had to remain there in upper Mesopotamia until his father
died. Then God gave him his second call, the one recorded in
Genesis 12:1-3. It is a marvelous, wonderful statement. It is a
sevenfold promise, or covenant, into which God entered with Abram.
“I will make of thee a great nation” - not numerically, thus
far - but “I will make of thee a great nation.” I do not believe that
there is a nation on the face of the
globe that is great like the nation of Israel. She is God's
choicest vine. God went down into Egypt, got the choicest vine upon the
face of the globe - the Jewish people - brought it into the Promised
Land and planted it there; and there He gave it the most
advantageous opportunities (Psalm 80:8ff). Yet it bore wild grapes
instead of luscious, sweet, good grapes, as Isaiah, chapter 5, reveals.
But Israel — this vine — is a great nation.
“I will bless thee, and make thy name great”. He certainly has
blessed the Jewish people though He has had to punish them severely from
time to time, and is doing so at the present
time. He will yet punish them as He has never punished any other
nation. He punishes them double for their sins. A Gentile does
something, and God punishes him, giving him one stroke. The Jew does
the same thing, and God gives him two strokes punishing him
double for all his sins (Isaiah 40:2, Jeremiah 16:18).
“I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee
will I curse.” I know that statement to be true. I have been blessed all
of my life — but, when I began to give
my entire attention to Israel and to God's call, I received
blessings untold, such as I had never experienced before. I see truths
that I have never heard fall from any man's lips or seen written
in man's book or paper. I say that I have seen these truths and
God has certainly verified to me this promise to bless. “Him that
curseth thee will I curse.” One who has anti-Semitism
in his heart and curses Israel, God will, in His own time,
curse.
2. No weapon formed against Israel to prosper
On this same point, one should turn to Isaiah 54:11-17, especially verse 15, but it should be read in its context.
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations
with sapphires.”
As one sees from the entire text, this passage is a prediction with reference to Jerusalem. Now God says:
Thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foundations
with sapphires.” I believe He means exactly what He says.
I believe the reason that He will create and use great
sapphires for the millennial Jerusalem is that God's throne will be
there.” (Jeremiah 3:16-18)
God says, “I will lay thy foundation with sapphires. And I will
make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy
border of precious stones.” Every statement is
to be taken at its face value.
“And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah ...” That
statement means exactly what it says. They will all know God, from the
least of them unto the greatest of them.
”... and great shall be the peace of thy children.” The Jews
have never had any peace to amount to anything — anything that could
be called peace — but they will have
peace at the time here foreseen.
“In righteousness shalt thou be established; thou shalt be far
from oppression” - that is, when this prophecy is fulfilled - “for thou
shall not fear; and from terror, for it
shall not come near thee.”
“Behold, they may gather together, but not by me: whosoever
shall gather together against thee shall fall because of thee.” This is
the crux of the passage. It is not God's holy directive
will that they should do anything of that sort. God permits many
things in the lives of people, as He does in the case of nations.
“Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of
coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the
waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee
shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in
judgment thou shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of
Jehovah, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah.” This
prophecy means exactly what it says and needs no further
comment.
“I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee
will I curse.” No weapon, no plan, no scheme that is devised against
Israel can prosper. God will see that it will not.
3. Illustrations of God's curse upon Israel's enemies
Has God ever cursed those who have schemed against Israel?
Egypt persecuted the Jews when they were there. They were not persecuted
all of the 215 years that they were there, but for a great portion
of it. The Pharaoh who hated the Jews wanted to exterminate
them, did everything that he could against them, and made their lot
miserable; but God brought them out, and He sent judgments upon Egypt
far beyond any expectation.
I have studied this subject afresh and have seen new light,
light regarding the terrific judgments that fell upon Egypt. At the
University of Leiden, Holland, is a manuscript obtained in 1828
which gives a firsthand account from the Egyptian standpoint. It
has heretofore been misunderstood and misinterpreted as a record of
something else, but facts now show that it is a firsthand account
of the devastation that wrecked Egypt from end to the other.
There were plagues, just as one sees records of plagues in the Book of
Exodus and in the early chapters of the Old Testament. God struck
Egypt as He had never done before; and, according to this
historian, who was an eyewitness, the whole country was devastated from
one end to the other. There were earthquakes and other calamities.
The seas were churned into a raging fury. All of the things
occurred at the time of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage.
The Assyrians, the crudest nation of antiquity, devastated the
land of Israel — first the northern section and then the southern,
Jerusalem being left like a little booth in a cucumber
patch after the season of fruitage has passed. In fact,
Jerusalem was all that was left. Hezekiah was shut up in it; and,
according to Sennacherib, the Assyrians captured all of the 46 fortified
cities of Israel. Everything else was devastated. But this
monster of cruelty went down in ignominy and shame and was blotted out.
Assyria vanished from the face of the globe, and all we know about
it is what we read on the monuments of that country that have
been unearthed and, also, what we see in some histories. “I will curse
them that curse thee.”
Then there were also the Babylonians. “Is not this great
Babylon which I have built?” Nebuchadnezzar boasted. All there is of
Babylon now is the ruins that have been unearthed by the
archaeologists. Why were the Babylonians cast down? All because
they mistreated the Jew.
II. A Prophetic View of the Present Day
1. Arabic coalition against Israel
Psalm 83 contains a prophecy that I believe is being unfolded
before our eyes. It has not yet come to pass, but is in the process of
being fulfilled. The first two verses refer to the time of
the Tribulation. All scholars of whom I have any knowledge, both
of the rationalistic type and of the conservative group, say that there
is nothing in all the history of Israel that can be said
to be the fulfillment of this prediction. It simply has not been
fulfilled. Since it has not, and since God spoke it, we may be certain
that it will be fulfilled exactly as foretold. Notice verse
1: “O God keep not thou silence: Hold not thy peace, and be not
still, O God.” Why? The reason is found in verse 2: “For, lo, thine
enemies make a tumult; And they that hate thee
have lifted up the head.”
Israel will utter that prayer, and God will answer it
literally. I am inclined to believe that these first two verses refer to
a partial fulfillment of such a passage as Psalm 2:1-3, the forthcoming
international atheistic, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian,
politico-religious convention that will try to count God and His Christ
out of His universe.
But the part of the prophecy in Psalm 83 which is now being
fulfilled is found in verses 3-8: “They take crafty counsel against thy
people. And consult together against thy hidden ones.” Certain
ones are going to take crafty counsel against the Jewish people
and against God's hidden ones, those of the Jewish people of Palestine
that have honest hearts and that will accept the truth when
it is presented to them. These hidden ones are like the people
mentioned in Acts 18:9,10: “And the Lord said unto Paul in the night by a
vision, Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy
peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm
thee: for I have much people in this city.”
Verse 4 of Psalm 83 reveals the purpose of the enemies: “They
have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; That the
name of Israel may be no more is remembrance. “In
other words, the complete annihilation of Israel, even to the
blotting out of the name from remembrance, is the purpose here proposed.
Such plots have been made before, and they have been carried
out in part. Pharaoh attempted to destroy Israel. So did
Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus Epiphanes, and Titus, Various other tyrants
and nations have made similar attempts. Of these, Nazi Germany, under
the leadership of the madman Hitler, was most guilty of this
heinous crime. But Israel will never be annihilated. During the
Tribulation, two out of every three Jews will be destroyed, but a
faithful
remnant will remain. Through them God will fulfill the promise
to Abraham, that in Him all the families of the earth will be blessed.
The third time that I went to Palestine, in 1949, I had not
been out of the airplane more than thirty minutes before I heard the
report of what the Arabs were saying. They were vociferously asserting
that if the United Nations would let them alone, they would mop
up with the Jews and would not leave a single Jew in Palestine. They
would either slaughter them or drive them into the Mediterranean
Sea. I heard that report upon my arrival; and, during the days
that I was there, I heard it time and time again. The Arabs were saying
then and are saying today the very same thing: “Come,
and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of
Israel may be no more in remembrance.”
In verse 5, the psalmist reveals that the enemies of Israel
will make a military alliance and conclude a treaty against God and
against His Chosen People: “For they have consulted together
with one consent; Against thee do they make a covenant.”
Verses 6-8 list the names of the members of the coalition. Who
are they? They are the Arabic nations that are today harassing Israel.
In ancient times the term Arab applied to the Bedouin tribes
in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula and east of
Palestine. Today, the term applies not only to these Semites of Arabia,
but also to their descendants, many of whom have mixed with native
races in North, East, and Central Africa, as well as in
Madagascar, India, the Malay Archipelago, parts of Syria and Persia.
In verse 6, “the tents of Edom,” The Edomites, in Transjordan,
south of the Dead Sea, were originally the descendants of Esau, who was
also called Edom, or reds because he sold his
birthright for red pottage (Genesis 25:30). The Ishmaelites,
nomadic tribes of northern Arabia, as name implies, are the descendants
of Ismael the son of Abraham and Hagar. The Moabites, on the
east coast of the Dead Sea, in Transjordan, are the descendants
of Lot (Genesis, chapter 19). The Hagarenes, east of Gilead, in
Transjordan, are a nomadic tribe mentioned in I Chronicles 5:10.
In is verse 7, Gebal probably refers to a site on the
Mediterranean Sea (Byblos), forty-two miles north of Sidon. The
Ammonites,in the centra lpart of Transjordan, like the Moabites, are
descendants
of Lot (Genesis, chapter 19). The origin of the Amalekites is
obscure. They were an ancient nomadic tribe of the Sinai peninsula and
were the first to come into contact with the Israelites (Exodus,
chapter 17). The Philistines, in the Gaza strip, were of Greek
origin. The inhabitants of Tyre were Phoenicians. Today, Phoenicia is
called Lebanon. Assyria, in verse 8, is present-day Iraq.
Today, the descendants of the people named in verses 6-8 are
all classed as Arabs. If one were to trace in the Bible the history of
these people, he would find that most of them were at times
hostile to Israel, even as their descendants are today.
The first eight verses of Psalm 83 are a prediction. The
remainder of it is a prayer that the Jewish people will pray for God to
intervene in their behalf. When they do, He will solve their problem.
In verses 9-12, God is implored to deal with Israel's enemies
as He has done on former occasions: “Do thou unto them as unto Midian,
as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; “Who
perished at En-dor, Who became as dung for the earth. “Make
their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb; Yea, all their princes like Zebah and
Zalmunna: Who said. Let us take to ourselves in possession
the habitations of God.”
The psalmist does not ask that Israel be permitted to wreak
vengeance, for he realizes that vengeance belongs to God (Deuteronomy
32:35-43). When he uttered his prophetic prayer, he not only showed
his awareness that vengeance belongs to God, but also pointed
out the besetting sin of the enemies of Israel. The enemies say: “Let us
take to ourselves in possession the habitations of God.” Is
this not exactly what the enemies of Israel are saying today?
“But to whom does the Holy Land belong? In Leviticus 25:23, we
find this declaration; “And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity;
for the land is mine: for ye are strangers and
sojourners with me.” In Isaiah 8:8, God claims the land for His
Son, referring to it as “thy land, O Immanuel.” In Deuteronomy 11:12,
one learns that God cares for this land in
a peculiar manner, for His eyes “are always upon it, from the
beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.”
The land belongs to God in a special way, and He has entrusted
it to Israel, because He intends to use His Chosen People in a special
way. “... and in thee shall all the families of the
earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Yet the above named enemies of
Israel did seize the land divide it. [Editor Note: Since the six-day
war of 1967 all on the west side of Jordan has been united
under Israel, except the temple area.]
The remainder of the prayer in Psalm 83 contains two petitions. The first is in verses 13-16:
O my God, make them like the whirling dust; As stubble before
the wind. As the fire that burneth the forest, And as the flame that
setteth the mountains on fire, So pursue them with thy tempest,
And terrify them with thy storm — Fill their faces with
confusion, That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.”
The last clause of this petition shows that Asaph is not
uttering a prayer of vengeance. He wants the enemies overthrown for the
most commendable reason possible — that they may be brought
to a saving knowledge of God.
The second petition, verses 17 and 18, is prompted by the same
motive. “Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; Yea, let them
be confounded and perish “That they may know that
thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the most High over all
the earth.”
In the preceding installments we Have seen God's attitude
toward anti-Semites. His promise is to assuage the effect of those
weapons arrayed against her. Illustrations from history have been noted.
We now turn to passages of Scripture related to latter day
assaults by Israel's enemies. Though allowed to go through the furnace
of affliction, her ultimate salvation comes when Christ Jesus “rend
the heavens — stand upon the Mt, of Olives — lift the curse from
the earth — take the world situation in hand — solve the Jewish
problem.”
2. Israel in the grip of the Nations
A passage of similar import as Psalm 83 is found in Ezekiel
36:1-8. Let us first observe verse 8: “But ye, 0 mountains of Israel, ye
shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit
to my people Israel ...” Why? “For they are at hand to come.”
That statement gives the perspective from which one must view the
passage. In this oracle, Ezekiel says to the mountains
and valleys of Israel: “You are going to bud, produce, and bring
forth your full increase.” The reason is that God's People “are at hand
to come.” They are on the verge
of coming in to be settled there permanently. This prophecy,
therefore, relates to what is going on at the present moment and to what
will yet develop in the near future.
Now let us take note of the entire passage: “And thou, son of
man, prophecy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of
Israel hear the word of Jehovah.” This message is
from God; you are to listen, ye mountains of Israel. “Thus saith
the Lord Jehovah: Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha! And,
The ancient high places are ours in possession ...” The
enemies are gloating over their having the high places of the
land of Israel in possession. So God commands Ezekiel: “... therefore
prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because,
even because, they have made you desolate, swallowed you up on
every side ...” One should pause here to see what has occurred. Back
in 1927, Transjordan, about half of the land that God
gave to the Jew, was cut off and it became the possession of the
Arabs. In 1948, when the British gave up the mandate and withdrew from
Palestine, the Arabs of Transjordan captured practically
all of the mountainous part of Israel.
“ ... Because, even because they have made you desolate, and
swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the
residue of the nations,” — Here probably
is a reference to the United Nations. They are having a finger
in the pie, but God pity the world when they meddle in Jewish politics.
“... and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and
the evil report of the people ...” The enemies are generally
talking about the Jews and the Jewish problem, poking fun at them, and
ridiculing them.
“... Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the
Lord Jehovah: Thus saith the Lord Jehovah to the mountains and to the
hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate
wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a
prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about
...” In verse 3, “the residue of the nations” refers
to all the rest of the nations, but in verse 4 the term is,
limited to the nations round-about Israel, the Arabic nations adjoining
Palestine.
“... Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Surely in the fire
of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations ...”
Here, I am inclined to believe the expression “the
residue of the nations” refers to the United Nations. God points
them out, especially Edom — “and against all Edom, that have appointed
my land unto themselves for a possession
with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast
it out for a prey.” The Edomites were cousins of the Israelites, yet
were their inveterate enemies. They have done everything
they can against the Jews.
“Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say unto
the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys.
Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I have spoken
in my jealousy and in my wrath, because ye have borne the shame
of the nations: thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I have sworn, saying,
Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their
shame.” God will requite Israel.
“But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your
branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand
to come.” They are “at hand to come” now.
Thus Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 36:1-8 deal with the Jewish situation
today — the situation of Palestine surrounded by enemies. But the worst
is yet to come.
III. Prophetic View of the Situation in Israel in the Near Future
1. Israel Scattered among the Nations
The situation that will prevail in Israel in the near future is
also revealed in the Scriptures. Let us notice Joel 3:1-8. “For,
behold, in those days, and in that time,” the time
referred to in the final paragraph of chapter 2, the Tribulation
Period, “I will gather all nations” — the United Nations again — “and
will bring them down into the
valley of Jehoshaphat” — in the valley of judgment, the valley
of the Great Tribulation, — and I will execute judgment upon them
there.” A mother or father may have
several children; but Johnny, let us say, does something wrong.
Does Mary get the whipping? According to the principles of right and
justice, the parent punishes the guilty one. The same principle
applies here. God is speaking here about the nations of the end
time when He is gathering Israel back into the homeland. He says that he
will enter into Judgment with them “for my people,
and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the
nations: and they have parted my land, and have cast lots for my people,
and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine,
that they may drink.”
Since God punishes only the guilty, and since He is here
talking about the nations of the end time, one can be sure that the
United Nations will literally kick the Jews out of Palestine — and
everything looks in that direction now. They will scatter the
Jews among the nations, part their land, and sell a Jewish boy for a
harlot and a Jewish girl for a drink of wine.
In Micah 4:11-13, one learns that these enemy nations will gather against Israel unaware that God has brought them there.
And how many nations are assembled against thee, that say,
Let her be defiled, and let our eye see our desire upon Zion. But they
know not the thoughts of Jehovah, neither understand the thoughts
of Jehovah, neither understand they his counsel; for he hath
gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing-floor.”
Similarly In Zephaniah 3:8 one reads:
Therefore wait ye for me, saith Jehovah, the day that I rise
up to the prey; for my determination is to gather the nations, that I
may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation,
even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured
with the fire of my jeaiousy.”
2. Israel Persecuted in the Land
Having seen the situation of Israel as set forth in Psalm 83
and Ezekiel 36:1-8, let us look at Zechariah 12:1-3, upon which this
theme is based: “The burden of the word of Jehovah concerning
Israel. Thus saith Jehovah, who stretcheth forth the heavens,
and layeth the foundation of the earth, that formeth the spirit of man
within him: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling unto
all the peoples round about,” — notice that expression “the
peoples 'round about,” those Arabic nations that are 'round about —
“and upon Judah also shall
it be in the siege against Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass
in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all the
peoples: all that burden themselves with it shall be sore
wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered
together against it.”
In verse 2 the word “peoples” is modified by the term “round
about,” referring to the Arabic nations around Israel; but in verse 3
God has, as it were, lifted His eyes
and is looking over the whole world at “all the peoples,” “all
the nations of the earth.” He will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone
that will wound the hands of all the
nations.
David Baron, one of the greatest commentators on the Old
Testament, said, “Here is a picture of a big rock. Men are putting their
hands underneath it to lift it up; and lo and behold, they
cannot lift it up, but it falls on them and crushes their
hands.” That is the picture which God presents here. All nations,
including the United States, my home land, which I love, will,
I fear, burden themselves with Jerusalem and with Jewish
politics; and they will suffer the judgments of God because of meddling
in Jewish affairs. He will make Jerusalem as a rock which will crush
their hands.
IV. Final Stroke of Judgment against Israel's Enemies
For the final act of this drama, let us turn to Isaiah17:12-14.
"Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the
seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing
of mighty waters! The nations shall rush like the rushing of
many waters...” All nations are against Jerusalem like a storm, as
related passages of the Scriptures reveal they will do during
the Tribulation. The prophet Isaiah sees this wave of
anti-Semitism coming against the Jews. But notice now, — “... but he
shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall
be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and
like the whirling dust before the storm. At eventide, behold terror; and
before the morning they are not. This is the portion of them
that despoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.” Something has
occurred. All the nations are rushing like demons against Israel. The
picture could not be darker at evening, but overnight
everything changes. “At eventide, behold, terror; and before the
morning they are not.” The Jews will have at that time been given the
facts with reference to the Lord Jesus Christ
and His being the Jewish Messiah. They will consider these facts
and see the mistake that their ancestors made more than 1900 years ago;
repudiate the national sin; confess it before God and plead
for Divine mercy and Messiah's return. They will be in prayer,
fasting and repenting, for two full days, according to Hosea. On the
third day they will be revived — the Spirit of God will
come. Then Christ will rend the heavens and He will stand in
that day upon the Mount of Olives. He will lift the curse from the
earth, take the world situation in hand, and solve the Jewish problem.
The United Nations is putting pressure upon the Jews. The
problems are very serious. America had better watch out. England had
better watch out. They are tampering with explosives: “I will
curse them that curse thee.” Those who burden themselves by
making it their business to meddle in Jewish politics, will have God's
judgment upon them. Jerusalem will become a burdensome stone
that will crush their hands.
Let us pray God to overrule and direct the affairs of nations
and to keep the saints fit to work in His cause proclaiming the Gospel
of Jesus Christ until He comes.
