(Continued-December 1943/January 1944)

AS ONE carefully studies verses 13 and 14, one sees that this language goes far beyond the experiences of Sennacherib, even though the attitude expressed there was that maintained by this proud monarch. He did overrun the country of central and western Asia as he states; but he did not gather "all the earth." When I see this statement, I realize that the prophet was blending the prediction concerning the Assyrian of the immediate future with a prophecy concerning another one who will do throughout the world what Sennacherib did within his sphere of influence in western Asia. This method of blending two predictions regarding widely separated events is the principle known to Bible students as the "law of double reference." The prediction therefore had an immediate fulfillment in Sennacherib, as history shows; but it will find its complete and perfect realization in another one who will conquer all the earth in the end-time. The Prophet Isaiah, in foretelling the overthrow of the world power in the end-time, spoke of its ruler as "the Assyrian" (See Isa., chaps. 13, 14, especially 14:25). Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah, likewise, in describing the end-time, spoke of this future ruler as "the Assyrian" (Micah 5:5,6). This usage of language is common to all peoples. We speak of the unknown in terms of the known. This is what is known as a "play on words." When Jesus was talking to the woman at the well in Samaria, He offered to give her "living water"--salvation. The context shows that He was speaking of regeneration and salvation; but, since they had been talking of literal water, He spoke of spiritual realities in terms of the topic of their conversation. In the same way, when the Assyrian was the world ruler of his day, Isaiah spoke of the world ruler of the end-time in terms of the monarch of his own time. That such scriptural usage was common is evidenced by a comparison of II Kings 23:29 with Jeremiah 46:2. When these two passages are studied in the light of their contexts, it is seen that both writers were talking of the same event and of the same person. In the former the king of Babylon is called "the king of Assyria"; whereas, in the latter passage he is correctly called "the king of Babylon." We see a similar usage in Ezra 6:22. In this passage the Persian king is spoken of in terms of the king of Assyria. When therefore Isaiah blended his description of Sennacherib, the Assyrian king with his prediction regarding the world ruler of the end-time, he naturally spoke of him as the Assyrian. His auditors understood what he meant.

When we study the characteristics of this world ruler of the end-time, we see that he is the same as the Antichrist of other predictions. We therefore shall not look for a separate individual in the future known as the Assyrian, since he is one and the same person as the world ruler of the end-time.

SINCE BOTH Sennacherib of ancient Syria and the Antichrist of the end time magnify themselves against Jehovah, the God of Israel, the Lord showed how unreasonable such an attitude and course of conduct are (Isa. 10:15-19). It would be inconsistent for an ax to boast against the man who wields it; or for a saw, if it could talk, to boast itself against the one who operates it. In the same manner it is most inconsistent for any mortal man to boast and to suppose himself independent of God, in whom he lives, moves, and has his being.

In 10:17-19, the great Assyrian nation; together with its armed forces, is compared to a forest. The Lord therefore threatened to send leanness among His fat ones and to kindle a fire in this mighty forest. The fire which starts the conflagration is none other than "the light of Israel ... and his Holy One." The result of this judgment will be the wiping out of practically the entire nation--with only a remnant remaining (vs. 19).

IN VERSES 20-30 we have a prediction that there will also be a remnant of Israel which will escape the judgment of that time--the great Tribulation as we learn from parallel passages--and which will return to God. At that time this faithful remnant will no longer lean upon any human government or group of nations for protection as Israel has done in the past. This remnant will see the mistake which their ancestors have made through the centuries and will return "unto the mighty God." Who is this Mighty God? The answer is found in a verse which we considered in our study last month, Isaiah 9:6: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

The remnant of Israel will be taught the facts concerning this child born unto the Jewish nation who is none other than "the Wonderful One, the Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." This passage, studied in the light of related ones, is a messianic prediction which foretells the coming of the second person of the Holy Trinity to earth and His being born in the form of the Christ-child. When the time arrives here foretold by the prophet in chapter 10, Israel--the generation living at that time--will be convinced of the truthfulness of the message and will accept Him as Redeemer and Messiah.

The prophet looks into the future and sees the great increase of the Jewish people as at the present time. Hence he declares that, though the people of Israel shall be as the sands of the sea, only a remnant will return, the reason being that there is a destruction decreed upon even the Chosen People of God--a destruction which will overflow with righteousness. From the last paragraph of Zechariah, chapter 13, we learn that there will be two-thirds of the nation of Israel which will succumb to the mighty strokes of God's judgment during this Tribulation. Only a third of the nation therefore will survive. These will return to this Mighty God. The Lord has decreed a full end to be made concerning the present order of affairs. He is going to make a clean sweep of the present situation. In righteousness will He perform all His acts.

WHEN WE read Isaiah 10:24-27 in the light of parallel and related passages, we know that the Assyrian of the end-time, the Antichrist, will be backed by all the power of Satan, which he will use against Israel for her destruction. To the faithful remnant the Lord speaks the encouraging word: "Be not afraid of the Assyrian, though he smite thee with the rod, and lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt." The reason for the Lord's giving this encouraging message is that in a little while His indignation against the Antichrist shall be wrought and the destruction of this great enemy of Israel will be an accomplished fact. The Lord will at that time intervene with miraculous power and will bring one stroke of judgment after another upon the enemies of Israel as He did upon the Egyptians when He, at the hand of Moses, delivered the Hebrew people from Egyptian bondage. The mighty works that God will perform will be so very marvelous and wonderful that those which were wrought in her behalf when she left Egypt will appear as insignificant. As a consequence, throughout the Millennial Age people will no longer refer to the marvels which God wrought at the deliverance of Israel from Egypt but will speak of the mighty powers which He demonstrated when He delivered her from her age long sojourn among the nations. (See Jeremiah 23:7, 8.)

As suggested above, the prophet, in verses 28-32, described in a most graphic manner the approach of the Assyrian to Jerusalem. Like an on rushing flood he comes within sight of the city and hurls defiance at her. He can go only so far and no farther. The Lord sets the limit beyond which he cannot pass, just as He does with reference to the mighty, roaring billows: "though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it" (Jer. 5:22). The Lord knows how to deliver His people out of every danger.

When the Assyrian thus came against Jerusalem to subdue it, he was hindered by the power of God. The topmost boughs of his forest were lopped off, the high of stature were hewn down, and the mighty thicket of his forest was laid low. This prediction was fulfilled as we see in Isaiah, chapter 37, and parallel passages.

The world ruler in the end-time will bring his armies against Jerusalem to battle. He will be unable to conquer the city completely, for at a critical moment the Lord Jehovah will descend from heaven and His feet will stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives. He will stop the battle and inaugurate the period of peace. These future events will be the complete fulfillment of this prediction.

Isaiah, still comparing the nation of Assyria to a forest, continued this figure in chapter 11 and applied it to the Jewish nation. Of course the royal house is thought of as the largest and most imposing tree which likewise is hewn down, but its roots or stump is left in the ground. Out of this stock there springs up a branch which bears fruit. The name of this tree or stump is "the stock of Jesse," who was the father of David. In view of these facts we know therefore that the Davidic house was in the prophet's mind when he spoke this language. The royal house of David was hewn down at the time of Babylonian captivity, but those of the Davidic dynasty continued to live. Finally, in the first century of the Christian Era, the branch out of its roots came up in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, our Lord and the Hebrew Messiah.

According to Isaiah 11:2, the Spirit of God rests upon Him. Here the Spirit spoken of in terms of the seven things which He accomplishes through the Messiah. This sevenfold aspect of the work of the Spirit of God is echoed in Revelation, chapters 1 and 4, in the statement regarding "the seven spirits of God." An examination of the life of our Lord shows that He was under the complete domination and sway of the Holy Spirit from the time of conception till He offered Himself a sacrifice without blemish unto God by "the Eternal Spirit."

THE BLOCK of scripture consisting of Isaiah 11:3-5 foretells Christ's judgment of the living nations when He returns to earth. This scene is set forth graphically in Matthew 25:31-46. When these two passages are studied carefully and compared, it will be seen that they are not speaking of a general judgment as we frequently hear mentioned. On the contrary these passages speak of the judgment of the living nations--those persons who survive the Tribulation and who are upon the earth when the Lord returns. In neither passage is there anything said about a resurrection, nor is there anything suggested concerning the necessity for the new birth. The basis of that judgment is the attitude and conduct of these toward our Lord's brethren according to the flesh--the Jews. He will separate these people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Some will be put on the right hand and others upon the left. Those upon the right hand will be placed there because of their kindly feeling toward Christ as manifested in their attitude and actions toward the least of His brethren during the time of their national sorrow and distress. From Psalm 24 we see that these people will receive a blessing from the Lord, even righteousness from the God of Jacob. They will be clothed in the righteousness of Christ when they see the facts regarding Him and receive Him. They will accept Him with their whole hearts at that time and thus be clothed with His righteousness. On the other hand, those placed upon the left side will be consigned to everlasting punishment because of their hatred toward our Lord, which feeling manifests itself in their refusal to be kind and gentle to His brethren, the Jews, during their national crisis throughout the Tribulation.

Since verses 1 and 2 of this chapter deal with the first coming of Messiah, as we have already seen, and since verses 3-5 foretell events connected with His second coming, we see that the entire Christian Dispensation is passed over between verses 2 and 3. This is not a strange literary phenomenon in prophecy; for frequently the prophets spoke very definitely concerning our Lord's first coming and, without any intimation blended their descriptions with prophecies regarding His return and reign of righteousness.

There are four types of messianic prophecy which we must keep clearly in mind if we are to understand the prophetic word. The first of these focuses attention exclusively upon the first coming of the Messiah. The second one deals with things connected with His future return. The third type, like the one at which we are looking now, blends the descriptions of the two comings into a single picture; whereas the fourth type gives us a blueprint, as it were, of the entire redemptive career of King Messiah, consisting of the first coming, His rejection by the Jews, His ascension to the right hand of the throne of God, His session there during the present dispensation, and His return in glory and power at the end of this age to establish His reign of righteousness upon the earth. One must understand that these four classes of prophecy are to be found in the prophetic word. When we lay such a prophecy as the one under consideration beside those predictions which fall into the fourth class, we see that the Christian Dispensation is passed over between verses 2 and 3 of our passage.

THE PROPHET ISAIAH is chronological in unfolding his prophecy in chapter 11, for in verses 6-9 he foretells the time when the Lord will lift the curse from the animal creation. This event takes place after He returns to earth. When He does come back to earth, He will lift the curse that fell upon the animal kingdom at the time of man's disobedience. Originally the animals were gentle and peaceful. Not one of them would injure another one. But when man disobeyed God, the curse fell upon all creation and changed the peaceful nature of the beasts into that of enmity and of bloodthirstiness. When, however, the curse is lifted, the wolf and the lamb will lie down together. The leopard and the kid will likewise feed in the same pasture. Those reptiles that are now poisonous and vicious will not be dangerous at that time, for a little child "shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den" and yet not be injured in anywise. The lion will no longer eat flesh, but will eat straw like the ox. This prediction is confirmed by a like one in Hosea 2:18, Ezekiel 34:28, Romans 8:19-24.

The interpretation which I have placed upon these verses is the only logical one according to the Golden Rule of Interpretation, which tells us that we must "take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning unless the facts of the context indicate clearly otherwise." When we realize that in Isaiah 11:3-5 the prophet was talking about the second coming of Christ and followed his prediction concerning this event by the one which tells us that the lamb and the leopard shall lie down together with the kid and the calf and that there will be no hostility in the animal kingdom, we see that the facts of the context indicate clearly that the prophet was talking about the time which follows our Lord's second advent. He was not therefore speaking of anything which occurs at the present time, but instead he was speaking of the time when the curse will be lifted from the earth and peace, happiness, and joy will be the order of the day.

IN ISAIAH 11:10 we have a brief prediction concerning Jerusalem as it will be in the great Millennial Age. I was at one time asked by a minister if I believed that Christ would return and reign in old, filthy, dirty, squalid Jerusalem. To this question I answered in the negative. Jerusalem will be purged and cleansed of all her wickedness and sin. She will be created the joy of the whole earth and the glory of God will dwell there. This is seen in such passages as Isaiah 2:1-4, 4:2-6, and Micah 4:1-8. We get another glimpse of Jerusalem, together with the whole earth, during that future period in such passages as Isaiah 65:17-25. At that time God will create the heavens anew and the earth anew. At the same time He will create Jerusalem a joy and her people, the Jews, a rejoicing. Jerusalem has passed through many crises in which the welfare and lives of her people were hanging in the balances. Great and unspeakable have been the sufferings of the people of Zion. But when God creates it anew and the joy of the whole earth, nevermore will there be any weeping or mourning in her; because the former things will have passed away and they will be hid from God's eyes. Isaiah 11:10 sums up all the promises which relate to the deliverance of Jerusalem as found in the verses referred to and many others that could be cited.

THE FINAL regathering of Israel is foretold in Isaiah 11:11-16. Here we are told that at this future time God will set His hand a second time to regather the remnant of His people that remain from the various nations. At that time He will reassemble the outcasts of Israel and will gather them from the four corners of the earth. As we study Isaiah 11:11-12 in the light of Ezekiel 37:1-14--the vision of the valley of dry bones--we see that this second regathering will be a gradual one. The dry bones begin to come together, each taking its place in relation to others so as to form a skeleton. Then sinews joining these bones appear. Then appears the flesh upon the bones and finally skin covers the flesh. At last the Spirit of God breathes life into these corpses and they arise a mighty army as set forth in Ezekiel, chapter 37. This symbolical representation sets forth the gradual regathering of Israel to her own land. This return to the land of the fathers develops in the conversion of the remnant of Israel to the Lord Jesus Christ, as indicated by the Spirit's breathing life into the dead bodies.

At that time the envy and the jealousy that existed between the various tribes and sections of Jewry will be a thing of the past. In the great Tribulation the faithful remnant will be supernaturally endowed with strength, and those constituting this group will go against their enemies--against the Philistines on the west and the children of Edom, Moab, and Ammon on the east. This supernatural assistance is promised to the faithful remnant in various places and will be granted to them during the hour of their trial in the Tribulation.

At that time the Lord will supernaturally open up a way for Israel to return from Egypt and from Assyria. He opened up the way for her return to the Land from Egyptian bondage under Moses. He gives a like promise to the Israelites of the future who remain faithful and true to Him.

THE PREDICTION closes with a song of praise to God for the deliverance which He will yet accomplish for His beloved people Israel. They will therefore shout and sing, expressing themselves in the following hymn of thanksgiving:

"I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah; for though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. 2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid: for Jehovah, even Jehovah, is my strength and song; and he is become my salvation. 3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. 4 And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted. 5 Sing unto Jehovah; for he hath done excellent things: let this be known in all the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel (Isa. 12:1-6)."

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