THE MESSAGE OF NAHUM
Dr. David L. Cooper
Biblical Research Monthly
May 1954

THE TWO OVERTHROWS OF NINEVEH

Nahum the Prophet was an Elkoshite. As to where Elkosh was, no one knows. Some traditions put it near Nineveh; others, in Galilee; and still another, in the southern part of Judea. This detail is, however, not important.

When did Nahum engage in his ministry? It is quite likely that it fell in the period between 663 B.C. and 612 B.C. The reason for these limitations is to be found in the fact that, in Nahum 3:8, No-amon, which is Thebes in Egypt, had already been overthrown. According to the monuments, Ashurbanipal, around 663 B.C. captured it. According to the latest researches, Nineveh was overthrown historically in 612 B.C. Since Nahum is fortelling the destruction of Nineveh, his ministry fell within the period limited by these two dates. It is quite likely that he delivered his message nearer the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. then at an earlier period.

THE TIME FORSEEN BY NAHUM

When anyone studies the entire book of Nahum, he comes to the conclusion that, in places, the prophet was speaking about the overthrow of Nineveh which occurred, as stated above, in 612 B.C. At the same time, it is quite evident that our prophet was speaking of the destruction of Nineveh which will be at the very end of the age, when our Lord returns. Proof that this is true as seen in Nahum 1:5, which speaks of the great cosmic upheavals that will occur "at his presence," at Christ's second coming. Moreover, when the Lord comes in fulfillment of this passage, Nineveh will not rise up a second time and commit depredations as in former centuries. When the Lord effects the overthrow of Nineveh in fulfillment of this prophecy, Israel will never be afflicted anymore (1:12). According to 1:15, when Nineveh is thus destroyed, Judah will keep her feasts, "for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee. ..." The racing of chariots, whose lights appear like torches, as the chariots race to and fro through the broad highway, is a description of a mechanized warfare, or war equipment, which did not exist at that time, but which will be used in the end time. In 3:4 we have a picture of "the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcraft, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts." Obviously, this one thus addressed can be none other than "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth" (Rev. 17: 5).

The Double Fulfillment of Prophecy

All prophetic students are acquainted with the law of double reference, or the law of double or manifold fulfillment of prophecy. This principle may be illustrated by the stereopticon which gives the dissolving effect. One picture is thrown up on the screen, which presently begins to fade, while the dim outlines of a second one begin to appear. By the time the first one has disappeared, the second one is in full view. This phenomenon illustrates well one phase of the double fulfillment of prophecy. But we may illustrate this same law buy a view of some mountain ranges. One may be standing on a plain, looking toward these ranges. He sees in the foreground low-lying foothills; but towering above them are the mighty peaks that pierce the skies. From the viewer's standpoint he can see only the mountains of two ranges. But upon reaching the foothills and climbing to their summit, he sees a vast valley separating the range on which he stands from the towering ones in the distance. But from his original position he does not see the valley, or low country, separating the two ranges. This illustration makes clear what appears in the message of Nahum regarding the two overthrows of Nineveh, separated by the valley of intervening centuries. In order for this prediction to be fulfilled as it is written, Nineveh must come back to life and be rebuilt in the end time. One who believes the Scriptures should not be surprised at this, for he sees that Babylon will be rebuilt, will be standing in the end time, and will be destroyed at the very end—the last days—of the tribulation. The prediction that Babylon will be standing in the day of Jehovah is found in Isaiah, chapters 13 and 14; Jeremiah, chapters 50 and 51; and Revelation, chapter 18 (not Revelation, chapter 17, which is a different thing from Babylon, the city).

The historical destruction of Nineveh occurred in 612 B.C.; The future overthrow of Nineveh will be in the very end of the dispensation, when Babylon and all the other cities of the world will be overthrown (Jer. 4:23-26; Rev. 16:17-21).

NINEVEH OF THE END TIME

Both Isaiah (30:31) and Micah (5:6), speak of the Assyrian of the end time. Who will this Assyrian of the end time be, the king of Nineveh? A glance at Daniel, chapter 7, may give the answer. According to Daniel 7:23 the world will be headed up under one great colossal government. According to verse 24 that massive kingdom will collapse and fall into ten sections. Then there will arise in each one of these ten portions of this prostrate political octopus a dictator. There will therefore be ten dictators in the end time. After they spring forth and seize the power in each respective section, there will arise another dictator who will come out of obscurity, and who will gain the ascendancy among the other ten rulers and finally become the dominant personage. It is quite possible that we may be able to identify four of these ten. One of them, in Daniel, chapter 11, is called the "king of the north"; another, the "king of the south." The deadly, wounded wicked one," of Ezekiel 21:7-32 may probably be the future king of Israel of the end time. The fourth one of these ten kings may be this Assyrian who will seize the power in that fragment of the collapsed empire that will embrace ancient Assyria. If this hypothesis be correct, the king of Nineveh mentioned by Nahum may be one of those ten dictators of the end time.

The Second Coming of Our Lord

A glance at Nahum 1:2-8 immediately suggests exodus 34:6,7, in which passage we find the sevenfold statement of God's character, made by himself. No one can understand The Lords feelings and actions who does not comprehend this all inclusive statement of the Almighty's character.

1:2-6 the prophet obviously had a vision of the personal return of the Lord when He comes to earth at the end of the Tribulation and when He takes over the world situation, overthrowing the civilization of that future time. There will be great cosmic changes throughout the universe, when He comes in fulfillment of the vision.

But in Nahum 1:7 we see that this same God, whose wrath will be kindled, is also a God of mercy, who will receive all who will take refuge in Him. As one reads these verses, his mind is immediately taken to Revelation, chapter 7, which foretells the world-wide revival during the first half of the Tribulation Period. At that time more than half of the people of the world will accept the Lord Jesus Christ, wash their robes, and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. There can be no national, nor international revival, until the Tribulation begins. When God's Judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants thereof learn righteousness (Isa. 26:9). Man's extremity is God's opportunity. These are well-known principles that are recognized by all prophetic students. At the present time we and others are doing all that we can to give the truth to Israel. The seed which we are now sowing in the dry soil of the indifferent hearts of Israel will be watered by the judgments of the great Tribulation. Then there will arise the 144,000 Jewish evangelists (Rev., chap. 7) who will go into every nook and corner of the earth and take the glad tidings of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ and will bring about that world-wide, mighty revival. All who will turn to Christ then will be accepted, as Nahum has told us in 1:7.

STROKES OF JUDGMENT AND ACTS OF DELIVERANCES

Nahum 1:9-15 must be carefully studied in order to get the import of the message. Verses 9-12b are spoken concerning Nineveh, the capital of Assyria in the end time. When God brings the judgment here foretold upon Nineveh, there will be no second time for punishment, because the Lord will do a thorough job in the Tribulation in dealing with wicked Assyria. The last part of verse 12, which is: "Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more," and 13 obviously were spoken to Judah, God's ancient people. When God allows the Assyrians and others to besiege the Jewish people in the Tribulation, and when Israel turns to God and appeals for deliverance, the Almighty, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, will come and deliver him. When that time arrives, God will no more afflict Israel for sin, because He will punish her once and for all. Israel has worn the yoke of foreign domination on many occasions, but, when this deliverance is wrought, never more will such a galling yoke be placed upon him.

When the Lord thus deals with Nineveh, the old Assyrian gods, that played such an active part in the life of the nation through the centuries, will be banished from the globe, never to be revived again (vs. 14).

According to verse 15 a messenger appears upon the mountains, bringing glad tidings to Judah and urging the people of Israel to "keep thy feasts, O Judah, perform thy vows; for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off." All the troubles of Israel will be a thing of the past, when this promise is fulfilled. One should not confound this announcement of the overthrow of Nineveh, an inveterate enemy of Israel, with the promise of the one bringing good tidings to Zion, of which we read in Isaiah 40:9-11 and Isaiah 52:7-10. To these latter passages the ones bringing the good tidings are those who proclaim redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood to the Jewish people.

THE FALLS OF NINEVEH

When one reads chapter 2 he is convinced that there are two different events that are set forth in this passage. In the first seven verses the overthrow of Nineveh in the end time obviously is in view. My reason for saying this is found in verse 4, which reads as follows: The chariots rage in the streets; they rush to and fro in the broad ways: the appearance of them is like torches; they run like the lightnings." By no stretch of the imagination can we understand this language as applying to actual, literal chariots, such as were used by the Assyrians of old. It is in view of what we have already seen in chapter 1 that the prophet was talking also about the overthrow of Nineveh in the end time, when the Lord Jesus Christ shall return from glory. Since this is true, the obvious manner of interpreting the chariots is this: The prophet spoke of the equipment of the army at that future date in terms of the weapons of his own day and time. They constantly had to do that. You and I have to speak of things in terms that people can understand. Thus it appears to me that in Nahum 2:1-7 the prophet was speaking of the overthrow of Nineveh in the end time.

But in verses 8-13 it is clear that he was speaking of Nineveh of his own day and time. He thinks of the king of Nineveh and the royal house in terms of lions. The lion goes forth and seizes prey for his lioness and whelps and drags the victim to his den so that his family can be fed. Thus the king of Assyria is thought of as a lion that went among the nations and robbed and plundered them, bringing back the spoils of war and filling his den with ravin and loot. Such is the picture we see in 2:8-13.

Babylon the Harlot and Nineveh the City

In 3:1-7 we see Babylon the great, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth, that will have had a diabolical influence over the nations of the earth, Nineveh being no exception. Babylon is the place of the dwelling of all kinds of evil, wicked spirits that dominate idolatry and the lives of the nations of the world.

We see the same harlot who commits adultery with the adulterer, the Antichrist, in Isaiah 57:3ff. and also in Revelation, chapter 17. From this passage we learn that this ecclesiastical octopus that will have such a mighty influence over the world of that future day will be destroyed in the middle of the Tribulation, when the Antichrist assumes absolute dictatorial powers and demands that the whole world worship him.

In Nahum 3:8-19 we have a prophecy of the overthrow of literal Nineveh that will be standing at this future time. In Nahum's day Thebes (No-Amon), that was one of the strongest fortifications in Upper Egypt, was overthrown by Ashurbanipal abut 663 B.C. Though the resources of Thebes were infinite, and it was barricaded by the desert on either side and by the waters of the Nile all around, yet it (No-Amon) went down. So will it be with Nineveh of the end time. Notwithstanding all the preparations that will be made against attack, Nineveh will go down in utter defeat, and the world will be freed from one of the most cruel, dictatorial governments that has ever existed.

The prophets constantly looked forward and told us of the time when God will overthrow all wicked, satanic governments when Christ comes and establishes a reign of righteousness upon the earth—from sea to sea from the River to the ends of the earth.
O Lord Jesus, come!

—End—