10-CHAPTER V1 THE NATIONS BEFORE GOD
CHAPTER V1 THE NATIONS BEFORE GOD
God is the Lord of the world. As Creator and Ruler He is the God of the whole human race. In all times, including those since the call of Abraham and the introduction of His special ways with Israel and the church, He remained in personal relation to the whole human race and was the Decider of all national destiny and Lord of history.
Viewed from the standpoint of revealed history, there plainly run through the development of the whole human race certain quite determined chief periods, easy to distinguish. They are indicated on our Chart by the divisions of the green areas. The Nations in the Original Revelation From the Creation of Man to the Call of Abraham In this period the revelation of God was not restricted to a single people or to a single group of mankind otherwise associated (that is, spiritually, as the church), but was available for all simply as men. First in Paradise, then in the time of testing by human freedom, and afterward in the period of human authority, God’s self-revelation was simply to all men universally.
After the Fall God at first gave to mankind the possibility of moral self-determination, without special Divine command or revelation of law, and without the setting up of human authority and control. Then, after the total moral failure of man in the Cainitic civilization and the judgment of the Flood thereby made necessary, He set man, by the appointment of authority, under corporate human order. In Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, there came, after the Flood, a new beginning (see Chart). Because Ham’s descendants (on account of Ham’s sin, Genesis 9:21-25) were given over to an unblessed condition, and in Canaan, his youngest son, to even a curse (Genesis 9:25), the blessing was concentrated upon the two other sons.
Japheth’s blessing was of a more earthly kind: cultural and political expansion. "God give expansion to the Expander" (Japheth means "breadth," Genesis 9:27).1 The blessing of Shem was principally connected with the history of salvation and led, through Abraham and David, to Christ. "Blessed be Jehovah the God of Shem" (Genesis 9:26; Genesis 12:1-3; Luke 3:36; John 4:22). But in this section of history also man failed, as the tower of Babel made manifest (Genesis 11:1-32). Thus in both these early periods, that of Cain and the ancient civilization of Babylon, man showed himself incapable of agreeing to these two ruling principles of God. Freedom he abused to selfwill and licentiousness (see Lamech, Genesis 4:19-24), and corporate authority to mighty political oppression and general vainglory (comp. Nimrod’s world empire, Genesis 10:8-12; also the tower of Babel, Genesis 11:1-32).
Therefore there became necessary a change in the methods of Divine revelation. In its madness, in collective strength and in vain self-glory, the human race had banded together to rob God of His glory (Babel, Genesis 11:1-4); wherefore God destroyed this unity, set aside the whole race, and at the same time restricted the circle of light of His revelation to an individual and his bodily and spiritual descendants. The Nations During the Setting Aside From the Call of Abraham to the ’beginning of the Present Age of the Gospel But God still remained the "God of the nations" (Romans 3:29). Not indeed in the sense of direct revelation and covenant, of Divine appointments and direct prophecies, of moral directions (laws) and theocratic civil constitutions,2 but as Guide and Judge of their history (Proverbs 14:34). This He was through the influence of authorities (Proverbs 8:14-16), in both their political and military decisions,3 through ordering of world conditions, determining of frontiers, overruling of historical events (Amos 9:7), and through acting upon the spiritual and cultural life of the peoples, especially world outlook, morals and customs (Acts 17:27). Even in his flight from God man could not escape from God. Even while set aside the peoples remained the object of God’s activity and love. With Nebuchadnezzar, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the end of the Jewish national life, there entered a further movement. After the nations, for nearly a millennium-and-a-half, had stood entirely in the background of Divine revelations, they now became again direct subjects of Divine prophecy. Hitherto indeed in the Divine messages to Israel (especially through Amos and Isaiah) there had often been remarks concerning the nations— in judgment and promise—but almost always Israel was the centre of gravity of even these prophecies. What God did with the nations He did principally "for the sake of Israel His servant" (Isaiah 45:1-7; esp. ver. 4). But now that Israel and Judah, through the destruction of Samaria by the Assyrians (722 B.C.) and of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (586), had lost their political individuality and were given into the hands of the nations, and thus "the times of the Gentiles" began (Luke 21:24), it was but a natural consequence that now God gave also prophecies which dealt with the history of the nations not as in the background and mainly indirectly, but as in the foreground, as in themselves historical groups, as self-existing objects of the messages concerning them. This came to pass in the dream-visions of Nebuchadnezzar and the prophecies of the world-empires by Daniel (Daniel 2:4; Daniel 7:8). Nebuchadnezzar, the heathen, saw the outward face of history as an imposing colossal image, in its unity, humanity, and magnificence (Daniel 2:31-36), while Daniel, the prophet of God, perceived its inner essence, its wild-beast nature, disunity, and demonic nature (Daniel 7:1-8).
Fourworldempires stand in the historical area of the prophecy.
Thebeadofgold, the lion with eagle’s wings (Daniel 2:32; Daniel 2:38; Daniel 7:4)—that is, the new Babylonian kingdom (612-538), especially under Nebuchadnezzar (605-562).
Thesilverbreast (Daniel 2:32), the bear, which lifted itself up on one side (Daniel 7:5), the ram with the two unequal horns (Daniel 8:3; Daniel 8:20)—that is the Medo-Persian empire, founded by Cyrus, destroyed by Alexander the Great (538-333), especially by his decisive victory in the battle of the Issus (333).
Thecopperbellyandloins (Daniel 2:32), the panther with the four wings and the four heads (Daniel 7:6), the he-goat (Daniel 8:5), with the one great horn (Alexander the Great)—that is, the Grecian-Macedonian empire, which, after Alexander’s death (323), split into four chief states (Diadochoi= successors), which at last, especially in the second century before Christ, were conquered by the Romans. Of special importance in the history of salvation and in prophecy were the two following kingdoms:
ThekingdomofEgypt, the "king of the south" (Daniel 11:5, Daniel 11:9, Daniel 11:11). In its territory was made between 250 and 120 B.C. the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which, on grounds not yet well known, is called the Septuagint (70, LXX), and which became later the world mission Bible of apostolic Christianity. And
TheSyro-BabjIoniankingdom, the "king of the north" (Daniel 11:6-7, Daniel 11:11). Here, in the second century before Christ, under Antiochus IV, Epiphanes (175-164), there came a fearful persecution of Jews who feared Jehovah, which brought the rising of the Maccabees in 168 B.C. The God-hating Antiochus was from that time a chief type in prophecy of the Antichrist of the End days, that is, the "little horn" of the third world-empire (Daniel 8:9; Daniel 8:23), a type of the "little horn" of the fourth world-empire (Daniel 7:8; Daniel 7:20; Daniel 7:24-25). ‘
There followed the fourth chief-world empire of the book of Daniel. Its first stage was the legs of brass and iron (Daniel 2:40), the terrible beast that crushed and devoured (Daniel 7:7), the Imperium ILomamm which included all civilized peoples of the then known world. Especially after the defeat of the Carthaginians at Zama (202 B.C.) the Romans in the course of the second century before Christ completed the subjection of most of the Mediterranean states. By 133 B.C. they were the lords of the world. Under their first sole ruler, Augustus (31 b.c.-a.d. 14), Christ was born. Under their second emperor, Tiberius (a.d. 14-37), the Lord appeared in public and completed His redeeming work (Luke 3:1). Then the Romans became the instruments in the hand of God to complete the judgment on apostate Israel, who had rejected their Messiah (Matthew 27:25). Titus, son and later successor of the emperor Vespasian, destroyed Jerusalem in the year 70. And again it was the Romans who, some decades later, after three years of fierce contest with the false Messiah Bar Kochbar,4 in a.d. 135 destroyed the Jewish national life, and banished the Jews into complete dispersion, in which that people remain until the present time (comp. Deuteronomy 28:49 ft; Hosea 3:4; Luke 21:24).
Thus in the book of Daniel the parts of the monarchical image of Nebuchadnezzar correspond to the wild beasts of the vision of Daniel. We have indicated this agreement on our Chart, by each of the four beasts standing on a metal base, the kind of metal in each case corresponding to the four chief parts of the image, that is, the Babylonian lion stands on a pedestal of gold (as the golden head); the Medo-Persian bear is on a silver base (answering to the breasts and arms of silver); the Greek-Macedonian panther is on a copper pedestal (like the belly and loins of copper); and the fourth terrible beast is on a pedestal of iron (as die legs of brass and iron). Space forbade that in the Chart the image should be shown as standing. The lowering of the position of the pedestals and their four beasts signifies that human development is no true upward and Godward movement, but on the contrary it is a downward way which, in spite of all progress in culture, moves terribly and ever increasingly away from God. This solemn truth was indicated in Nebuchadnezzar’s image by the ever lessening value of the metals, gold, silver, copper, iron.
Thus in the meaning of prophecy the fourth kingdom lasts till the end of this age. In Nebuchadnezzar’s colossus the iron reached to the feet (Daniel 2:33). The setting up of the kingdom of the Son of man follows immediately upon the fourth Beast (Daniel 7:7-14). Therefore on our Chart we have extended the line of the iron pedestal through the whole section of the present age.
It is a fact that, in spite of all detail changes, history has shown that the ideas of the fourth world empire have never died. Even after the collapse of the Western Empire (a.d. 475) and the Eastern Empire (1453), again and again it has displayed its vital energy, especially in the stability of the Roman Church, the continuance of the Roman (Latin) language in theology, law, medicine, science, military affairs, in the continuance and application of Roman jurisprudence, and indeed in quite distinct, clearly perceptible world developments, detail happenings, and singular political events. (See TheTriumphoftheCrucified, pp i32f.) And during this period the gospel spreads through the world. The Nations under the Call of Salvation The Present Age of the Gospel until the Coming(parousia)of Christ With the message of the Cross, of the full, only, present, and future salvation in Christ as our Representative and Surety, the messengers of Jesus go from land to land, and wherever men are found to open themselves to this message, and in repentance and faith accept Christ as their personal Savior, they become partakers of His salvation and members of His church. The purpose of this proclamation is not the Christianizing of the masses, or of civilization, or the creating of "Christian" nations or groups of nations—this will come to pass only in the mission period of the coming visible kingdom of God (Isaiah 2:3-4; Isaiah 19:21-25); but it is "to take out of them a people for His name" (Acts 15:14),5 and is thus the creation of a new super-national people of God. In this people "there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free . . . but all are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11). From this arises in place of the former two divisions of mankind known to historical revelation, a threefold division (1 Corinthians 10:32), and to Israel and the nations is added the church as the "third race." But what will mankind do at the end of this period of the gospel? After having heard for centuries the message of salvation in Christ they will decide finally for His foe, the Antichrist. There will be created a godless civilization, of the leading civilized peoples, united politically, centralized commercially, moulded alike in religious and world outlook. Only so is it practicable that at last " all," the small and the great, under threat of commercial boycott, will be forced to worship the Beast and thereby to deny the revealed faith of the Bible, so that at last "no one can buy or sell except those who have the mark of the Beast, the name of the Beast or the number of his name" (Revelation 13:17-18). Through this union of politics, business, and religion the Antichristian system will be a concentration of three lines of concentration, a monstrous spiritual revival of the tower of Babel. Our Chart expresses this in that the small green section which represents the Antichristian period contains a three-sided pyramid corresponding to and lying.over against the ancient Babylonian tower. At the summit of this pyramid stands the mysterious number of the Beast, "666," which is not yet explainable beyond all doubt. This will be the combination and final product of all God- estranged efforts of the world of nations severed from God, the sum of all world kingdoms of former times, of all the wild-beast kingdoms of Daniel’s prophecies. Therefore the Antichristian Beast is represented as lion, bear, and panther at once, and the number of its horns (7) is the sum total of the horns of all four wild beasts of Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7:2-8). And finally, if the Revelation speaks of two Beasts (Revelation 13:1-10 and Revelation 13:11-18), of which the first stands unmistakably in the foreground, while the second sees it to be his whole duty to secure all honor to the first Beast (Revelation 13:12; Revelation 13:14; Revelation 13:16), this is because the Antichristian world system will recognize two chief personalities who will unify the whole into one hellish organism embracing body and soul. These will be the political Leader and his religious- philosophical Minister of Propoganda. See on the Chart the two Beasts at the end of the iron line beneath the three-sided Babylonian pyramid. But Christ will have the last word. Through the "outshining of His parousia" He will destroy the Foe (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9; Isaiah 11:4) and will then set up His kingdom. The Nations In the Visible Kingdom of God: The Millennium As the God-King seen in the visible glory will He then sit on His throne and judge all the nations of the earth. They will be gathered before Him and He will separate them as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-32). As the place of judgment of the nations of the Scriptrue gives the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:12). The point to be decided will be which of those have escaped he late catastrophic judgments will find entrance to the visible kingdom of God, and, on the other hand, which, on account of his conduct, will be given up to the judgment of destruction (Matthew 25:34; Matthew 24:46)
Those who then are admitted to the kingdom of God will be covered with blessings. Then will the nations as nations be coverted,6 and for the first time in history there will be Christian nations and civilization in the meaning of Scripture (Isaiah 19:19; Isaiah 19:23; Isaiah 19:25). But to Christ, the God-King of mankind, crowned with the gold and silver crown of kingship and priesthood (Zechariah 6:11-13), will worship everywhere to be offered (Malachi 1:1). The following will be everyday blessings enjoyed by all:
Renewal of the peoples (Zephaniah 3:9).
Peace among nations (Micah 4:3-4)
Blessing upon Nature (Isaiah 11:6-8; Hosea 2:23-23).
Social righteousness (Isaiah 11:3-4)
Bodily health (Isaiah 35:5-6)
Patriarchal age (Isaiah 65:21-23).
Cessation of giant cities (Zechariah 3:10)
The Nations in the Final Rebellion And yet! Here again, when the last and sharpest test comes, man proves himself a total failure. During this visible kingdom of God Satan has been bound in the Abyss (Revelation 20:2-3). See on the Chart the black serpent line below the green field area that represents human history. But finally he "must" be loosed, so that the results of this late period of salvation may be tested (Revelation 20:8). And what happens? After enjoying for a thousand years the blessings of the visible rule of God man decides for-the Devil, and, under Gog and Magog, that is, still under Japhetic Indo-Teutonic leadership, marches in vast hosts to war against Jerusalem, the city of God (Revelation 20:9; comp. Genesis 10:2). To this there can be but one answer from God: fire falls from heaven and consumes these God-hating men. The earth also, the theatre of this whole erring human development, is dissolved by fire, so that a new heaven and earth may arise (Revelation 20:9 - Revelation 21:1). For man all this is extraordinarily humiliating. But it shows how God is justified that for the salvation of man He has from the beginning excluded all human strength and has appointed only one way of salvation: His grace alone and the Gross of Golgotha. The Nations on the New Earth On the new earth also there will be nations (Revelation 21:24; Revelation 22:2). The renewed mankind will still have organic structure. But then all will join in wonderful harmony. The heavenly city of God will be on the new earth (Revelation 21:10). In it will be the throne of God and the Lamb (Revelation 22:3), and on account of the King of glory, the centre and essence of all heavenly life, men will see in this city come down from heaven their capital and the centre of their worship. " The nations will walk in its light and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it" (Revelation 21:24).
Notes
1 As father of the Medes (Aladai,Genesis 10:2) and Greeks (Heb. Jawan, lotiier) Japheth is the ancester of the Teutonic race. For the Persians are a brother race to the Medes; the Romans are related to the Greeks. To the Persians belong the Indians (Aryas, Arians) and the Germans, to the Romans the French, Italians, Spanish, etc., and further, the Slavs and many others. Taken together they are all Teutons (Arians).
2Psalms 147:19-20; Romans 1:24; Romans 1:26; Romans 1:28; Isaiah 45:1-7.
31 Kings 11:14-23; 1 Chronicles 5:26; Isaiah 45:1-7.
4 "Son of the stars," so named after Numbers 24:17.
5See Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9-10.
6Jeremiah 3:17; Zechariah 8:20-22; Isaiah 2:3; Isaiah 42:4; Micah 4:2