Prophecy: the City of
Lesson VIII
The greatness of this city is recorded in history as well as in these
chapters.
“It was located on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, twenty miles
from Sidon and twenty-three miles from Acre.” (Today called “Akko”).
“Part of the city was on the Mainland, and part was on a small but well
protected
Joshua 19:29 In the days of Joshua it was known as “the
strong city.” See also 2 Samuel 24:7.
Joshua 19:29
(29) And [then] the
coast turneth to Ramah, and to the strong city Tyre; and the coast turneth to
Hosah; and the outgoings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib:
2 Samuel 24:7
(7) And came to the
strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the
Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, [even] to Beersheba.
2 Samuel 5:11 King Hiram of Tyre was a friend of David,
King of Israel. See 1 Chronicles 14:1.
2 Samuel 5:11
(11) And Hiram king of
Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and
they built David an house.
1 Chronicles 14:1
(1) Now Hiram king of
Tyre sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, with masons and
carpenters, to build him an house.
1 Kings 5:1-12 Hiram, King of Tyre, made a league with King
Solomon. More about his dealings with
Solomon can be found in the following Scriptures: 1 Kings 7:13-14; 2 Chronicles 2:3,11-16; 1 Kings 9:26-28.
1 Kings 5:1-12
(1) And Hiram king of
Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed
him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
(2) And Solomon sent
to Hiram, saying,
(3) Thou knowest how
that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God
for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under
the soles of his feet.
(4) But now the LORD
my God hath given me rest on every side, [so that there is] neither adversary
nor evil occurrent.
(5) And, behold, I
purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake
unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy
room, he shall build an house unto my name.
(6) Now therefore
command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall
be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according
to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that [there is] not among us
any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
(7) And it came to
pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and
said, Blessed [be] the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son
over this great people.
(8) And Hiram sent to
Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which thou sentest to me for: [and]
I will do all thy desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of
fir.
(9) My servants shall
bring [them] down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea in
floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be
discharged there, and thou shalt receive [them]: and thou shalt accomplish my
desire, in giving food for my household.
(10) So Hiram gave
Solomon cedar trees and fir trees [according to] all his desire.
(11) And Solomon gave
Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat [for] food to his household, and twenty
measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
(12) And the LORD gave
Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and
Solomon; and they two made a league together.
1 Kings 7:13-14
(13) And king Solomon
sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.
(14) He [was] a
widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a [man] of Tyre, a
worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning
to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his
work.
2 Chronicles 2:3,11-16
(3) And Solomon sent
to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As thou didst deal with David my father, and
didst send him cedars to build him an house to dwell therein, [even so deal
with me].
(11) Then Huram the
king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD
hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.
(12) Huram said
moreover, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, that made heaven and earth, who
hath given to David the king a wise son, endued with prudence and understanding,
that might build an house for the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.
(13) And now I have
sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father's,
(14) The son of a
woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father [was] a man of Tyre, skilful to
work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in
purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of
graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy
cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.
(15) Now therefore the
wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord hath spoken of, let
him send unto his servants:
(16) And we will cut
wood out of Lebanon, as much as thou shalt need: and we will bring it to thee
in floats by sea to Joppa; and thou shalt carry it up to Jerusalem.
1 Kings 9:26-28
(26) And king Solomon
made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which [is] beside Eloth, on the shore of
the Red sea, in the land of Edom.
(27) And Hiram sent in
the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants
of Solomon.
(28) And they came to
Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and
brought [it] to king Solomon.
The city of Tyre was a great trading port A source of great wealth was the famous purple
dye made from Melluks (Murex) found on the nearby shores. (Unger)
Cannanite cults were morally debasing, helping to bring the downfall of
the city. Tyrus became “a proud,
luxurious, wicked city, which defied God. (Gaebelein)
As we shall see, Ezekiel and other Prophets pronounced judgments upon
Tyre. These prophecies of judgment were
not fulfilled by one event. We must
remember God does not need to be in a hurry. “The wheels of God grind
exceedingly slow.”
Ezekiel
Chapter Twenty-Six.
Events that followed the predictions were:
First, Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came and, after 13 years of
fighting, took the city.
Seventy years later, Tyre was rebuilt (Isaiah 23:1,13-17).
Two hundred and forty years later, Alexander the Great completed the
fulfillment of the prophecies.
Isaiah 23:1,13-17
(1) The burden of
Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no
house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.
(13) Behold the land
of the Chaldeans; this people was not, [till] the Assyrian founded it for them
that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up
the palaces thereof; [and] he brought it to ruin.
(14) Howl, ye ships of
Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.
(15) And it shall come
to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to
the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an
harlot.
(16) Take an harp, go
about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing
many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
(17) And it shall come
to pass after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she
shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of
the world upon the face of the earth.
Ezekiel 26:7 The
prophet names Nebuchadnezzar as the one who would invade the city.
See Jeremiah 27:1-11
Ezekiel 26:7
(7) For thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a
king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with
horsemen, and companies, and much people.
Jeremiah 27:1-11
(1) In the beginning
of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto
Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
(2) Thus saith the
LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,
(3) And send them to
the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites,
and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the
messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;
(4) And command them
to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus
shall ye say unto your masters;
(5) I have made the
earth, the man and the beast that [are] upon the ground, by my great power and
by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.
(6) And now have I
given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my
servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
(7) And all nations
shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his
land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
(8) And it shall come
to pass, [that] the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the
yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with
the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed
them by his hand.
(9) Therefore hearken
not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to
your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall
not serve the king of Babylon:
(10) For they prophesy
a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you
out, and ye should perish.
(11) But the nations
that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him,
those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall
till it, and dwell therein.
Ezekiel 26:1-3 It was because
of her action against Jerusalem the Lord says “He is against Tyrus.” The following Scriptures will add more
reasons. Joel 3:4-6; Amos 1:9-10; Isaiah
23:1-11; Jeremiah 47:4.
Ezekiel 26:1-3
(1) And it came to
pass in the eleventh year, in the first [day] of the month, [that] the word of
the LORD came unto me, saying,
(2) Son of man,
because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken [that was]
the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, [now]
she is laid waste:
(3) Therefore thus saith
the Lord GOD; Behold, I [am] against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations
to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.
Joel 3:4-6
(4) Yea, and what have
ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye
render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly [and] speedily will I
return your recompence upon your own head;
(5) Because ye have
taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly
pleasant things:
(6) The children also
of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye
might remove them far from their border.
Amos 1:9-10
(9) Thus saith the
LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away [the
punishment] thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and
remembered not the brotherly covenant:
(10) But I will send a
fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.
Isaiah 23:1-11
(1) The burden of
Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no
house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.
(2) Be still, ye
inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the
sea, have replenished.
(3) And by great
waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, [is] her revenue; and she
is a mart of nations.
(4) Be thou ashamed, O
Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, [even] the strength of the sea, saying, I
travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, [nor]
bring up virgins.
(5) As at the report
concerning Egypt, [so] shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.
(6) Pass ye over to
Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.
(7) [Is] this your
joyous [city], whose antiquity [is] of ancient days? her own feet shall carry
her afar off to sojourn.
(8) Who hath taken
this counsel against Tyre, the crowning [city], whose merchants [are] princes,
whose traffickers [are] the honourable of the earth?
(9) The LORD of hosts
hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, [and] to bring into contempt
all the honourable of the earth.
(10) Pass through thy
land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: [there is] no more strength.
(11) He stretched out
his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the LORD hath given a commandment
against the merchant [city], to destroy the strong holds thereof.
Jeremiah 47:4
(4) Because of the day
that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, [and] to cut off from Tyrus and Zidon
every helper that remaineth: for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the
remnant of the country of Caphtor.
Ezekiel 26:4 The great walls,
150 feet high, of the city would be destroyed. And they were!
Ezekiel 26:4,14
(4) And they shall
destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her
dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
(14) And I will make
thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be [a place] to spread nets upon; thou
shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken [it], saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 26:4,14 the site was to
be made “ like the top of a rock”. So
complete was to be the destruction of this great city. Ruins are found at
Ezekiel 27:32
(32) And in their
wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and lament over thee, [saying],
What [city is] like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea?
Ezekiel 26:12
(12) And they shall
make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall
break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy
stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.
Ezekiel 26:5 “A place to spread nets.” In the area where the city once stood, fishermen
now mend their nets.
Ezekiel 26:5
(5) It shall be [a
place for] the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken [it],
saith the Lord GOD: and it shall become a spoil to the nations.
Ezekiel 26:5 “A spoil to the Nations.” Take note; it does not say “nation”
but rather nations.” What took
place at
Ezekiel 26:6-11
(6) And her daughters
which [are] in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that
I [am] the LORD.
(7) For thus saith the
Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a
king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with
horsemen, and companies, and much people.
(8) He shall slay with
the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee,
and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.
(9) And he shall set
engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy
towers.
(10) By reason of the
abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at
the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he
shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.
(11) With the hoofs of
his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the
sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.
Ezekiel 26:6-11 Here are details
of the destruction of
Ezekiel 26:12-21
(12) And they shall
make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall
break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy
stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.
(13) And I will cause
the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more
heard.
(14) And I will make
thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be [a place] to spread nets upon; thou
shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken [it], saith the Lord GOD.
(15) Thus saith the
Lord GOD to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the
wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
(16) Then all the
princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their
robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with
trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at [every] moment,
and be astonished at thee.
Ezekiel 26:12-21 At first reading
one could easily believe that these verses were speaking about Babylon. But God was not speaking of
Ezekiel 26:13 “I will cause the
noise
of thy songs to cease...” When songs become
noise, judgment is near. (Exodus 32:18,19,25; Amos 5:21,23-24).
Exodus 32:18-19, 25
(18) And he said, [It
is] not the voice of [them that] shout for mastery, neither [is it] the voice
of [them that] cry for being overcome: [but] the noise of [them that] sing do I
hear.
(19) And it came to
pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the
dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands,
and brake them beneath the mount.
(25) And when Moses
saw that the people [were] naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto [their]
shame among their enemies:)
Amos 5:21, 23-24
(21) I hate, I despise
your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
(23) Take thou away
from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.
(24) But let judgment
run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Ezekiel 26: 14-21 We look at some of the specific predictions.
Verse 14 What was stated in
verse 4 is repeated here.
Verse 15 “thy fall”.
Verse 16 the princes “to be
astonished at her”.
Verse 17 again we observe
Tyrus is called the “renowned”, “the strong” city.
Verse 18 “the day of thy
fall”.
Verse 19 “I shall make thee
desolate”. “I will bring up the deep
upon thee.”
Verse 20 “I will bring thee
down”. “That thou be not inhabited”.
Verse 21 “Thou shalt be no
more”. “Never be found again”.
As stated, the exact site of the Mainland city has never been found. Does verse 19 indicate that the site is under
the sea?
Her destruction has been complete. And her history stands as a witness to the
Nations that when God speaks, He is able to fulfill what He says He will do.
Ezekiel
Chapter Twenty-Seven.
This chapter is given to describe the greatness and wealth of the city
of
1 Corinthians 7:31
(31) And they that use
this world, as not abusing [it]: for the fashion of this world passeth away.
1 John 2:16
(16) For all that [is]
in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Hebrews 10:34
(34) For ye had
compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods,
knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance.
Wives (weddings), weep (funerals), rejoicing (parties), buying and
possessing: is this not the fashion of this world?
An example of all that is in this world, “the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).
Here is an example of substance that does not endure (Hebrews 10:34).
Perhaps Tyre’s destruction becomes a great type of a greater
destruction of the great religious-commercial city identified as “Mystery
Babylon” in Revelation chapters seventeen and eighteen.
Gaebelein writes: “Ezekiel certainly never saw Tyrus, nor did he have
probably any knowledge of her grandeur, her great wealth and far-reaching
commerce But he was Jehovah’s mouthpiece
who put into his lips and pen all these words”.
Gaebelein also states “that from verse four to the end of the chapter
the city of Tyre is likened to a great luxury ship, having done business with
many nations, but finally suffers ship-wreck.
Read verses 32, and 36.
Ezekiel 27:1-36
(1) The word of the
LORD came again unto me, saying,
(2) Now, thou son of
man, take up a lamentation for Tyrus;
(4) Thy borders
[are] in the midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.
(14) They of the
house of Togarmah traded in thy fairs with horses and horsemen and mules.
(20) Dedan [was] thy
merchant in precious clothes for chariots.
(23) Haran, and
Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, [and] Chilmad, [were] thy
merchants.
(28) The suburbs
shall shake at the sound of the cry of thy pilots.
Ezekiel 27:3 The city “situate at the entry of the sea.” “A merchant of the people of many isles”. She thought herself “perfect in beauty” (cf
verse 25). She was the unsinkable
Titanic of her day!
Ezekiel 27:9 “Gebal” is named as one of the Nations that
helped build (the ship) of
Psalm 83:1-8
(2) For, lo, thine
enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
(3) They have taken
crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
(5) For they have
consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
(6) The tabernacles
of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
(7) Gebal, and
Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
(8) Assur also is
joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
Psalm 83:1-8 In a list of the
“enemies of God” (who are enemies of Israel), Gebal is included in verse 7.
“Gebal”is listed as being one with Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines
and Tyre. The same list found in Ezekiel
chapter twenty-six.
And the same Nations that are at war with
Notice Ezekiel 27:12,14,16,19,22,
and 27. Her fairs are mentioned in
all these verses. There is no new thing under the sun.
Ezekiel
chapter Twenty-Eight
This chapter deals with “The Prince of Tyre” vss 1-10 and then with
“The King of Tyre” in verses 11-19. In
verses 20-24 judgment is pronounced against the city of Zidon and the chapter
concludes with specific promises to Israel verses 25-26.
Ezekiel 28:1-26
(1) The word of the
LORD came again unto me, saying,
(3) Behold, thou
[art] wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:
(6) Therefore thus
saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;
(11) Moreover the
word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(20) Again the word
of the LORD came unto me, saying,
(21) Son of man, set
thy face against Zidon, and prophesy against it,
Josephus says: “The King of Tyre
was Ithobalus, the same person as the Ethbaal of 1 Kings
1 Kings 16:31
(31) And it came to
pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam
the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of
the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
We believe that The Prince of verses 2-5 is the greatest type of the anti-Christ
in the Old Testament.
We also believe that the King in verses 12-17 is the greatest type of
Satan in the Old Testament.
“Ithobalous was involved in real Satanic activity. He was priest of the goddess “Ashtaroth”, the
female goddess, and “Baal” the male god. See 1 Samuel 7:3,4.
1 Samuel 7:3-4
(3) And Samuel spake
unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all
your hearts, [then] put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and
prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you
out of the hand of the Philistines.
(4) Then the children
of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.
1 Kings 16:33
(33) And Ahab made a
grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all
the kings of Israel that were before him.
1 Kings 18:13
(13) Was it not told
my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an
hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread
and water?
1 Kings 21:25
(25) But there was
none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of
the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
His daughter was Jezebel, who became the wife of Ahab king of Israel (see
1 Kings 16:33; 1 Kings 18:13; 1 Kings 21:25). (Bro. McNicol called her “a she-devil”).
Ithobalous who was king of both Tyre and Zidon , seems to have been a
demon incarnate. We believe that is what
the anti-Christ will be. Of Judas it is
written that Jesus said, “One of you is a Devil” (John 6:70).
John 6:70
(70) Jesus answered
them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
History has seen the rise of many anti-Christ’s, all forerunners of the
final anti-Christ yet to appear (1 John 2:18).
1 John 2:18
(18) Little children,
it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now
are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
Ezekiel 28:14 calls the King
of Tyrus “the anointed cherub“ who has been in Eden, the garden of God (verse
13). (The description of this
Ezekiel 28:15 He was perfect in the day of his creation. These facts certainly connect this King of
Tyrus with the Angelic creation. In the
text he is presented as a being with great wisdom (verses 3,4,12), but now
fallen.
The history books state that Alexander the Great’s mother claimed that
Alexander was “a son of the gods”. We
include some facts stated in other classes.
Job 38:1, 4, 7
(1) Then the LORD
answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
(4) Where wast thou
when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
(7) When the morning
stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 1:6
(6) Now there was a
day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan
came also among them.
Job 2:1
(1) Again there was a
day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan
came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
Job 38:1 The LORD speaks.
Job 38:4 He speaks of the time when “He laid the
foundation of the earth”. That would
indicate the beginning of earth’s history.
Job 38:7 The Lord tells
Job that at the time the earth’s foundation was laid, sons of God, already
existed. Living intelligent creatures. These creatures could not be men as we know
men because the first man’s body was formed from the dust of the earth. These creatures existed before the dust was
created.
Job 1:6 “The sons of God”
and Satan among them, presented themselves before the Lord.
Job 2:1 The sons of God
and Satan among them presented themselves before the Lord.
These verses seem to imply that the sons of God and Satan belonged to
the same creation, before the human creation was created.
Genesis 6:1-4
(1) And it came to
pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were
born unto them,
(2) That the sons of
God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair; and they took them wives of
all which they chose.
(3) And the LORD said,
My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also [is] flesh: yet
his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
(4) There were giants
in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in
unto the daughters of men, and they bare [children] to them, the same [became]
mighty men which [were] of old, men of renown.
Jude 6-7
(6) And the angels
which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath
reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great
day.
(7) Even as Sodom and
Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to
fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
2 Peter 2:4
(4) For if God spared
not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them]
into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
Genesis 10:8, 9
(8) And Cush begat
Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
(9) He was a mighty
hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter
before the LORD.
Genesis 6:1 “When men began to multiply on the earth
daughters were born unto them” is as normal as today but..., for
Genesis 6:2 to be normal, the
verse should read, “the sons of men” saw “the daughters of men.” But it does not say that. Rather than “sons of men” it says “sons of
God. This same expression is used in Job
1:6; Job 2:1 and Job 38:7.
Jude 6 speaks of “the
angels that left their own habitation”.
Jude 7 states that the
sin of these angels was “fornication”.
2 Peter 2:4 speaks of the
angels that sinned who are now in chains in Hell (Tartarus).
Genesis 6:3-4 tell us that
there were giants in the earth in the days when the sons of God went in unto
the daughters of men, and these became “mighty men” in the earth.
Genesis 10:8,9 Nimrod, an anti-Christ,
was called “mighty”.
Alexander was identified as “the great”.
King of Tyrus is identified as a “cherub”.
Herod was known as “the great”.
Tut of Egypt is a very mysterious creature.
Were all these not forerunners of the Anti-Christ?
Ezekiel 28: 18-19 Therefore, because
of the King of Tyrus, God will send a fire on Tyrus. See
Amos 1:9,10; Zechariah
9:3,4; Isaiah 23:1.
Amos 1:9, 10
(9) Thus saith the
LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away [the
punishment] thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and
remembered not the brotherly covenant:
(10) But I will send a
fire on the wall of Tyrus, which shall devour the palaces thereof.
Zechariah 9:3, 4
(3) And Tyrus did
build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as
the mire of the streets.
(4) Behold, the Lord
will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be
devoured with fire.
Isaiah 23:1
(1) The burden of
Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no
house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.
Ezekiel 28: 20-24 regarding the
city of Zidon.
We note that in verse 22 it states, God says: “I am against thee”. Thus judgment is sure.
Ezekiel 28:25-26 Promises to
Israel.
Verse 25 “The Lord will gather the house of
Verse 26 “They shall dwell safely”,
“build houses”, “ plant
vineyards”, “dwell with confidence” when I have executed judgments upon all those
that despised them round about them.”
And then “they shall know that I am the LORD.” What a
day that will be!
If the judgments on their enemies were literal in
their fulfillment, is it not logical to believe that the promises to Israel
will have the same kind of fulfillment?