The End Time Bible Commentary

Verse 1 prophesies the end-time restoration of Israel, and includes four characteristics of this restoration, 1) of God's compassion towards Israel, 2) of their relationship as God's chosen people, 3) of their restoration to their historic homeland, and 4) of their unification with foreigners, i.e. Gentiles.

The restoration of Jews to their homeland began in the late 19th century, and accelerated after the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948. Israel's restoration is a major theme of many biblical end-time prophecies (search by tags for 'Restoration of Israel and Judah). In many of these prophecies (e.g. Isaiah 11:10-16, Jeremiah 30) there is an emphasis on the reunification of Judah with Israel (the lost ten tribes) but here the emphasis is the restoration of Israel with foreigners (see also Isaiah 11:10, Ezekiel 47:22, Zechariah 8:22-23, Ephesians 2:12-19).

In verse 2a we see that after Antichrist's defeat, foreign nations will assist Israelite descendants in restoring them to their homeland. Until now, Israel's return to the land has been largely resisted and condemned by the international community over concerns for the Arab residents of the Holy Land. Verse 2b tells us what this means for non-Israelite residents of Israel. The people of Israel will rule over those who oppressed them and will make them their servants and captives. It is reasonable to assume that those who unite with the people of Israel in verse 1 do so through shared faith in Jesus (as in Ephesians 2:12-19). But it seems that at the end of the age some survivors of those who oppressed the Jews will not believe but will nevertheless be allowed to live among the people of Israel as their servants during the Millennium.

Verses 3-4a say, "When the LORD gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety, and from the hard labor which you were made to perform, you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words". This is referring to the oppression and persecution that the people of Israel will face during the Great Tribulation while the Antichrist is in power. At the beginning of the Great Tribulation he invades and conquers Israel and many other Middle-Eastern nations (see Daniel 9:27, Ezekiel 38, Zechariah 14:1-5, Revelation 12:6). Revelation 12:13-17 tells us he will especially persecute Jews and Christians. This period of time when Antichrist is in power is referred to as a time of great trouble (traditionally translated 'great tribulation') for Israel in Jeremiah 30:7. Jesus referred to this in Matthew 24:21, "For then there will be great suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen".

In the KJV, verse 4 is translated, 'That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!'. The golden city is a translation of the hebrew word 'madhebah', a variant of the word 'dehab' meaning gold. It is the only occurrence of 'madhebah' in the bible, and the NIV interprets it as 'fury'. But if taken as 'the golden city', this likely corresponds with 'Mystery Babylon', the city associated with the Great Prostitute in Revelation 17-18, which is suddenly and catastrophically destroyed. Several clues in Revelation 17-18, together with Isaiah 21, associate the Great Prostitute with Arabia, so it is reasonable to identify 'the golden city' as a city in Arabia, possibly Mecca. In Jeremiah 25:26, the Antichrist is called 'the king of Sheshach', where Sheshach is a code word for Babylon (see notes on Jeremiah 25). In end-time prophecies, the Bible uses 'Babylon' as a codename for a city in Arabia. So the Antichrist is referred to here as the 'King of Babylon'. In Ezekiel 38:2, Antichrist is described as "the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal". Meshech and Tubal were parts of ancient Turkey, so it seems that he emerges first of all as a ruler of Turkey. In Old Testament times, eastern Turkey was part of the Assyrian Empire, and Antichrist is called 'the Assyrian' in Isaiah 10:17, 14:25 and 30:31, and in Micah 5:5. From Daniel 7:24, it seems that in the end times, Antichrist's empire will re-emerge first of all as a coalition of ten nations led by 'Mystery Babylon', which I understand to imply Saudi Arabian leadership. Metaphorically, Daniel envisages the rulers of these ten nations as ten horns. Later Antichrist emerges as an eleventh horn that humiliates three of the original horns and takes over as its ruler. So he becomes 'King of Babylon'.

In verses 4b-5, the people of Israel begin their taunt with the words, "Look how the oppressor has met his end! Hostility has ceased! The LORD has broken the club of the wicked, the scepter of rulers". So the end of the age is in view here, after Jesus has returned and defeated Antichrist's armies in Edom (Isaiah 63, Habakkuk 3) and at Armageddon in Israel (Revelation 16:16; 19:11-21). Jesus destroys Antichrist's club and sceptre, his military might and rule.

Verse 6 says , "It (Antichrist's club) furiously struck down nations with unceasing blows. It angrily ruled over nations, oppressing them without restraint". Antichrist is another angry Hitler-type narcissist, whose military expansionism will be oppressive and merciless.

Verse 7 says, "The whole earth rests and is quiet; they break into song". Antichrist's invasions (Daniel 11:36-45) start World War III, and his defeat by Jesus marks the beginning of world peace, and the world rejoices.

Verse 8 says, "The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, ‘Since you fell asleep, no woodsman comes up to chop us down!'" Antichrist conquers and devastates Lebanon (Habakkuk 2:17) and in Ezekiel 28:1 is called the 'ruler of Tyre'. Clearly, he plunders Lebanon's natural resources to supply his war machine.

Verses 9 to 20 foresee the descent of the defeated Antichrist into the world of the dead, where he is met by the spirits of departed world leaders who express astonishment at his humiliation and fall into Sheol, the world of the dead. It is clear from verse 16 that Antichrist is a human being, "Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking “Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble?" And verse 11 says, "You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you". At the same time, it is clear from verse 12 that Antichrist is an incarnation of Satan, "Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations!" The name "O shining one, son of the dawn" is the hebrew 'heylel ben shachar', translated as 'O Lucifer, son of the morning!' in the KJV and as 'Morning Star, Son of the Dawn' in the NIV. The morning star is the planet Venus, often depicted together with a crescent moon. As the KJV indicates, here it is symbolic of Lucifer (Satan). This dual reality, that Antichrist is both a man and Satan, is also apparent in Ezekiel 28:1-19, where he is called the King of Tyre, but also said to have been present in the Garden of Eden. That Antichrist will be Satan incarnate as a man can also be understood from Genesis 3:15, where God prophesies to Satan saying, "And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed; her seed will attack your head, and you will attack her seed's heel". In the singular sense, Antichrist is Satan's seed, while Jesus is Eve's seed (see my comments on Genesis 1-3).

Today, it is also worth noting that the morning star is a symbol of Islam, and is incorporated into the flags of several muslim countries, especially Turkey and Pakistan. The crescent moon adorns the top of every mosque. This is a strong clue that Satan is the source of Islam, and also that Antichrist will be a Muslim. We know from the Apostle John's statement in 1 John 4:3 that the spirit behind Islam is the spirit of antichrist, since Islam fits John's definition of an antichrist as someone who denies Jesus as "the Christ who has come in the flesh" (i.e. as the incarnate Son of God). Instead, Islam declares Jesus to be merely a prophet. Here in verse 12, Antichrist is portrayed as Satan himself who has fallen from the sky, that is he has lost his place in the heavenly realms, sometimes referred to as the 'second heaven'. Satan's fall from heaven during the Great Tribulation is described in more detail in Revelation 12:7-17. Humanly speaking, in Ezekiel 38:2, Antichrist is given the name 'Gog' and is said to be 'the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal'. Meshech and Tubal were parts of ancient Turkey, so it suggests that he will arise first of all as a ruler of Turkey. The Turkish flag being the morning star on a scarlet background is perhaps not a coincidence. The morning star represents Lucifer and the Antichrist, and scarlet represents sinfulness (Isaiah 1:18, Revelation 17:4).

In verse 12, Lucifer is said to have fallen from the sky and been cut down to the ground, and is then addressed as 'O conqueror of the nations'. It is as Antichrist, Satan-incarnate as a man, that he conquers nations. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, where it is likely that Paul has Isaiah 14 in mind, he calls the Antichrist 'the man of lawlessness…, the son of destruction'. 'Destruction' is the Greek word 'apoleia' meaning destruction, or waste or damnation. It is also related to the Greek word 'apollyon' meaning destroyer, which is used in Revelation 9:11 as a reference to Satan. So Paul effectively calls Antichrist 'the man of lawlessness…, the son of hell', or even 'the man of lawlessness…, the son of Satan'. Although his statement is not quite that explicit, there is a sense in which Paul is trying to convey Antichrist's dual reality, both as a man and as Satan-incarnate. It should be noted that in John 17:12, Jesus also referred to Judas as 'the son of destruction'. John 13:27 says, "And after Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are about to do, do quickly."" So Judas became a 'son of destruction' after Satan entered into him and possessed him, and Judas' subsequent actions led to his eternal damnation. It is likely that after Satan is cast out of heaven onto the Earth, he enters and possesses Antichrist to such an extent that Antichrist becomes Satan-incarnate, without any implied Satanically empowered 'virgin-birth' kind of miracle.

In verses 13 and 14, the spirits of departed rulers recall Lucifer's boastful claims, the five 'I wills...'. These are as follows:
1) I will climb up to the sky
2) I will set up my throne above the stars of El
3) I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon
4) I will climb up to the tops of the clouds
5) I will make myself like the Most High

I say these are Lucifer's boasts, and as such they are expressions of what Satan has aspired to since time immemorial. But at the time in view here, during the Great Tribulation when Satan has become incarnate as a man, these are Antichrist's boasts. There are five boasts, but essentially numbers 1 and 4 are the same, as are numbers 2 and 5, so as Satan-incarnate, Antichrist essentially makes three boasts.

Lucifer has just fallen from the sky, and he wants to climb back up again, to be restored to his place of authority and influence over the world. From Antichrist's perspective, his desire is to ascend above the clouds and become a god, like the Most High himself. Through numerous false deities, Satan has been masquerading as God since time immemorial. Since the rise of Islam, he has most successfully masqueraded as God in the guise of Allah. During the Great Tribulation, Antichrist is his final hope of achieving God-like status.

Antichrist has had many 'types' throughout history, including Antiochus Epiphanes, Emperor Nero, and the so-called Prophet Mohammed. The Prophet Mohammed made similar boasts. In his so-called 'miraculous night journey' (Isra wa Al-Mir'aj in Arabic), he claimed to have been carried from Mecca to Jerusalem on the back of a heavenly winged creature, and from there to have ascended to the highest heaven, where he negotiated with Allah as to the number of times per day that Muslims are required to pray. It is likely that the end-time Antichrist will be recognised by Muslims as their Mahdi, and that he will make claims similar and even greater than those made by Mohammed, even claiming to be an incarnation of Allah himself. In 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Paul tells us of Antichrist, "He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God's temple, displaying himself as God." The idea that Muslims might accept someone who claims to be Allah-incarnate might seem unlikely to some, but it has happened before. For example, Wallace Fard Muhammed, the founder of the Nation of Islam movement in America, is believed by its members to have been an incarnation of Allah.

Antichrist's third boast is, "I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon". The phrase 'the remote slopes of Zaphon', which in Hebrew is 'yerekah zaphon', is an important idiomatic expression that alludes to Canaanite mythology. Zaphon refers to Mount Zaphon, known today as Jebel Aqra. It is a mountain that rises above the Mediterranean coastline near the Turkish-Syrian border. It is north of Israel, and 'zaphon' is also the hebrew word for north. According to Canaanite mythology, Mount Zaphon was considered to be the seat of Baal and the Canaanite gods, just as Mount Olympus was considered by the Greeks to be the seat of Zeus and the Greek gods. 'Yerekah zaphon' appears in Psalm 48:2 which says (literally), "Mount Zion, the peaks of Zaphon; it is the city of the great king." Here, Zaphon is in apposition to Zion, meaning it is another way of describing the same thing. It is a way of the psalmist saying that Zion is the true Zaphon, the true assembly of the true God. Consequently, in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, the Apostle Paul interprets Isaiah 14:14 to mean that Antichrist will attempt to exalt himself above God on Mount Zion, the location of the temple mount, and not literally on Mount Zaphon. The expression 'yerekah zaphon' also appears three times in Ezekiel 38-39, in a passage describing Antichrist's end time invasion of Israel. In Ezekiel 38:6, Antichrist is joined by troops from the House of Togarmah who come from 'yerekah zaphon'. It is likely this is a reference to Syrian troops joining him from the area of Mount Zaphon, but some Bible translations convey 'yerekah zaphon' as 'the extreme north' and consequently some prophecy scholars have seen this as a reference to him being joined by troops from Russia.

In scripture, Mount Zion has both earthly and heavenly dimensions as the City of God (Hebrews 11:8-16; 12:22). So in exalting himself as God on earthly Mount Zion, it is as though Antichrist attempts to exalt himself as God in heaven itself.

But in verse 15 we see that the Antichrist's end is the complete opposite of his boast, "But you were brought down to Sheol, to the remote slopes of the Pit". Instead of ruling from the highest heights, he ends up being cast into the deepest depths of hell. In biblical times, the world of the dead was understood to have various different levels that you descended to according to the kind of life you had lived (see my comments on Luke 16). The 'remote slopes of the pit' is the equivalent of Tartarus, the deepest level of hell where the most extreme offenders were sent. In Ezekiel 32, the hordes of Antichrist's armies, from various Middle-Eastern nations, are also prophesied to end up there.

Verses 16 and 17 reveal that Antichrist will terrorise and devastate the earth, "Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble? Is this the one who made the world like a desert, who ruined its cities, and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?" This is likely true of the many Middle-Eastern nations that he conquers, starting a world war in the process. It is not clear how widespread that devastation will be around the rest of the world. In Ezekiel 32, the two nations of Meshech-Tubal (Turkey) and Elam (Iran) are specifically identified as having 'spread terror in the land of the living'. In Ezekiel 38, which describes Antichrist's end-time invasion of Israel, he is identified as the 'chief prince of Meshech and Tubal' (Turkey), and his allies include Persia, which was another part of Iran. In Isaiah 21, it is Elamites and Medes (Iranians) who attack 'the desert by the sea' (the Arabian Peninsula) which is figuratively called 'Babylon'. So Turkey and Iran appear to be the two major players behind Antichrist's military expansionism.

In verses 18 to 20, all the kings of the nations are said to lie down in splendour, each in his own tomb. But Antichrist is thrown out of his grave and lies among those slain by the sword and destined for the pit of hell because he destroyed his own land and killed his people. In Ezekiel 32 the same is prophesied for the hordes of Antichrist's armies from various Middle-Eastern nations, including Egypt, Assyria (Syria and Iraq), Elam (Iran), Meshech and Tubal (Turkey), Edom (southern Jordan and western Saudi Arabia), northern countries (possibly Caucasus nations), and Sidon (Lebanon). According to Revelation 19:20, the Antichrist and the false prophet will be thrown alive into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is another way of describing the deepest part of hell.

Verses 20b to 21 say, "The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again. Prepare to execute his sons for the sins their ancestors have committed. They must not rise up and take possession of the earth, or fill the surface of the world with cities.”" Initially one might assume this is talking about Antichrist's literal sons, and that God wants to deny him an ongoing dynasty. However, verse 22 says, "“I will rise up against them,” says the LORD who commands armies. “I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, including the offspring she produces,”says the LORD." In other words it is actually the sons of "Babylon" that will be executed. This is not literal Babylon in Mesopotamia, but rather figurative Babylon that represents Arabia and Islam, as in Isaiah 21 and in Revelation 17-18. The offspring that Babylon produces are Muslims. God is proclaiming that he will blot out all remembrance of Islam, and not allow Islam to take possession of the earth and the cities of the world. He will punish the Muslim world for the countless millions of lives that have been ruined and destroyed by centuries of Islamic Jihad. Verse 23a says, "I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals and covered with pools of stagnant water." And verse 23b says (literally), ""I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction," says the LORD of hosts". In 13:19-22, Isaiah has already prophesied that God will destroy Babylon as he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and turn it into a wasteland that is devoid of human habitation and is abandoned to the wild animals. Isaiah 13:17 and 21:2 indicate that the Medes and Elamites (Iranians) will be involved in its destruction. It is possible that 'the broom of destruction' is a description of a nuclear holocaust and that Iran will one day nuke its arch-rival, Saudi Arabia.

In verse 24, God makes a solemn vow, "Be sure of this: Just as I have intended, so it will be; just as I have planned, it will happen". And in verse 27, he further stresses the certainty that his plan is unstoppable and will be fulfilled. So what is God's plan? Verse 25 says, "I will break Assyria in my land, I will trample them underfoot on my hills. Their yoke will be removed from my people, the burden will be lifted from their shoulders." Here Antichrist is identified, not just as the king of Babylon (verse 4) but also as being representative of the nation of Assyria. Antichrist arises out of Turkey as "the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" (Ezekiel 38:2). But in Isaiah's time, the Assyrian Empire included much of Turkey. So it is appropriate for Isaiah to also identify Antichrist with Assyria (see also Isaiah 10:17, 30:31, and Micah 5:5). Verse 25 depicts his defeat in the land of Israel at the battle of Armageddon. At the beginning of the Great Tribulation, Antichrist will invade Israel (Ezekiel 38), placing Israel under his yoke of occupation. This yoke will be removed when Jesus defeats Antichrist and his forces at Armageddon (Revelation 19). Verse 26 adds, "This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth; my hand is ready to strike all the nations." It is likely that Antichrist's invasions will be concentrated in the Middle East, but as he prepares for his final showdown with Jesus at Armageddon he will gather troops from around the world in a global call to jihad (Revelation 16:12-16). End-time events will polarise the world, and all nations will be involved to one degree or other. After Antichrist's defeat, Jesus must establish his dominion over all nations (Isaiah 9:7, Daniel 2:44-45; 7:14, Matthew 25:31-32).

Philistia
Verses 28 to 32 are a separate oracle of doom and famine against the Philistines. This had a historic fulfilment, but most likely also has an end-time fulfilment for the Palestinians. Historically, the Philistines were invaded and exiled by Nebuchadnezzar at about the same time as Judah's exile in 586 BC, and they then disappeared into the pages of history, never returning to Philistia. In verse 29, Nebuchadnezzar is pictured as a 'viper that grows out of the serpent's root', portraying him as 'Satan's man'. Verse 31 says, "out of the north comes a cloud of smoke, and there are no stragglers in its ranks". This likely describes Nebuchadnezzar's historic army, but also Antichrist's end-time army. When the Antichrist, Satan's end-time man, (as in verse 5 to 21) invades Israel, it is likely that the Palestinians (the modern-day Arab inhabitants of Philistia) will look to him expectantly as their great liberator. But instead, Antichrist will invade Israel for his own interests, and he will leave the Palestinians to die of famine. Then at Armageddon, the Palestinians will have Jesus and his armies to contend with. Jesus' purpose will be to establish Zion and make her secure (v32). The Palestinian threat to Israel's security must be dealt with.