In these articles, we have supplied Scripture evidence for concluding that we are living in the epoch of Christ's second coming, and that the events in sequence are as follows:

1. Christ returns first to raise the dead and judge his household.

2. Meanwhile, Russia will complete the invasion of the Middle East, and will occupy Egypt.

3. The judgment completed, Christ will send forth Elijah and his assistants to Israel scattered abroad, to proclaim to Jewry that Messiah has returned, and to bid them make their way back to the land.

4. The whole world will be involved in war, and the armies of the nations will converge on the Middle East.

5. Christ will emerge from Sinai on a work of conquest, and will first discipline and subdue the Arab nations.

6. He will then turn his hand towards Egypt, and will "smite and heal" that nation, destroying the remnant of Gog's host that will be left there as an occupation force when the main body of the army moved north to Jerusalem.

7. The representatives of all nations being gathered to Jerusalem to battle, divine judgment, in the form of Armageddon will be poured out upon them.

Our last article considered the involvement of the nations at Armageddon.

When Jerusalem falls to Russia (Zech. 14:1-2); it will seem that the triumph of Gog is beyond doubt, and that all the world is about to succumb to Communism.

True, puzzling will have been brought to the attention of the Russian leader regarding the appearance of a new power in Egypt that has succeeded in overthrowing the occupying force that he will leave in charge, but that will not give him great concern. He will view the western powers as his main enemies, and the successes that he will already have recorded against them, will auger success for his impending attack in other areas.

He will be confident that he will be able to account for this new power in due course.

Meanwhile, Jerusalem will be prostrate; the western powers fearful at the Communist successes, and the Gogian confederacy triumphant. It will appear as though the powers of darkness must prevail to the uttermost.

At such a time as that, the representative forces of the new Power from Teman will appear at Jerusalem, and the judgments of Armageddon will break upon a startled world. The Sun of righteousness will appear in glory to destroy the forces of darkness (Mal. 4).

This will be the great day of the prophetic word: the Day of Yahweh, referred to by all the prophets.

Moses saw the drama of the occasion, typified in Israel marching on to victory in Canaan:

"Yahweh came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints; from His right hand went a fiery law for them" (Deut. 33:2).

He predicted the result of this apocalypse of divine power in glory:

"There is none like unto the El (strength) of Jeshurun (the Upright) who rideth upon the (political) heavens in thy (Israel's) help; and with His majesty in the clouds (the saints in glory). The Elohim of the East a refuge, and underneath the Powers of the Olahm. He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, Destroy! Then Israel shall dwell in safety alone. The fountain of Jacob shall be alone upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew. Happy art thou, 0 Israel. Who is like unto thee, 0 people saved by Yahweh, the shield of thy help, and who is the Sword of thine exaltation. Also thine enemies shall be proved liars to thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places" (Deut. 33:26-29).

In this Scripture, Yahweh is described as the God (El - strength) of Jeshurun, the Upright. The heavens relate to the political heavens of the Age to come from whence His law shall go forth to all the world (Isa. 2:2-4), bringing His glory into prominence before all peoples. The phrase, "His excellency on the sky" which appears in the A.V., is rendered by Brother Thomas as "His majesty in the clouds," the clouds comprising the glorified elect (Heb. 12:1; Rev. 1:7) through whom His Majesty will be revealed, when Christ comes to be "glorified in His saints" (2 Thess.1:10).

The A.V. also has: "The eternal God is thy refuge." However, the Hebrew gedem, here rendered "eternal," is translated "east" some twenty-one times, and, according to Dr. Young, relates to "what is before in time or place." Thus Brother Thomas renders it: "The Elohim of the East." These Elohim comprise the glorified saints who, from the east (Sinai and Jerusalem) will move to the help of Israel, and extend the rule of Yahweh throughout the earth. As the sealing work of the Gospel proceeded from the east throughout the world (Rev. 7:2), so the future conquest of the nations will come from the same direction. John, in Patmos, saw "an angel" with great power, and possessing great glory, by which he illuminated the earth (Rev. 18:1). This angel is the multitudinous Christ, who shall "shine as the sun in the kingdom of the Father," and whose brightness will be seen as the light of Zion, destroying the darkness that shall enshroud mankind at the coming of the Lord (Isa. 60:2; Matt. 13:43; Isa. 11:9).

At that time, the land of Israel will be cleansed of Gentile pollution, and the nation restored in full glory under Messiah. In consequence, "Israel shall then dwell in safety alone" and its enemies "shall be found liars" in that their boasts against Israel will be found to be in vain.

Moses' vision of the future was based upon the past, inasmuch as he saw the invasion of Canaan under Joshua as typical of Christ's invasion of the land when Gog is in control. Therefore, the verbs describing this are in the past tense (Deut. 33:2). However, Habakkuk recorded a similar vision as pure prophecy (Ch. 3), and though the verbs are rendered by the past tense in the A.V., in the Hebrew they are in the future: "God shall come in from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran" (Hab. 3:3). Accordingly, the R.V. margin renders them in that way: "God cometh from Teman."

The word "God" in this place is Eloah: the Mighty One. The Mighty One is the "leader and commander" of his people, behind whom they will march (Isa. 55:4). Habakkuk saw him moving forward in great power, destroying the forces of darkness, and by a tremendous display of divine glory eclipsing the sun, moon and stars that currently shine in the political heavens. There is no doubt that the basis of Habakkuk's vision is to be found in Moses' words, for the very language in which the prophet describes the conquests of the Mighty One, is reminiscent of those incidents that took place in the exodus from Egypt (see Hab. 3). Thus both Moses and Habakkuk predicted the coming conquests of Christ as proceeding from Sinai through to Jerusalem.

Both David and Solomon had similar visions. In Psalm 68 (a Messianic Psalm - cp. v.18 with Eph. 4:8), David predicts the coming victory of Christ with language that sweeps on from Sinai to Zion. Rotherham quotes Ginsburg as justifying the change from the A.V. to: "Yahweh hath come from Sinai into His sanctuary" (v.17).

The Companion Bible has: "Yahweh among them (the angelic chariots or cherubim of the future) hath come from Sinai into His Sanctuary."

In beautiful language Solomon also describes the scene (See Song of Solomon Ch. 3:6-11). He predicts that the Bridegroom, in company with his bride, will enter Jerusalem by way of the wilderness, to the plaudits of those who shall be saved by his intervention. The "daughters of Zion (Israel after the flesh) are invited to go forth and behold his regal glory, crowned as King of the Jews: a royal dignity proclaiming a rule destined to extend throughout the world.

The Victory Described

The manifestation of Christ at Jerusalem will be accompanied by paroxymns of nature of an unprecedented extent. Zechariah declares that as the feet of the multitudinous Christ stands upon the Mount of Olives, terrific seismographic upheavals will tear the mount from its foundations. A vast valley will be formed at the point of the natural fault in the mountain that is apparent today, and the declivity thus formed will "reach unto Azal" or the Separate Place, a title designating Jerusalem itself.

It will be instantly apparent to all in the vicinity that the terrible and awe-inspiring earthquake constitutes a divine shaking of the earth, so that both Jews and Gentiles will be moved by superstitious wonder. The quaking earth beneath, and the vast crevasses that will be formed in its crust, will cause those Jews who remain to "flee the valley of the mountains," and not "flee to the valley of the mountains" as suggested by the A.V.

Obviously, with the earth shaking underneath, a storm raging above, and vast chasms appearing where once there were mountains, the tendency would not be to flee towards the forming valleys, but away from them. The elimination of the preposition to in Zechariah 14:15, which the A.V. supplies in italics to indicate that there is no equivalent word in Hebrew, supplies the necessary change of meaning to the verse.

The Jews will flee from the awful scene of such terror, whilst superstitious dread shall seize the heterogeneous forces of Gog which will be in possession of portion of Jerusalem. Ezekiel states that the effect of the "great shaking in the land of Israel" that shall take place at that time, will cause the army of the invader to turn its weapons on each other: "every man's sword shall be against his brother", as, in addition to the earthquake . . .

"Yahweh will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone" (Ezek. 38:22).

The ultimate result will be the annihilation of Gog's entire army. It is true that Ezekiel 39:2 states: "I will turn thee back, and leave but a sixth part of thee", but the RSV renders this: "I will drive you forward." This certainly accords better with the context which relates to the drawing of Gog from the north parts, and bringing him upon the mountains of Israel. In fact, the root of the verb is shasha, "to lead," and not shesh, six.

Earthquake, storm, mutual slaughter, and "pestilence" (Ezek. 38:22) will complete the rout. Zechariah declares:

"This shall be the plague wherewith Yahweh will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem, their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult (Heb. "mehuman," panic) from Yahweh shall be among them: and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour"' (Zech. 14:12-13).

The effect of unleashing the spirit against these invading forces will be similar to that of the action of nuclear explosion and fall-out. The prophet describes how that flesh, eyes and tongue will alike be affected. He emphasizes these parts of the body, because they indicate that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life will be humbled to the dust. As with Ezekiel, he speaks of panic sweeping the assembled forces, and his expressions surely indicate that the one event is referred to by both prophets.

But apparently, the fleeing Jews subsequently will regroup their forces and return, to give the coup de grace to those of Gog's forces that remain. "And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem" and gain great spoil from Gog's hosts (v.14).

Other prophets speak of this terrible earthquake and its effects. Isaiah declares:

"In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of Yahweh, and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake terribly the earth. Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?" (Isa. 2:20-22).

Joel declares:

"Yahweh also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake; but Yahweh will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I Yahweh your God dwelleth in Zion, my holy mountain: and there shall no strangers pass through her any more" (Joel 3:16-17).

"There shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall" (Isa. 30:25).

A feature of earthquakes is the manner in which they open up subterranean springs and rivers of water. This will be the effect at Jerusalem. Huge streams of water will gust forth to form a river that will flow from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea (Ezek. 47; Zech. 14:8). Joel predicts:

"And it shall come to pass In that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of Yahweh, and shall water the valley of Shittim" (Joel 3:18).

The Valley of Shittim or Acacias, is a valley east of the Dead Sea, indicating the extent of the change in the land.

The Effect Of The Earthquake

These staggering events wiII hold the world spellbound for a period. The modern State of Israel will have been completely humbled by the Russian onslaught: the ineffectiveness of the English-speaking world in the face of the Soviet attack will be completely obvious: and yet, in this signal and miraculous overthrow of Gog, his power, too, will be subdued.

The amazing overthrow will be broadcast to the world: but doubtless will be explained away as the result of fortuitous circumstances. Possibly it will all be attributed to the effect of the earthquake, and not at all to Divine intervention. The real nature of the new power that will be manifested in the earth will not be appreciated by the world at large; which will await the next act in the drama. Reports will be published recording the complete annihilation of the Gogian forces, and the amazing effects of the most staggering earthquake in history. They will tell how that springs and fountains of water have opened up in hitherto dry and arid areas (Isa. 43:20), how that an entire mountain has been carved up (Zech. 14:4); and how that the contour of the land of Israel has been vastly changed. They shall record how that:

"All the land is made like the Arabah (RV) from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; and it is lifted up" (Zech. 14:10).

The Arabah is the deep depression that runs throughout the land along the Jordan rift to the Gulf of Eilat. In the future, the land around about Jerusalem will be depressed, whereas, according to Brother Sulley's exposition based on Ezekiel's prophecy, the deep declivity of the Salt Sea will be elevated. Geba is about six miles to the north of Jerusalem, and Rimmon about 33 miles south west of the city. All that land, at present very hilly, will be turned into a plain, accentuating the elevation of Jerusalem, which, in consequence, "will be lifted up" (Zech. 14:10). Zion will be then "beautiful for elevation, the joy of the whole earth" (Ps. 48:2 - Heb.).

These tremendous- convulsions of nature are the subject of several of the Psalms which speak of the terrifying fear that will sweep the earth as the result of them. Consider Psalms 46 and 47 in that context:

Psalm 46: Yahweh Our Refuge And Strength:

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the sea.

Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled.

Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

Selah!

There is a river, the streams thereof shall make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

God is in the midst of her: she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, and that right early.

The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved;

He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

Yahweh of hosts is with us,

The God of Jacob is our refuge.

Selah!

Psalm 47: Yahweh As Universal Monarch:

0 clap your hands, all ye people;

Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

For Yahweh most high is terrible;

He is a great King over all the earth.

He shall subdue the people under us,

And the nations under our feet.

He shall choose our inheritance for us,

The excellency of Jacob whom He loved.

Selah!

God is gone up with a shout,

Yahweh with the sound of a trumpet.

Sing praises to God, sing praises:

Sing praises unto our King, sing praises.

For God is the King of all the earth:

Sing ye praises with understanding.

God reigneth over the heathen:

God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness.

The princes of the people are gathered together,

Even the people of the God of Abraham;

For the shields of the earth belong unto God;

He is greatly exalted.

Both these Psalms. and many others like them, take us into the very atmosphere of Armageddon and its aftermath. We thrill to the fear that flesh will manifest at the mighty paroxysms of nature that will take place; whereas the saints will not fear. The Psalms speak of the vast changes that will take place as the result of earthquake: streams in the city of God (Elohim); desolations widespread throughout the earth; ultimate destruction of weapons of war; finally, Yahweh universally praised as King in Jerusalem.

How beautifully the prophetic Scriptures unravel these glorious songs of Zion.

Among the amazing, changes that shall then be brought about, will be the heavy stream of water that will emanate from Mount Zion and flow eastwards towards the Dead Sea. Zechariah declares:

"It shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea; in summer and in winter it shall be" (Zech. 14:8).

The "former" sea is the Dead Sea (see margin): the "hinder" sea is the Mediterranean. The water that will issue forth from Zion will be divided into two streams (Ezek. 47:1- 2,9 - margin), both of which flow eastward (Joel 3:18). One pours its waters into the Dead Sea which will become healed (Ezek. 47:8); the other, apparently, flows east, and then north-west, to finally empty its water into the Mediterranean. The present Jordan Valley (with vast changes brought about by the earthquake) will possibly form into a great inland lake of fresh water.

Ezekiel gives a graphic account of this stream of water that will flow out from Zion. He declares that it will flow down the southern side of the elevated mountain, to emerge from underground out of the northern and southern entrances of the Temple, thus dividing into two streams as required by Zechariah's prophecy. The waters of the Dead Sea will be healed (Ezek. 47:8), and will contain fish (v.9). The streams of water will cause also a great growth of trees and plants to spring forth (v.12).

Writing of the vast changes suggested by Ezekial's prophecy, G.A. Smith in "The Historical Geography of The Holy Land" made reference to the tremendous contrast in the character of the land then and now, as a result of what will take place. He declared:

"It is in accordance with the grace of God, making that first which was last, and that last which was first, that this awful vale of judgment, to which its inhabitants sometimes gave the name of Hell (i.e. Gehenna), should be the scene of one of the most lively and stupendous hopes of prophecy. To the north of Jerusalem begin the torrent-bed of the Kedron. It sweeps past the Temple Mount, past what were afterwards Calvary and Gethsemane. It leaves the Mount of Olives and Bethany to the left. Bethlehem far to the right. It plunges down among the bare terraces, precipices and crags of the wilderness of Judea - the wilderness of the Scape-goat. So barren and blistered, so furnace-like does it become as it drops below the level of the sea, that it takes the name of Wady-en-Nar, or the Fire Wady. At last its dreary course brings it to the precipices above the Dead Sea, into which it shoots its scanty winter waters; but all summer it is dry . . . Ezekiel filled the Wady of Fire with water from the threshold of the, Temple . . . . and the bare banks that the sun blisters, he clothed with trees.. . ."

But more than that. The prophets, including Ezekiel, saw not the Wady-en-Nar flowing with water, but a new valley to be carved out of the mountain to provide passage-way for the waters of Zion to flow to the east on their healing mission to both land and water. These waters will originate from under the altar on the top of Zion (Ezek. 43:12-16), and will flow out of the Temple eastward to heal as they do so. This will be symbolic of the Divine purpose in Christ. The altar is figurative of Christ (Heb. 13:10), and from him shall gush forth a stream of living water consisting of the teaching and laws he shall set forth for the educating and discipline of humanity (John 4:10-11; 7:37; Jer. 2:13; 17:13; Isa. 2:2-4). This will have the effect of healing the nations, who are as a "sea of death" (Isa. 57:20).

Conversion Of Judah

Whilst this is taking place, Elijah and his associations will be organising those of Israel as yet not gathered in, that they might return to the land of their forefathers.

Meanwhile, Christ will reveal his identity to those Jews who remain in the land. Their numbers will be sadIy depleted. Two-thirds of them will have been cut off during the invasion of Gog, but the final third will be purified and redeemed (Zech. 13:9).

This will be brought about by the dramatic revelation that shall follow the victory of Armageddon.

There will be astonishment among the Jews at the victory, and conjecture as to the new power manifested in their midst. It will be obvious that its leader is friendly to the cause of Israel, and a deputation of the humbled "third" will enter into negotiations with him. A similar sign will be given to those doubters, as was given to Thomas 1900 year ago (John 20:27). They will be shown the wounds in the hands of the strange leader, and enquiry will be made: "What are these wounds in thine hands?" The answer will come immediately: "Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends."

It should be noted that he does not say that he was wounded by his friends, but that he received these wounds in their house. This purified third must make its peace with its Messiah, and is able only to do so by acknowledging his divine origin.

That is the point of the statement made in Zechariah 12:10:

"I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

The interchange of the first and third person in this statement should be closely noted:

"They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him....

The Jews must learn that they crucified Yahweh 1900 years ago, and not merely Jesus, son of David. The Lord declared: "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent me" (Matt. 13:20). Again: "All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him" (John 5:23).

The Jews refused Jesus: but, more: in doing so they refused Yahweh. The Jews crucified Jesus, and in doing so, in effect, they crucified Yahweh. Therefore, before they will be accepted in the Age to come, they must recognise that the Lord is more than the son of David: they must accept him as the "only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." They must come to recognise that they put Emmanuel to death, "which, being interpreted is, God with us" (Matt. 1:23). Only when they have acknowledged this will they be accepted. The terms by which they will do this, and the ceremony by which they will be brought again into covenant-relationship with Yahweh, we must reserve for a future article.- H.P.M.