Habakkuk 1:5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. -LORD God
Ahaz was a weak-minded and idolatrous king of Judah. He reigned in the days of Isaiah the prophet. As a confederacy of the forces of the northern kingdom of Israel and the heathen nation of Syria made plans to attack Judah, the Lord showed up for deliverance. He asked Ahaz to ask for a sign concerning any troubling matter. But the king presented a façade of meekness, saying he would not ask for a sign nor “tempt the LORD.”
But the all-seeing Lord would not be fooled. God’s grand purpose to defeat the devil and save mankind will be done, regardless of some men’s shiftiness, tardiness or refusal to cooperate. So, He proceeded to give the sign. Ahaz lost the golden opportunity to be the vessel through whom the prophecy about the coming Savior of the world would have been made.
Hezekiah
A contrast came some decades later when another king of Judah, Hezekiah, was given the chance to ask for a sign following a sickness that was about to take his life. He called for a sign from the Lord who not only healed him, but also prolonged his life by fifteen years. Hezekiah was a righteous monarch, who was not afraid to present his supplication before the Lord; unlike Ahaz who was scheming to forsake the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for an alliance with Assyria. Ahaz trusted in the Assyrian army, not the Lord of hosts.
Man is the loser when he turns down His Maker’s open invitation for a resolution of the conflicts in his life. The ‘Immanuel’ the Lord promised would establish heavenly peace in the hearts of those who believe in Him through His presence.
But wicked men and women, regardless of their status in society, will not enjoy His presence until they acknowledge Him and His signs, wonders and miracles; the greatest being the salvation He brought to the fallen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Rejecting the sign of Immanuel leads to eternal regrets.
Ezekiel 38:2 Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him…
Revelation 20:7-8 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.
photo: wikimedia
There is plenty of discussion about these two sets of Bible verses. Some would say this is the same scenario and is to take place after Jesus Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.
Others would say these are two different events in history. The Ezekiel scenario takes place before the Millennial Kingdom and the Revelation scenario takes place after the Millennial Kingdom.
Full disclosure, it is the website’s position these are two different events in history.
The first difference is the calling of Gog of Magog. In Ezekiel, it is God Himself who calls Gog. The good Lord is going fishing.
Ezekiel 38:4 And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords.
In Revelation, Gog and Magog are manipulated and tricked by Satan.
Revelation 20:8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.
~
A second observation is the audience. In Ezekiel 38-39, it is stated multiple times that Gog of Magog will come from the north. All things are relative to the center of the earth (Ezekiel 38:12), Israel. What are the uttermost parts of the north, modern day Russia.
Ezekiel 38:15 You will come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great host, a mighty army.
For other references to the north, see Ezekiel 38:6, 39:2.
In Revelation, Satan deceives the nations or ἔθνος/ethnos in the Greek from the entirety of the earth, the four corners of the earth.
~
The third consideration is the time point.
The Revelation reference is straight forward. It is post Millennial Kingdom, 1,000 years after Jesus Christ has returned to earth to establish the Kingdom.
Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison…
In Ezekiel 38-39, there are a couple of references to “the latter years“. The Hebrew term acharith could also be translated “end“. This is often a time referred to as prior to the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of the Kingdom.
Ezekiel 38:8 After many days you will be mustered. In the latter years you will go against the land that is restored from war, the land whose people were gathered from many peoples upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples and now dwell securely, all of them.
See also Ezekiel 38:16 for latter or end years reference.
~
Personally, the most compelling evidence lies in the geographical differences. The Revelation reference refers to the broad plain of the earth.
Revelation 20:9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them…
…the broad plain of the earth… Notice the term is singular, one land mass. Mountains and islands are not mentioned. They have been removed. The Greek word for “broad plain” is platos (πλάτος). Per Strong’s Concordance, the term suggests great extent. The Greek word for “earth” is ge (γῆ). The term is defined as: arable land; the ground, the earth as a standing place.
As of today in the 21st century, the “beloved city” is Jerusalem. And it sits on a mountain top. At some point in the future, geography will change.
Prior to the physical return of Jesus Christ to earth and at least another 1,000 years to the events in Revelation 20 with Gog and Magog, this takes place.
Revelation 16:20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.
The idea of no more mountains and changed geography is noted in multiple places in the Bible. Revelation is not the only source of this concept.
Psalm 97:5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
Psalm 46:6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
Isaiah 24:1 Behold, the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants.
Isaiah 24:19 The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.
Micah 1:4 And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.
The level of destruction is unimaginable. We cannot comprehend. It says what it says.
~
In the Ezekiel 38-39 scenario there are multiple references to the mountains of Israel. Notice the context of the verse below is a great earthquake. The result speaks for itself.
Ezekiel 38:20b …And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground.
See also Ezekiel 38:8, 21, 39:2, 4 for Israel mountain references.
~
It stands to reason, these are two separate events which are separated by at least 1,000 years.
Acts 17:26 …and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation…
God is the one who determines or sets the boundaries and times for the nations, which ‘He created from one man’ (Acts 17:26).
Acts 17:27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
And He is at work in culture, nations and ethnicities ‘that they should seek Him and find Him’ (Acts 17:27).
It was my experience and became a personal value to see the intentionality and unique ways the LORD works in culture & ethnicities (nations) to reveal and draw men to Himself. As I walked life & worshipped with my African American brothers and sisters, I saw our LORD and Savior in ways that were new, broader and more glorious. I saw Him from new facets of perspective and how He meets us in our life circumstance (which flow from our upbringing, culturally, socioeconomically, etc.) that I could not see from my own limited experiences and circumstance or even the way in which my own cultural background ‘fashioned’ Him.
Revelation 21:24-26 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it…
Based, not only on Revelation 5:9 & 7:9 but also Revelation 21:24-26, the ‘nations’ are still identifiable and noteworthy in the ‘new man’ (Ephesians 2:15-22) that will move into Eternity with our LORD.
Ephesians 2:15-22 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
I believe this is significant, even though we are unified into one new identity in our Lord Jesus. We will also still retain our identifiable ‘ethnicity’ to be an eternal glory for the LORD to His redemptive purpose and the unconditional reach of His love. These ‘secondary identities’ of ethnicity become the ‘song of the Redeemed’ to the Lamb of God in Revelation 5:9“…for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.”
Consider, God raises His redeemed to be imperishable, immortal, spiritual, heavenly, etc. (as described in 1 Corinthians 15:42-57), AND YET chooses to retain the ethnicities of each forever and ever…. If it is important to the Father to maintain these distinctives as a glory to Son in eternity, it should be one that I need to embrace and seek to see in the Church this side of Eternity. Understanding our ‘secondary’ ethnic identities as an eternal value and priority of the LORD with respect to expressing the redemptive work of Christ, should lead us to value AND pursue diversity within the Body, desiring to see our local bodies reflect the eternal glory scripture has revealed to us.
Ezekiel 10:4 Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.
Positionally, God is above the cherubim. Well of course, the LORD is also over His creation, the nations and kingdoms, Israel, and humanity. This is not a one time observation. The concept is reinforced in Scripture. Cherubim, as well as the rest of creation, are subject to the authority of God. See some more examples below.
Isaiah 37:16 O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.
Psalm 80:1 Oh, give ear, Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
Psalm 99:1 The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!
So what is the big deal, cherubim are subjected to God their creator? In general this is not a problem, except for one…
This formerly anointed cherub is not interested in serving God. He does not want to be an equal to God. His heart is filled with self-regard and has an exaggerated sense of self-importance. He wants to place himself above the LORD of hosts (God’s title as a military commander). This cherub sees himself as a conquering leader and warrior. He wants to subdue and rule over humanity. He sees himself as moral authority. He can do it better than God.
Isaiah 14:12-14 How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
A lot of misery and suffering will continue to occur because of this attitude. But, its time will come to an end…
How many types of angels are there? Well, that depends.
Scholars throughout history have debated this question. When people look at the
Biblical text, generally the answer can vary from 7-11 different types of
angels.
As you read this, please keep in mind this is not a comprehensive or conclusive list. There is much speculation and conjecture with this topic.
Angels do have structure and order. There is much debate as to which group of angels is the most powerful.
Seraphim: The term is simply defined in the Hebrew as
a fiery serpent. Seraphim is the plural form with the -im ending. Context of Biblical
verses would suggest they are copper or amber in color. The most comprehensive
verse of description for seraphim is in Isaiah. The scene is in Heaven.
Isaiah 6:1-4 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the
Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe
filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings:
with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he
flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of
hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the
thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with
smoke.
Heat and fire apparently do not burn them.
Isaiah 6:6-7 Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And
he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt
is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
There is the incident in the wilderness with Moses and the “the
fiery serpent.”
Numbers 21:6-9 Then the LORD sent fiery
serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of
Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we
have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD,
that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And
the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole,
and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze
serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the
bronze serpent and live.
The interesting part of the story is the language used by
the LORD verses the language used by Moses and the people. When the LORD is
talking, the term saraph or seraphim is stated.
When Moses and the people are talking, the term nachash
is used. Nachash is translated as snake or serpent. Nachash is
the term used of the snake in the Garden of Eden. (Definitions provided by Strong’s
Concordance.)
Seraphim are utilized by God as an instrument of
judgment towards the people in the desert. The LORD sent seraphim.
Seraphim are involved with types and shadows of the atoning power of Jesus Christ. Seraphim are the instrument God uses in examples. It is not the saraph that atones for sin. In Isaiah 6:7, it is the burning coal carried by the saraph that removes the sin. The fire cleanses and purifies in the example.
The LORD told Moses to make a “saraph”. Moses made a bronze “nachash”
and placed it on a pole. When the people put their faith in God’s word to look
at the bronze serpent for healing, they were spared their human lives at that
time.
Seraphim were involved in examples of the Promise to come.
Colossians 1:20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Isaiah 19:22 And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and
healing, and they will return to the LORD, and He will listen to their pleas
for mercy and heal them.
The concept of “striking” in the verse is
noted consistently with idea of war or battle. The vast majority of times, the
word for “striking” is nagaph in the Hebrew. Nagaph
is to win the battle. In Ye Olde English… smote or smite. Someone gets
smacked. See an example below.
2 Chronicles 25:22 And Judah was defeated by
Israel, and every man fled to his home.
Somebody is going to be defeated and in this case it is Egypt. Now the loss is not intended to be permanent. God has purpose and He is the One directing history. The intent is to bring Egypt towards Him.
Twice in Isaiah 19:22, God states He will rapha
or “heal” Egypt.
…and they will return to the LORD… The verb
in question is “return” or shab in the Hebrew. It
means: to turn back, return. So this begs the question, “When was Egypt ever
with the Lord?” Return to the Lord? Really…
This is the fulfillment of a promise to Hagar, an Egyptian.
Genesis 16:3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the
land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her
servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.
As the story goes, Abram fathered a son with Hagar, Ishmael.
And there was this prophecy from the Angel of the Lord.
Genesis 16:11-12 And the angel of the LORD said to her,
“Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name
Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild
donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and
he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
God listened to Hagar.
And the name Ishmael means “God
hears”. God always reminds us with the name Ishmael, He hears Ishmael.
And frequently after God calls Ishmael (God Hears) by his name, He states, “I have heard you…” God always hears
Ishmael.
Definitions provided by Strong’s Concordance.
God has always heard and watched over Ishmael, even after Hagar and he were kicked out of their home with Abraham.
Wikimedia Commons
Genesis 21:17 And God
heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven
and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the
voice of the boy where he is.
God has never left the descendants of Hagar and Ishmael. He
has always watched over them and still has a promise of hope for them today.
Genesis 21:20 And God was with the boy, and he grew
up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow.
God promised to make a great nation from the line of
Ishmael. Granted, this is the birth of the Arab people. But, Ishmael is the
descendant of an Egyptian.
Genesis 17:20 As for
Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him
fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will
make him into a great nation.
Genesis 21:18 Up!
Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a
great nation.”
And Ishmael (half Egyptian) married an Egyptian woman. His
offspring were ¾ Egyptian.
Genesis 21:21 He
lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the
land of Egypt.
God is not finished with the Egyptian people. He still hears
them today. Approximately 4,100 years ago, God made a promise to the Egyptian
people. And He always keeps His promises.
…and He will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them.
Isaiah 19:14 The LORD
has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger
in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
As a point of review, it is the LORD who is making all of these events happen. Based on the Hebrew grammar and language, some would argue it is the Spirit of the Lord who is influencing the Egyptians. The text tells how this is happening. The idiomatic language in the verse drives home the point. It is God who is pouring and mixing the distortion, perversion, and warping the Egyptians. The country has no clue what it is doing.
Their actions are consistent with a drunk who staggers in his vomit. The Bible is not boring. It tells of people partying like rock stars 2,700 years ago and beyond. There were people back in the day who had tiger blood. I am sure some of them had Adonis DNA. The Egyptians dabbled in the occult (see Exodus with Moses and the plagues). Some of them were “warlocks” if you will. So those who boast of their partying prowess, sorry you are just not that fresh. The Bible reports there have been fools doing this for centuries. God practically and accurately points out this behavior leads to poor decisions and causes one to wander about.
Isaiah 19:15 And
there will be nothing for Egypt that head or tail, palm branch or reed, may do.
More review from God. Unemployment is the reminder, no work.
It does not matter who you are, what socioeconomic class one belongs, there
will be no work.
Figurative language could also prove a point. Scripture answers
the riddle of the “head or tail” and
“palm branch or reed”. The answer
comes from earlier in the book of Isaiah
chapter 9.
Isaiah 9:14-15 So the
LORD cuts off head and tail
from Israel, both palm branch and
bulrush in a single day. The
head is the elder and honorable man, and the prophet who teaches falsehood is
the tail.
Again, it does not matter your lot in life in Egypt. One could be a person of character. Or one could be a religious con man. There will be no work for you. The source of income and life, the Nile River, is dry.
And this is God’s will. He wants people to turn to Him.
Isaiah 19:5-7 And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched, and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt’s Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away. There will be bare places by the Nile, on the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile will be parched, will be driven away, and will be no more.
This prophecy was written approximately 2,800 years ago. There is not any record where the Nile River has dried up since this was written. The prophecy is quite a statement. The Nile River is predestined to go dry.
The notion of a dry Nile is also noted in…
Zechariah 10:11b …And He will strike the waves in the sea, so that all the depths of the Nile will dry up…
Ezekiel 30:12 And I will dry up the Nile and will sell the land into the hand of evildoers; I will bring desolation upon the land and everything in it, by the hand of foreigners; I am the LORD; I have spoken.
God states this is His will.
God does not say what causes the Nile River to go dry.
How is this going to happen? There is the obvious answer of drought. Outside of the Nile River, Egypt is not a hospitable place. It is desert and nothing grows there. It would take a drought in central Africa in the highlands of Lake Victoria, the source of the Nile.
Humanity is exerting its will to control the waters of the Nile River. Human intervention does not always result in its desired intention. History is littered with ecological disasters at the hands of humanity. Countries across Africa and the Middle East threaten each other with limited access to water.
A possibility is the Aswan Dam in southern Egypt. The waters behind the dam could be withheld. Ironically, the primary purpose of the dam is to manage flooding of the Nile River.
There is also the matter of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam construction continues on the Nile River. Construction of the dam is located in northwest Ethiopia. When finished, the GERD will be the largest hydroelectric plant in Africa. As of the Spring of 2019, the project is estimated to be completed in 2022. Once finished, it estimated to take 5-15 years for the reservoir to fill to capacity.
As a trend, the levels of the Nile River are receding in recent times. This is due to countries up river in central Africa who are using more of the water as a resource. As of December 2006, the following statement was issued by NASA based on satellite imagery. “Several African basins, such as the Congo, Zambezi and Nile, show significant drying over the past five years.” A February 2010 headline from a newspaper in the Sudan read, Nile River Volume Decreases, The Problem To Local Communities.
Isaiah 19:3 and the
spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound
their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the
mediums and the necromancers…
Demoralized, their chosen attitude, the Egyptians will turn to idols, talking to the dead, and the occult in Isaiah 19:3. That is the Egyptian response and plan. God allows the Egyptians the free will to make their own way.
God in turn responds to the Egyptians and their plans. The translation of “confound” does not tell the whole story. He will “confound” or bala in the Hebrew. The idea communicated is intentional, intensive, and repeated action of swallowing their strategy. One could get the idea that the Egyptians will have many ideas and solutions to try to stop the civil war. These ideas (political, economic, religious, etc.) will be repeatedly shot down by God. The Egyptian solutions to the civil war will not succeed because God directly acts. Translated another way, the LORD will swallow or engulf their plans. Again, God allows the people to have their own ideas. Humanity’s ideas are no match for the LORD.
Photo: Ancient Symbols
Isaiah 19:4Moreover,
I will deliver the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel master, and a mighty king
will rule over them,” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
God will intentionally give (piel stem verb form in Hebrew) the Egyptian people this leader. There are two adjectives that describe this leader in the verse. You can bet this leader will likely use force on the population.
Qasheh or “cruel”:
This word can be defined as hard, cruel, severe, obstinate, difficult, fierce,
intense, vehement, stubborn, stiff-necked, rigorous (of battle).
`Az or translated “mighty”: This word can be defined as strong, mighty, fierce. (Strong’s Concordance)
Will a God-given overbearing dictator likely act cruelly
toward his populous? Yes. Are the people responsible for how they respond to this
tyrant? Yes.
These first four verses of Isaiah 19 make one point over and over and over. God is managing
the action. Yet, people have choices and actions. God does not make Egypt or us
do anything. We don’t always get our way.
This is a direct quote from God Himself. God states in the language and grammar, He is in charge.
There are many examples in Scripture where God addresses individual nations. The prophet warn Russia, Turkey, Iran and others in Ezekiel 38-39. Damascus, Syria has a destructive date with destiny in Isaiah 17, Amos 1, and Jeremiah 49. Ancient Nineveh or modern-day Mosul, Iraq is warned in Nahum. Amos 1 warns modern day Lebanon. The Gaza Strip is informed of judgment in Ezekiel 25. Prophecy against Iran is noted in Jeremiah 49. And the list goes on and on and on…
The focus here is the destiny of the nation Egypt. A significant prophecy regarding the future of Egypt is located in Isaiah 19. Like every other nation, Egypt is predestined in their journey through history. God knows the collective choices they will make. God knows literally and figuratively where their road leads. The prophet Isaiah lays out the course of Egypt prior to the coming of the Messiah.
click on the link above for audio/video
Isaiah 19:1 The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the
LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; the idols of
Egypt will tremble at His presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt
within them.
The first observation is that the LORD directly intervenes. God is the one pressing these events. The Hebrew word for “oracle” is massa’. Simply stated, it means a burden or load. This same word, massa’, was also the name of Ishmael’s son (Genesis 25:14). Ishmael’s name means burden. Ishmael’s mother Hagar is Egyptian (Genesis 16:1). Prophetically speaking, Hagar’s offspring were destined to carry a burden.
Photo: Shutterstock
The LORD is coming quickly on a swift cloud. The Hebrew word
for “cloud” is `ab. What is not
stated in the translation is the type of cloud. It is a dark, thick cloud. The
introduction states this is going to be swift, quick, and ominous. It reminds
me of a supercell thunderstorm you can see rolling in on the plains.
Isaiah 19:2 “So I will incite Egyptians against
Egyptians; and they will each fight against his brother and each against his
neighbor, city against city and kingdom against kingdom…”
This is how God is
going to bring the nation of Egypt together and return them to the LORD or
Yahweh. God is going to bring about circumstances that will knit them as a
unified country and be His people.
The first thing to happen is an Egyptian civil war. God says
He will “incite” or cakak in the
Hebrew. This word is also translated as “cover” per Strong’s Concordance. This
is the same term used repeatedly in reference to the angels’ wings of the Ark
of the Covenant. Their wings “covered” or cakak
the Ark.
Exodus 25:20 The
cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat
with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be
turned toward the mercy seat.
See also: Exodus
37:9, 1 Kings 8:7, 1 Chronicles 28:18b.
Figuratively, cakak
can be seen as protection, hedge in, or join together.
Will the people choose to fight each other? Yes, the Egyptian people will opt to fight against one another throughout the country. But Egypt will be watched and protected by Yahweh or the LORD. The idea is to intensively, purposely weave together the Egyptians against each other repeatedly.
God is in control regardless of our actions. He can overcome our repeated bad decisions.
