The nations wanted to prove that man, and not God, was the deciding factor. The autonomous mind. Humanism. The beginning of Humanism and the mindset of Humanism. This terrible attitude of Humanism strongly displayed their motivation for building the tower of Babel.(part 2)
Read also the first part Israel and the nations (part 1)
Humanism and the Tower of Babel
The building of the Tower of Babel. The nations would collectively build the tower against God. They put their forces, their ingenuity, their ambition, their power and their unity together and they joined their efforts. They finally wanted to prove that man, and not God, was the deciding factor. ‘Autonomous man’ we would call it in modern language. The autonomous mind. Humanism. The beginning of Humanism and the mindset of Humanism. This terrible attitude of Humanism strongly displayed their motivation for building the tower of Babel.
It is no coincidence.. and this might be a bomb that I should not ignite, but am going to anyway.. and it is not by chance that one of the famous pictures of the building of the Tower of Babel according to records from the 16th or 17th century, was the main inspiration for the architect that planned the house for the Plenary Meetings of the Parliament of the European Union in Strasbourg. The architecture of this pretty impressive Plenary Meeting building was taken from a picture that was painted in the 17th century depicting the building of the Tower of Babel as described in Genesis chapter 11. Even today, the spirit of Humanism, that was present in Genesis 11, still has a stronghold in the building up of Europe.
The Spirit of Humanism
The Spirit of Humanism was thus the driving force behind the building of the Tower of Babel as it is written in Genesis 11. And God judged it. He had to, and He did. He not only judged it, He did three things: Firstly, He confused the languages – and we continue to suffer from this today. Secondly, He dispersed the people over all the earth. And thirdly, it is important to note, He called a man to form a unique nation amongst the nations. That man was Abraham. This can be viewed as ‘God’s response’ to the building of the Tower of Babel, the attitude of pride and rebellion, of autonomy and the attempt to be rid of God.
God’s answer was this three-fold response: Languages were confused; people were dispersed, Abraham was called and, through him, the people of Israel was called out of the nations to be a holy and separated nation amongst the nations. They were to be a letter from God to the nations. A nation in which He could reveal His will, His commandments, His power, His love and promises and in which He could reveal His judgments. He could reveal Himself as a message to the peoples who came in rebellion against Him although he loves them and blessed them in the covenant with Noah. If you understand this picture and this scenario, then the relationship between Israel and the nations makes sense.
Israel amongst the nations
That is how it started. And in that context it is said in Genesis 12:3 that those nations, O Israel, that bless you and regard you seriously, I will bless. And those nations that have a regard for Me and My Ten Commandments as well as the revelation of My will, I can and will bless. But those rejecting it, I will curse and judge. And God did.
This is the plumb line, the crimson thread, in the relationship between Israel and the nations of Genesis 12 verse 3, and this plumb line is still relevant today. I want to show it to you from the Bible. We will look at two Old Testament prophets and then to a new Testament reference. Thereafter we will come to some conclusions.
Firstly, we find a number of important indications when Joel talks about the nations and Israel in the end-times and I would like to make particular mention of the time factor here. We shall start by reading Joel 2:28-29:
“And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”
To most of us, who have been touched by the ongoing revival or renewal movement over the last hundred years or so, I think these are familiar verses. These familiar words speak about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We’ve heard that it started at Pentecost where Peter quoted these verses extensively during his sermon at Pentecost. It started and would finish primarily, but not exclusively, with the Jewish people.
Pentecost
The Holy Spirit was poured out on Cornelius and his household in the same manner as on the 120 Jewish people, or 3120 of them, on Pentecost . The outpouring of the Holy Spirit over all flesh, all nations and all peoples goes hand in hand with the fulfillment of the Great Commission (Matthew 28 or Matthew 24:14) as quoted by Jesus in His End Time sermon. And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the earth as a testimony for all the nations, and then the end shall come. The end will not come before the Gospel of the Kingdom will be spread over all the nations. This is the same thing as saying that the fullness of the Gentiles has to be completed before all Israel will be saved (Romans 11). These go together. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit started at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. ‘That which the prophet Joel has spoken about is happening right before your eyes. For these are not drunk as you might think. Prophecy is becoming fulfilled before your eyes.’ That was the starting point of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that will not end before the gospel of the Kingdom has been preached to all ethnic groups and before all Israel will be saved. That is where it ends.
This is one reference point as far as timing is concerned. We can say that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit over all flesh was prophesied and was going to be a New Testament phenomenon. It speaks about things happening in New Testament times, and Peter quotes it in the New Testament in Acts chapter 2. So Joel prophesies about something that was to take place in New Testament times.
Then, in chapter 3 verse 1 we read something very interesting: “For behold in those days and at that time…” Let’s stop here for a moment. In which days and at what time? In the days in which the Holy Spirit is poured out on all flesh. In other words, the prophet says, whatever is described next will happen in that time frame. Those days and those times. We can actually read it as follows: ‘in New Testament days and New Testament times’. “For behold, in New Testament times when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem.” Another question: When were those times that the captives of Judah and Jerusalem have been brought back? It is now! And it’s happening before our eyes!
The return of the captives of Judah and Jerusalem
It was not in Roman times for at that time they were dispersed, it was not in Byzantine times or in the time of the Crusaders, and it was not in the time of the Ottoman Empire. It started at the end of the Ottoman period. It basically started in the 20th century and has accelerated in the last 20 years especially from Russia and the east. 1.3 Million Jews have been brought to the land of Israel. They come from Ethiopia, they come from the north, from the south, from the east, from the west. They come from the ends of the earth and from the furthest islands of the earth. The largest inhabited island furthest away from Jerusalem, is New Zealand. I personally know some Jews from New Zealand who have made aliyah to Israel.
So, it refers to our times. We read again: “For behold, in New Testament days and New Testament times when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem..” and here it comes: “I will also gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat”. So, in New Testament times and to be more precise, towards the end of New Testament times, in the times when the captives of Judah and Jerusalem are brought back to the land of Israel, there will be a gathering of the nations. A gathering of the nations in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Other translators refer to it as the Valley of Decision.
We read about this in clear terms in verse 14: “Multitudes, multitudes in the Valley of Decision. For the Day of the Lord is near in the Valley of Decision” Then we read: “The sun and the moon will grow dark. The stars will diminish their brightness…” These words are clear for those who have eyes to see, for those who have ears to hear. These are crystal clear references to the times in which we are living. The End Times. The time immediately before the return of Jesus. There will be a gathering of the nations. They will gather around Jerusalem and there God will have to judge them on the basis of Genesis 12 verse 3.
Judgment of the nations
What are the criteria for the judgment of the nations? We find this mentioned in Joel directly after what we’ve read so far in the beginning of chapter 3. I shall repeat verses 1-2 before I continue: “Behold, in those New Testament days and that New testament time, in that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem (which is our times and time) I will also gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which is the Valley of Decision, and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage, Israel.”
Regarding the three reasons for God’s judgment of the nations, the prophet is precise and specific. They will be judged in respect of what they did with the Jewish people. The people of Israel whom they – and that is the first reason – have scattered amongst the nations. In the second instance, they have also divided My land and thirdly, they have cast lots for my people. Number one and two are pretty clear. Number three possibly needs to be explained.
Scattering of the Jewish people
Number one speaks about the ‘scattering of the Jewish people’. Historically speaking and in the first instance, it happened when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and when the large dispersion took place in 70 AD, and in 135 AD. The two rivals were crushed and scattered as also prophesied by Jesus in His End Time discourses: the scattering of the Jewish people among all the nations. It happened one to two generations after Jesus’ time but subsequently they were scattered repeatedly. They were driven out of Great Britain at the end of the 13th century. At the end of the 16th century they were driven out of Spain and Portugal.
In Germany they were driven out of regions by regional leaders and kings and dukes and earls. Sometimes they were invited to settle for a generation or two and then driven out again. They drove them out time and again from different parts of Germany as well as from Eastern- and Western Europe. France drove them out at the end of the 14th century. There were dispersions in Romania and Poland, there were pogroms here and there. The dispersion is not limited to the Roman times but is an integral part of European history. If there is no repentance and no redemption, then we as Europeans should be very concerned about the fate of our nations in the light of the history that lies behind us. Countries outside Europe, such as Africa, of course, has a different history in that respect.
Division of the land
The second criteria, namely the ‘division of the land’, is a current and acute matter. There is pressure on Gaza, Judea, Samaria and even Jerusalem to be divided and those who are putting pressure on Israel to do so, are on a collision course with the Word of God as it is spelled out here. There is grave danger in what the United States of America, the European Union and all the other nations are doing in order to add to the pressure on Israel to divide the land. It is dangerous for both Israel and those they give in to. We have to pray for Israel that they will remain strong and steadfast. This is the second criteria for judgment.
Casting lots for My people
The third and last one mentioned here is ‘casting lots for My people’. This has been well explained in prophetic language: “You have given a boy as payment for a harlot and sold a girl for wine that they may drink”. What is meant by this prophetic language? I would suggest that what is meant is this: Jewish lives have been regarded to be worth little by the nations. They were completely worthless during the Holocaust in Germany and wherever Germany was in charge. A prostitute was worth more than the life of a Jewish man or woman. And that is what is being referred to here. A Jewish life was not worth more than the fee it cost to go into a harlot or the price of a bottle of wine that could be consumed within an hour. Jewish life is treated cheaply. These are thus the three criteria for judging the nations: Scattering the Jewish people, dividing the land and esteeming and treating Jewish life cheaply.
Jerusalem
The prophet Zechariah is more precise and gives a framework and context. We read in Zechariah chapter 12 verse 9: “It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem”. It is evident in this verse that the prophet Zechariah talks about exactly the same thing: The gathering of the nations against Jerusalem and then the judgment of the nations that have gathered against Jerusalem. It cross-references with Joel 3.
Zechariah
Now, let us take a closer look at the overall scenario. It is written in Zechariah 12:2-3: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.” Zechariah 12: 9-10: It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced.”
Zechariah 13:1: “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.”
Messiah comming
Zechariah 14:2-4: “For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.”
Wow, what a scenario! What a picture. Let me rephrase this in order for us to better understand the deeper meaning.. Phase one: that’s chapter 12 verse 2. It speaks of the surrounding nations and about Jerusalem being a cup of trembling. There are different ways to understand that cup but in the language of the prophets in antique times, a cup of trembling was more or less generally understood to be a cup of wine which contained poison or drugs.
It caused the most terrible lunacy. It was also a way for someone to take their own life as Socrates did or to take to take the life of someone else. It was a common way to kill a king or an unpleasant person. Cup of trembling. Cup of poisoned or drugged wine that causes you to lose your mind. Causes you to become crazy, irrational, furious and difficult to deal with. Jerusalem becomes that cup for the surrounding nations. Does that ring a bell? Have you been watching the news and reading the newspapers?
The surrounding nations are irrational. They are in a state of mind that is impossible to handle with Western diplomacy. Their state of mind prevents all rational dialogue. If you read about the uproar resulting from publication of the Mohammed cartoons in Denmark – not that I think publishing them was a particularly clever thing to do – but the response was absolutely irrational and, dare I say it, almost demonic. The type of fury that it unleashed from the neighboring Islamic-Arabic countries, including Iran, was absolutely irrational. Jerusalem is that prophetic ‘cup of trembling’ or ‘cup of fury’ that causes you to lose your mind if you drink from it. And the full power and the full involvement of the conflict is still before us. Conflict around Jerusalem.
Regarding the neighboring nations, they are characterized by being irrational. Being out of their minds concerning the issue of Jerusalem. That’s verse 2. Now, in verse 3 we have a different description. Jerusalem is again referred to but in this instance not only the surrounding nations are referred to, but all the nations. It’s the next phase. It’s the phase we are coming up to vey quickly in my understanding.
And then a different picture is used to represent Jerusalem. It is not the cup of trembling any more. Now it’s a heavy, burdensome stone. A stone that someone wants to displace. As far as I understand prophetic language in this instance, it’s a border stone. And the nations of the world are united in their effort to change a border stone that God Himself has set there. God has set this stone. God has set, revived and repopulated Jerusalem. God has given back dignity to Jerusalem. He is rebuilding Jerusalem back to its original status, calling and meaning to the world. When we read Isaiah 62 – pray for Jerusalem and He has set watchmen around the walls of Jerusalem – we are to pray for the promises of God concerning Jerusalem to come into completion, fulfillment and fruition. And “Jerusalem” means, in the first instance, the physical city Jerusalem.
This is what’s happening in our time. A hundred years ago Jerusalem was a meaningless city in the desert of Judea and apart from religion, politically speaking, it was completely irrelevant to the 20,000 or 30,000 inhabitants. Not of any relevance, apart from religious reasons to anybody. Newspapers in the 1880’s or the 1890’s would refer to Jerusalem once or twice a year. And then it was a territorial report. That’s it. Completely opposite to today.
What are the nations up to?
They want to change the status of Jerusalem. God has given Jerusalem the status of a priestly city, a prophetic city, the city of the Great King who will return to Jerusalem and more precisely, to the Mount of Olives, as we’ve just read. And the nations do not like that status. They want to change that status. They want to internationalize and divide it, or whatever they have in mind. And that, in prophetic language, is changing the significance of the stone that God has set in Jerusalem. They want to change that stone. But God has said that whoever tries to put that stone, which is very heavy, in some other place, will be wounded. And that is exactly what is meant when it says in verse 9: ‘it shall be that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem’. There will be judgment for peoples, tribes and nations who try to change the status that God has set as a cornerstone, as a boundary stone. Whoever tries to change that, will be injured.
Download the whole studie (part 1 & 2) Israel and the nations
Tags: blessing to the nations, Israel and the nations, judgement, revelation
451 views
