GATHERING THE NATIONS
In Joel 3:2 God says: “I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.”
Those of us who choose to take biblical prophecy as literally as possible believe that God will gather the nations to Jerusalem to engage them in battle. This contest will establish the God of Israel as the rightful ruler of the world and of the universe. We see this scenario laid out not only in Joel, but in Zechariah 12:3, in Micah 4:11-13, and in several other passages of scripture. This is not to be confused with the later prophetic event which will bring the survivors of all the nations to Jerusalem to worship the true God as we see in Zechariah 14:16.
This first visit of the nations and their representative armies to Jerusalem is for the sole purpose of God dispensing his judgment. God has poured out his judgment in times past on nations whose evil deeds have caused his cup of wrath to overflow. Ancient Egypt is a prime example.
CONTEST WITH PHARAOH WAS A TYPE
Long ago, mighty Pharaoh and his army dared take on the Almighty God. At that time Pharaoh probably had the grandest army on earth. In these early days, the chariots of Egypt would have struck terror in the hearts of most nations and armies in the Fertile Crescent.
God deliberately lured this great army into battle with himself. When God led his people out of slavery, he led them in such a manner as to give the impression that they were disoriented and lost. This temptation was just too much for Pharaoh and his hosts, and they came in hot pursuit of the fleeing Israelites. Finally, the Israelites were “hemmed in” on the banks of the Red Sea.
As we read such a great biblical account, it is good for us to get ourselves into the picture. We need to meditate on this story until we can literally smell the sea water and hear the cries of the drowning. As we carefully consider this story, we learn that this great battle happened at night, which lends an additional element of suspense to the account. All that night a strong wind blew from the east, preparing for the event. Strangely, the waves were pushed back and a way began to open through the midst of the sea. Soon, all Israel was passing through the sea.
When Pharaoh and his army saw this miracle happening, they should have fallen down to worship the true God. Instead, he had his army rush headlong into the sea in one last attempt to destroy Israel. What pride, what arrogance, what insane hatred! As Israel was delivered on the other side, a strange thing happened to the sea. It began to close in on the Egyptians. We have all heard of tidal waves smashing into coastal settlements. However, what happened to the Egyptians that night was much more devastating. They were apparently met by twin tidal waves from opposite directions simultaneously. The result was that horses and chariots were hit with such velocity that they were literally hurled through the air and into the sea (Exo. 15:4).
It was certainly the most astounding military victory of all time and has become immortalized in the Passover celebration. It was such a great a victory that it has also become the eternal pattern for the personal salvation that God has made available to each one of us.
Miriam and all the women danced, as Moses and the people sang a victory song. While they sang at daybreak, dead Egyptians washed up on the shore. The verses of the song may one day be sung by all God’s redeemed (Rev.15:3-4). Here are the words: “I will sing to the LORD, for…the horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea” (Exo. 15:1). The clear message of this fateful encounter is that nations had better not mess with the Almighty God or his chosen people.
END-DAY BATTLES
God lured Pharaoh into the sea for that great contest. However, the Bible tells us that future contests will not be in the sea. They will be on the mountains – the mountains of Israel. They will even be upon the heights of the mountains at Jerusalem (Zech. 14:2). Once more, it will be God who will entice and draw the nations to their judgment.
There seems to be at least two great future conflicts spoken of in scripture. There is an international conflict which will somehow involve all the nations (Zech. 14:2). It will likely be
headed up by the Beast or the antichrist of Revelation (Rev.19:19). These armies may invade Israel initially through the Jezreel Valley and Megiddo (Armageddon), but they seem also to reach the area of Israel’s mountains at Jerusalem. On this occasion it seems that at least half of Jerusalem will be taken (Zech. 14:2), before God goes into action.
A generation or two ago an international confederation of nations would have seemed quite impossible, but today with the worldwide organization of the UN, it is no longer impossible.
All nations can easily be summoned to military action today through the auspices of this agency, and in fact, many nations are involved in UN sponsored military actions at present. We continue to hear more cries for UN intervention in the present Middle East conflict.
The Bible tells us that after antichrist is defeated there will be a millennial reign of peace on earth. After this reign we seem to have yet another invasion of Israel (Rev. 20:7-9). This time, it is from the north, with the nations of Gog and Magog as its leaders. Other nations such as Persia, Cush and Put will join in this battle (Ezek. 38:5). However, it does not seem to be truly international in scope. These end-time events have been greatly debated and there are many opinions, but it seems to me that the above scenario is both simple and biblical.
There are several things we can learn from scripture about these great battles, although it is difficult for us to speak specifically about them, since we only see “through a glass, darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12 KJV). We do know that in these battles God personally comes to fight against the nations. In the battle against the Beast, or antichrist, it is the Messiah himself, the “King of Kings,” who comes and conquers this madman and his league (Rev. 19:19-21). Afterwards, the reign of Messianic peace is initiated.
In the battle against Gog and Magog it is again God who personally intervenes. We read in Revelation 20:9, that fire comes down from heaven and destroys these armies. In Ezekiel 38 and 39, we apparently have more details of this same battle. Ezekiel tells us that Gog and Magog sweep in like a storm upon unsuspecting Israel, who is living in peace at this time (38:11). God will respond by pouring down rain, hailstones, and burning sulfur on this army (38:22). The people of Israel will busy themselves with cleaning up the mess. It will take seven months just to bury the dead, and seven years to burn the armaments (39:9 & 12). In Micah 4:13, and in other places there is some indication again that God will use Israel as an end-time weapon against nations.
Both of these end-day battles will result in an enormous loss of life to the nations. In both battles, the Lord summons the birds of prey to come and gorge themselves upon the slain armies (Rev. 19:17-18 & Ezek. 39:17-20).
WHY SHOULD GOD FIGHT NATIONS?
Why should God fight nations and peoples? Is God some sort of cosmic bully sitting up in the heavens? Certainly not. The scriptures indicate that God fights nations when it is the last resort. God fights nations when their evil has mounted up to the heavens; when there is no longer a chance of national repentance, and when nations can no longer be wooed by his love and grace. There is one thing for sure, God’s battle will be fought “in righteousness” as we can see from Revelation 19:11.
God draws proud, hypocritical, materialistic, idolatrous, nations to battle in order to break their pride, to bring them to their senses, and to teach them that they must reckon with the Almighty. This seems to be a major purpose of the end-day conflict between God and the nations. The prophet Ezekiel speaks much of this. In fact, it is almost a theme of his book. On some twenty-three occasions in Ezekiel, God says that when he is finished with all nations, “then they will know that I am the LORD” (Ezek. 38:23).
There is more to this problem than just hardness. The Bible says that God has a controversy with the nations, and it is a controversy specifically over Zion (Isa. 34:8). God’s angel challenged Zechariah: “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, but I am very angry with the nations that feel secure’” (Zech. 1:14-15). Nations have dared touch Israel and the Jewish people, whom God calls the “apple of his eye” (Zech. 2:8). God is greatly disturbed about the way nations have treated his people over the centuries, and God is very angry over their attempts to divide his land. These attempts are even now going on with great intensity and fanfare under the auspices of the so called “peace process.”
In the past, God has used the nations to chastise Israel, and he has also used Israel to judge the nations. Israel has been a divine national yardstick to determine whether or not the nations understand and support his covenants and purposes.
So, God tells us that it is his determination to gather the nations (Zech. 3:8). It will therefore not happen by accident. The Creator of the earth will deliberately do it. He is even now luring the nations, just as he lured Pharaoh. He is carefully embroiling them in the Middle East conflict. There is no other explanation why so many nations are presently in such a frenzy over Israel, and especially over Jerusalem. The Bible tells us that the Lord will deliberately make Jerusalem a “cup of trembling” and an “immovable rock” for the nations (Zech. 12:2-3 KJV). Jerusalem will finally drive the nations into a rage of insanity. It is the bait which God is using to lure them into an all-out battle with himself.
When all is finished, the nations will know that God is the Lord, just as the Egyptians once learned this lesson. Perhaps in some future age, the saints of God will sing and rejoice at God’s great victory over proud nations, just as God’s saints can now sing and rejoice over Pharaoh’s defeat long ago.
-Jim Gerrish
This updated article is presented courtesy of Bridges For Peace, Jerusalem (original publication date, 1994).
Picture Wikimedia Commons, part of Israel’s famous Golani Brigade