Basis for our Studies this Year:
The Bible tells us that the “End (of the world) is declared from the “beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). Certainly, this means that the early Biblical record of human history bears End-time prophetic significance. But, it’s actually even more specific than that. The original Hebrew word translated as “beginning” in Isaiah 46:10 is תישאר (rê’shı̂yth). This is the root of Bereshith, which is the Hebrew name of the first Book of the Bible, “Genesis”. In other words, prophecies of the End of the World are found in the Book of Genesis.
The Torah is one of the five keys for unlocking End-time Prophecy… Prophecy is unlocked through the Statutes!
Genesis 10 and the Prophetic Table of Nations - the Persians:
The story of the Middle East (with its modern nations) begins in the book of Genesis. After the Flood, Noah and his family (totaling 8 people) were the sole survivors. Everyone alive on earth descends from these three sons of Noah: Shem, Ham and Japheth (these are the forefathers of the world today).
Genesis 10:1 - “Now these are the generations of the sons of
Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and sons were born to them after the
flood.”
The genealogy of Genesis 10 shows the
lineage of Noah’s sons.
Here we find the two patriarchs who would later give rise to the Persian Empire: Madai and Elam
Japheth’s son, Madai, is the father of the Medes. Madai and his growing tribe, which came to be known as the Medes, settled in the region which is now modern-day Iran and Iraq.
The second son who was the ancestor of Persia was Shem’s son, Elam. Elam and his family-tribe settled near the Persian Gulf, in the region that now makes up western Iran.
Genesis 14 tells of the first inter-national war. Chedolayomer, king of the Elamites, joined with three other eastern kings and invaded Canaan. These four plundered cities, enslaved people and took much spoil. These four kings (and their armies) struck Sodom, which was the home of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. They took many captives (Lot and his family were among them).
By the time of Sodom’s capture, Elam was already a powerful nation. Elam was the first nation to attack Abraham’s family (Abraham’s family, in the Last Days is aka Israel, it every saved person). So it could be accurately that Elam was the first to strike against God’s people.
When Lot was taken captive, Abraham went into action. He armed 318 of his trained servants and chased down the invaders. With prayer and strategy, he attacked them by night and defeated them.
He rescued Lot and freed the captives. The Elamites had been humiliated by Abraham and his small band of men. It had been an impossible victory, similar to the story of Gideon and his small band of men. That night God empowered Abraham to defeat and break the alliance of the four kings. And it delivered a powerful message – no power, no matter how great, can defeat those who are the blessed Children of Yahweh.
From this point, in the Biblical record, nothing more is said about these people for a long time… But in the silence, they grew in number. And the Elamites and the Medes shared the same land.
The Elamites and Medes become the Persian Nation… Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesied of the role Persia would play in prophecy.
Elam and Media were sent as Divine Instruments of Judgment against Babylon (for idolatry)… Babylon had already been a Divine Instrument of Judgment against Israel (for idolatry)…
Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem and burned
down Solomon’s Temple. Babylon had carried out this mission, similarly, as
God’s instruments of Judgment for Israel’s idolatry. But Babylon, in the
process of being used as a Divine “sword” of judgment, also had opportunity to
learn of Yahweh in this mission.
o
Daniel and his brothers were taken into
captivity there. These young men brought the light of Truth to Babylon. Daniel
lived in Babylon, bearing testimony of the Truth from the time they were
teenagers, until Daniel was about 60 years of age.
o
God revealed Himself to Babylon in miraculous
and mighty ways, repeatedly during Daniel’s life there. Daniel headed the magi,
which – under Daniel’s leadership - became a world-renowned order of holy and
scholarly sages – filled with the wisdom of God.
o
Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar had
acknowledged Yahweh as God. But it was a recognition that didn’t stick. By
the time Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar, was on the throne of Babylon, the
king and its kingdom had fully turned to their idolatry. Only now, their
idolatry was worse than before Daniel came.
o
Because now, they KNEW BETTER. And they were
flaunting their choice for rebellion against God by drunkenly celebrating the
king’s birthday, drinking from the holy Temple vessels, just to express how
deeply their spurning of Yahweh went, in their hearts.
§
Belshazzar is judged because he KNEW the Truth:
§ Dan 5:22 And thou his son, O
Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;
§
Dan
5:23 “But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they
have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy
wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the
gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor
hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are
all thy ways, hast thou not glorified.”
o
When
Yahweh Judges Babylon by sending the Persians, He has already labored with them
for Salvation! They were blessed to be used as Divine Instruments.
§
Babylon KNEW the Truth – and they had rejected
it. Thus, Babylon, which was once used as an instrument of God’s Judgment to
discipline Israel for its idolatry and rebellion… Babylon, which had been blessed while it was
God’s Instrument- in multiple and miraculous revelations of Yahweh… Babylon, had not used the time it had been
given well. And now, Yahweh was rendering Judgment against Babylon for idolatry
and rebellion.
o
And now, another pagan nation had been selected
to work with Yahweh. This nation, which He had chosen as His Instrument of
Judgment against Babylon, was the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, just as He
had warned through Prophet Isaiah He would do.
o
Isaiah had foretold that Yahweh would use the
Medes and Elamites to destroy Babylon, if it continued in its idolatrous
fashion, having been given so much Light. The prophecy is found in Isaiah 21.
The second Prophecy of Persia was even more astounding.
Yahweh would not only
o
Yahweh had told prophet Isaiah that a pagan
Persian king – who was yet unborn when the prophecy was given – would be
Yahweh’s agent to free Israel from exile. More than 150 years before the birth
of this Persian king, Isaiah called him by name, and said that he would be
God’s Instrument to rebuild the holy Temple in Jerusalem.
o
Not only that, Isaiah revealed that the
pagan-born king Cyrus of Persia would be Yahweh’s anointed.
Just as Yahweh had done with Babylon, also with Persia,
Yahweh was not only using the pagan power as His Instrument, He was revealing
Himself to Persia and its king through it. You see, no one can be used of God,
and not also be blessed with deep revelations of Him in the process. It is a
blessing to be used!
Of course both prophecies came true. In 8th
century BC, Deosseus, king of the Medes united the kingdoms of Elam and Medai,
founding the first imperial capital on soil where Iran stands today.
This empire grew into a mighty war machine that was strong
enough to destroy Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian empire, which was one of
Israel’s most brutal enemies.
And with the takedown of Assyria, the prophecy of how Yahweh
would use the Persians for liberation began to be fulfilled.
And, just as Yahweh had told Isaiah, Persia’s king Cyrus
decreed that they could not only return home to Jerusalem, he also financed the
rebuilding of the Temple and sent the Jewish leaders back with royal support
for the rebuilding process.
Zerubbabel, a descendant of David’s royal line, was sent by
Cyrus, as was Joshua the high priest. Thus, while God was using Persia as His
Divine instrument, and Persia was co-operating, Yahweh used Persia to rebuild
and bless.
What would Persia do with this semi-alliance with Heaven?
·
Daniel was about 60 years old when Babylon fell
·
The image of Daniel 2 doesn’t fall until the
Stone Kingdom smashes its feet at the end of the world… This shows that the
players in the image continue in some form after their kingdom falls. The
silver chest (and arms) represented Medo-Persia.
·
Persia was also represented in the vision of
Daniel 7, in which Persia was the bear…
But notably, Russia is the face of the bear in the Last Days… Is this because there is involvement between
Persia and Russia in the God-Magog led conflict of the last days.
·
Persia was represented as the ram in the Middle
Eastern conflict in Daniel 8 (where it fights with the he-goat).
Did Yahweh work with Persia as He had with Babylon? Were there
miraculous revelations of Himself? Did He use His people to bless Persia with
the Truth, just as He did with Babylon? Yes!
·
The Story of Esther takes place in Susa, aka
Shushan, which is in Persia.
·
Israel (as a whole) is threatened… and delivered… front page news!
·
Daniel is also taken into Persia…
This vision of Persia, as the Ram, carries global
implications and world-wide after effects.
Persia appears in Zechariah’s 6th vision, which
is about an end-time global curse.
Our studies of Persia’s Role in End-time Bible prophecy will
carry into Daniel 2 and 7, as well as Daniel 8. For ancient Persia – which now
has different names – plays a significant role in
The “notable horn” of Daniel 8 is the same power which is
represented as the wings of lion beast in Daniel 7. This power is the United
States. As the visions of Daniel 7 and 8 progress, this political power is
broken (the notable horn breaks) and stripped (the eagle’s wings are
stripped from the lion, which then stands alone). After the United States
power is removed from the picture, there will remain only four political
powers, which are the four beasts of Daniel 7 and the four horns on the goat
power from Daniel 8.
To be certain of the identity of the four horns (Daniel
8:8), which are the four beasts of Daniel 7, we must carefully identify the
male goat power, out of which the four horns arise. In Daniel 8:21, the angel
Gabriel tells the prophet Daniel that the male goat which is seen destroying
the ram power is “Grecia” and the notable horn is the “first king”. In the
first fulfillment of this Bible prophecy, the male goat power was indeed
Greece, literally, with the first horn being Alexandar the Great, who was broken
(he died in his early 30’s) and his kingdom was divided among his four generals
(the four horns).
Zechariah’s 6th vision is found in Zechariah
chapter 5… It speaks of a few strange
things:
·
Zechariah 5:1-2 – A flying roll (megillah,
in Hebrew, which is the shape of the rolled
§
1 cubit is 20.62 inches… 17.18 feet in circumference. And it is 34
feet long.
·
Zechariah 5:3-4 – the megillah is a global curse…
·
Zechariah 5:5-6 – the megillah (shaped like a
megillah) is also an ephah! An ephah is a measurable container.
·
Zechariah 5:7-8 – the ephah is made of lead –
and contains a woman?
o
Michael Rood wrote a book called “Zechariah’s
Thermonuclear War”, explaining how Zechariah 5:7 is a mistranslation. Woman,
Hebrew, is very close to fire… It
should have been “fire”, but was mistakenly written as “woman”- “women”…
§
Fire: אֵש (esh)
§ Woman: אִשָּׁה (isha)
· Zechariah 5:9-11 – the megillah that is an ephah (container of lead) has stork-like wings and the ephah (containing fire) is lifted up between earth and heaven. It is “based” in the land of Shinar – which is in Persia.
