The Present Day Greek Crisis in the Light of Prophecy.

P. Ben

June 24, 2015.
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I would like to present certain thoughts in connection with the immediate Eurozone crisis involving much of the European interests and I am persuaded that these events import serious prophetic implications, which if dwelt upon by the light of the scriptures will do us good.

I begin by first of all pointing out to a major mistake subscribed by most of the prophetic scholars that is- mixing up the Roman and the Assyrian. I will briefly point out the major points before we get into the scriptural references-

The whole prophetic schedule is divided into two- the old age and the new age. The old age of prophecy relates to events preceding the coming of Nebuchadnezzar while the new age relates to events subsequent to the coming of Nebuchadnezzar. The world before Nebuchadnezzar is connected with the interests of Zion (Jerusalem), Messiah (Son of God)* and Jehovah. The age after Nebuchadnezzar is connected with the interests of the world, rejected Messiah (Lamb) and the God of heaven. In the millennium, the interests of both the ages converge and harmonize.

*According to the Davidic covenant, the King of Israel ought to be divine Person born in human flesh and in time- Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel (John 1:49). Refer to the Davidic covenant in 1 Chronicles 17:13.

Before the temple was destroyed by the king of Babylon, Jehovah’s glory dwelt in the temple at Zion in connection with the son of David. This was only the national rule exercised not beyond the territorial limits of Israel. What happens when the Messiah, the Son of David- the Son of God appears? He is confessed by Jehovah- I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion (Ps 2:6). On what ground? It is ‘Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee’ (Ps 2:7). It is evident that Christ is owned by Jehovah to be the King at Zion because He is divine Person- the Son of God thus fulfilling the Davidic covenant. But this rule is not beyond Israel until- Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession (Ps 2:8). It means that this blessed King at Zion will take over the entire world from the remotest isles to the most civilized societies but how? It is by the Messiah, the Son of God asking Jehovah for possession of the entire earth.

I come to the second thought that is after the destruction of the temple by the king of Babylon. Jehovah no longer dwelt on earth at Zion in cloud of glory. Jehovah left Zion (Ezekiel 11:23). From here we have a new paradigm- Gentilism or the rule of gentile capitals instead of Zion such as the capital of Babylon, the capital of Persia, the capital of Greece and finally Rome, the capital of Roman Europe. Jehovah now takes upon the new title- the God of Heaven (no longer of earth) but indirectly and mysteriously effecting His rule on earth through cherubic intelligence and government (Ezekiel 1). This is referred to as the providential rule from heaven. What happens when the rejected Messiah, the Son of Man appears? Two things happen- Priesthood and Headship.

The rejected Messiah, the Son of Man becomes the head of the natural world and the political world. The rejected Messiah is given control of all God’s natural creation- that pertaining to nature (Ps 8). The rejected Messiah is given control of the glory of all worldly kingdoms (Daniel 7:14). But on what grounds is He given this headship? It is given to Him because of His obedience unto death for the glory of God- Heb 2 takes up Ps 8 in connection with the suffering of death, similarly in Dan 7, the Son of Man comes in the clouds of heaven- but this is in connection with His death caused by the elders, chief priests and scribes (Matt 16:21-27).

In the millennium- Christ as Messiah the anointed King at Zion- the rule of Jehovah on earth is realized but at the same time, Christ as the rejected Messiah is given the whole earth by the Ancient of Days in connection with the saints* who rule along with Christ (Dan 7).

*In Dan 7:18 and 27- we have saints of the high places and people of the saints of the high places (JND).

The question of difference is that in the Davidic covenant, no body rules along with the Messiah, but many rule along with the rejected Messiah (the Son of Man) as a consequence of redemption- the Son of Man is glorified in dying as corn of wheat in bringing forth much fruit (John 12:24) and in bringing many sons into glory (Heb 2:10)- ‘when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones’ (Matt 19).

The whole confusion arises when the inimical forces of the old age and the new age are coalesced. In effect, the enemies in conflict with God are not the same in both the ages, though morally they are bad, no doubt but governmentally, there is a critical difference. I repeat, the antagonistic forces working in the old age have to do with the attempt of subverting Jehovah’s counsels in relation to Zion and the Messiah. But whereas the challenge put up in the new age is to fight against God and the Lamb (rejected Messiah in the heavens)-

Thus we have two dimensional aspects to the whole question of prophecy- the forces engaged in the old age include a set of countries led by an entity known as the Assyrian, whereas the forces attributing to the new age crisis include an entity known as the Beast/Roman.

I will quickly present few ideas in connection with both the Beast and the Assyrian-

The Beast is the last form of Roman empire that is yet to take shape- it is characterized by this one thing- it targets heaven – the little horn speaks great words against the Most High (Dan 7), a mouth speaking things and blasphemies (Rev 13) and finally makes war with the Lamb (Rev 17:14). The Beast does not wage war against Zion- but against heaven and finally to be destroyed from Him who comes from heaven. The Beast (Roman beast and the false prophet) in Rev 19 is destroyed by Him that sat on a horse. Now the mistake is to take this rebellion and apply it to the Assyrian.

The Assyrian belongs to the old age conflict whereas the Beast is the progressive development of a new age started by Babylon in connection with the God of heaven. God ruled from heaven through Babylon, Persia, Greek and the Roman empire- the last form of Roman empire is not associated with the God of heaven- but is associated with Satanic energy- ‘the Beast that ascended from the bottomless pit’ and therefore rebels and is quelled from the source of its primeval establishment.

A few words on the Assyrian-

A survey of passages in the O.T shows that an extraordinary force would attack Israel from the north (that is from present day regions of Turkey and Syria). This future day force is typified in O.T by any army that used the regions of Syria to attack Israel historically.

The Assyrian is brought in Isaiah- there the Assyrian is used by God to punish Israel- ‘O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger’ (Isaiah 10:5). He is said to attack Israel from the north (the geographical position north to Israel at that time was occupied by the kingdom of Assyria).

Even Nebuchadnezzar’s invading army from Syria is a type of this future day extraordinary aggressor against Israel from the same geographical areas of Syria and Turkey- ‘I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north’ (Jer 1:14).

In Dan 8, this future aggressor is shown to be arising from a branch of the Greek kingdom, that is someone in the future (Known as the little horn in Dan 8:9) rises from the regions of present day Syria and Turkey (which had been once the kingdom of Seleucids (the Greek successors). He is referred to as the king of fierce countenance in Dan 8:23.

This force is said to attack Israel twice- the first time, it covers the whole land –‘and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel’ (Isaiah 8:8). The second time, it attacks Israel- this time it is defeated by Christ- ‘thou hast broken the yoke of his burden’ (Isaiah 9:4). In other words, this force (typified by the Assyrian) attacks Israel twice in Isaiah 8 and Isaiah 9. In Isaiah 8, the Assyrian wins but in Isaiah 9, the Assyrian is crushed by the intervention of Christ.

The force also referred to as the ‘northern army’ in Joel 2:20 is said to be driven to the east sea and the utmost sea.

I will be brief in laying out the necessary points. Who is this northern force? Dan 8 shows it to be the king of fierce countenance who is in the future going to be the political head of the present day regions of Syria and Turkey which was once owned by the Greeks. I would digress a bit here:

In Ezekiel 38, Gog’s invasion of Israel is brought out, where he is destroyed on the mountains (Ezek 38:21). But who is Gog? Undoubtedly Russia, but Ezek 38:17 says- ‘Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel…’. Where is Gog prophesied by the pre-captivity prophets? The Assyrian of Isaiah surely would get destroyed on the mountains- ‘I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains..’(Isaiah 14:25).

Now, the northern force is not Gog at all as Ezekiel 38 would show, but then this northern force (Assyrian) is linked with Gog’s destruction on the mountains.

Dan 8:24 states that the king of fierce countenance has intrinsically no power at all- his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power’- a most strange paradox-

The future day Syria-Turkish power (Assyrian) is provided by Russia (Gog) to swoop down on Israel.

Gog’s attack is of two kinds- using localized power and herself coming to attack. Why is the term Assyrian used and what does it relate to? The Assyrian is the term used to relate to Gog using Syria to attack Israel- this had taken place in past history with the kingdom of Assyria (including parts of Russia) which was in possession of the geographical parts of the north of Israel (that is Syria). The second time that Gog attacks is by direct means without using any screen- that is Ezek 38.

If Gog’s instinct is rubbed on Syria, then Syria attacks Israel but is driven to the east sea and the utmost sea (Joel).

Gog attacks Israel the second time, but this time without using the screen- Syria. This is Ezek 38 and is destroyed on the mountains.

In Isaiah, both the attempts of Gog are referred to by taking Gog as the Assyrian- since the Assyrian of Isaiah’s day included parts of both south-west Russia and Syria. Ezekiel takes up only the second attempt that is without the need of Syrian territory and therefore Gog is separated out.

In Isaiah, the Assyrian is actually a reference to these dual phenomena- Gog using Syria and Gog herself striking. The former is found in chapters such as Isaiah 8 while the latter is found in Isaiah 14:25. It is only in the latter, that the Assyrian is destroyed on the mountains as in Ezek 38.

To conclude, there are two developments: Russia using Syria and Russia striking by herself.

When it is Russia using Syria- it is the day of the rise of Dan 8 personage- the king of fierce countenance of Syrian territory. When it is Russia herself attacking Israel- it is Ezek 38.

The first event is put down by the intervention of Christ whereas the second event takes place when Christ is already present amidst the nation in early millennial establishment- ‘I will go up to the land of unwalled villages’- Ezek 38:11.

For Isaiah, both the events are typified by the same Assyrian. The first event is typified by chapters such as Isaiah 37 and 38. So, Isaiah 38 is before Isaiah 37. Isaiah 38 speaks of the death and resurrection of Christ (the Son of David, here it is in the type of Hezekiah sickness and healing) because of which as the resurrected Christ, the Assyrian army gets destroyed in Isaiah 37 by the angel of the Lord but the king of Assyria survives only to be killed while worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god. Here in Nahum, where the destruction of the Assyrian is taken up- ‘there is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor’ (Nahum 1:11) and his subsequent death in the house of his gods- Nahum 1:14- ‘out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image…I will make thy grave; for thou art vile’.

The second event is taken up, for instance in Isaiah 14:25 that is the Gog of Ezekiel 38.

In Isaiah 14, both the events are brought out in connection with the false prophet, the antichrist- Lucifer. The king of Babylon (Is 14:4) is always the type of the northern aggressor (not Gog, though helped by Gog), secondly we have Lucifer (Is 14: 12) the false prophet, thirdly the Gog of Ezek 38 (Is 14:25).

In other words- the Assyrian is not Gog geographically but in other sense the Assyrian is the Gog since the Assyrian prevails over Israel in Gog’s power.

There are yet many sides to discuss such as the Assyrian involvement in Edom, Psalm 83 etc.

But I will end with Zechariah. In Zechariah, chapter 1 to 8 deals with the new age, that is the Beast and Babylon. But from Chapter 9 to the last, we have the conflicts of the old age brought out.

For instance, in Chapter 9, we have the Assyrian against whom Christ is presented as the king that comes (Zech 9:9) to cut off the chariot (Zech 9:10) and also the involvement of God’s people in victory over the ‘sons of Greece’ (Zech 9:13). Of course, this has a partial fulfillment in Maccabbees’ day but its realization is yet in the future.

Christ is presented against the Assyrian as riding upon the ass in Zech 9, whereas against the Beast sitting upon the horse in Rev 19. Ass is in connection with headship in Israel as the Judges used to ride on asses in ancient Israel- Refer Judges. But the horse is providential entities of the times of gentiles (Refer Zech 1 and 6).

Greece or her successive emanations of modern day Turkey and Syria is more connected with the old age conflict against the Messiah and Jehovah. If we bring Greece into the new age, she is a kingdom of course in providential settings under Alexander, but it is only the Roman that revives to go against the Lamb- not Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran) and Greece.

Present day Greece cannot be a part of the Beast, for her conflict is of a different kind than that of the Beast. Greece goes against the Messiah, while the Beast goes against the Lamb. Therefore, it is imperative that Greece should opt out of the Eurozone and the European Union itself, since the European Union, I doubt not, is a link to the future revived Roman Empire. The economists may provide us with reasons, but faith sees beyond.

(The issues of the old age and the new age run side by side but they are handled differently- the issues of the new age that is of the ten kingdom beast (Europe) is crushed from the heavens subsequent to which the issues of the old age belonging to the present day Arab countries and Russia is settled by Christ from Jerusalem (Zion), not from heavens. The gap between these two events may be incredibly small, if this is not to mean both are the same.)

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