|
Nahum Chapter 3
Summary
Nahum chapter 3 deals with God's judgment on the churches, particularly focusing on the time at and after the Rapture.
Verse 1
"Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;"
The bloody city is the corporate church. Revelation chapters 17 and 18 speak of the great whore and when we study those chapters carefully we can know that the great whore is the corporate church. For example, the great whore is dressed in purple and scarlet:
"And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication" (Revelation 17:4)
The colors purple and scarlet are used in connection with the tabernacle:
"Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work shalt thou make them." (Exodus 26:1)
In fact, there are 26 verses in Exodus that mention purple and scarlet in connection with the tabernacle. The woman being arrayed in purple and scarlet is a reminder that the woman represents the earthly congregation of those who identify themselves as God's people; she typifies the churches. The great whore is also spoken of as spiritual Babylon and in her is found the blood of saints:
"And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." (Revelation 17:6)
The corporate church is the bloody city because it is filled with the blood of saints. Obviously, it is not literally filled with the blood of saints, but spiritually it is. The Bible explains this for us...
As believers become uncomfortable within their churches during the Great Tribulation they may express their concerns to their pastors or share with other members their findings in the Bible about Satan’s position within the church. This activity will ultimately result in the believers either leaving the church on their own or being asked to leave. The Bible does speak of being removed from the church as being killed, spiritually speaking:
“They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (John 16:2)
We may wonder why God uses this language. Why does He equate being removed from the church with being killed? Recall that the Israelites, the earthly representation of God’s Kingdom in the Old Testament, were commanded to remove evil-doers from amongst them by literally killing them:
“And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.” (Deuteronomy 13:5)
“Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you. If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.” (Deuteronomy 22:21-24)
Likewise, the churches (the earthly representation of God’s Kingdom after the cross) were commanded to remove evil-doers from amongst them:
“But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”
(1 Corinthians 5:13)
“And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:2)
Though the believers during the Great Tribulation are not actually the evil-doers, they are perceived as bringers of heresy and are removed from the churches. Read John 16:2 again and notice that those who are removing the believers from the church honestly believe they are doing the right thing:
“They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”
We also read that the bloody city is full of lies. The Bible warned us that the corporate church would be full of false doctrines in the end times:
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron" (1 Timothy 4:1-2)
The Bible calls this the falling away:
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
Ultimately, the reason these false doctrines have multiplied and flourished is because the people in the churches like them:
"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" (Jeremiah 5:31)
For more on the falling away, please see Study on The Falling Away.
Not only are the churches filled with the lies of false doctrines, they are also filled with the lies of those who say they are saved but are not. God has commanded the believers to leave the church (see Study on Judgment On The Church). If we revisit Revelation chapters 17 and 18 regarding the great whore (the corporate church), then we will find that believers are commanded to come out of the church:
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Revelation 18:4)
But unfortunately, the vast majority of those who claim to be believers have mocked this commandment and stayed in the churches. If we continually disobey God's commandments, then we have to seriously ask ourselves, "Am I really saved?":
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1 John 2:4)
We are currently living in the Great Tribulation when Satan is ruling within the churches (see Study on The Antichrist). Given that Satan is the father of lies, it is no surprise that the churches are filled with lies:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44)
The next thing we read in Nahum 3:1 is that the city is full of robbery, which is also a reference to the churches being filled with false doctrines. God equates His house being overrun with false doctrines with being a den of robbers:
"Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 7:8-11)
As mentioned earlier, we are living in a day when God has commanded all of the believers to depart out of the churches. Unfortunately, the Bible tells us that most of those in the churches will not leave and that's what Nahum 3:1 is reminding us: "the prey departeth not." According to the 2008 World Almanac, about 2.1 billion people in the world identify themselves as Christians. We know that all of the true believers will leave the churches before the end comes. We know this because the Bible teaches that everyone who remains in the church will be destroyed in the end:
"Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live." (Jeremiah 38:2 - see Study on The Book Of Jeremiah to see how we can know the book is actually focusing on our situation today)
This indicates that no true believers will remain in the churches. From what we currently know, there are 200 million people that make up all of the elect throughout time (see Study on The 200 Million). That's only about 10% of the total 2.1 billion who claim to be believers today. Obviously, not all of those 200 million are alive today so in actuality less than 10% of those who claim to be believers are actually saved. This means that over 90% of those in the churches today will not depart out. In fact, by now most of the elect have already departed out so probably very few are still left in the churches.
Those who do not depart are called the prey here in Nahum 3:1 because they are snared by Satan. The Bible speaks of Satan as a roaring lion who goes about seeking prey to devour:
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8)
"And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid." (Ezekiel 34:28)
The Bible also speaks of the lion devouring prey as the devouring of souls:
"There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof." (Ezekiel 22:25)
The Bible teaches that once we become saved we are no longer the prey of the roaring lion (Satan):
"Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle." (Ezekiel 34:22)
The fact that the saved are no longer the prey is an additional fact that helps us understand that none of the true believers will remain in the churches. It is Satan's prey that remain in the churches.
Verse 2
"The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots."
This is the language of battle. It's similar to what we read in Revelation chapter 9:
"And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle." (Revelation 9:9)
Revelation chapter 9 is speaking about the final five months that take place after the Rapture (see Study on The Sixth Seal).
The battle in view here is the battle of Armageddon. It is the spiritual battle that will take place on Judgment Day, which is the final five months of this world's existence (see Study on The Sixth Seal).
Verse 3
"The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:"
The horseman is Christ. We read about Him in Revelation chapter 19 where it is speaking about Judgment Day which begins on the day of the Rapture. There we read the horseman (Christ) comes with a sword protruding out of His mouth to smite the nations:
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." (Revelation 19:11-15)
The sword is the Word of God (see Word Study on "Sword") and it is with His Word that people are condemned. Noah brought the Word of God to the world by warning them of the coming flood, but the world mocked him. When the flood waters came they were proof that Noah was bringing the true Word of God. This is why we read that Noah condemned the world:
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Hebrews 11:7)
Likewise, we read that the believers will condemn the world:
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" (1 Corinthians 6:1)
The Greek word translated as "judge" is krino, which is also sometimes translated as "condemn." The world is mocking the truth that is being brought by the believers in our day; namely, that we are to leave the churches because Satan is ruling there and the hope for salvation will end on May 21, 2011. However, when the believers are raptured, that event (just as when the flood waters came) will prove that the believers were bringing truth and those left behind will stand condemned. It is in that sense that the believers will judge the world.
We also read in Nahum 3:3 about the land being covered in corpses. We find a similar statement in Jeremiah chapter 25 where we read that the dead bodies will litter the earth like dung:
"And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground." (Jeremiah 25:33)
(See Study on Jeremiah Chapter 25 to see how we can know this is speaking about the end times.)
We know the horror that will occur on the day of the Rapture will bring about a lot of death on this planet (see Study on The Sixth Seal). Those who survive the horror of that day will gradually die over the next 153 days and those who remain on October 21, 2011, will be completely destroyed along with the rest of the universe.
Verse 4
"Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts."
As mentioned when studying verse 1, the wellfavoured harlot is the corporate church. Spiritual whoredom is identified with placing trust in gospels that are not Biblical and disobeying God:
"I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols." (Ezekiel 23:30)
"And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so." (Judges 2:17)
"The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD." (Hosea 1:2)
"And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them ; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring" (Numbers 15:39)
This opening verse of Revelation chapter 17 states, "I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore," so we know Revelation 17 and 18 are dealing with God's judgment on the churches. The final judgment on the world (which will take place after the Great Tribulation) is preceded by God's judgment on the church (which takes place throughout the Great Tribulation):
"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17)
The witchcrafts mentioned in Nahum 3:4 comes from a Hebrew word that is also sometimes translated as "sorcery." It is a reference to the supernatural experiences that are so commonly sought in our day by those in the churches: tongues, dreams, visions, "slain in the spirit," etc. The Bible also calls them "signs and wonders":
"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9)
Satan uses these tools to appeal to the emotions of those in the church who will let their “holy experiences” override what is found in the Bible. The Greek word translated as “signs” here is semeion and is a word that identifies with supernatural spectacles. Jesus performed miracles to prove that His Gospel was the true Gospel:
"And many other signs [semeion] truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:30-31)
The gift of tongues was also classified by God as a supernatural miracle:
“Wherefore tongues are for a sign [semeion], not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.” (1 Corinthians 14:22)
The Greek word “for” in the phrase “tongues are for a sign” is the Greek word eis, which can also be translated as “into.” This phrase should be understood as “tongues are a sign” or “tongues fit into the role of a sign.”
The gift of tongues is no longer distributed by God. Many of us may look around at the churches that incorporate tongues and wonder, “How can that be possible, that all of this is not coming from God?” If this is new information to you, then you are strongly encouraged to see the Study on Tongues for a much more detailed explanation of how we can know that the tongues of today is not coming from God.
God no longer performs spectacular miracles such as tongues and healings that visually defy the laws of medicine. Yes, He may heal people today but not in the way Jesus did. The kind of healing where someone’s mutilated hand is miraculously restored, those kinds of healings are no longer performed by God. Why not? Because the purpose of those miracles were to prove the legitimacy of the Gospel. Now we have the completed Word of God and are instructed to live by faith (Hebrews 10:38).
However, Satan imitates God in order to lead people astray:
"Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)
Just as Jesus proved the genuineness of His Gospel through miracles Satan is attempting to do the same thing today by coming with signs and wonders:
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs [semeion] and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24)
We are warned not to be trapped by this attraction to spectacular miracles:
“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign [semeion]; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas” (Matthew 12:39)
Verse 5
"Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame."
The churches are still teaching the world that it is not possible to know when the Rapture will occur. They are promising their attendants that everything in the churches is fine. However, we can now know the timing of the Rapture (see Study on Can We Know When?).
When the Rapture does occur on May 21, 2011, the whole world is going to see it. The disciples saw Christ when He ascended (Luke 24:51). Elisha saw Elijah ascend in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11-12). Likewise, when 200 million bodies are raptured (see Study on The 200 Million) those who are left behind will see it. At that point, those in the churches will know the message they were mocking was actually the truth. Those out in the secular world will look around and see that the 2 billion church attenders worldwide were left behind.
Spiritual nakedness has to do with being under the wrath of God. It is identified with still being unsaved:
"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me." (Matthew 25:35-36)
When the world sees that those in the churches have been left behind the world will then see that those in the churches were not saved; they are still under the wrath of God. This is how God will show the world the spiritual nakedness of the bloody city. In other words, this is how He will show the world that those in the churches are still under His wrath.
Verse 6
"And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock."
The phrase "abominable filth" is translated from the Hebrew word shiqquts, which is the same word that God uses when talking about the abomination of desolation:
"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations [shiqquts] he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." (Daniel 9:27)
"And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination [shiqquts] that maketh desolate." (Daniel 11:31)
"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination [shiqquts] that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days." (Daniel 12:11)
When we study this carefully we know that the abomination of desolation is a reference to when God allows Satan to rule within the churches during the Great Tribulation as a judgment for its rebellion through false doctrines (see Study on The Antichrist and Study on Judgment On The Church). Once again, we find the commandment that during the Great Tribulation we are to leave the churches:
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation [Satan ruling with false doctrines], spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place [the churches], (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea [churches - see Word Study on "Israel"] flee into the mountains [safety of Christ]" (Matthew 24:15-16)
Verse 7
"And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?"
When the Rapture occurs the whole world is going to know it. Based on what we currently know from the Bible, there will be a worldwide earthquake that will be like none other this world has ever seen. It is probably safe to assume that a large number of people will die around the world that day. Those who are left will look around and discover that everyone they knew that went to church are all still present. None of them were raptured along with the 200 million. The world is going to quickly realize that God has left these 2 billion people behind who all claimed to be His people. Some may recognize that the churches were under God's judgment while many others will probably not understand why those in the churches were left behind. In either case, the people in the secular world will not be running to the church for help because it will be evident that, whatever it is they do and believe, it wasn't sufficient to save them. This is illustrated by the world's statement, "Nineveh is laid waste." Going back to the great whore of Revelation chapters 17 and 18, this statement is also similar to Revelation 18:2:
"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."
In other words, the world will recognize that the church is spiritually in ruins.
Verse 8
"Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?"
The rivers and waters are the Gospel:
"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38)
The word translated "rampart" can also be translated as "wall," so the idea of a wall is referenced twice in this verse. Walls spiritually point to salvation:
"Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise." (Isaiah 60:18)
The church has been surrounded by the Gospel because it has had the Bible. It was the means by which God spread the Gospel for nearly 2,000 years, which resulted in the salvation of His elect. However, now the churches all have their own salvation plans which do not align with the salvation plan of the Bible. They are trusting in their own works to become saved; they are trusting in their prayers, baptisms, and communion services to get themselves saved. But those things do not bring salvation. When we place our trust in our own works in order to become saved we continue to remain under the wrath of God. The sea is also referenced twice in this verse in relation to salvation and the sea often typifies the wrath of God (see Word Study on "Water"). In other words, their salvation plans are identified with the damnation, not salvation.
Even today the churches are still surrounded by the Gospel in that they have the Bible, but the salvation plans they have created do not rescue people from the wrath of God. Once the Rapture occurs and the rest of the secular world sees that those in the churches have been left behind, they will be saying, "Even with the Bible and your claims of salvation, you [those in the churches] were never any better off than the rest of us."
Verse 9
"Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers."
Verse 10
"Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains."
The word "yet" doesn't really belong here. The word "yet" implies a transition such as "nevertheless." However, there is no transition in this passage. The language is negative before this verse and it continues to be negative in and after this verse. A better translation would've been "moreover," or "even," or "furthermore."
Verse 11
"Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy."
Again, going back to the great whore (the churches) in Revelation chapters 17 and 18, we read that she made the "inhabitants of the earth drunk":
"With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." (Revelation 17:2)
"The inhabitants of the earth" is a phrase that points to those in the churches. We find the phrase, "inhabitants of the land," commonly used in the Bible in relation to Israel and Jerusalem. For example:
"Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land." (Hosea 4:1)
"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand" (Joel 2:1)
"Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah." (Jeremiah 1:14-15)
The words "Israel" and "Jerusalem" are words that spiritually point to the church (see Word Study on "Israel").
Let's next take a look at the statement, "thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy." The word translated as "strength" is also translated in the Bible as "hold" or "fortress." The idea is that they are seeking a safe haven because of the enemy. Remember, as we saw earlier, this is a battle and those left behind after the Rapture are not a part of God's Kingdom. There are only two kingdoms spiritually: God's and Satan's. Therefore, those who are left behind are all spiritual citizens of Satan's kingdom, which means God is their enemy. In other words, this statement is indicating that the unsaved after the Rapture will be trying to hide from God because they will know at that point that they are under His wrath. This parallels what we read in Revelation chapter 6 regarding the period after the Rapture:
"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:15-17)
Verse 12
"All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater."
Verse 13
"Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars."
This verse again brings up the idea of the church being typified by a great whore whose gates are wide open to the enemy. We find a similar statement in Ezekiel chapter 16 where God speaks of the church as a whore that commits fornication with anyone who passes by:
"Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms." (Ezekiel 16:25)
God goes on further to indicate that the church cannot get enough of the false doctrines. It continues to glady commit spiritual adultery rather than have a love for the truth:
"Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied. Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied therewith. How weak is thine heart, saith the LORD GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!" (Ezekiel 16:28-32)
Of course, the churches believe they really are teaching truth. They don't realize they are chasing after false doctrines and that is because God has blinded them:
"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:11)
Verse 14
"Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln."
Verse 15
"There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts."
The fire in view is the lake of fire, which is the ultimate destruction of this world on October 21, 2011. The sword is the Word of God (see Word Study on "Sword"), which condemns mankind. Being "cut off" is Biblical language that indicates that the unsaved have lost their right to live with God eternally (see Study on Man Has Been Cut Off).
Verse 16
"Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away."
The Bible talks about piritual merchandising. We read about ships going out to gather gold and silver:
"For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." (2 Chronicles 9:21)
The ships represent the church as it goes out into the world with the Gospel (see Word Study on “Ship”). The gold and silver represent the believers:
"The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts." (Haggai 2:8)
The apes and peacocks represent the unbelievers within the church. During the Early Rain from 33 AD to 1988 (see Study on The Latter Rain), as the church shared the Gospel it came back with both believers and unbelievers within it.
It is the role of believers to go into the world with the Gospel. We find this activity identified with the merchandise of God’s law:
“For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.” (Proverbs 3:14)
This is why we sometimes find that those who are the bringers of God's Word are called merchants:
“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:” (Revelation 18:11)
Those who are bringing false teachings are also merchants, but they are merchants of false doctrines. Nahum 3:16 is speaking of the merchants of the bloody city (the churches). It says they are multipled above the stars of heaven. The star of heaven are the true believers. We find this, for example, in Daniel where it is speaking about the time when Satan is ruling in the churches and causing the true believers to be removed from them:
"And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them." (Daniel 8:10)
In other words, the teaching here is that the merchants of false gospels have been multiplied above the true believers.
Verse 17
"Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are."
I'm not entirely sure what this language is pointing to, but the crowned ones and the captains are the leaders in the churches; they are the pastors and deacons. Locusts and grasshoppers in the Bible have to do with the teaching of false gospels that bring spiritual destruction.
Verse 18
"Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them."
The shepherds are those who oversee the flock. They are the pastors, and God says here they are sleeping. God defines "sleeping" as not having spiritual eyes opened to understand the truth:
"What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day." (Romans 11:7-8)
This inability to understand the hidden truths in the Bible is part of God's judgment on the church:
"For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed" (Isaiah 29:10-11)
The statement, "thy nobles shall dwell in the dust," is language to indicate that they are still under the wrath of God. They will not live eternally with Christ. Instead, they will die.
Verse 19
"There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?"
The Hebrew word translated as "bruise" is sheber, which is elsewhere translated as "destruction":
"Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction [sheber]." (Jeremiah 4:6)
The destruction mentioned in Jeremiah 4:6 is the same "bruise" mentioned in Nahum 3:19; there will be no recovery from this destruction. Notice that, once again, in Jeremiah 4:6 we find yet another command to leave the churches (typified by Zion).
|
|
