The End-Times Sequence Introduction Part #2 - Gog and Magog: Hidden by Yahweh

Sequence Introduction #2 - Gog and Magog: Hidden by Yahweh

The depth of the testimony of Yahshua Christ, which is the spirit of interpreting prophecy (Revelation 19:10) goes beyond the twelve pillars which we had discussed in our opening presentation. For that reason, several important questions were left unanswered. 

The principal question left in the open-air was why and how the children of Israel are punished with a further and more severe affliction even after Babylon falls  - one so terrible that it results in a repentant portion of the population receiving the promised Elijah restoration. We had refrained from discussing what Scripture says concerning these things until having first introduced the most basic pillars. And now having done so, it is likely a good time to embark on a slightly more thorough examination of the writings, and to uncover the answer to this most important question.  

The Fall of Mystery Babylon and Deal Back Double

The first foundation for understanding the fall of Mystery Babylon is identifying its main players and their relationship with one another, which has already been expounded upon to an excellent degree by our fellow workers. For that reason, we will only briefly summarize the parties here.

The main subject of Revelation 17-18 is the great whore, who certainly represents the fornicating (racemixing) woman of Israel committing adultery against her Bridegroom, with such symbolism of harlotry being familiar for apostate Israel throughout the prophets (Hosea 2:2, Ezekiel 16:30, Jeremiah 3:3). Furthermore, the children of Israel are often collectively depicted as Jerusalem in the prophets, and so the whore’s description as “the great city” (Revelation 17:18) is also properly aligned (cf. Revelation 11:8) .

The seven beasts of Scripture represent tyrannical empires which have oppressed the children of Israel throughout the march of history: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome (continued through the so-called Catholic Church), and Napoleon. And now, the eighth beast which the whore voluntarily rides, is described as being of the seven, in the sense that it empowered those former kingdoms. 

The eighth beast, being described as red with seven heads and ten horns (17:3), bears a near-identical description to the red dragon earlier in the Revelation (12:3), that symbol of the dragon itself being chiefly representative of the Edomite Jews in prophecy (Malachi 1:2-3). This identifies the eighth beast as world Jewry, and the synonymous red color evokes the patriarch Esau (Genesis 25:25). We will not tarry discussing the present jewish hegemony, as it should be plainly visible to anyone given eyes to see.

Six of the former seven beast empires were instruments used by Yahweh God to inflict the seven times (2,520 years) punishment of captivities which began with the Assyrian Deportations in the 8th century BC. The seven times punishment ended in the 18th century AD, but the woman of Israel, in her newfound freedom, quickly chose to climb upon and ride the eighth and final beast through her own whorish volition, voluntarily handing her kingdom over to it (Revelation 17:17). 

Through her adulterous union with the beast, the whore can be understood as having become one flesh with it (a reverse mirror of Ephesians 5:31-32). Thus, the coming judgement against the whore becomes, by extension, a judgement against the beast and dragon also. 

This is why the celebration of victory against the whore is synonymous with the celebration of victory against the dragon:

The prophecy of Revelation 12 is not dependent upon any of the seals, trumpets, or plagues used to elaborate upon chronological placement in the Revelation, and is therefore open to having multiple fulfillments, which can be discerned through Scriptural compounding. For that reason, this centerpiece of the Revelation works to provide a wide panorama of history: from as early a time as the rebellion of the fallen angels, and reaching as far into our own future. It is our prayer to demonstrate throughout this series how this chapter is not only the centerpiece of Revelation itself, but also the fullness of the End-Times Sequence conveyed throughout the prophets.

Understanding that the eighth beast upon which the whore rides is the dragon of Revelation 12, this chapter becomes an important frame of reference for the dealing back double described in Revelation 18, where it is written “Her errors have built up as far as heaven and Yahweh has called to mind her injustices! You return to her as she also had rendered, and you double twice the things according to her works” (Revelation 18:5-6). The mention of heaven in regards to dealing back double (Revelation 18:5) becomes an important thread back to Revelation 12, where it is written “And there was a war in heaven” (Revelation 12:7)

Revelation 12:7-9 7 And there was a war in heaven, Michael and his messengers fighting with the dragon. And the dragon fought, and his messengers, 8 and they did not prevail, nor was their place found any longer in heaven. 9 And the great dragon had been cast down, that serpent of old, who is called the False Accuser and the Adversary; he who deceives the whole inhabited earth had been cast into the earth, and his messengers had been cast down with him.

Throughout ancient inscriptions, as well as in Scripture, heaven is often used as an allegory for government. Thus, the dragon’s expulsion from heaven is representative of its diminished authority as the eighth beast, through the warfare of dealing back double. This defeat and expulsion would explain why, in the aftermath of tormenting violence, the kings of the earth are described as “standing from afar on account of the fear of her torment” (Revelation 18:10) The merchants are also described as standing from afar (Revelation 18:15), and in the parallel prophecy of Babylon’s fall found in Isaiah 47, it is written, “Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.” (Isaiah 47:15) This retreat of the merchants would be a natural consequence of the dragon’s expulsion, since the Jewish beast surely holds power through its web of central banks. 

Because the whore rides the draconic eighth beast, whenever either are struck they will both be affected together. Just as it is written concerning the great dragon, that “the great dragon had been cast down (#G906)” (12:9), so does it also say concerning the great city, that “with violence Babylon the great city is cast down (#G906)” (18:21). In consequence, the great city “shall not be found hereafter!” (18:21), the same fate destined for the great dragon and its messengers, where it is written that “nor was their place found any longer in heaven.” (12:8) 

The intertwined fate of the whore and dragon is further demonstrated in how the two victorious speeches against them are nearly the same. It is written after the war in heaven and the great dragon’s casting down: “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God has come” (12:10). And similarly, after the dealing back double and the great city’s casting down, we read: “Praise Yah! Salvation and honor and power are of our God!” (19:1) 

The war in heaven (as it is described in Revelation 12), or the dealing back double (as it is described in Revelation 18), is conveyed in greater detail throughout several prophets, and perhaps most explicitly in the oracles against Babylon found in Isaiah 13-14 and Jeremiah 50-51. In these prophets we find several compounding details with the Revelation, such as the following:

The most striking of these parallels is the matching description to the great dragon’s fall from heaven found in Isaiah 14, where after the victory of Yahweh’s sanctified ones against Babylon, we read concerning its king, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lightbearer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12). The prophet Isaiah recording such words against the king of Babylon provides for us an important and lawful secondary witness to what has already been substantiated internally in the Revelation, that the dragon’s expulsion is achieved in the heavenly warfare of dealing back double against Mystery Babylon.

The parallels between Revelation 12 and 18 do not begin nor end with the heavenly warfare of dealing back double, however, because just as there is a call for Yahweh’s people to “come out from her” immediately before the declaration to deal back double, so is there a description of the woman (of Israel) fleeing into the wilderness immediately before the description of the heavenly warfare against the dragon:

We must consult further witnesses in order to understand these things better, and once again, it is the beloved prophet Isaiah providing us an important thread that ties the two prophecies together:

All four gospels quote from this chapter of Isaiah in regards to the ministry of John the Baptist, and its context in regards to John is vital for understanding its far vision. The primary purpose of John the Baptist as the second Elijah Ministry was to bring the people to repentance in preparation for the arrival of Christ, an undertaking which the third Elijah Ministry of Christian Identity shares in preparation for Christ’s return. Therefore, any prophecy concerning John the Baptist would naturally be in regards to Christian Identity in any far vision it may have. We had written on the Third Elijah Ministry in our introductory booklet to this series at the section titled #4 Restoration. 

There certainly is a far vision aspect to Isaiah 40, since much of the chapter concerns a people being prepared for a coming Warrior Messiah (40:16, 24), who will physically strengthen and gather His people to Himself (40:31, 41:1) for Judgement and for a Wedding Supper War (41:15). These aspects of the Messiah were not at all fulfilled in the days of John the Baptist, who prepared the people for a sacrificial lamb (John 1:29) that did not break a bruised reed (Matthew 12:20). Because vengeance is explicitly reserved for the Second Coming, any voice crying out from the wilderness and preparing the people for a Warrior Messiah must be from those in Christian Identity - who are also the only people given to understand why the Messiah is depicted as being drenched in the blood of Bozrah and who anxiously await that promised victory.

Christ explained how the purpose of the third Elijah Ministry is to “restore all things” (Matthew 17:11), which includes a restoration of the people, as outlined in the prophet Malachi:  

Malachi 4:4-6 4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 

Yahweh says that He will “smite the earth with a curse” if there is no restoration, since Christ will simply not return unless an acceptable portion of His people repent (2 Chronicles 7:14, Leviticus 26:11, Deuteronomy 30:2-3, Hosea 5:15-6:3, Joel 2:12-18, et al). We had elaborated upon the prophetic condition of repentance in our introductory booklet to this series at the section titled #4 Restoration.

As Malachi demonstrates, the Elijah Ministry cries out for obedience to the law (4:4) and also for racial sanctification (4:6), two things which Paul of Tarsus identified as conditions for the Second Coming, where he wrote “Pursue peace with all, and sanctification - which without no one should see the Prince.” (Hebrews 12:14). Peace is obedience to the law (Psalm 119:165, Proverbs 3:17, Isaiah 48:22, Mark 9:43-50, et al), and sanctification (separateness) includes racial separation, which is why Paul proceeds in that epistle by warning the Hebrews concerning the dangers of racemixing fornication, with the racemixer Esau given as an example (Hebrews 12:15-17, 20).  Paul similarly wrote to the Corinthians, “Therefore having these promises, beloved, we must cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and of Spirit, accomplishing sanctity in awe of Yahweh.” (2 Corinthians 7:1) - the promises being those concerning the Second Coming (2 Corinthians 6:16-18), and thus the imperative conditions of those promises being a cleansing from defilement of flesh (racial) and of Spirit (obedience). A commentary on the proper translation of Paul’s words can be found here.

But what can be said for our people now, and even when Babylon falls? It is evident in the Revelation that the majority of the children of Israel, at that time, will still not be sanctified from strange defilements of flesh nor separated in peace from defilement of Spirit. The woman of Israel is not depicted in the fall as a prepared bride nor even a repentant widow: but as a great whore proudly fornicating with the strange waters of alien peoples. 

Civil warfare and economic collapse is worthless unless accompanied with the knowledge which brings about willing repentance, and for that reason turmoil alone is simply not enough to achieve the widespread restoration promised in places such as Zechariah 13:9, because as Paul wrote, “faith is from hearing, but through hearing the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17). The hard fact is that most of our people have never heard the true Gospel, and for that reason are entirely ignorant of how to achieve obedience and racial sanctification. 

The Almighty is merciful, “not wishing for any to be destroyed but that all should have space for repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9), and for that reason the fall of Babylon can be seen as a compassionate last-chance for Yahweh’s people to “come out” and “not partake in her errors”. It is important to notice that these are forthcoming errors, (as in errors that will continue to come after Babylon’s fall), and that the Revelation provides a severe last-warning for men to not partake in them. However, to understand how to not partake in sins one must first know what sin is (Romans 7:7), and it is the responsibility of the third Elijah Ministry to explain to any survivors what it is they must repent from, and to accomplish sanctity and peace among the remnant of Israel.

With this in-mind, we should examine the writings once more:

Here in what is now Isaiah’s 40th chapter, the prophet demonstrates that the flight of the woman into the wilderness (cf. Isaiah 40:3 to Revelation 12:6) is parallel to the coming out of Yahweh’s people (cf. Isaiah 40:1 to Revelation 18:4); that the dealing back double is parallel to the warfare against the dragon (Isaiah 40:2); and also that Christian Identity does not begin to spread until after the fall of Mystery Babylon, when nourishing voices begin to cry out from the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3-4) After these things, it is written that “the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5), which is certainly a foreshadowing of the Second Coming. (Matthew 24:30)

It is written in Revelation 12 that the woman has a place prepared for her in the wilderness where “they” will nourish her (τρέφω is in a 3rd person plural form) - this “they” being absolutely ambiguous within the context of the chapter alone. It is apparently evident through Isaiah, that this “they” in the far-vision must represent the third Elijah Ministry receiving the woman (Jerusalem) who has “come out” and fled into wilderness, just as John the Baptist, the second Elijah Ministry, received those who came out to him in the wilderness. John the Baptist was one single voice readying a lone sheep within the relatively small pen of Judaea - but today there are many voices prepared to cry out to ninety-nine sheep spread across several Israelite nations.

Paul of Tarsus compared the interpretation of prophecy to a mirror (1 Corinthians 13:12), certainly alluding to what is expressed in the Wisdom of Solomon (Wisdom 8:8), and through what we have examined thus far, we are beginning to see more clearly the reflection of the third Elijah Ministry in the mirror of John the Baptist, where many in Christian Identity will ostensibly be crying out from the wilderness. We could even speculate given the economic downfall that they might share in the abased lifestyle of their predecessor, subsisting off things like locusts and wild honey, trusting in Yahweh for food while seeking first the advancement of His Kingdom. 

While it is beyond the scope of our purposes in this particular essay, we will briefly note that there is a pattern throughout several far visions of the prophets which depict a remnant of Israel as retreating into the wilderness, where they repent and receive the latter rain, eventually being gathered from there to Christ in Palestine. The circumstances of these prophets when compounded with one another reach far beyond the near visions of the Gospel’s reception in Europe, and they mirror the circumstances of the Exodus, where the children of Israel left Egypt and dwelled in tents (Succoth - Exodus 12:17). As it is written in the far-reaching prophecy of the 60th Psalm, “God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.” (Psalm 60:6)

Returning to Revelation: the nourishment which is being provided to those who come out of Babylon (Revelation 12:6) certainly represents the Word of Yahweh God, the milk thereof nourishing the Spirit for growth and exercising one’s senses for distinguishing good and evil. Experiencing literal famine of economic ruin while also being rejuvenated with a nourishment of Yahweh’s Word once again mirrors the circumstances of the Exodus, where it is written “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) Solomon concurred, where in the later Greek translation of his original Hebrew text the same word for nourishment found in the Revelation is used: “in order that Your sons, O Yahweh, whom You love, may learn that it is not the productions of fruits which nourish (#G5142) a man but Your word which maintains those who are believing in You.” (Wisdom 16:26)

It can be seen, then, that we are currently in the mere preparation phase of the Gospel of Christ, which has been placed upon the shoulders of the selectively small number of the third Elijah Ministry, so that they can more fully impart it to their brethren at the appointed time. For now, the Gospel has largely been restricted to channels of the internet and has not yet graced the ears of the majority of people, as the Scriptures indicate to us that it will be the time after the fall of Mystery Babylon when the children of Israel are given their chance to fear and honor their God: 

Revelation 14:6-8 6 And I saw another messenger flying in mid-air, having an eternal good message to announce before those sitting upon the earth and before every nation and tribe and tongue and people, 7 saying with a great voice: "You must fear Yahweh and you must give honor to Him, because the hour of His judgment has come, and you must worship He who has made the heaven and the earth and the sea and springs of water!" 8 And another, second messenger followed saying: "Babylon the great has fallen, has fallen! She who has made all the nations drink from the wine of the passion of her fornication!" [We must note that Revelation 14 is another chapter which is not at all dependent upon any seals, trumpets, or plagues.]

The fact that the messengers in Revelation 14:6-12 are numbered is important and the inspired sequence is not arbitrary: as nothing in Scripture is meaningless. Here we see through the first messenger that the Gospel is only ready to be announced to Israel at the time in which “the hour of His judgment has come”, which is certainly the hour of judgement against the great whore described at Revelation 18, where it says “For in one hour your judgment has come!” (Revelation 18:10) This identification of the hour of judgement is confirmed by the second messenger, who explicitly defines it as the fall of Mystery Babylon (Revelation 14:8). As for the third messenger’s proclamation, it will be elaborated upon in future essays, Yahweh willing. 

Understanding that a call for men to fear and honor God begins at the hour of Babylon’s fall provides a more thorough understanding of the celebration recorded after the heavenly warfare of dealing back double is accomplished:

It will be through Yahweh’s favor upon the third Elijah Ministry that the whore of Babylon will repent and transform herself into a bride prepared for her Husband, and even John the Baptist described himself as a “friend of the bridegroom” (John 3:29). We have seen it demonstrated that the fall of Babylon marks the beginning of that very transformation.

We will provide in this essay one other prophecy of the children of Israel entering the wilderness and being comforted after an economic collapse of the whore. This prophecy is found in what is now the second chapter of Hosea, and a far vision is demanded by its unfulfilled aspects, such as the covenant with the animals (cf. Hosea 2:18 to Isaiah 11 and 65), and the end of Adamic hostility (cf. Hosea 2:18 to Isaiah 2 and Micah 4).

At Hosea 2:15 we see an explicit comparison with the exodus out of Egypt, and a compounding with Mystery Babylon in the mention of the “valley of Achor” - bringing to memory Achan, who wore the accursed Babylonian garment (Joshua 7:21), and who was killed and buried in the valley of Achor. 

The valley of Achor can be seen as a “door of hope” in the sense that the fall of Babylon marks the beginning of repentance for the children of Israel, as they gradually begin to separate themselves from that which is accursed and achieve sanctity:

A Time of Trouble

Having demonstrated that the path to repentance begins after the fall of Babylon and also the heavenly warfare of dealing back double, we should return our eyes to the prophecy of Michael found in Revelation, and compare it with its counterpart in Daniel:

There is no doubt that Daniel 12 has a far vision, since it explicitly concerns a greatly troublesome time of singular severity (which by definition can only happen once), and especially since that tribulation is established as closely timed with the resurrection of the Adamic race (Daniel 12:2). The scroll of Daniel 10-12 is “closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9), which has made most of it difficult to interpret throughout history.

Besides Revelation 12, the chief-messenger Michael is only mentioned in the book of Daniel (10:13, 21, 12:1) and epistle of Jude (v.9). The name Michael is interpreted as meaning “who is like God?”, and for that reason can be interpreted as a type for the obedient among the “children of thy people’ (Israel), for as Christ said, “There is no student above the teacher, but all having been restored he shall be as his teacher.” (Luke 6:40). Michael is written to be a messenger (in the sense of an angel), and John the Baptist, the Second Elijah Ministry, was himself a messenger in the sense that he bore a message (Matthew 11:10, Malachi 3:1), and in this we can see how the type of Michael the chief-messenger may extend into the Third Elijah Ministry, which has an express message of restoration, urging the children of our people to follow in the commandments of Yahweh their God, and thus to be like Him. This is not to mean that anyone has already been perfected (Philippians 3:12), but that the Elijah message begins a gradual process towards such perfection, which is ultimately achieved once Christ comes. As it is written, “You must be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16 - Leviticus 19:2)

The Hebrew word being used in Daniel where it says that Michael shall “stand up” is ‛âmad (#H5975). This word has a variety of both literal and figurative meanings, among which are a resistant standing up for defense or even an offensive one for battle, that very use of the word appearing more than once in the previous chapter of the book of Daniel:

Daniel 11:14 And in those times there shall many stand up (#H5975) against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. 

Daniel 11:16  But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand (#H5975) before him: and he shall stand (#H5975) in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. 

This potential figurative meaning of warfare behind the word ‛âmad (#H5975) of course compounds with Michael and his messengers waging heavenly warfare in Revelation 12, and as we have just said, the type of a chief-messenger potentially represents the collective messenger of the Elijah Ministry, for it is written, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me” (Malachi 3:1) This does not necessarily confirm that the Elijah Ministry will have a decisive leading role in the civil warfare, as it could simply be referring to the fact that in Babylon’s fall, Yahweh has passed the condemnation which the Elijah Ministry has set against the whore all these decades. As it is written, “Rejoice over her, O heaven and saints and ambassadors and prophets, because Yahweh has passed the judgment of your condemnation of her!" (Revelation 18:20)

It is important to note that the first use of the verb ‛âmad in Daniel 12:1 has no object, where it says that “at that time shall Michael stand up”, which in this figurative interpretation would infer victory, as was seen in the example above at Daniel 11:16, where it says that the king of the north being victorious “shall stand in the glorious land” Any victorious standing up of Michael would of course represent the victory of the children of Israel in their heavenly warfare of dealing back double, when the dragon does not prevail and its place is no longer found in heaven. (Revelation 12:8)

We should read from Daniel again:

We have to wonder - if there is a victory over the dragon which results in its expulsion, then why and how is there afterwards a time of trouble unprecedented in severity and scope? It is difficult to read this as a Hebrew parallelism given that the “time of trouble” which “shall be” is distinguished from and is distinctly after that “time” for which “shall Michael stand up”

The language of Daniel closely corresponds with the words of Christ from His Olivet Discourse and by practical necessity must be speaking of the same tribulation:

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 

Matthew 24:21-22 For at that time there shall be great tribulation, such as has not happened from the beginning of Society until now, nor by any means should happen! And unless those days would be shortened, there would not be any flesh saved. But on account of the elect shall those days be shortened. 

A time so horrible which “has not happened from the beginning of Society until now, nor by any means should happen” can by definition only happen once, and for that reason it cannot be speaking of the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, which could not even compete as a candidate, since it principally affected Yahweh’s enemies and not His children. Neither can this time describe the Second World War, which is too far removed from the immediate context of Christ’s statement within the Olivet Discourse, and as we have seen in this essay, the context of Daniel 12 and Revelation 12 as well. When Christ says “at that time” in reference to this tribulation, He is referencing the setting up of “the abomination of desolation” mentioned shortly beforehand in the discourse, and in regards to its fulfillment Christ instructs that “He reading must understand” (Matthew 24:15). This instruction might  present a difficulty, because the abomination of desolation is recorded within a scroll of Daniel which is sealed until “the time of the end”. How can one read enough to truly understand before its unsealing? 

Either Christ is giving men an apparently impossible task, or He is referring to a fulfillment which will come after the unsealing of Daniel 10-12. Christ can be interpreted as pointing towards the latter where He Himself appears to associate “the end” with the abomination:

The words of Christ can practically be interpreted as establishing this time of great tribulation to be after the unsealing of Daniel, which accords with what we have seen in this essay, that Daniel 12 and Revelation 12 together appear to indicate that this tribulation will follow the heavenly warfare of dealing back double.

It should not be surprising then, that a closer examination of Christ’s words additionally indicates that “the end” comes after the Elijah Ministry finishes proclaiming the good message, which as we have seen, does not begin until the hour of Babylon’s judgement:

Through the testimony of Christ and His prophets, we are beginning to uncover a sequence that will be expounded upon in-depth as we continue this series, Yahweh willing. It appears that the worst time in Adamic history comes not only after the fall of Babylon and dealing back double, but even after the Elijah Ministry proclaims the nourishing words of the Gospel - a proclamation which the Revelation in its far vision may very well establish as transpiring over a three and a half year period. (Revelation 12:6). 

This presents several pressing questions. Firstly, how could this affliction be devastating enough to overshadow the horrors of the two World Wars if the dragon has been expelled from heaven? Moreover, why is this time of trouble coming to pass if the Elijah Ministry has already proclaimed for the people to repent? After all, the purpose of affliction is chastisement for sin as an exhortation towards correction, as Yahweh does not cause His people to suffer needlessly. (Hosea 5:15, Hebrews 12:6) Furthermore, Paul wrote that “every transgression and disobedience receives a legitimate recompense” (Hebrews 2:2); therefore, what is the transgression which legitimately warrants the worst affliction in the history of the Adamic creation? (Mark 13:19) What is happening here? 

This is certainly a perplexing issue which has remained hidden from our eyes, and it is the prophet Zephaniah, whose name means “hidden by Yahweh”, which may very well provide for us the answer.

Zephaniah

There are judgements being proclaimed against several nations in what is now the second chapter of the prophet Zephaniah, apparently ending with a declaration against Nineveh of the Assyrians: 

Zephaniah 2:13-15 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. 14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work. 15 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. 

What follows is a woe being proclaimed upon a city which does not draw near to her God, which could only describe Jerusalem, since only Israel is obligated to draw near to Yahweh and to abide in the commandments exclusively given to them:

Zephaniah 3:1-2 1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! 2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. 

The chapter divisions inserted into Scripture are of course relatively recent contrivances of men. It was the early medieval scribes who artificially separated what is now verse 2:15 from the beginning of what they parsed as the third chapter, as 2:15 was believed to be spoken in regards to Nineveh. We do not necessarily disagree with this interpretation, though we would argue that 2:15 is a bridge into the following judgement and is applicable to both Nineveh and Jerusalem. This becomes especially apparent upon examining any potential far vision context for the passage, a possibility certainly relevant to the scroll of Zephaniah (see 3:19-20 especially, though much of the third chapter compounds with explicit far visions found elsewhere in Scripture)

Being mindful of a far-reaching vision: it is important to remember that the city of Jerusalem is often used in Scripture as a collective type for Yahweh’s people. We read earlier from Isaiah that after the heavenly warfare of dealing back double is accomplished, the Elijah Ministry is instructed to: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.” My people and Jerusalem are common designations for the children of Israel, which is why they are presented in Isaiah as a Hebrew parallelism. As we have interpreted it, “my people” more closely represents the people who come out at Revelation 18:4, and “Jerusalem” more closely represents the woman fleeing into the wilderness in Revelation 12:6.

While the collective children of Israel are the city of Jerusalem in a neutral sense - they are also the whore of Babylon while in a state of apostasy, and for that reason the whore in the Revelation is described as the great city, where it is written “And the woman which you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:18) The great city is certainly Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8). 

The understanding that Jerusalem and Babylon can both describe the children of Israel is important for examining any potential far-vision of Zephaniah 2:15, and it is the prophet Isaiah which once again provides for us an important anchor point to compound several prophecies together. As we explored in the introductory booklet to this series, there are many explicit parallels between Isaiah 47 and Revelation 17-18: 

There is no doubt that Isaiah 47 in its farthest vision is a parallel prophecy to Revelation 18, something which is immediately signalled in its opening clause, where the subject is described as the “virgin daughter of Babylon”. A nation can symbolically become the daughter of another through association, which is why Edom on account of its ancient league is called “daughter of Babylon” (Psalm 137:8). Isaiah, however, speaks of a virgin daughter specifically, which is noteworthy, since the children of Israel were very much made virgins after the reconciliation of the Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2). This small detail establishes a far-reaching fulfillment of the chapter in addition to the table of witnesses above.  

If the Babylon described in Isaiah 47 and Revelation 18 represents the children of Israel, who are simultaneously also the great city, which is certainly Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8) - then what is profoundly helpful in parsing Zephaniah chapters 2 and 3 is that the prophet shares a verbatim clause with Isaiah 47:

Much of the Hebrew of Zephaniah 2:15 is exactly verbatim with the Hebrew of Isaiah 47:8, and this is no common phrase either, as the exact expression of dwelling carelessly and falsely boasting in the heart that “I am” appears nowhere else in Scripture, not even in the prophet Nahum who places nearly his entire focus upon Nineveh. 

[While there is a similarly themed statement concerning Tyre at Ezekiel 28:2, this compounds with our interpretation, as the ancient Israelite city of Tyre is another common type for Mystery Babylon. Interestingly, even Tyre is referred to as the rejoicing (#H5947) city at Isaiah 23:7]

Because the language of Zephaniah 2:15 has a strong link to the description of the virgin daughter of Babylon in Isaiah 47 (which is itself parallel to Revelation 18), we could consider the following chapter division:

Zephaniah 2:13-14 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. 14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work. 

Zephaniah 3:1-3 1 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. 2 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! 3 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. 

We are not alone in our opinion, as this chapter division is shared by Brenton. 

However, we will admit that the standard chapter division can at first appear more fitting towards Nineveh given the context of what was transpiring in Zephaniah’s day. Let us read the passage more fully:

Zephaniah 3:1-7 1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! 2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. 3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. 4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. 5 The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. 6 I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. 7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings. 

The near vision of Jerusalem “not receiving correction” is that the remnant of Judah in Jerusalem did not repent after being saved from the Assyrians. Therefore, where Yahweh proceeds to say that “I have cut off the nations”, and on account of these things that He expected Jerusalem to “fear me”, but that they then “rose early, and corrupted all their doings.” - this is parallel to the complaint which He made before the prophet Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 3:6-8 6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 

This complaint was made by Yahweh to Jeremiah in “the days of Josiah the king” - which is also the same time Yahweh gave His prophecy to Zephaniah (Zephaniah 1:1). In fact, where Yahweh says to Zephaniah that “She obeyed not the voice”, the immediate context would be the reforms of Josiah (2 Kings 23). 

With these things in mind, one would wonder how Jerusalem had “become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in!” (Zephaniah 2:15), given that the city was spared by Sennacherib's forces. Furthermore, the statement is apparently building off what was already said concerning Nineveh, that Yahweh “will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her” (Zephaniah 2:13-14)

We will not say that this is a wrong interpretation to make, but rather that Zephaniah 2:15 concerns both Nineveh and Jerusalem, given that it clearly works as a bridge of judgement between the two cities with a clear comparison being made between them. In the book of Zephaniah, we see that the prophet employs a similar rhetorical trap not unlike that used by other prophets (see Amos 1-2). By first pronouncing judgement on foreign nations such as Philistia and Moab, and then climaxing with Assyria’s proud metropolis - the prophet would have evoked in his Judaean audience a sense of vindication. “Yes, even mighty Nineveh will fall!” But in the very next breath, he utters “Woe to her who is rebellious… the oppressing city” (3:1), which actually targets Jerusalem. The abrupt shift would shock the listeners, as the “city” under judgment is now their own. Zephaniah 2:15, on this reading, is intentionally ambiguous, and it lulls the audience into thinking of distant Nineveh, then pivoting to reveal Jerusalem as equally culpable. In essence, Zephaniah holds up Nineveh as a mirror in which Jerusalem can see her own fate. This is important, for Paul of Tarsus said in regards to the interpretation of prophecy that “we see through a mirror in riddles” (1 Corinthians 13:12)

The language of Zephaniah 2:15 sets down several foundations allowing it to be immediately merged into the judgement against Jerusalem. Notice how the preceding nations (Philistia, Nineveh, et al) are always explicitly named before their judgements are announced, but that Jerusalem is never once named in the judgement announced in chapter three - the subject of that prophecy is only implied. 

We would argue that the beginning of the judgement against Jerusalem was not explicitly prefaced like the nations which came before, so that it could be deliberately hidden under a cloak. The ambiguous phrase “This is the rejoicing city” was tailored in a way in which it would seem to apply to Nineveh, while being able to shift cleverly into the “oppressing city” described immediately afterwards. On that note, the word for “city” (#H5892) stitches the two verses together, and notably, Nineveh was never directly referred to as a city by Zephaniah:

Zephaniah 2:13-14 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. 14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work. 

Zep 2:15-3:1 15 This is the rejoicing city (#H5892) that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! (#H5892)

Whenever Yahweh shifts His focus between nations in the previous chapter, it is often done explicitly, such as when He says “I have heard the reproach of Moab” (2:8) or “Ye Ethiopians also” (2:12). In contrast, there is no preface or definitive language which prevents the “oppressing city” from being the “rejoicing city”. Rather, the “woe” against the oppressing city appears to be acting upon the antecedent judgement, immediately speaking of the same her from before. (A“woe” does not need to introduce a new subject - see Nahum 3:1).

We would also argue that the way in which 2:14 is structured appears to cleanly tidy up and conclude the judgement against Nineveh, with an epiphonema naming the animals that will lodge in its desolation. This is a Biblical formula usually found in the conclusion of judgements against nations (see Isaiah 13:22, 34:14-15). It would be strange for this climatic statement to be made, only for the judgement against Nineveh to pick up again for one brief moment at 2:15. While it might appear to do so at a quick glance with its mutual description of beasts, this framing is an element in which 2:15 becomes a rhetorical trap for Jerusalem.

An incredibly definitive element of identifying Jerusalem as the rejoicing city, is that if we turn our focus further on in Zephaniah 3, we can see how there is an element of the judgement against Jerusalem which quite plainly refers back to what was proclaimed against the rejoicing city at 2:15:

Zephaniah 2:15  This is the rejoicing (#H5947) city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. 

Zephaniah 3:11 In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice (#H5947) in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of [in] my holy mountain. 

This is no common word, as this form of ‛allı̂yz (#H5947) only appears seven times in the Old Testament, of which two of them are here at Zephaniah 2:15 and 3:11! Its root (#H5937) is barely any more common. Zephaniah 3:11 clearly connects the transgression of Jerusalem with the pride of the rejoicing city, all but confirming the rejoicing city to be Jerusalem itself. In fact, Jerusalem is referred to as the rejoicing city in the helpful prophet Isaiah (see also Jeremiah 11:15 and cf. to the corruption described in Zephaniah 3:7): 

Isaiah 22:2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous (#H5947) city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle. 

It is hopefully becoming quite clear just how relevant Zephaniah 2:15 is to Jerusalem. 

In addition to these things, there are also some subtle patterns that might also serve as indications, for example, the word for desolation throughout most of Zephaniah is consistently shemāmāh [#H8077] (see 1:13, 2:4, 2:9, 2:13), including in the judgment against Nineveh where it says, “Nineveh a desolation” (2:13); but then in 2:15, interestingly, we see the introduction of a closely related word: shammāh [#H8047]. While this might seem like a minute detail, the two words actually carry different nuances (see Ezekiel 23:33 where they are used together). Shemāmāh is used throughout Scripture strictly to mean “desolation,” but shammāh has a possible added layer of meaning, as it can also refer to “astonishment” or “horror” (see Deuteronomy 28:37, 2 Chronicles 29:8, Jeremiah 5:30, 8:21, 29:18, et al). This distinction might suggest that the desolation of the rejoicing city in 2:15 is not the same desolation as the one pronounced upon Nineveh in 2:13, and that a new subject is now being referred to. Furthermore, the use of shammāh at Zephaniah 2:15 in the sense of astonishment is implied in the fact that passing nations hiss (see Micah 6:16). If we were to translate the verse, we would have chosen astonishment. 

As evident as all these things are, one might try to argue that this context simply cannot apply to Zephaniah’s time, since Jerusalem was spared by the Assyrians and was not left as an astonishment until the Chaldeans destroyed the city. However, the prophet Jeremiah, whom we have already noted was a contemporary to Zephaniah, disagrees:

Jeremiah 18:15-16 (ESV) 15 But my people have forgotten me; they make offerings to false gods; they made them stumble in their ways, in the ancient roads, and to walk into side roads, not the highway, 16 making their land a horror (#H8047), a thing to be hissed at forever. Everyone who passes by it is horrified and shakes his head. 

Jeremiah 25:18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day; 

We can see through Jeremiah that Jerusalem was already considered an astonishment even before the Babylonian siege. 

With that argument exhausted, one might also be prone to argue that Jerusalem was not made a lodging for beasts until the Babylonian destruction. However, in Isaiah, whose judgements largely concerned the Assyrian deportations and who gave prophecy roughly a hundred years before Zephaniah, we do see a judgment of this kind attached to Jerusalem even before the Babylonians came, and once again, the word for “rejoicing” makes an appearance, making this a direct link to Zephaniah:

Isaiah 32:13-14 13 Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous (#H5947) city: 14 Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; 

It is then said by Isaiah that this beastly condition for the city Jerusalem was to last “until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high” (Isaiah 32:15), clearly a reference in its near vision to the eventual early rain of the Holy Spirit, which was poured out upon the children of Israel for a short time beginning in 32 AD, over 700 years after Isaiah prophesied! Therefore, these cannot be four-legged beasts being described in Isaiah, since Jerusalem continued to stand for over a century after the prophet’s time, and even after its destruction in 586 BC, it was later rebuilt and inhabited for many generations. The only sense in which Jerusalem could be said to be inhabited by beasts during the time of Zephaniah, and even much later with Christ, is in the fact that it was partly inhabited by certain bastard races, which Peter and Jude called beasts (2 Peter 2:12, Jude 19) If we look only shortly ahead in Zephaniah, we see that the prophet has this same context:

Zephaniah 2:15  This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. 

Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. 

The word translated as evening in the King James of Zephaniah 3:3 is the Hebrew noun ‛ereb (#H6153), which is derived from the Hebrew verb ‛ârab (#H6150), meaning to grow dark. The verb ‛ârab eventually became associated with bastard races (Arab), due to the fact that race-mixing causes a White population to grow darker over time. So when it says that the judges within Jerusalem are evening wolves, the prophetic wordplay points to Arab wolves.

As a digression, we noted in this presentation how Isaiah 13–14 (which compounds with the dragon falling from heaven in Revelation 12) and Jeremiah 50–51 are largely parallel visions of the heavenly warfare of dealing back double. Therefore, we will note that any far vision of beasts dwelling in Jerusalem found at Zephaniah 2:15 compounds with both of those prophecies (Isaiah 13:21-22, Jeremiah 50:39), and even with the Revelation itself, where it says “Babylon the great has fallen, has fallen! And it has become a dwelling-place for demons and a prison for every unclean spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird,” (Revelation 18:2). It is the testimony of Yahshua which is the Spirit of interpreting prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)

With everything that we have established thus far, it becomes clear that Zephaniah 2:15 is perfectly applicable to Jerusalem, and is in fact more relevant to Jerusalem than it is to Nineveh (especially in light of Zephaniah 3:11). There are also grammatical arguments to be made which are expounded upon in the appendix to this essay. 

We should also note that Nineveh serves as a type for Mystery Babylon in the far vision of Nahum 1:15, where it says “Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace!”, which compounds with the expectation that the Elijah Ministry will spread the Gospel after Babylon’s fall. This presents a bridge between Nineveh and Mystery Babylon - again smoothing out the fact that Zephaniah 2:15 can be read as applicable to both Nineveh and Jerusalem.

Having established these things, we will now return our focus to the far vision, so that we can answer the puzzling question that brought us to Zephaniah in the first place: why is there a further judgment even after the heavenly warfare of dealing back double?

Before we proceed, we must first note that the oracle against Jerusalem in Zephaniah is certainly relevant for a far-vision, since it includes promises of the ultimate gathering to Christ (3:19) at the time when captivity ends for the dispersed of Israel (3:20) - a captivity which has not yet ended, and will not end, until the Judgment of Nations and the Wedding Supper War (Joel 3:1–16). Therefore, the gathering promised in Zephaniah cannot be referring to the reconciliation of Israel found in the Gospel. The third chapter of Zephaniah contains other far visions as well, such as the reign of Christ (3:15) and the re-betrothal of Israel (3:17), and even more emerge when the chapter is read in conjunction with far visions found elsewhere in Scripture, as we will see. 

With that being said, let us now begin with the key verse:

This establishes Zephaniah 2:15 as an anchor point with the fall of Mystery Babylon in its far vision, thereby setting the stage for the rest of the judgment. We should read the passage in full:

Zephaniah 2:15-3:7 15 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation an astonishment, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. 1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! 2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction (#H4148); she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. 3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. 4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. 5 The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame. 6 I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. 7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction (#H4148); so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings. 

If we interpret the far vision of Zephaniah as describing the aftermath of the fall of Mystery Babylon, it becomes clear that the children of Israel do not immediately repent after its collapse. The fall is described as an act of “correction” (3:2) and “instruction” (3:7), yet many do not listen and instead continue to corrupt their doings. This was actually expressed in the Revelation from the beginning, where it said “You come out from her, My people, that you should not partake in her errors” (Revelation 18:4) - speaking of forthcoming errors.

Where it says in Zephaniah that Jerusalem “obeyed not the voice” (3:2), this must be understood as the voice of the Elijah Ministry, which we have already identified in both Isaiah and the Revelation.

We have seen through Revelation and Isaiah that there is a call for the children of Israel to come out into what is described as the wilderness after the fall of Mystery Babylon, where the Gospel is then proclaimed to them by the Elijah Ministry. Zephaniah reveals to us that they do not hearken to these voices crying out from the wilderness which urge men to fear Yahweh God:

Therefore, on account of the majority of the people not listening to the voice of the Elijah Ministry, another more severe judgement apparently comes after the fall of Mystery Babylon, as we have seen in this presentation from both the words of Christ in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:14-15) and in the prophet Daniel (12:1).

The exact nature of this severe judgement is explicitly revealed in Zephaniah, whose name means “hidden by Yahweh”:

It is evident that the great affliction following the fall of Mystery Babylon, which comes on account of unrepentance and finally succeeds in bringing the people to obedience, is a militant fulfillment of Gog and Magog. This is something which has been suspected for years by many in Christian Identity, and which has also long been suggested in certain interpretations of the prophets. 

It is the testimony of Yahshua Christ which is the spirit of interpreting prophecy (Revelation 19:10), and the fact that a militant invasion of Gog and Magog follows the Elijah Ministry’s proclamation in the wilderness was long explicit in the Olivet Discourse, when you compare Matthew and Luke’s records of it. Yahshua’s Olivet Discourse is proving itself to have been less scattered and more chronologically ordered than previously believed, when compounded with the rest of the writings:

And so, the end, which is also the time of great tribulation of singular severity throughout Adamic history (and so can by definition can only happen once), is recorded as being described as the abomination of desolation in Matthew (and Mark) but Jerusalem surrounded by armies in Luke. Again, a fulfillment of the abomination awaits in our future, as Christ says that those upon its fulfillment must read and understand a book which is sealed until the time of the end, which accords with the compounding of Revelation 12 and Daniel 12. There are many prophecies of prophetic Jerusalem (the children of Israel) surrounded by the armies of Gog and Magog, and expressly for battle, (Revelation 20:9, Zechariah 14:2, Isaiah 29, et al).

If we return to Revelation 12, we can see that a prophecy of Gog and Magog can even be seen following the heavenly warfare of dealing back double:

Revelation 12:6-17 6 And the woman fled into the desert where she has there a place having been prepared from Yahweh, in order that there they may nourish her for a thousand two hundred and sixty days. (Elijah Ministry proclaiming - cf. Revelation 18:4, Isaiah 40:2-3) And there was a war in heaven, (Deal Back Double - cf. Revelation 18:6) Michael and his messengers fighting with the dragon. And the dragon fought, and his messengers, 8 and they did not prevail, nor was their place found any longer in heaven. (Expulsion of the Edom/8th Beast from government - cf. Revelation 18:9, 15; Isaiah 47:15) 9 And the great dragon had been cast down, that serpent of old, who is called the False Accuser and the Adversary; he who deceives the whole inhabited earth had been cast into the earth, and his messengers had been cast down with him. 10 And I heard a great voice saying: "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God has come, (Deal Back Double Triumph - cf. Revelation 19:1-3) and the authority of His anointed, because the accuser of our brethren has been cast down, he accusing them before our God day and night. 11 And they prevailed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they had not loved their lives even to death. 12 For this reason rejoice, heavens and those dwelling in them! Woe to the earth and the sea! Because the False Accuser has come down to you having great wrath, knowing that he has a short time!" (The Adversary still lives - as it is not exterminated until the Second Advent) 13 And when the dragon saw that he had been cast down into the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the man-child. 14 And they had given to the woman the two wings of a great eagle, in order that she may fly into the desert into her place, where she is nourished there for a time and times and half of a time from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent had cast from his mouth water as a river after the woman, in order that he may have her carried off by the river. [Gog and Magog Invasion After the Fall of Mystery Babylon] 16 And the earth assisted the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and gulped down the river which the dragon had cast from his mouth. 17 And the dragon was angered by the woman and went to make war with those remaining of her offspring who keep the commandments of Yahweh and have the testimony of Yahshua. [The survivors at this time have been turned to obedience - cf. Zephaniah 3:9-13]

Gog and Magog is described as making war with survivors of Israel “who keep the commandments of Yahweh and have the testimony of Yahshua” (Revelation 12:17), just as Zephaniah demonstrates that the survivors during Gog and Magog “shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies” (Zephaniah 3:13)

It can be seen through Revelation, Isaiah, and Zephaniah, that there is a three and a half-year space for repentance following the fall of Babylon (1,260 days), and then on account of the people’s failure to repent, this is followed by a three-and-a-half-year affliction (a time, times, and half a time) at the hands of Gog and Magog, through which repentance finally arrives for a remnant of Israel (Zephaniah 3:9-13, Revelation 12:17). We will present additional witnesses in upcoming essays, and expound upon all of these matters in depth, Yahweh willing.

In our next installment of this series, we will take a closer look at prophecies of unrepentance and Gog and Magog, Yahweh willing.

Thank you for reading, and praise Yahweh the God of Israel. 

Jeremiah 18:7-10 7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. 

Appendix

Basics of Biblical Hebrew (BBH) Grammar - Gary D. Pratico & Miles V. Van Pelt, 2001

Basics of Biblical Greek (BBG) Grammar - William D. Mounce - 2011

English translations show a clear change in tense from verses 13 & 14 into 15 which continues into ch. 3:

Future Tense - Green

Present Tense - Yellow

Past/Present Perfect Tense - Cyan

Hebrew 

Qal Perfect - “It must be emphasized that the Hebrew Perfect does not have tense (time of action) apart from context and issues of syntax.” (BBH, p. 139)

Qal Imperfect - “It must also be emphasized that, like the Perfect, the Hebrew Imperfect does not have tense (time of action) apart from context and issues of syntax.” (BBH, p. 165)

Jussive - “used to express either a mild command or a strong wish.” (BBH, p. 215)

Piel - “Intensive. The Piel stem is used to express an intensive type of action with an active voice.” (BBH, p. 307-310); (authors of this essay): it should be noted that the Piel stem is mainly built upon vowel points, and therefore one can choose to ignore the vowel points and consider the verb without Masoretic interference

Waw Consecutive - “A past tense narrative sequence may begin with a Perfect verb followed by any number of consecutive Imperfect” and “The future tense narrative sequence may begin with an Imperfect verb followed by any number of consecutive” - Mounce, Biblical Hebrew Grammar (https://hebrew.billmounce.com/BasicsBiblicalHebrew-17.pdf) This implies that a verb starting with a waw (letter in Hebrew: ו) should be examined for previous context to see if it is part of a chain and may be translated as a part of that previous context’s narrative. Therefore the perfect could be treated as an imperfect and vice versa.

Polel: similar to Piel, see Piel

Qal Participle: “Finally, note that the Participle is a ‘tenseless’ verb form and so must take its tense from context (past tense, present tense, future tense, etc.).” (BBH, p. 262)

Greek

Future Active - “The future tense… describes an action that will occur in the future…. Of all the Greek tenses, the future has the strongest emphasis on time, describing an action occurring in the future.” (BBG, p. 197)

Future Middle - Mounce does not distinguish future middle voice from future active voice in terms of tense

Future Passive - “The future passive is translated with the perfective aspect, almost always referring to a future event: ‘I will be passed.’” (BBG, p.267)

Present Participle - “The key to understanding the meaning of participles is to recognize that their significance is primarily one of aspect…. They do not necessarily indicate when an action occurs (‘time’: past, present).” (BBG, p.294); “2. As a verb, it [participle] has tense (present, aorist, perfect)... 5. Participles do not indicate absolute time but rather aspect.” (BBG, p. 297)

Present Active Indicative - “the present tense in the indicative describes an action that usually occurs in the present time;” (BBG, p.161)

Aorist Passive Indicative - “The aorist passive is translated with the helping verb ‘was’/’were’ and designates an event of perfective aspect, normally in past time.” (BBG, p. 264)

Perfect Participle Passive - “The most important thing to remember about the perfective participle is its aspect. It indicates an undefined action. It tells you nothing about the aspect of the action other than it occurred.” (BBG, p. 316)

The context previous to v. 13 is not included as it concerns the Ethiopians and not Nineveh. Zephaniah 2:12 “Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.”

English translations of Zephaniah 2:13-15 generally appear to follow well with the basic grammatical pattern of the Hebrew and Greek. The Hebrew of v.13 begins with the imperfective, and the English translations choose to represent it with the future tense, as does the Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew. We would agree with this choice, since the judgment upon Nineveh was yet to happen at the time in which this oracle was given to the prophet.

The use of the imperfect continues in the verbs seen up until the middle of verse 14, and afterwards the verse ends with a perfect verb, עֵרָֽה. The Hebrew perfect may also be translated as future tense in English, because both the imperfect and perfect in Hebrew are dependent upon context for determining tense. Examining the context, we could choose to represent this perfect verb with a future perfect in English: “will have been laid bare”. 

Verse 15 marks the beginning of a clear grammatical shift in the Hebrew to participles, and the Greek follows suit with present participles. The English translations choose to display a similar change in tense. In the middle of verse 15 there is the perfect verb הָיְתָ֣ה, which the Septuagint translators chose to represent with the aorist tense, which conveys a completed action, that “she has become a desolation” (it should be noted that the present tense English “is become” also conveys a completed action through implication). 

We could argue that these grammatical changes suggest 2:15 to be a marked change in context from the previous verses which were against Nineveh, especially since this grammatical pattern of participles and perfect tense verbs continues from 2:15 until 3:4. There are some imperfect verbs laying out a future judgment through 3:5-8, for reason of the transgressions described at 3:1-4. 

It can be seen then that the general future tense used in the oracle against Assyria (2:13-14) shifts into a present and past tense astonishment that is depicted as having already occurred at 2:15. While Yahweh does indeed call things not yet existing as existing, the continuation of the grammar in the form of participle verbs and perfect verbs through  Zephaniah 3:4, in tandem with the theological context described in the main part of this essay, certainly suggests that 2:15 belongs with the oracle towards Jerusalem and not with the oracle professed against Nineveh. 

What follows are screenshots of the BibleWorks 10 software showing the morphology of the Hebrew and Greek verbs, from the Leningrad (Hebrew) and Rahlfs (Greek).

Zephaniah 2:13 the Hebrew verbs, each imperfect 

Zephaniah 2:13 The three Greek verbs, each future tense

Zephaniah 2:14 the four Hebrew verbs, perfect and imperfect

Zephaniah 2:14 three Greek verbs, each future tense

Zephaniah 2:15 six Hebrew verbs, participles, perfect and imperfect

Zephaniah 2:15 six Greek verbs (not counting eimi, estin (present tense)), each present, present participle, aorist, future tense 

Zephaniah 3:1 three Hebrew verbs, participles

Zephaniah 3:1 one verb is a perfect participle

For the Hebrew, Bible Hub agrees with BibleWorks 10 software for each verb’s morphology.

https://biblehub.com/text/zephaniah/2-13.htm 

https://biblehub.com/text/zephaniah/2-14.htm 

https://biblehub.com/text/zephaniah/2-15.htm 

https://biblehub.com/text/zephaniah/3-1.htm 

https://biblehub.com/text/zephaniah/3-2.htm 

https://biblehub.com/text/zephaniah/3-3.htm 

https://biblehub.com/text/zephaniah/3-4.htm