| Isaiah 18 and the Future of America |
Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). America is in Bible prophecy. Isaiah 18 warns of the destruction of America by attackers from a land in the region of Iran, Pakistan or beyond such as southern Asia. This is the reason America does not play a noticeable role in prophecy during the last seven years before Jesus Christ returns. God gives us clues as to what is yet to happen. Isaiah chapter 18 discusses more than one nation. The main country can only be America. What people want is peace and safety. What they will really get is the opposite. You need to know and understand what is to come. Study each verse carefully. Read each section thoroughly before moving to the next. For hundreds of years people have quickly read the passage and moved on to the next chapter without caring enough to figure it out.
It is easy to believe a prophecy that has already been fulfilled in the past but it takes faith to believe in one about the future. The scholars who say Isaiah 18 was fulfilled in the past have rushed to judgment. Do not try to force a prophecy to fit an event. Examine whether an event fits the prophecy. No event in history fulfills this prophecy. Isaiah 18:3 says, "All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye. When has the whole world ever seen and heard something? It has not done so yet. It is not clear what the ensign is neither is the sounding of the trumpet clearly identified. This has not happened to date but for the whole world to see and hear it will have to be very significant. When the anti-Christ signs or confirms a covenant with many as mentioned in Daniel 9:27 it may be globally seen and heard. Of the coming great and dreadful things to happen, the rapture is the event we know of that is best described by this. Jesus was a sign or ensign to the nations. We, as his followers, are an ensign to the world. We will be lifted up to heaven. The word used for lifted up is nasa (naw-saw') (Strong's word 5375) which is a primitive root; meaning to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absol. and rel. (as follows):--accept, advance, arise, (able to, (armor), suffer to) bear(-er, up), bring (forth), burn, carry (away), cast, contain, desire, ease, exact, exalt (self), extol, fetch, forgive, furnish, further, give, go on, help, high, hold up, honorable (+ man), lade, lay, lift (self) up, lofty, marry, magnify, X needs, obtain, pardon, raise (up), receive, regard, respect, set (up), spare, stir up, + swear, take (away, up), X utterly, wear, yield. We are not forgiven or pardoned at the rapture but the Christians will be raptured because they are forgiven. They will be lifted up and fetched.
| 1 Corinthians 15: | ||
| 51 | Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, | |
| 52 | In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. | |
| 53 | For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. | |
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| 1 Thessalonians 4: | ||
| 15 | For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. | |
| 16 | For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: | |
| 17 | Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. | |
A trumpet will sound for the whole world to hear. When this prophecy was given, trumpets were used for several things. One was to gather the congregation together (Numbers 10:7). When the rapture comes, the congregation will be gathered. In the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25 the cry at midnight said, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." All the virgins heard the cry. Five virgins were prepared and were accepted. Five were foolish and when they came later they were told, "Verily I say unto you, I know you not." Jesus will say "I know you not" to the unbelievers. The five foolish virgins were unbelievers. They heard the cry at midnight as well. When the rapture comes as a thief in the night, all of the world will hear about it. The rapture may be the time when this event happens. Another global event in the tribulation is the death of two of God's witnesses in Jerusalem. Revelation 11:1-13 tells us they prophesy for 1,260 days. When they are killed verse 10 says, "And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth." The whole world will see and hear what happens to these men.
Isaiah 18 was given to Israel first. The book of Isaiah in chapter one starts with the introduction, "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah." It was written for Israel's perspective. Woe or great sorrow is declared for a "shadowing with wings" which sends its messengers to destroy another. A country named Cush is given as a reference. Cush, or Ethiopia as some believe, is not the country which is destroyed. The Bible says woe to the country which sends messengers but the destruction found in verses four through six is for a fourth country which is not named but instead described.
The Bible was written first for the Hebrew people. They are the first intended listener. Salvation comes to the Jews first and then the Gentiles second. Any reference given is from the perspective of Israel. To identify the other countries you need to start with Israel. To provide a better understanding of each country's involvement, the phrases of the first two verses are split apart below.
| Phrase | Applicable Country |
| Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond | This is the second country. It sends out its messengers to the country which gets destroyed. |
| the rivers of Ethiopia: | This phrase is about a third country. It is a reference only. |
| That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, | This part is about the second country again. |
| to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled! | This refers to the fourth country. It is the focus of the chapter. |
Verse one is about a country beyond the rivers of Cush. The whole chapter, however, is not about that country. Messengers, ambassadors or agents from an un-named nation known as the "land shadowing with wings" or "whirring wings" go to a fourth country to destroy it. Understand, if the United States of America is seriously attacked by another such that there are too many to be buried the offending country will be dealt with harshly in such a way as does not need to be described.
Readers find the mention of "Ethiopia" in verse 1 and assume that the passage is about it. The passage is not about "Ethiopia". The real name here is Cush. The real identity of Cush does not change the reference to the fourth country later in the chapter. Cush is a nation that helps identify another nation that is the "land shadowing with wings" which is beyond its rivers from the perspective of the people of Israel. Cush is merely a reference point. I believe this is where most people go wrong. Once they see Cush it is all they focus on. I suspect some with racial biases have found the name Ethiopia in the past and then ignored it because it is about a people and a heritage for which they have no concern. I have noticed some who care about Ethiopia, Eritrea and the surrounding area and then seek to place the country they love into the prophecy. This doesn't work either.
What do these references mean? Israel is implied in verse one but the identity of the fourth country cannot be determined by its relationship to Israel, by the location of Cush, by the land beyond the rivers of Cush or any relationship between these countries. Unfortunately, readers focus on Israel, Cush and the land beyond be fail to stay focused on the country in verses 2-7.
Isaiah 18 focuses on a nation which is a "scattered and peeled", a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meting out and trodding down, whose land the rivers divide. If we consider how the passage applies to all of the countries since the days of Isaiah we will see that only America fits the description. Verse 2 describes the main country. The focus of Isaiah 18 is a nation scattered and peeled, a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meting out and trodding down, whose land the rivers divide. These are the traits of that country:
Compare all nations to the country in Isaiah 18
Requirement number 7 demands interaction with Israel. Numbers 3 and 4 require this country to be a significant military power, world leader or conqueror that was in power or rose to power after God gave Isaiah the prophecy. What countries can be considered?
Africa
Egypt had been successfully invaded by the Hyksos prior to Isaiah. The Egyptians were not down trodding but instead had been downtrodden when the Exodus occurred. Solomon also stemmed the Egyptian power during his reign. Since then other countries have taken over Egypt. It does not have its former glory. Requirements three and four do not apply. Therefore, Egypt cannot qualify. Ethiopia has been a favorite of many scholars because of the incorrect translations of the name Cush. This country is not a powerful nation. It is not what is described in verse 2. All other countries in Africa countries do not meet the requirements either.
Antarctica
Antarctica - Antarctica is not an inhabited land.
Asia
Assyria, Nineveh and Babylon had not always been in power but had instead been ruled by others prior to Isaiah's time. China was obscure in Isaiah's time. As of today, it has not been attacked with such a great loss so as to greatly delay or prevent the burying of dead as mentioned in verse 6. It has not been known to bring a present to the LORD in Jerusalem. It was conquered by Japan last century. If it is destroyed in the future it would not be a nation powerful from its beginning. China cannot be the nation this chapter is talking about. Japan is not divided by rivers. It was conquered in 1945 but it did not bring anything to Jerusalem. Russia in the thirteenth century was attacked by the Mongol Empire. The Mongol occupation lasted about 200 years. Russia has not been powerful since its beginning. All other Asian countries have been conquered but not destroyed as described by Isaiah in this chapter.
Australia
The rivers do not divide Australia. While their strength is to be respected, they have not been the power mentioned in verses three and four.
Europe
Greece lost its power and was not destroyed as described in verse six and did not bring a present as in verse seven. Rome lost its power slowly. Like Greece, verses six and seven do not apply. Any and all other countries in Europe have been conquered in a manner inconsistent with Isaiah 18. None of these countries could gain power again and say they have been powerful since their beginning.
Islands of the Sea
Greenland and all other islands do not meet the requirements.
South America
Brazil is divided by the Amazon but is not a super power which dominates other nations. Other countries in South America are not strongly divided by rivers and do not dominate other countries.
North America
What is the purpose of mentioning the land beyond the rivers of Cush? As it turns out, it is the source from where the destroyers come. It sends messengers to destroy another nation. It will have great woe or sorrow itself but it is not the object of destruction. Most readers believe the land beyond the rivers of Cush is the main land which gets destroyed. The nations in that area do not match the description found in Isaiah 18. Therefore, we know there is another country destroyed not mentioned in verse one. The existence of the messengers gives us a clue as to what happens.
Isaiah 18:4 says, "For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest." A period of time is coming referred to as the tribulation or the time of Jacob's trouble (Matthew 24:21, 29, Mark 13:24, Revelation 7:14, Jeremiah 30:7). God will not intervene to the good of mankind but instead allow bad things to happen on a large scale. In this chapter something bad happens. What it is we can not exactly say but "clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest" is not presented as a good thing. What is a "cloud of dew in the heat of harvest"? Well, that could be a monsoon rain. It could also be the mist of a chemical weapon. In addition, radiation is a clear heat and in excess produces clouds. The word translated as "herbs" is the Hebrew word for light pronounced "or". Isaiah 18:6 reads, "They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them." This describes the result of the destruction. There will be so many dead that the dead cannot be buried. The Hebrew word translated as summer is quwts (pronounced koots - Strong's 6972 meaning to clip off or to spend the harvest season. It is related to qayits (pronounced kah'-yits Strong's 7019) meaning harvest (as the crop), whether the product (grain or fruit) or the (dry) season. Quwts is used only once in the Bible. The timing is also shown by the birds feeding off of the bodies in the summer harvest and the beasts feeding in the winter. This is not an event with thousands dead. The toll would have to be in the millions. When it is done, so many are dead that they will not all be buried.
When God does not step in to stop people from destroying themselves or others what do they do? When God rests at this time, evil men will be free to do what they want. Going back to verse two, what do we find? The country of "whirring wings"sends its "ambassadors" to America. It should be no surprise that a nation that lets its guard down would be vulnerable to attack. The borders of America are weaker than ever before with even the top levels of government refusing to defend the country. Isaiah 18:2 says, "That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled!" Substituting America for the nation this verse would read, "That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to America". This is the agent for its destruction. While God is resting, these messengers bring swift destruction upon America that is described in verse 4.
Isaiah 18:5 says, "For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches." In the northern hemisphere grapes blossom around April or May. The earliest harvest grapes used in sparkling wines can occur in late August or early September. Other harvesting occurs through September and into October. Sometime during this period Isaiah 18 will be fulfilled. This could refer to the rapture occurring at this time. The vine and branches that Jesus mentioned at the last supper refer to Jesus and his followers who are removed from the world at the rapture. John 15:1-6 teaches us, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." Romans 11 shows that unbelievers were pruned off and the Christian believers were grafted in. When the rapture occurs the vine will be cut off from the world. Isaiah 18:6 says, "They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them." The word quwts is translated as summer in this passage. Strong's Concordance (H6972) lists its first definition as "to clip off". It's what is done in the harvest season. The word charaph is translated as winter. The first meaning of Strong's Hebrew word H2778 is "to pull off". Does this mean the animals will spend the summer and winter feeding on them or does it mean they will cut and pull off the flesh of what is left in the field?
The messengers come from a land beyond the rivers Cush. There are many countries beyond the rivers of Cush such as Iran or Pakistan. If we knew where this country was we might be able to stop some of its agents. We would understand better why and when they would strike. If the fulfillment of this chapter was in the near future we would expect to see a country preparing for war. Readers find the mention of "Ethiopia" in verse 1 and assume that the passage is about it. The passage is not about "Ethiopia". The real name here is "Cush". Where is the land of Cush?
Is Cush really Ethiopia as most scholars think? The "scholars" used to question the existence of the Hittites. The "scholars" also question whether Jesus Christ really did miracles, too. The scholars used to think the sun went around the earth. Think twice about what the scholars say and research it for yourself. While scholars think Cush is Ethiopia, the scriptures do not use the word Ethiopia in the Old Testament. The actual boundaries and make up of the land of Cush are not clear. Ethiopia shows up 19 times in translations of the Old Testament and one in the New Testament (Acts 8:27). The Greek is clear in Acts. The reference is to a country called Ethiopia. The word in Greek is Aithiopia. Cush is not the same word as Aithiopia. The occurrences in the Old Testament should not be translated as Ethiopia. The real word used here is "Kuwsh" or "Cush" in English. Cush was the son of Ham the son of Noah. The name "Cush" is found eight times in the Bible. Six places refer to Cush the son of Ham. One reference in Psalm 7:1 refers to Cush the Benjamite. Isaiah 11:11 uses Cush to refer to a land. The land of Cush may have ended up as Ethiopia, but even if it did, it certainly did not always refer to Ethiopia. The Bible suggests the land of Cush isn't Ethiopia but instead an area somewhere in the region of southern Iraq or Saudi Arabia.
| Genesis 2: | ||
| 10 | And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. | |
| 11 | The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; | |
| 12 | And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. | |
| 13 | And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. | |
| 14 | And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. | |
Daniel 10:4 references the river Hiddekel. Daniel was in the city of Babylon. Two major rivers were in this area; the Tigris and Euphrates . Since the Euphrates is also mentioned with the Hiddekel, the Hiddekel must have been the Tigris. The rivers that fed the garden of Eden were joined together at the garden area. A hard point to understand is that when Adam and Even were in the garden the world centered around them. The heads refers to the source of the rivers and not the point where it fed into anything. From a social sense the rivers went out of the garden because the focus was in the garden. Freeways go out of a city from someone's focus who is in the city but from the person living outside they would refer to the freeways as going in. From a hydraulic standpoint the rivers went into the garden. Their stated purpose was to water it. From a cartographic viewpoint the rivers went out of the garden. This passage refers to a river associated with Cush. The translators of the King James Version of the Bible used Ethiopia for the land of Cush. If Cush were Ethiopia then that would mean when Moses wrote this down, the river would have to flow around Ethiopia, cross the Great Rift Valley, cross over the Blue Nile, flow northward along the Nile without joining it, cross the Sinai Peninsula, cross the Arabian Peninsula and meet up with the Euphrates in Iraq at the north end of the Persian Gulf. It would have to go uphill and downhill. It would have to cross other bodies of water. It would have to flow thousands of miles. Such a theory is not well thought out. It is just plain and simply wrong.
This is not a viable option. There is no historical or geological evidence to support this. No scientific model has been published to show how the earth would have been different to provide the drop in elevation to support this long flow of water and what could have possibly changed the geography to its present impossible route. Water will not flow along this route. Something would have to be drastically different. In fact, because the Jews did not cross the Gihon to get to or from the Red Sea we know that it did not exist in this location.
Notice the word "compasseth" is present tense, not past tense. In the day God had Moses write Genesis, the Gihon River compassed the whole land of Cush. The river was not destroyed by the great flood. It survived it. The Tigris and the Euphrates rivers come together at the Persian Gulf in Iraq. A river did not feed into this system from Ethiopia. Also, note that Genesis 10:1 and 6 tell us Cush was the grandson of Noah. The nation of Cush did not exist until after the great flood. Assyria is also mentioned in verse 14 which is not recorded in pre-flood times. The reference would have to be valid to regions before and after the great flood. Cush is the correct translation and refers to land in Asia, not Africa.
| Genesis 10: | |
| 6 | And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. |
| 7 | And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. |
| 8 | And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. |
| 9 | He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. |
| 10 | And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. |
| 11 | Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, |
| 12 | And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city. |
| 13 | And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Lehabim, and Naphtuhim, |
| 14 | And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim. |
| 15 | And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, |
| 16 | And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, |
| 17 | And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, |
| 18 | And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. |
| 19 | And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. |
| 20 | These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. |
Notice that Cush's son founded Babylon which is in Iraq, not Ethiopia. The sons settled in Asia, not Ethiopia. The cities, such as Nineveh, were in Asia. Canaan was the Promised Land. Josephus, in Antiquities Book 1 Chapter 6.2 tells us, "For of the four sons of Ham, time has not at all hurt the name of Chus; for the Ethiopians, over whom he reigned, are even at this day, both by themselves and by all men in Asia, called Chusites." First of all, note that the works of Josephus that we have recorded and available to us today are inaccurate and unreliable. See Can the Historian Josephus be Trusted? Josephus, in Antiquities Book 1 Chapter 3. 5 says, "After this, the ark rested on the top of a certain mountain in Armenia; which, when Noah understood, he opened it; and seeing a small piece of land about it, he continued quiet, and conceived some cheerful hopes of deliverance." The ark did not come to rest in Armenia. Look what the Bible says:
| Genesis 11: | |
| 1 | And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. |
| 2 | And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. |
Noah and his descendents journeyed from the east to the plain in the land of Shinar. Josephus locates Mount Ararat in Turkey northwest of Babylon. After Babylon was settled and began to built the people of the world spread out and formed the many nations. Josephus has the ark in the wrong country and he has the people of the earth separating before Babylon. In Book 1 Chapter 6.1, Josephus also tried to tell us that the sons of Japheth spread out from Turkey rather than Babylon. Josephus' reference is not valid.
| Numbers 12:1-3 | ||
| 1 | And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. | |
| 2 | And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it . | |
| 3 | Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) | |
Exodus 2:16-22 says, "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land." Reuel was another name Jethro. Cush, not Ethiopia was associated with Midian. Exodus 3:1 says, "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb." Here Cush is associated with Midian in the northern Arabian Peninsula. Mount Horeb is associated with Midian as well. Moses was married to a woman named Zipporah from this area, not a woman from Africa in Ethiopia. Exodus 4:18-19 says, "And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life." Chapter 4 shows Moses dwelling in Midian where he met his Cushite wife. Exodus chapter 18 also mentions Jethro seven times and shows it in the context of a Midian priest and not a person from Ethiopia.
In another location in the Bible, Judges 3:8 says, "Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years." Chushanrishathaim means "Chushan of double wickedness". Chushan or "Kuwshan" comes from "Kuwsh" which is translated "Cush". The king was the king of the Cush and he was the king of Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia means the land between the rivers and refers to the land between the Tigris and the Euphrates. It was in Iraq. The actual Hebrew says aram naharayim. This means the Aram of the two rivers. Now how can Cush be in Ethiopia if Cush is in Mesopotamia or the land of the Tigris and Euphrates?
| Psalm 87 | ||
| A Psalm or Song for the sons of Korah. | ||
| 1 | His foundation is in the holy mountains. | |
| 2 | The LORD loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. | |
| 3 | Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. | |
| 4 | I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there. | |
| 5 | And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. | |
| 6 | The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah. | |
| 7 | As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee. | |
A single man could not be born in three different places; Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia. It must instead refer to the heritage of the Psalmist. The Jews came from Canaan where Philistia and Tyre are found but not Ethiopia. In this passage the real world is Cush. Israel came from Jacob whose grandfather was Abram.
| Genesis 11 | ||
| 27 | Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. | |
| 28 | And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. | |
| 29 | And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah. | |
| 30 | But Sarai was barren; she had no child. | |
| 31 | And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. | |
| 32 | And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran. | |
In Genesis 17:5 God changed Abram's name to Abraham. Abraham came from Ur in southern Iraq which is in the lower in end of Mesopotamia. Psalm 87 makes sense when you understand that Cush included Ur at one time. It does not make sense if you believe Ethiopia is Cush. Again, we find Cush is not of Africa but really in Asia.
Through the prophet Ezekiel God said he would destroy Egypt.
| Ezekiel 29: | ||
| 8 | Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. | |
| 9 | And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. | |
| 10 | Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. | |
| 11 | No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. | |
| 12 | And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries. | |
Aswan is the current name for Syene. It represented the southern end of Egypt. If Cush were Ethiopia it would not make sense to say Egypt would be destroyed from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia or from the southern end of Egypt to a nation even farther south. This would be like saying America will be destroyed from Texas to Guatemala. That would not represent America. If Egypt were only partially destroyed they really would not be scattered. For the passage in Ezekiel to make sense Cush would have to meet up with Egypt somewhere in the northern part of the country. Again, Ethiopia cannot be Cush. Cush had to be a country between the Nile and the Euphrates. Iraq and/or Saudi Arabia make up this are now. If Ethiopia were Cush, God would have Ezekiel saying that Egypt would be destroyed from somewhere in its southern parts to the extreme southern border. The whole land would not be desolate. The actual limits are not important. What is important to note is that Ethiopia cannot be Cush according to Ezekiel 29.
2 Chronicles 21:16 says, "Moreover the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines, and of the Arabians, that were near the Ethiopians:" "Ethiopians" is an incorrect translation. The real people here were from Cush. From Ezekiel 29 we know that Cush was not at the southern end of Egypt but instead the northern border as shown above. This places them in the northern Sinai and Arabian Peninsulas and not Ethiopia.
Cush cannot be said to be next to another country because its name is next to the country in the text. In the section above Philistines and Arabians are mentioned in the same verse and are also identified as being near each other physically. In some cases the names are mentioned together in the text but are not together physically. Genesis 10:6 lists sons of Ham as Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. Mizraim is Egypt in Africa. Cush's sons were in Asia and his grandson, Nimrod, was in Babylon. Isaiah 11:11 lists multiple countries together, "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea." Here we see nations spread over a large range in the same verse. Cush is mentioned with Midian. Habakkuk 3:7 says, "I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble." Here a derivative name of Cush is associated with Midian in the northern Arabian Peninsula and not Ethiopia. It sounds like they are close together but can we say for sure based on this? No. Other verses translate Cush as Ethiopia and mention it with other countries but do not express any certain physical connection between them. They are Psalms 68:31, Isaiah 20:3-5, 43:3, 45:14, Ezekiel 30:4, 30:5, 38:5, Nahum 3:9, 2 Chronicles 12:3, Jeremiah 46:9, Ezekiel 30:9, Daniel 11:43 and Amos 9:7. There is a similarity in ancient Egypt between the name Kash and Cush but it does not mean they were the same. The name Hindu Kush today refers to areas in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Based on name similarity, Cush would be far away from Ethiopia.
Psalms 7:1 starts, "Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite." Here Cush is a name of a Hebrew and does not refer to a land. 2 Samuel 18:21 says, "Then said Joab to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran." Cushi is a derivative of Cush, and again, refers to a person. He is also mentioned in 2 Samuel 18:22, 23, 31 and 32. Another use of the name is in Jeremiah 36:14, "Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them." Zephaniah adds another, "The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah."
An attempted translation of the Old Testament into Greek called the Septuagint translates Cush as Aithiopias or Ethiopia. This is incorrect. The Septuagint is not a valid translation. Hebrew cannot really be preserved in Greek. The acrostic in Psalm 119 is lost in translation. The full set of multiple meanings in Hebrew words is not preserved in Greek when translated and new meanings are added in Greek. The Septuagint is included the Apocrypha which contains errors and it introduces errors in the main text starting in Genesis. For more information see Is the Septuagint Accurate?.
Today, Ethiopians claim to be Cushites because the Queen of Sheba supposedly had an affair with King Solomon. Their account disagrees with scripture saying Solomon had 400 wives and 600 concubines. 1 Kings 11:3 tells us that Solomon had "seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines:" In the Ethiopian legend Solomon tricked the Queen of Sheba, seduced her, got her pregnant and then let her go. In 1 Kings chapter 10 we have the account of the Queen of Sheba. Following her visit to King Solomon, 1 Kings 10:23 says, "So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom." Wise kings do not have a wild night and then abandon their kids. The Ethiopian story disagrees with the Bible. It is false. Also notice that Cush and Sheba are different nations. If you belong to the nation of Sheba you cannot belong to the nation of Cush. Even in Ezekiel 38 and 39 the nations are mentioned separately. To claim that Ethiopians are the nation of Cush because they are from Sheba, which they are not, is bogus.
The issue of Cush is not just academic. Cush plays a part of Ezekiel 38 and 39. It is also used for a reference in Isaiah 18 which may be more important to us than Ezekiel 38. The Cush empire might have been large and migrated with the residual being left in Ethiopia, but Cush cannot, and should not, be translated as Ethiopia. The United States borders, for example, have changed in location. The people came from Europe and started with only 13 colonies. The country spread westward. Finally, in 1959 it came to include Hawaii and Alaska. If the east fell, and we hope not, the United States would still be in the west. The boundaries for countries do change. Given the reliable information we have today, we cannot clearly define or limit Cush. We should view Cush based on evidence from the Bible and not from the world. Since we do not have a clear English translation for the name Cush, we should leave the word as "Cush", and avoid the mistake of using "Ethiopia".. The best evidence, however, shows it to be in the Iraq and/or Saudi Arabian area.
The real identity of Cush does not change the reference to America later in the chapter. Cush is a nation that helps identify another nation which is the "land shadowing with wings". The "land shadowing with wings" is not the focal point of this chapter either. Instead, it is a nation that sends its ambassadors to the nation in verse two. The land of whirring wings would be the land beyond the rivers of Cush from the perspective of the people of Israel who were the first intended listeners. In verse 1 "beyond" must mean on the other side of the rivers of Cush or Iraq with respect to Israel; that is, the land east of Iraq. There are two countries that are mentioned in the Bible east of the Tigris and Euphrates: Persia, known today as Iran (mentioned 25 times) and India (Esther 1:1 and 8:9). The country just beyond Cush is Iran. Other countries that are beyond the rivers of Cush are Pakistan, Afghanistan, India at least a dozen more.
The country that sends its "ambassadors" to another country in the way described in this passage could be Iran. Today we see an unprecedented threat to America from one of these known as Iran. When Soviet Russia developed its nuclear program America could rely on Russia understanding the principle of mutually assured destruction. Each country knew that a first strike would most likely result in both countries being destroyed. Neither America nor Russia wanted that. What's different today? Iran has entered the picture. Iran does not necessarily believe the theory of mutually assured destruction, and moreover, Iran may not care. It would be an honor for Iran to destroy America even if Iran was destroyed themselves. Iran is not a sane country or a peaceful country. Iran has embarked on a mission to develop nuclear bombs. If Iran wanted uranium for peaceful purposes only, they would let international inspectors verify what they were doing with it. The spin-off technology Iran has procured can be used to separate uranium isotopes needed to make nuclear bombs. Iran is making nuclear warheads. Iran has developed many types missile for offensive purposes. Here are some reasons to suspect Iran:
It is possible. Pakistan, for example, lies beyond the rivers of Cush. Pakistan now has a stockpile of over one hundred nuclear weapons. The power structure of the country shifted when Pervez Musharraf resigned in 2008. Many radical people live in the country and the there is no guarantee of what their goals wills be like in the future. Currently, however, it does not export terror like Iran.
In addition, groups such as Al-Qaeda or the Taliban may get help from hostile powers such as North Korea. On Memorial Day, May 25, 2009, North Korea announced it tested an underground nuclear device. They provided advance warning and the USGS verified a 4.7 magnitude event. From there they have progressed to being a serious threat today. America is too confident that no other country can touch it.
The more weapons America's enemies have the more destruction that can be brought about. The United States must prevent hostile nations from developing nuclear devices. Next, it must prepare to intercept as many messengers, envoys, ambassadors or carriers as possible. Homeland Security is a priority. America has a problem and it has no option to than to deal with it immediately.
When the disaster is over the fourth country will bring a present to the Lord in Jerusalem. What is the present? The Bible does not say here. Is it gold, silver or money? Is it a religious relic or artifact? What really matters to God? It would be nice to know. It is important enough to be mentioned in the Bible. Isaiah 18:7 says, "In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion." One possibility is the rebuilding Jerusalem and the cities of Israel after the great war found in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. See The Coming War in Israel. Verse 19 tells us of a great shaking in the whole land. Verse 20 says all men on the face of the earth shall shake. Does "earth" refer to the whole world or the complete land of Israel? With either possibility the minimum extent requires every building in all of Israel to fall. For Israel to continue on new buildings must be built. America may help rebuild Israel. Another possibility is that the present is gold, silver or materials to build a future temple in Jerusalem. God loves people the most. The present might also represent all of the Jewish people living in America. They are worth infinitely more than gold and silver. There is no greater present that you can give to God other than yourself. What about Joseph and Mary? Following the birth of Jesus Christ, Luke 2:22 says, "And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;" Joseph and Mary presented Jesus unto the Lord (God the father) in Jerusalem. Other than their own lives, this was the greatest gift they could give. God doesn't need our gold, he wants us to return to him. Today when Jews return home to the land of their fathers they often refer to it as an aliyah. You may have seen the Arutz Sheva and Jerusalem Post web sites linking to Nefesh B'Nefesh Aliyah Services. When America is attacked the reason for anyone to stay will be greatly reduced. If millions of Jews returned to Israel it would be a great present unto the Lord and worth more than all the gold and silver in the world. Isaiah 33:6 tells us "the fear of the LORD is his treasure". We need not just a great physical Aliyah (a going up referring to immigration to the land of Israel) but a great spiritual one.
When Isaiah 18 is fulfilled, Christians alive in America may not be here. Jesus told his followers that he was leaving the earth but that he would come again. The Bible tells us about what is now calls the rapture. The believers will be removed from the earth and go straight to heaven. Seven years of tribulation and great suffering will follow. If you get saved before the rapture you will avoid the tragedy. We do not know how far this event is in the future. Not everyone alive today will be alive when this catastrophe will be set into motion. If you are alive then you will certainly want to avoid it. If you are not in America you will escape this devastation but not necessarily other wars. If you are in a city that is not attacked you may evade the enemy's envoys. Whether you avoid all the horrors what matters is that you spend eternity in heaven. If the rapture occurred and you are still on the earth you need to get saved today. It profits you nothing to gain the whole world but lose your own soul. While you may be safe or you may get killed, without Jesus nothing else matters. What matters is that you spend eternity with God. God has a son. His name is Jesus Christ Jesus Is the Messiah. God sent his son to die on a cross and become the ultimate sacrifice. He paid the entire price for our sins on the cross. There is nothing we can do ourselves. We are unworthy. Jesus rose the third day to become the first of the resurrection and prove he is Lord. What really matters in life is whether you accept Jesus as Lord. Life is a test and the only answer is Jesus. Without Jesus it does not matter whether you die in tumult, escape tragedy or live a total life of luxury somewhere else. What matters is that you spend eternal life in heaven. Without Jesus, you will live in hell after you die. Instead, you can call upon the Lord to save you. Salvation is so simple to attain that most people don't want to accept it. It is based on faith. Jesus does all the work. If you want to be saved and have eternal life read about salvation.
Isaiah 18:6 says, "They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them." Isaiah 17 is about the future destruction of Damascus. The city shall no longer be inhabited but the prophecy does not say how many die. So the same, the Bible in Isaiah 18 omits any reference to the number of dead. Also it does not say all, some, a few, or most of the people in the country will die. There will be too many dead to bury or the bodies will left for the birds for some reason. If this occurs during the seven year tribulation written about in the book of Revelation, it would not unthinkable that millions upon millions would die. One quarter of the earth's population will be destroyed by the "sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." (Revelation 6:8) The actual amount may still be subject to change. It may vary based on the actions of America which has the ability to make changes within its border and influence the rest of the world. In Genesis 19 angels came to take Lot out of Sodom before it was destroyed. Lot's choice saved himself and his two daughters. The book of Jonah 3 tells how Nineveh repented and was spared. A plague ravaged Israel in 1 Chronicles 21. It started when King David numbered Israel. King David and the elders who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces and sought the Lord. Verse 18 says, "Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite". Following David's sacrifice on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite the plague was stopped. What we do will make a difference in what happens. While the death toll in Isaiah 18 appears to be a large amount, we do not know the exact figures or even have an approximate guess. We do not know the exact targets. Many can be saved if we stop even one of the messengers. The best time to act is now.
It is important to read Isaiah chapter 18 completely. Most people make the mistake of reading through the chapter too quickly. Is it possible they are not paying attention because it is talking about a country they are not concerned about? Perhaps you are a scholar who wants to see everything fulfilled in the past so you can explain it. Please take another look. The King James Version (KJV) is included below because copyright permission is not required to use it. The KJV is a good translation because of the texts that were used but it is not perfect. Newer translations may change words in part to help secure a copyright. Copyrights can only be gained from authors for new work or work which is substantially different from the original work. The copies of the Bible we have today in Hebrew are the authority. If the English varies from the Hebrew the English is translated wrong. Many versions I find translate Cush incorrectly as Ethiopia. The New King James Version, Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, American Stand Version, Reina-Valera (Spanish) and the Latin Vulgate read as Ethiopia. The New International Version, New American Standard Bible, Young's Literal Translation, English Standard Version, Darby Translation and Webster's Bible do not make this mistake. Note the superscripts in the verses below.
Isaiah 18:1
Woe to the land shadowing1 with wings2, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia3:
Isaiah 18:2
That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered4 and peeled5, to a people terrible6 from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out7 and trodden down8, whose land the rivers have spoiled!9
Isaiah 18:3
All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.
Isaiah 18:4
For so the LORD said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.
Isaiah 18:5
For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.
Isaiah 18:6
They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth: and the fowls shall summer10 upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter11 upon them.
Isaiah 18:7
In that time shall the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the LORD of hosts, the mount Zion.
Italicized words are words that are not actually present in the copies of the manuscripts but are thought by the translator to be strongly suggested or implied by the text in the original language. See the following list for the Hebrew meaning from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. Hebrew words are numbered HXXXX.
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