Like many prophecies Ezekiel 30:1-8 seems to have
both historical and end-of-the-age applications. These double applications are
not all that unusual. Several Old Testament writers used the term “day of the
Lord” to describe an impending disaster before they leaped off into the future
to describe that coming disaster called the Tribulation Period. The New
Testament writers continued the practice of double application, but with a
slightly different twist. Like the Old Testament prophets they applied the day
of the Lord to the coming Tribulation Period, but they occasionally leaped
farther down the road and applied it to the disasters leading up to the New
Heaven and New Earth.
Verses 1-3 read, “The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son
of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day! For
the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day;
it shall be the time of the heathen.” This is the Word of God
about judgments that will take place when the Tribulation Period is near.
Ezekiel called it “a cloudy day.” Joel and Zephaniah both called it “a day of
clouds and of thick darkness” (Joel 2:2; Zeph. 1:15). It is a “time of the
heathen” or a time for God to deal with those who have opposed and not
understood the significance of Israel.
Verse 4 reads, “And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt,
and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken
down. The sword (judgment) will come upon Egypt and tremendous pain (violence) will spread
And their foundations (government, laws, idols, etc.) will be broken.
Verse 5 reads, “Ethiopia,
and Libya, and Lydia,
and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league,
shall fall with them by the sword.” Ethiopia, Libya,
Lydia (other nations in North Africa) and Chub (identity unknown, but some think
it referred to mercenaries in Ezekiel’s day and it could refer to mercenaries
today) shall all suffer a similar fate (defeat). Based on other prophecies (such
as Dan. 11:36-45), this writer believes we are seeing the beginning of
Pre-Tribulation Period events that will extend on into the Tribulation Period
before they are totally fulfilled.
Verses 6-7 read, “Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power
shall come down: from the tower
of Syene shall they fall
in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. And they shall be
desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities
shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.”
Egypt’s president, generals, allies and cities
will eventually fall all the way to Syene (the Aswan Dam). The whole area will
be desolate for forty years. This will probably happen when
goes to war with Israel
Verse 8 reads, “And they shall know that I am the LORD, when
I have set a fire in Egypt,
and when all her helpers shall be destroyed.” When all of this takes
place many people in Egypt,
Libya, Ethiopia and the surrounding nations
will know that Jehovah is God.
Wow! If the Tribulation Period is getting close, the Rapture is
even closer. And, come to think of it, high food prices and high gas prices are
not very significant compared to multitudes of Muslims coming to Jesus. It looks
like God really is in control.
Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck