p. 98 | Prophecy-No. 7 by W. H. Blaisdell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 15, 1874

Prophecy.—No. 7.

By W. H. Blaisdell

We have examined certain prophecies relating to the Jews, as an illustration of the fact that God has in his word foretold the history of certain nations or classes of mankind. Many prophecies concerning other nations and classes, similar to those which we have examined concerning the Jews, may be found in the Bible, but we shall here only briefly refer to two more examples of this kind. In Jeremiah and Ezekiel are prophecies relating to Egypt, a few verses of which we here quote. “The word that the Lord spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.” Jer. 46 : 13. “It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.” Eze. 29 : 15; also 30 : 10–13.

We give one brief extract from Volney’s “Travels,” vol. i. pp. 74, 103, &c.

“Such is the state of Egypt. Deprived twenty-three centuries ago of her natural proprietors, she has seen her fertile fields successively a prey to the Persians, the Macedonians, the Romans, the Greeks, and Arabs, the Georgians, and, at length, the race of Tartars, distinguished by the name of Ottoman Turks. . . . The system of oppression is methodical. Everything the traveler sees or hears reminds him he is in the country of slavery and tyranny. In Egypt there is no middle class, neither nobility, clergy, merchants, nor land-holders. Ignorance, diffused through every class, extends its effects to every species of moral and physical knowledge.”

In Exodus 17 : 14–16, we find a prophecy relating to the Amalekites, a nation that fought with the children of Israel while on their journey to the land of Canaan. It reads as follows:—

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” “For he said, because the Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” Verse 16.

Here is a prediction foretelling the fact that their name should be utterly blotted out; not that they should be scattered among all the nations of the earth, nor that they should become the basest of nations; but that there should be war with them from generation to generation until the last one of that nation should cease from the earth.

In the “Union Bible Dictionary,” by the Am. Tract Society, under the word “Amalekites,” are the following remarks and references:—

Ex. 17 : 8–16; Num. 14 : 45; 1 Sam. 15. A remnant still escaped and subsisted afterwards: “David defeated them on several occasions, 1 Sam. 27 : 8; 30 : 1; 2 Sam. 8 : 12; and they were finally blotted out by the Simeonites in the time of Hezekiah, 1 Chron. 4 : 43, thus fulfilling the prediction of Balaam. Num. 24 : 20. Haman, the last of the race mentioned in Scripture, perished like his fathers in conflict with the Jews. See the book of Esther.”

We next call attention to prophecies which relate, not to nations or classes of men, but to certain individuals. There are many of this kind in the Bible, but we shall refer to only two cases to illustrate the fact that there are such predictions, and, though relating to individual cases, they have been as surely fulfilled as if they had related to all the world.

It will be seen by reading 1 Kings 21 that Ahab, king of Samaria, and his wife Jezebel, conspired together to take the life of Naboth, and succeeded in accomplishing their wicked design; and God determined to bring certain judgments upon them for their wicked deed, which determination was made known to them by the mouth of Elijah.

“And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.” Verses 17–19.

“And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.” Verse 23. Of Ahab it was said the dogs should lick his blood; but of Jezebel it was said the dogs should eat her.

We find the record of the fulfillment of the prediction concerning Ahab in chapter 22, verses 35–38, which event happened about two years after the prediction was uttered. It reads as follows:—

“And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot. And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, every man to his city, and every man to his own country. So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armor, according unto the word of the Lord which he spake.”

The prediction in regard to Jezebel was fulfilled about fifteen years after it was spoken by the mouth of the prophet. We find the record of this event in 2 Kings 9 : 33–36. “And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down; and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter. And they went to bury her; but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezebel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel.”

Thus we learn what a fearful thing it is to have the judgments of God predicted against mankind either as nations or individuals: W. H. BLAISDELL.