Ship of the West

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ships of the western coast lands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant” (Daniel 11:30). The reader might think it strange that I would illustrate this article with ripened fruit in desolate places rather than great war ships poised for battle. But as we look deeper into the meaning of Daniel's "Ships of the Western Coast-Lands" you will see why I chose this picture instead.The actual Hebrew pronunciation of this phrase is “Tsee (H6716) Kit Tee ee (H3794)”. 

The word “Tsee” is actually about shipping, not boats or warships. “Kit Tee ee” relates to the furthest reaches. Put these two words together and you get “those who have been shipped to the furthest reaches”. This concept relates to one of the most obvious, yet least considered aspects of prophecy concerning the People of Israel today. Moses was very specific in his prophecies about the great diaspora of Israel due to their disobedience and rebellion against the Covenant. Moses said, “YHWH will send you back in "SHIPS" to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again” (Deuteronomy 28:68). Metaphorically speaking, the Children of Israel were going to be shipped back into the nations to endure hardship just as Jacob and his seed had been shipped from Canaan into Egypt to endure the oppression of Pharaoh.

2700 years have passed since the upper tribes of Israel were exiled from the Promised Land. But one day the fortunes of the oppressed and neglected seed of Israel are going to change, just as it changed for them in land of Egypt. "God heard their groaning and he remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them" (Exodus 2:24-25). Daniel's prophecy in verse 11:30 represents the time when the voice of Israel cries out again for deliverance and their cry will be heard in the heavens. YHVH's mighty outstretched arm will reach towards His scattered flock who have remembered and embraced His Holy Covenant. This, in turn, will harden the heart of the man of sin and like the proud Pharaoh of old, "he will take action against it" (Daniel 11:28). He will respond against the Holy Covenant through the enforcement of the Mark of the Beast upon all nations kindreds. This the lawless one will do in hopes that no one leaves his Kingdom.

Daniel’s vision concerning all of the great war troubled him greatly. When he was shown the initial vision about this in Daniel 8, he became sick for days. 15 years later Gabriel returned to Daniel to give further insight about the same event, yet with greater detail. Daniel wrote, “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision” (Daniel 10:1). This great war is also mentioned in Revelation 12 when “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17).

As mentioned previously, the great war shown to both Daniel and John concerns the little horn’s reaction to the Holy Covenant and Israel's formation of the Everlasting Kingdom. But what is the Holy Covenant exactly? Thankfully, this covenant in particular was defined by Zechariah (father of John the Baptist) under the influence of the Holy Spirit when he prophesied: “Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—to show mercy to our fathers and to remember HIS HOLY COVENANT, THE OATH THAT HE SWORE TO OUR FATHER ABRAHAM: TO RESCUE US FROM THE HAND OF OUR ENEMIES, AND TO ENABLE US TO SERVE HIM WITHOUT FEAR IN HOLINESS AND RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE HIM ALL OUR DAYS” (Luke 1:71-75).

This covenant points to Abraham and his great desire to form a sovereign community that would shelter all people from societies hostile against the Government of the Creator. Remember that Abraham had just recently come out of a region heavily influenced by the rebellion at Babel. His desire to restore the the nations to the ancient ways was agreeable to his Creator and together they entered into a Covenant to bring the reform. According to Daniel's visions, the fulfillment of the Holy Covenant becomes is fulfilled long after the time the seed of Abraham have been shipped to the furthest reaches of the earth. Zechariah's prophecy states that YHWH is going to enable His people to serve him by keeping the Torah without fear before their enemies. 

The Prophet Micah speaks of these people when he wrote, "The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from YHWH, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for man or linger for mankind. The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which mauls and mangles as it goes, and no one can rescue. Your hand will be lifted up in triumph over your enemies, and all your foes will be destroyed" (Micah 5:7-9).

So what will this event look like when it comes to pass? The best visual picture to help us understand was at the time YHWH delivered Israel from Egypt. And after YHWH demonstrated His awesome saving power, Israel and a great multitude of Gentiles left together for the wilderness and formed Abraham's grand community in the sight of all nations. To be clear, all who were of Israelite bloodline, as well as the stranger/alien were led by the spirit to abide by all of the instructions given to Moses. This set of instructions presents the Divine will of the Father for this earth as it is also in Heaven. And the sign of their full acceptance and inclusion into this community is the circumcision of all males belonging to each man’s household. Had the People of Israel maintained their focus on the Holy Covenant after entering the promised land, the rebellion against the Government of God that began at Babel could have been brought to an end. 

Yet because the people of Israel rebelled against this objective, their nation was destroyed. This did not mean that the Covenant with Israel had come to an end. This was part of YHWH's great design for the enlightenment of the world through the people of Israel. The chosen people were to be "shipped" to every nation, even to the most remote areas in order to bless to all families of the earth, just as it was promised to Abraham. It will be within these lands that the remnant will form an unconquerable community designed to shelter all who desire to keep the commandments given to Moses. 

This approach to the last day events is much different than popular views that mingle Bible Prophecy with Jewish and Christian Zionism. In these views, many watchful eyes are focused upon the Land of Israel waiting for the war of Armageddon. But the Mosaic approach to the last days is much different, Moses shows that Israel is going to be within close proximity of all families of earth. And all mankind become active participants of the Last Days. Those who acknowledge Israel's work among the nations as good will receive the Abrahamic blessing. They consist of those who adopt the Mosaic code into their lives but are unable to do so within the Kingdom of the Beast. In essence, these Abrahamic communities will be like the Biblical cities of refuge for the last days. Those who wish to escape the reach of the Beast and his authority will have the ability to become intimately involved with the holy people in lands that are close to them.

Those who have taken a Zionistic approach to the last days await have been anticipating a mass population of Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah in the middle east. Little did they know that YHWH has been slowly moving His scattered people of Israel to this point for centuries. Through the subjugation of Rome, many Israelites who worshipped the idols of the nations were forced into Catholicism, and were led to oppose it throughout the years of the reformation. But His spirit has been moving upon the hearts of of the people of Israel more intensely since 1843 and they are struggling to find their way back to the keeping of the whole Torah. Unfortunately only a remnant from the 12 tribes will respond to the great commission as YHWH has intended. “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded” (Matthew 28:19). That which constitutes “everything that I have commanded” are all the things Moses had been given for Israel to obey. 

It is only after Israel has fulfilled obedience to all instructions of Moses in all the nations that the remnant will be brought back to the land of Israel. Moses said “When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come upon you and you take them to heart wherever YHVH disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to YHWH your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then YHWH your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there YHWH your God will gather you and bring you back” (Deuteronomy 30:1-4).

Note carefully the sequence that Moses states will occur:

Step A: Implement the entire Mosaic Code in all the lands israel is sent.
Step B: The remnant will be gathered to Israel after implementation is complete.

This sequence of events did not originate with Moses, it was first given to Jacob when YHVH said, “Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you" (Genesis 28:14-15). Finally, we can look to Balaam’s prophecy concerning the remnant of Israel in the Latter Days (see Numbers 24:14). Here we see that Daniel’s prophecy as well as Balaam’s concerning the Ships of the Western Coastlands are one and the same, “Then he (Balaam) uttered his oracle: And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever” (Numbers 24:24).

Here is Daniel's mention regarding the same people "Ships of the Western Coast lands will oppose him, and he will lose heart" (Daniel 11:30). Now we must wonder why these people cause the man of sin to lose heart. The answer is simple to those who believe in the promises of the Holy Covenant, “YHWH will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven” (Deuteronomy 28:7) "You will lie down and no one will make you afraid… You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. "'I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you" (Leviticus 26:6-9).

This is the "Good news about the Kingdom" that will be praised among all the Gentiles, and then the end will come.