Search Tools


 
And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

New Defender's Study Bible Notes

5:5 the peace. “This man” is the “ruler in Israel” and He is “the Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6-7), so He can put down all human rebellion and establish perfect peace in the world.


5:5 the Assyrian. Since Assyria was the chief threat to Judah at the time Micah was writing, many expositors assume that “the Assyrian” in this verse is simply a metaphor for all her enemies. The context in this passage, however, is strongly Messianic and prophetic, and Assyria was a dead nation long before even the first coming of Christ. With this context in mind, it seems most likely that “the Assyrian” here is a name for the Antichrist of the last days, the leader of the last great invasion of Israel before the second coming of Christ. He is an Assyrian not by nationality (the Assyrians of antiquity have long vanished from history) but by geography, since his capital will be at restored Babylon (see on Zechariah 5:5-11).


5:5 eight principal men. In the last days, the “Assyrian” (or Antichrist, or the Beast) will be seeking to establish his world government and especially to eliminate the nation Israel and all Christians in every nation. At that time, this particular prophecy will become clear. There has been no historical fulfillment of this prophecy as yet, which makes it even more obvious that the major context of this whole section must relate to the future. At that time, the Lord will raise up leaders —perhaps from Israel—to organize escape routes and resistance to the Assyrian’s armies and death squads.


About the New Defender's Study Bible