“The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might. And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them: And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD. But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 49:34-39
Since the previous post, I have listened to several teachers with differing points of view, and I think the best thing I know to do is to list the facts as I see them.
- This prophecy is future to the time that Jeremiah declared it—at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah (597 BC according to most sources I found).
- God is going to destroy the might of Elam (“break the bow”), a known world power from ancient times, mentioned as far back as Genesis 14. Isaiah mentions Elam as a distinct nation in the company of other nations such as Assyria, Egypt, Cush, Shinar and Media (cf Isaiah 11:11 & 21:2). Jeremiah also mentions it in association with the Medes (25:25). Ezekiel (chapter 32) mentions it among the nations that will greet the multitudes of Egypt in hell. And Daniel mentions it as a province of the Babylonian empire—no longer a separate nation.
- Persia first appears in scripture as a powerful nation under the reign of Cyrus (2Chronicles 36 & Ezra 1). It is noted that Persia ruled as a joint power with Media as stated in Esther (1:3) and Daniel (8:20). Daniel goes on to reference Persia as the reigning dominant power until it was conquered by Alexander the Great and the armies of Greece (10:20, 11:2). Ezekiel identifies it as part of Gog’s coalition (38:5), an attack yet future since such a coalition has never existed in the past.
- Research indicates that Elam was eventually absorbed by Persia.
- At some point future to Jeremiah’s prophecy, the people of Elam will be scattered by the four winds to the four quarters of heaven. The assumption is that this references the four cardinal directions—north, south, east and west. (Note: Assumptions can be misleading.). Point is made that this is a reference to all the nations to which the outcasts of Elam will be scattered. The Hebrew for outcasts references expulsion, banished and thrust away; in other words, they are forced or driven out of their land.
- Point is made that it is God that brings evil upon them that results in their being consumed.
- God will set His throne in Elam, destroying its king and military and civil leaders (from the Hebrew). In other words, God will determine the ruling authority in that land.
- “In the latter days” God will bring the exiled Elamites back to their land.
Questions: When were the people of Elam scattered among the nations? Was Elam destroyed as a nation and the people scattered as a result of Nebuchadnezzar’s actions? Doesn’t it seem likely that this would have occurred prior to the land being absorbed as a part of Persia?
Because Elam was reduced to being a province of Babylon and eventually absorbed as part of Persia, I tend to place this prophecy as having been fulfilled in the past, except for the part about bringing the exiled Elamites back to their land. “In the latter days,” is a reference to the days associated with the return of Jesus as King of kings. Knowing that the Elamites have not yet been reestablished as a nation, I believe it most likely that this will be fulfilled as Jesus establishes His kingdom.
To associate this prophecy with events in Iran today, one would have to assume that Elam represents the whole of Persia/Iran. Scripture seems to deal with them as separate entities, so I think that is a pretty big assumption.
I do believe this current war is setting the stage for the attack of Gog and his hordes (Ezekiel 38) by bringing about the conditions for Israel to be at rest and dwelling safely as described by Ezekiel when this attack occurs.
Ezekiel also identifies Persia as part of Gog’s coalition (38:5), so we know that it will still exist as an enemy nation of Israel when that occurs. Because of that, I don’t see the type of regime change that many are hoping for as a result of this war.
But God. Powerful words that remind me that His ways and thoughts are far beyond what we can understand.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
All I know is that when we look back, we will see that God’s word has been fulfilled to the nth degree.
