The Nahum Prophecy

Archaeologists say they have no evidence the prophet Nahum ever existed. There are claims that his tomb is lost in Mosul, Iraq. His works are a poem cleverly built around the Hebrew alphabet and claimed to date from 615BC. The Old Testament incorporates what is thought to be a slightly corrupted version of his original poem.

 

Here is what is important. Whether Nahum existed or not some prophet wrote the words and they are known to pre-date the birth of Jesus.

 

The words overtly prophesy the destruction of the great city of Ninevah (now Mosul). This is of no divine significance  except that Ninevah was a city of sin and symbolically the palace of the god of this world. As with much of the Old Testament the poem contains an overlaid prophecy. The words are entirely symbolic and hopefully not too cryptic for most people to follow. They describe the events from the arrest of Jesus to the scramble to do away with him before the Feast of Unleavened Bread to his resurrection appearances.

 

Nahum 2 KJV

1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.

["Thy face" is a reference to the physical form of God, namely Jesus. 

In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus has to summon up every ounce of courage to face his mission.]

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2 For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out and marred their vine branches

[The Jewish leaders had lost their faithfulness]

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3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation,  and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.

[ Judas led the guards to Jesus with flaming torches (John 18:3).

It was the day of Preparation (John 19:14).

The disciples were strong men but they were terribly shaken].

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4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings. [After the arrest of Jesus and the race is on to judge him guilty in the Sanhedrin then to justle with the Roman governor Pilate to have him executed before the Sabbath.]

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5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall  thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.

[Peter in particular stumbles in his walk.

His close followers particularly Peter and John rush to the wall from which the stone had been rolled away.

The defence was effected when Jesus was found perfect and acquired all power].

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6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.

[The palace of the god of this world was dissolved]

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