Another Assyrian Anti-Christ Question
Q. The arguments for an Assyrian antichrist that I have been studying are based on Micah 5. From reading the passage it describes the 1st and 2nd coming. There is some unfulfilled prophecy in verses 5 and 6 regarding treatment of an Assyrian and the land of Assyria. Specifically that Jesus would deliver Israel from the Assyrian, and Israel would raise up some who would waste the land of Assyria by sword. I suppose it could be considered symbolic. Are there any other explanations I could be missing?
A. Micah 5:5-6 reads:
When the Assyrian invades our land and marches through our fortresses, we will raise against him seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.
They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with drawn sword. He will deliver us from the Assyrian when he invades our land and marches into our borders.
There are no supporting verses in end times prophecy for any kind of antagonism between Assyria and Israel, especially of the kind that results in Israel defeating Assyria following an invasion of Assyrian troops.
However that scenario was played out in the defeat of Assyrian King Sennacherib by Hezekiah in 701 BC. Assyria had invaded and overrun 46 cities in Judah and was poised to take Jerusalem. On the night before their planned attack the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and sent them packing. This event was yet future to both Isaiah and Micah.
The use of the pronoun “He” as both the coming Messiah in Micah 5:2 and the one who destroyed Assyria in Micah 5:6 can be explained by the fact that the phrase “The angel of the Lord ” nearly always indicates a pre-incarnate appearance by the Lord Jesus. (see Isaiah 37:36)
The Assyrians had already conquered and scattered the Northern Kingdom, as Micah 5:7 foretold, and were themselves conquered and scattered by Babylon in 606 BC. Assyria has never existed as an independent nation since. Like Isaiah 52, I believe Micah 5 was fulfilled in history.
The one mention of Assyria in connection with the End Times is in Isaiah 19:23-25 where a highway will link Egypt, Israel and Assyria and the three will all be blessed by God.
