Chapter 10

The index or guide to the prophecy of nations. In this index or guide we have some identification of the peoples involved so that generally speaking there would be some way of determining which are the descendents of Shem, Ham and Japheth. Starting with verse 1 we now have a breakdown of the various peoples involved so that it will be a little easier in order to work out and see how the prophecy is fulfilled.

Note verse 5 -- “By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.” The word “nation is used there for the first time, indicating divine institution #4. The Gentiles who are mentioned in the first five verses, and which are actually the sons of Japheth, are divided in two ways: geographically and linguistically. This also tells us something. Genesis 11:1—“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.” The united nations development came very shortly after Noah arrived on the earth and people began to multiply. There was no linguistic division at first, the only division on the earth was geographical. The first eight or nine verses occurred before Genesis 9. Genesis 10:5 actually takes place after 11:1-9. This is typical of Hebrew writing. First of all they give an outline and then go back and fill in certain details not previously given.

Principle of God’s order: God’s order is divine institution #4, nationalism. The principle of nationalism is stated several times—10:5, “families in their nations.” Then 10:32—“in their nations.” God’s order for the postdiluvian civilisation is nationalism, and without nationalism the human race cannot survive. All forms of internationalism ate anti-God and anti-Christian.

What is the purpose of nationalism? Why isn’t God for the United Nations or any system of internationalism, whether modern or ancient? The answer is found in Acts 17:26—“And hath made of one [Noah] blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times [dispensations] before appointed, and the bounds [nationalism] of their habitation.” The word blood does not occur in the original. The word one is Noah. All nations came from Noah. The word times refers to dispensations. The bounds refers to nationalism.

Why? Verse 27 – “That they should seek the Lord.” Without nationalism there can be no world-wide evangelism. Nations divide people because internationalism is the great enemy of world-wide evangelism. All forms of internationalism advocate a world without God—perfect environment without God created by man’s activities. All forms of internationalism are anti-God, whether they are religious internationalism such as Gnosticism or Romanism, or whether they are political internationalism such as communism and the United Nations. All are anti-God and anti-evangelism.

There are four things necessary for personal or world-wide evangelism. They are four divine institutions provided for the human race, not believers. These are for believers and unbelievers alike, and this is the only way the human race can survive. Divine institution #1 is volition, the right to make certain choices for yourself. This is the basis of all human freedom. Divine institution #2 is marriage, the basis of keeping order in the human race. Divine institution #3 is family, the basis of rearing children in the human race so that they are oriented to God’s plan of the human race. Divine institution #4 is nationalism, not internationalism. Internationalism is Satanic right down to the core. There will always be international plots as long as Satan is the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air. They all have one purpose: anti-God, perfect environment created by man. Man cannot create perfect environment because of the nature of man but he keeps on trying. The devil, through man, has been trying to produce what man had in the garden ever since man lost it. That is where socialism comes in—a chicken in every pot is just the idea of perfect environment created by man’s activities. It will never happen. Freedom comes through national entities, and national entities must be strong in order to maintain the balance of power.

Notice that originally there were two geographical areas for nationalism. In this connection Japheth moved into an area north of a line formed by the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea. Shem was in the centre and Ham in the south.

Verse 1 – this is simply a general statement to tell us what we are going to find in this chapter.

Verse 2 – the sons of Japheth. Gomer is the father of a group of people called the Camarians. They include the Celts and the Tutons and the Cythians. These also have various breakdowns into groups. Magog is the father of the Slavic peoples and the Cythians. “Gog and Magog” in the Armageddon campaign comes down from Russia, because Magog is a term for Slavic peoples. Madai refers to the Medes and some Persian tribes, and they are the Arians of India which are known today as the Parsees. Javan is the father of all Greeks and Romans. Tubal is a tough one about which virtually nothing is known, except references from ancient history which never explain who the people are. Meshech is the father of the Phrygian-type Greeks. Tiras is responsible for another Greek group called the Thracians and the Illyrians.

Verse 5 emphasises again divine institution #4, nationalism.

Verse 6, the four sons of Ham listed. Cash is a black son of Ham. These are the Ethiopians and the black people who settled in the southern part of Africa. Mizraim are white peoples descended from Ham. They are the Egyptians, generally speaking. Put is a black race of Ham that settled in the northern part of Africa and eventually moved across the Mediterranean into the various peninsulas—Spain, Italy, Greece, and so on. Canaan, which are the Amorites or the inhabitants of Palestine, the Hittites, and so on. They varied in that some of them were white, some yellow and some red.

Verse 7 – the sons of Cush were all black people.

Verse 8 – Nimrod is a son of Ham, a black man, the son of Cush. Nimrod was the first world dictator and this was Satan’s first attempt to break the prophecy of Genesis 9. In verses 8 & 9 we have a break-in as far as the index of nations is concerned.

“a mighty one in the earth” – mighty one is used specifically now with Nimrod and becomes a technical title of dictatorship. In Genesis 11 we have religious internationalism with its headquarters at Babylon, and now we have political internationalism with its headquarters at Babylon. Remember that Genesis 11 took place first. At this point we have a man who comes along with political internationalism, and this is Nimrod. This was the first attempt at world dictatorship and it is an attempt to break the prophecy, to prove God a liar. Nimrod means in the Hebrew, “We will revolt.” And this is a revolt against God. Under the dispensation of the Gentiles nationalism is established, God has ordained it, and Nimrod tries to break down this and to swallow up national entities and have one great empire ruled by Nimrod. He is the author, then, of one of the first political international conspiracies, and this one is against God as all of them are.

Verse 9 – “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord.” But the word hunter is actually a hunter of men, and before the Lord is literally, against the Lord. Four times in the scripture he is said to be mighty—Genesis 10:8, 9 (twice); 1 Chronicles 1:10.

“wherefore it is said”—this is a proverb which developed from his attempt at conquest—“Nimrod was a mighty hunter in opposition to/against the Lord.”

Verse 10 – “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel,” the same place where religious internationalism held forth. He attempts an international system and Babel was his headquarters.

Verses 10-12, a description of his empire and it was generally an empire held throughout the Tigris-Euphrates valley all of the way to Syria.

Verse 15 – the people identified as the Canaanites, and these are all a white race.

Why did God cause the Canaanites to be destroyed? Because they went in for a system of international religion, and international religion goes hand in hand with degeneracy. There are three passages of scripture which describe in detail the degeneracy of the Canaanites, and had this degeneracy continued the human would have been destroyed. But God, taking cognisance of the advance of the Canaanites in religion and degeneracy ordered their complete destruction in the same way that you would isolate a dog suspected of hydrophobia, and when it was determined that he had it he would then be destroyed. The Canaanites became mad dogs. Cf. Leviticus 18, 19; Deuteronomy 12 describe in detail why the Canaanites were removed.

Verses 21-32, the ethnology of Shem. Shem is the father of the Jewish race and all of the Arabic peoples. He had five sons. Elam was aboriginal race of Persia before the Medes arrived. Asshur is Assyria. Arpachshad, from whom Abraham is descended. Lud, from whom the Lydians of Asia Minor are descended. Aram are the Syrians.

Then the Arabians who are not connected with Abraham are mentioned in verses 26-29.

Verse 30 – the original home of the Arabic peoples is given.