Psalm 46-48 and the Hell

by koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil [University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa], ThD [Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan])

Kyungpook National University, Sangju Campus South Korea, conjoint lecturer, Avondale College, Australia

 

The concept of hell that is so well develop in the New Testament, at least as is recorded so vividly in that section of the Bible, is not absent from the Old Testament. The poet of the three Psalms, 46-48 had a picture of the scenario of the time of that great event and in these three hymns he attempted to describe the safety of the remnant of Gods people in a fortress of Zion which is in the New Testament the image of the New Jerusalem. A military battle is said to be on the outside and this global war (New Jerusalem is not on the earth at that time) is getting ready to attack the people of God safely in the New Jerusalem or Zion in these poems. God is then described as the warrior God who goes out to fight in this final battle of the ultimate destruction of the wicked. In the New Testament this final destruction is describe in the events related to the hell. According to the picture of Revelation 20, fire will consume the wicked and the earth will then be made new before the New Jerusalem will descend to earth. The New Jerusalem is not at all the present day Jerusalem since it is that space that Jesus said that He is going to prepare for the saints when He ascended to heaven. The Biblical picture of the events of the End time is clear when all the bits and pieces of the mosaic is brought together. That should not mean to say that the picture only emerged as the texts unfold themselves. That would be wrong because it would imply that the people of the ancient times did not have these clear pictures that we are putting together with the texts. Could it be that they gave only hints and bits of a picture that was very familiar to everybody and in no need of vain repetition? That would mean that we are in no event better off than the people of the Old Testament, namely that we know better of situations that they did not know so well. The Biblical descriptions are selected data and not the full picture and for that reason we are not able to deny that they had the assumed full picture just as well as it is difficult to proof that they had one, due to comprehensive descriptions. The Biblical picture of the time of the end tells us that after the coming of Jesus to take the remnant to Heaven, there will be a thousand years that the devil will be kept in bondage. After this period he will be let free to gather all the resurrected nations for a Battle against the Lord. This Battle will be the “battle of God”. The New Jerusalem will come down from heaven and these armies will get ready to fight against it. Our three poems of Psalm 46-48 describe more detail of those events that was missed by the commentators of the Bible. From the beginning of psalm 46 until the end of psalm 48 is a description of the these events but the chronological order is not kept in the description since there is a focus on various aspects pertaining to these events in the form of a hymn. One can describe the events as clustered together in the form of a spiral, so that there is reason to see the events as reoccurring. For us to get a proper picture of the chronology of the events will mean that we will have to understand  the chronology of the events of the end as describe in the rest of the Bible and then using that paradigm, identifying each corresponding event or part thereof, as describe in the spiral of our poems. By giving each event a separate identification mark, is now possible to rearrange the material so that a chronological picture can emerge that will help us understand that great event better.

It became clear in our reading of the text that the following parts of the event were described:

 

Preamble

Description of City of refuge or Zion          46:4-5 48:1-3 87:2-3, 5b

 

Events before

Nations prepare for the battle                    46:6a 46:8 48:8

 

BATTLE                                                  46:6,9 48:4-7 97:2-5

 

Events after

I God returning                                  47:5 

II Remnant shout for joy                     47:5 97: 6, 8

III God silence them                           46:10

IV God is seated on His throne and people assembled before Him                                                                                                                  47:8-9 48:10

V Worship in the temple                     48:9-14

 

Description of the city of Refuge or Zion

Psalm 87:5b makes it clear that the future city anticipated here will not be erected by people but by the Most High "the Most High himself will establish her." It will be argued by Commentators that we have here a metaphor of people building Jerusalem after the exile and their action is seen as that of God. They would like to see the mission of Ezra and Nehemia connected to these words. We know that Ezra and Nehemia went to the destroyed city of Jerusalem and built its walls. In the same Psalm the Psalmist is saying that the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob (verse 2). There is something in this city that makes it find more favor than any other city. The reason should be sought in verse 3 that calls it the "City of God.” 

In Psalm 46:4a it is said that there is a river inside the city whose streams make glad the city of God. Nowhere in Present day Jerusalem is there any river today. The Kidron and Himmon is dry and even if they are not dry in some months or weeks, those valleys are outside the city not inside it. The water system of the Gihon spring is just not enough to fall into this category of a river.

This city must surpassed present realities. It is the "city of God" because it is the "holy place where the Most High dwells" (46:4b). The city is also said to be on "His holy mountain" (48: 1b). Many commentators would argue that this is a reference to the Temple Mount or Mount Moriah, where Abraham was to sacrifice Esau. If that is the case, one wonders how the mountain of Zion can be compared to the Mountain of Zaphon as is done in synonymous fashion in 48:2b?

In this city described here, God is in her "citadels, He has shown Himself to be a fortress" (48:3). In this particular city it seems as if the description is beyond any earthly comparison, although the old Jerusalem would have been the best candidate of all cities for this identification (except the river description). We would do better to see this description not in the preteristic fashion as the old Jerusalem but rather in the Historicistic interpretation of the New Jerusalem in the Eschatological time charts of the time of the End.

The specific time would be after the Millennium (Revelation 20) because this is the time that the prophet John saw the New Jerusalem descending from heaven to earth (Revelation 21:2).

This city described by John is mobile and what strengthens our identification in the Psalms is that in Revelation 22:1 a river is describe that is called the "river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city" (22:1-2). This New Jerusalem is definitely not the Old Jerusalem in a new garment. The city is mobile and come from heaven. Such a city was promised by Jesus in John 14:1-3 when He said that He is going to prepare a place for his people as He promised at His ascension.

 

Events before the Battle

In Psalm 46: 6a we are told that the nations (wicked) are in uproar. Psalm 48:4a reads that "the kings joined forces when they advanced together." This eschatological war is said to take place at the end of time after the millennium when God will be the Soldier or Warrior who will go out of the city to destroy the wicked in absolute finality while the remnant or believers are finding refuge and safety inside the city. This is God's war, no continental war between global parties. It is the war between good and evil. During this time the people of God will be safely inside the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, they will rush to the windows and walls to watch their "Rambo-Hero" conquering the wicked. Psalm 46:8 reads that they will say: "Come and see the works of the Lord." That they are excited and overcome with joy at the successes of God in this battle is clear from references to that effect that we will cite below. Psalm 48:8 is also indicating that the mighty deeds of God in this battle was "seen" and "heard" by the people of God. The security that this battle will bring will have everlasting benefits so that this war must be the final one at the end of time. Everything is couched in absolute and everlasting descriptions so that any attempt to apply it to earthly wars or events is futile.

 

Events during the Battle

The battle is described vividly. God is said in Psalm 97:2 to move forward outside the city with "clouds and thick darkness" that surround Him. Before God is "fire" that consumes the enemy on every side (97:3). Lightning is seen everywhere (97:4) and the earth trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the Lord (97:5). That Psalm 97 is dealing with the same strata of information that is in Psalm 46:6b is clear where it is stated that when the Lord lifts His voice, the earth melts. As far as results on earth is concerned, Psalm 46:2-3 explains that the earth will give way, the mountains will fall into the heart of the sea. The mountains will quake and the waters of the sea will roar and foam. As far as the nations are concerned, God burns the shields of the enemy "with fire" (46: 9c). He breaks their bow and shatters their spear (46:9b). The result of these events for the kings of the nations is that "when they advanced together, they saw her (the strength of Zion) and were astounded, they fled in terror. Trembling seized them there, pain like a woman in labor" (Psalm 48:7). Psalm 48:7b is saying that the Lord destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by the east wind." When Psalm 46:9a reads that the Lord "makes wars cease to the ends of the earth" this can only have reference to the finality of sin and the eradication thereof, described in the New Testament as the events surrounding the Hell.

 

Events after the Battle

 

Events after the Battle can be divided into four phases and one endless result:

 

God returning:

Psalm 47: 5 indicated that God has ascended amid shouts of joy. This indicated that as God is returning from the battle, He is viewed by the Psalmist as coming up to the city. Obviously, then, when He went out to the battle He was descending. Coming towards the city the people of got is overwhelmed with joy.

The same verse indicated that there are shouts of joy and the sounding of trumpets and the singing of praises to the victorious Warrior God.

 

Remnant  shout for joy:

The reaction of the saints inside the city is given that they are shouting for joy probably because of the victory over the enemy (47:5a). They also sing praises to the Lord (47:6). In Psalm 97:8 it is said that "Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad." Psalm 97: 6 explains that the heavens proclaim his righteousness and all the peoples His glory.

 

God silence them:

Psalm 46:10 explains the interesting reaction of God that He silenced the people as He entered the city. One should probably explain this moment of silence, that God does not rejoice over the death of the wicked and even in the finality of their lives He feels touched and wants a moment of silence. At a funeral there are no shouts for joy.

 

God is seated on His throne and people are assembled before Him:

Psalm 47:8 tells us that God is seated on His holy throne and the nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham. Psalm 48:10 explains that the praise of the Lord reaches to the end of the earth.

 

God is in His Temple:

Psalm 48:9 displays God within His temple where His saints are worshipping Him. One is not sure in this verse whether this is just a description back in time and history at the time the Psalm were written and that the psalmist is saying that the origin of his thoughts on the eschatological scenario are from the temple.