Why Do the Nations Rage?
(Psalm 2, Prophetic Scriptures, and Our Hope in Yeshua the Messiah)
Psalm 2:1–6 – Nations in Rebellion
Hebrew (Tehillim 2:1–6):
לָמָּה רָגְשׁוּ גוֹיִם וּלְאֻמִּים יֶהְגּוּ רִיק׃ יִתְיַצְּבוּ מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ וְרוֹזְנִים נוֹסְדוּ־יָחַד עַל־יְהוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחוֹ׃ נְנַתְּקָה אֶת־מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ וְנַשְׁלִיכָה מִמֶּנּוּ עֲבֹתֵימוֹ׃ יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק אֲדֹנָי יִלְעַג־לָמוֹ׃ אָז יְדַבֵּר אֵלֵימוֹ בְאַפּוֹ וּבַחֲרוֹנוֹ יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ׃ וַאֲנִי נָסַכְתִּי מַלְכִּי עַל־צִיּוֹן הַר־קָדְשִׁי׃
English:
“Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against YHWH and against His Anointed (Messiah), saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; Adonai holds them in derision. Then He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury, saying, ‘As for Me, I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill.’”
From the days of King David until now, the nations rage against YHWH and against His Messiah. They imagine that they can throw off His rule, yet the One who sits in heaven laughs. This psalm is not only historical poetry — it is prophetic of the rebellion at the end of the age.
Modern Rebellion and Hypocrisy
We see headlines today where world leaders, universities, and media groups rage against Israel and the people of Elohim. Terror groups that burned babies, raped women, and committed barbarism are suddenly being described as “freedom fighters” and deemed “worthy of a state.” This hypocrisy fulfills the very words of Psalm 2: the nations imagine a vain thing, aligning themselves against YHWH’s people.
Even in Western democracies, those who wear a kippah (yarmulka) are arrested or harassed, while violent mobs go unchecked. Police grow hesitant, universities are overtaken by radical ideology, and accusations such as “genocide” and “occupation” are hurled continually at Israel. Yet who are the ones practicing barbarism? Who slaughtered innocents? The rage is misplaced — but the Scriptures told us long ago to expect this.
The Philistines, “Palestine,” and Historical Confusion
Joel 3:4 (Hebrew 4:4) speaks of פְּלֶשֶׁת (Peleshet) — Philistia, the land of the Philistines along today’s Gaza coast.
Hebrew (Yoel 4:4):
וְגַם מַה־אַתֶּם לִי צֹר וְצִידוֹן וְכֹל גְּלוֹת פְּלֶשֶׁת…
Yet older translations (KJV) rendered this “Palestine.” Why?
Latin Vulgate used Palaestina.
Greek Septuagint sometimes used Φιλιστιείμ (Philistieim), but later Roman influence blurred terms.
After Rome crushed the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 CE, they renamed Judea Syria Palaestina to erase Jewish identity.
Thus, “Palestine” in older Bibles is anachronistic. The Hebrew text is clear: Philistia, the Philistines. Even translation history shows how the nations rage by rewriting history.
Revelation 20:7–10 – The Final Rebellion
Greek Text Summary:
Μετὰ τὰ χίλια ἔτη λυθήσεται ὁ Σατανᾶς… συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον, Γὼγ καὶ Μαγώγ…
English (paraphrased):
After the thousand years of Messiah’s reign, Satan will be released. He deceives the nations — called Gog and Magog — and gathers them for battle. They surround the beloved city, Jerusalem, but fire from heaven consumes them. The devil is thrown into the lake of fire forever.
Lessons:
Even under perfect Messianic rule, once Satan is released, nations still rebel.
Gog and Magog echo Ezekiel 38–39.
The battle hardly happens — Elohim ends it with fire.
The devil’s final destiny is eternal torment, never again to deceive.
Ezekiel 38 – Gog, Magog, and Elohim’s Glory
38:4 — “I will put hooks in your jaws and bring you out.” Elohim Himself draws Gog to battle to demonstrate His sovereignty.
38:16 — “In the latter days you will come against My land, that the nations may know Me.” Israel becomes the stage of divine revelation.
38:22–23 — Elohim rains fire, hail, and sulfur, so the nations will know He is YHWH.
This parallels the Exodus (plagues against Pharaoh) and Revelation 20. The lesson: history culminates with Elohim’s holiness revealed against nations that rage.
David’s Census and the Danger of Pride
2 Samuel 24:1 says YHWH incited David to number Israel. But 1 Chronicles 21:1 says Satan did. Which is it? Both: Satan tempted, but Elohim allowed it for judgment.
Exodus 30:12 commanded that when a census is taken, each man must give half a shekel “that there be no plague.” David failed to do this, counting in pride. The result? A plague killed 70,000 men.
Yet at the threshing floor of Araunah, David built an altar, sacrificed, and Elohim relented. That site later became the Temple Mount. Out of judgment came redemption.
Temptation and Responsibility
James 1:13–15 reminds us: “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by Elohim.’ For Elohim cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured by his own desire.”
The nations rage because they follow their desires. But believers are called to holiness, to resist temptation and endure.
Weapons of the Enemy
Today Hezbollah stockpiles rockets, Iran launches “True Promise” barrages, and terror groups amass weapons of death. Estimates:
Iran: ~3,000 ballistic missiles (2023).
Hezbollah: 150,000 rockets of varying ranges (before losses).
The physical rage mirrors the spiritual rebellion. Yet these weapons cannot overthrow the decree of Elohim in Psalm 2: “I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill.”
A Call to Holiness – 1 Peter 1:3–5, 13–19
Hebrew and English:
בָּרוּךְ הָאֱלֹהִים וַאֲבִי אֲדוֹנֵינוּ יֵשׁוּעַ הַמָּשִׁיחַ…
“Blessed be the Elohim and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah from the dead, to an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…” (1 Pet 1:3–4)
We are ransomed not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Messiah, the Lamb without blemish. The nations rage, but our inheritance is secure.
Milk and Meat of the Word
1 Peter 2:2 — Long for the pure milk of the Word.
Hebrews 5:12–14 — Do not remain on milk; grow to solid food.
1 Corinthians 3:2 — Paul gave milk first, then meat.
Believers must mature in understanding, discerning good from evil, so that when nations rage, they are not swept away.
Reward for Sacrifice
Mark 10:29–30:
“No one who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or lands, for My sake and the gospel, will not receive a hundredfold now in this time… and in the age to come eternal life.”
You who have given up lands and houses for Yeshua’s sake will receive a multiplied reward — both spiritual family now and eternal inheritance later.
Confessing Messiah before Men
Matthew 10:32–33:
“Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge before My Father; whoever denies Me, I will also deny.”
When persecution intensifies, believers must stand firm. Like Peter, failure can happen, but restoration is possible if we repent.
The Fall Feasts and Future Fulfillment
Yom Teruah (Trumpets): Points to the trumpet of resurrection (1 Thess 4:16).
Yom Kippur (Atonement): Foreshadows Israel’s national repentance (Zech 12:10).
Sukkot (Tabernacles): Anticipates Yeshua’s reign and Elohim dwelling with us (Rev 21:3).
These feasts show the pattern: repentance, atonement, and dwelling with Elohim — even as the nations rage.
Conclusion: The Nations Rage, But YHWH Reigns
Psalm 2 asks, “Why do the nations rage?” The answer: rebellion is in the human heart. Yet Elohim has already set His King on Zion. Yeshua the Messiah reigns, and no amount of rockets, propaganda, or persecution can remove Him.
For the Kehilah, the call is clear:
Endure persecution.
Crave the milk of the Word and grow to solid food.
Live holy, ransomed lives.
Trust in the hundredfold reward of Messiah.
Confess Yeshua before men.
Though the nations rage, the laughter of heaven assures us: Messiah is King, now and forever.
