Under the figure of the Olive, the Fig and the Vine, Israel's religious privileges,

national privileges and spiritual privileges are relinquished in favour of the apostate

nation under Antichrist, which will bring destruction in its train.

In the two cases of Pharaoh and Abimelech, the means used differ, but the end is the

Saul, the first king of Israel, provides another lesson on the same subject. Israel said

to Samuel: "Make us a king to judge us like all the nations" (I Sam. 8: 5). The heart of

the matter is revealed in the reply which the Lord made to Samuel's prayer:

The reader can supplement this brief analysis by his own study, and will also find the

matter extended and developed in the series entitled "FUNDAMENTALS OF

DISPENSATIONAL TRUTH". He will find that the additional details thus accumulated

will but intensify the impression left by the opening words on the subject, "They have

rejected Me, that I should not reign over them".

The reader will already have noted the words referring to Egypt, that though they were

"men" and not "God" yet Israel went down to them for help, and "trusted in the shadow

of Egypt". So with Abimelech, he made the test of Israel's allegiance just this one thing,

"If in truth ye have anointed me king over you, then come and put your trust in my

When the time came for Israel's kingdom to pass away and the Gentile to be elevated

to the throne, we see in Nebuchadnezzar, a further foreshadowing of Satan's final bid for

universal dominion. After his accession to the throne, we read that he set up an image in

the plain of Dura and sent out a proclamation, bidding all men gather together to its

dedication. The essence of Satan's attack through Gentile dominion will be found in the

word "dedicate". Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream in which the whole of the Gentile

dominion had been set forth under the figure of an image, commencing with a head of

gold, degenerating through silver, brass, and iron to potter's clay, and which was finally

destroyed at the setting up of the kingdom of the Lord. This is recorded in Dan. 2:  In

Dan. 3:, we find this king setting up an image made entirely of gold, and calling upon

all men to attend its dedication, which involved the "falling down and worshipping" of

the image under penalty of destruction in a fiery furnace. Here is the dedication in the

worship of "The State" forced upon the world, a worship which takes the place of the

worship of God. It was rejected by the faithful three, as it must ever be by such, until the

Lord Himself reigns in righteousness.

In connection with what we have already seen, it is not without significance that in

Dan. 4: Nebuchadnezzar's dominion is likened to that of a tree, which, among other

things, provided for the beasts of the field, "shadow", so bringing Nebuchadnezzar into

line with Pharaoh and Abimelech in their assumption of the divine prerogative.