Isaiah 14:8
8 Yea, the fir trees [barowsh] rejoice [samach] at thee,
and the cedars ['erez] of Lebanon [Labanown], saying, Since thou art laid down [shakab], no feller [karath] is come
up [`alah] against us. KJV-Interlinear
8 "Even the cypress trees
rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, 'Since you were laid low,
no tree cutter comes up against us.' NASB
Throughout history,
Lebanon has been known for its massive and beautiful forests. Solomon imported
huge cedar trees for the construction of the temple. Babylon was known for its
impressive architecture, much of which was constructed using trees and logs from
the forests of Lebanon.
In our current history,
just a few decades ago, over 50% of the entire country of Lebanon was covered
with densely growing forests, that covered the hills and mountains of the
nation.
From 1990 until the
year 2006, most of those forests have disappeared. Today less than 4% of those
dense forests remain, having been decimated by out-of-control forest fires,
most of which were caused by the continuous sequence of wars that have occurred
in that country.
Projecting forward into
the future when the tribulation will occur, we already know that virtually
everything on the entire planet will be obliterated or destroyed in some
fashion.
If you have ever seen pictures
of the aftermath of a battlefield, then you know that the existence of standing
trees is slim to none, as most of the trees have been burned or destroyed or
blown to bits.
And now we have a verse
that carries forward the new environment and characteristics of the planet,
after evil has been destroyed, and the new millennial reign of Christ has
begun.
Trees and forests and
living growing things of all kinds, have little or no chance to grow and
populate when their environment is inundated with wars and disturbances of all
kinds.
However, after the
battle of Armageddon has concluded, and the millennial reign of Christ has
begun, then the planet will enter into a new era of peace and prosperity, and
certainly growth. And even though there may not be very many trees standing at
that early stage, for the next one thousand years, trees and forests of massive
sizes and numbers will begin to grow and continue to grow, and given this
environment, most likely will result in beautiful and extensive forests as
never before.
