I want to analyze Psalms 83 again but with a focus on a key detail located in verse 3. Verse 3 tells us that God’s enemies will seek to make war against His “hidden ones”.
- Psa 83:1 A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
- Psa 83:2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
- Psa 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
- Psa 83:4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
Anyone who claims to know when Psalms 83 will take place in the future must fully explain who are the “hidden ones” described in verse 3. Who is hiding? And why would they be hiding? This is what I’ll tackle in this blog entry.
Bill Salus, an author who writes a lot about Psalms 83, was asked about the “hidden ones”. I agree with Salus that the “hidden ones” are part of a remnant of Israel that will be saved in the future while “thy people” in verse 3 refers to the overall nation of Israel. Where we differ is the timing of Psalms 83’s fulfillment with Salus arguing that its fulfillment is imminent while I believe its fulfillment will not take place until after the Antichrist is ruling the planet.
I believe an in-depth examination of why this remnant of Israel is referred to as the “hidden ones” can settle the debate about the timing of Psalms 83. While Salus mentioned who he believed the hidden ones were, he gives a rather figurative interpretation of why this group of people is called the “hidden ones” in Psalms 83. Here is what Salus wrote:
Although the faithful remnant hasn’t emerged yet from within Israel, one will in the Tribulation period. Today, they are “Tsaphan”, within national Israel. Presently, they remain unidentified but probably exist on the world scene somewhere unknowingly. However, omniscient God knows who and where they are.
I believe there is a much more straightforward explanation of why Psalms 83 refers to a remnant portion of Israel as “the hidden ones”. The answer is simply that there is actually going to be a portion of Israel that will physically hide from Antichrist and his forces during the End Times.
After the Antichrist desolates the Third Temple in Jerusalem there are going to be some Jews who will flee for their lives and head towards a wilderness region for refuge.
- Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
- · Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
(Also see Matthew 24:15-20)
Isaiah 16:4 suggests that one of the locations where Israeli refugees will seek a hiding place is in Moab. These refugees are attempting to hide from “the spoiler”.
- Isa 16:4 Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler: for the extortioner is at an end, the spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land.
The Hebrew term for the “spoiler” in verse 4 is shode, which can also mean “violence”, “ravage”, “desolation”, “destruction”, “oppression”, “robbery”, and “wasting”. Thus, “the spoiler” is likely an entity that is seeking to destroy the ones who will seek refuge in Moab.
- The End Times entity that will seek to destroy these refugees is the Antichrist, the man who Paul referred to as the “son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
Is it possible for some Israelis to find a hiding place from Antichrist in Moab? Yes, since Moab will be one of the few territories in the entire Middle East that Antichrist will not be able to obtain.
- Dan 11:40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
- Dan 11:41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
The likely reason why Moab, Edom, and Ammon are likely off limits to the Antichrist is so they can serve as a place where some Israelis can seek some refuge.
In sum, the “hidden ones” are given their title because they are literally hiding from their enemies. The fact that there is actually going to be a portion of Israel physically hiding from Antichrist during the End Times lends a lot of credence to the argument that Psalms 83 is not an imminent event that takes place prior to the start of the End Times, but an event that cannot take place until after the Antichrist desecrates the Third Temple.
- For more on my position on Psalms 83, here is my other article on the chapter: Link
