When the Assyrian Shall Come- Mic. 5:5

When the Assyrian Shall Come- Mic. 5:5

And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. Mic. 5:5

when the Assyrian... Antichrist is called "the Assyrian," for he will come from the territory Assyria ruled over in ancient times. For this same reason he can be called "the king of Babylon" (Isa. 14:1-32), the Syrian (Dan. 11:35-45), the Roman "prince that shall come" (Dan. 9:26-27), and the Grecian (Zec. 9:13). He will come from the territory ruled by Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Syria, and Rome. In the days of Micah and Isaiah the Assyrians had the great empire of Bible lands, so the future Antichrist could rightly be termed "the Assyrian." The Assyrian, Israel’s major foe in Micah’s day, is probably best understood as representative of all of Israel’s enemies, particularly those of the end times.

The fact of a latter-day fulfillment of Mic. 5:3-15 confirms that whoever the Assyrian will be, he will fulfill these scriptures in the day that:

1. She which travails has brought forth the man-child and herself (Mic. 5:2).

2. The remnant of Israel will be gathered to those that have already been gathered from the nations.

3. The Messiah will become great to the ends of the earth (Mic. 5:4).

4. The Messiah will be the peace of Israel and preserve her (Mic. 5:5).

5. Israel will be victorious over all her enemies (Mic. 5:5-6).

6. The Messiah will deliver Israel from the Assyrian when he comes into their land (Mic. 5:6).

7. The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many nations, like an all-powerful lion among sheep (Mic. 5:7-8).

8. The enemies of Israel will be cut off (Mic. 5:9).

9. The horses, chariots, and strongholds will be destroyed (Mic. 5:10-11).

10. Witchcraft and image worship will be destroyed out of the land, and God’s vengeance will be executed upon the heathen (Mic. 5:11-15).

tread in our... The Assyrians in the days of Micah, Isaiah, and Hezekiah did not tread in the palaces of Judah, so this treading refers to that of the future Antichrist when he will take over all of Israel, Jerusalem, and even the future Jewish temple at Jerusalem (Dan. 9:27; 11:40-45; Mat. 24:15; 2Th. 2:3-4; Rev. 11:1-2).

then shall we... Then, when Antichrist enters Israel, shall we (Israel) "raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men." Just who these shepherds and principal men will be is not revealed, but in that day the prediction will be literally fulfilled.

seven shepherds and… eight”: An idiom for a full and sufficient number of leaders, more than enough for the task (Eccl. 11:2).
Jesus not only brings peace, but is the King of Peace. He is our peace. The Assyrians here are speaking of the worldly people who come against God's people.
Seven- means spiritually complete. This then is saying, that the peace that Jesus brings is perfect and complete.
Eight- means new beginnings and these are some of Jesus' subordinates spoken of here.

The Ruler will destroy Israel’s enemies (Mic. 5:5-9).

This is one of Messiah’s several accomplishments in bringing peace to Israel (Mic. 5:5-15). He will be Israel’s peace because He will subdue the hostile powers around that nation. Though Assyria will not exist as a nation in the future, it represents nations who, like Assyria in Micah’s time, will threaten and attack Jerusalem (cf. Zec. 12:9; 14:2-3).