Psalm 79: Fulfilled During the End Times?

Some believe that Psalm 79 is a chapter that relates primarily to the past. However, I believe that Psalm 79 is a chapter that is relevant to understanding the end times, and I explain why in this article.

The Psalmist calls on the Lord to punish the heathens for oppressing the land and for oppressing the people of the land in Psalm 79.

(1) O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. (2) The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. (3) Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. (4) We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. (5) How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire? (6) Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name. (7) For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place. (8) O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low. (9) Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake. (10) Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed. (11) Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die; (12) And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord. (13) So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations. (Psalm 79:1-13)

Some believe that the chapter primary applies to the time of the Babylonians based on verse 1, but verse 1 only mentions that the temple in Jerusalem has been defiled (not destroyed):

O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. (Psalm 79:1)

In contrast, similar chapters like Psalm 74 and Isaiah 64 mention that the temple in Jerusalem is actually burned down by fire. The table below shows where Psalm 79, Psalm 74, and Isaiah 64 are similar and where they differ:

Temple Burned	Temple Defiled	Jerusalem Damaged
Psalm 79:1: “A Psalm of Asaph. O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.”
Isaiah 64:10: “(10) Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. (11) Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste.”
Psalm 74:7: They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground.

I do not believe the future temple in Jerusalem will be burned to the ground, but I do believe the temple will be defiled as the Antichrist will establish an abomination of desolation:

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Dan 9:27)

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” (Matt 24:15)

Thus, I do not believe Psalm 79:1 fixes the relevancy of Psalm 79 specifically to the time of the Babylonians.

The first parallel between Psalm 79 and a passage that I believe relates to the end time siege of Jerusalem is Psalms 79:2-6, 12 and Isaiah 51:17-23. Both passages describe:

• Dead bodies laying on the ground in Jerusalem.

• A call for the cup of the Lord’s wrath to be poured on the heathens.

• Disrespect for the city of Jerusalem/the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Disrespect for the city of Jerusalem/the inhabitants of Jerusalem	Dead bodies laying on the ground in Jerusalem	A call for the cup of the Lord’s wrath to be poured on the heathens.
Isaiah 51:17, 20, 22-23: (17) Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out…(20) Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God…(22) Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: (23) But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
Psalm 79:2-6, 12: (2) The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth. (3) Their blood have they shed like water round about Jerusalem; and there was none to bury them. (4) We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. (5) How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire? (6) Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name…(12) And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

The second parallel is between Joel 2:17, which is part of a passage about a future invasion of Jerusalem (Joel 2:1-11) and a call to ask the Lord for help (Joel 2:12-19), and Psalm 79:4-5, 10. The verses in these passages record a general prayer asking the Lord to spare the people of Jerusalem from the heathen who disrespect the city of Jerusalem/the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Have Mercy	Heathen Question “Where is God?”
Joel 2:17: Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
Psalm 79:4-5, 10: (4) We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us. (5) How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?…(10) Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.

Overall, I believe Psalm 79 relates to the end time siege of Jerusalem. Psalm 79 appears to focus on the survivors of the siege pleading for the Lord to help them after much destruction is inflicted on Jerusalem. If you would like to learn more about the end time siege of Jerusalem, click this link for my article on the topic.