Precusor to Ezekiel 38/9 and WWIII. As Amir points out, we need to be praying for the innocent people caught in the crosshairs in Aleppo and throughout the middle east. May Jesus reveal Himself to them, as we know He has been doing.
Tag: Magog
Will they succeed?
We’ve all heard Ahmadinejad (Iran’s president) vehemently declare they will “wipe Israel off the map”. An ongoing struggle with Palestine keeps Israel in chaos. Pressure from every corner of the world bombards (in some ways, literally) Israel with demands they give up more of their land, particularly their rightful capital Jerusalem. Every person without his or her head in a hole in the ground is wondering, “Will there ever be peace in Israel”.
Furthermore, millions of extreme Islamists are engaged in jihad, determined to dominate the world. The middle east remains ablaze. The question extends, “will there ever be peace in the middle east? How will it all be resolved? Is there a resolution?”
Guess what. God gave the answer nearly 2500 years ago, through the prophet Ezekiel. Some even think He provides the answer to the first question in Psalms.
Will Israel find peace with its neighbors or will they suceed in wiping them off the map?
Many prophecy scholars think Psalms 83 is prophetic, foretelling a future event. Here’s the gist: the countries surrounding Israel, plus Egypt, will gather to war against Israel that “the name of Israel may be remembered no more”. Ultimately, Israel wins and the Psalmist’s request that they be like “chaff before the wind” is granted. This gives Israel a feeling they are unaccustomed to: basic security. It also extends their borders and resources. These scholars think this is what sets them up for the next big war, what is referred to as the War of God and Magog.
Outlined in Ezekiel 38 and 39, it has a catastrophic ending for the enemies of Israel and what can be described as none other than divine intervention. This war involves a coalition between Iran, Russia, Libya, Turkey, Ethiopia and others. Israel will be victorious once again, but not by their own merit of course. God Himself will execute judgement on these nations and basically obliterate them. Read for yourself:
“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord God, “that My fury will show in My face. 19 For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, 20 so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ 21 I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.”’
39 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh,[d] Meshech, and Tubal; 2 and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. 4 You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5 You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken,” says the Lord God. 6 “And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the Lord. 7 So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8 Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord God. “This is the day of which I have spoken.
9 “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years. 10 They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them,” says the Lord God.
11 “It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog.[e] 12 For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. 13 Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain renown for it on the day that I am glorified,” says the Lord God. 14 “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party,[f] to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search. 15 The search party will pass through the land; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. 16 The name of the city will also be Hamonah. Thus they shall cleanse the land.”’
17 “And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord God, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field:
“Assemble yourselves and come; Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal Which I am sacrificing for you, A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel, That you may eat flesh and drink blood. 18 You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, Drink the blood of the princes of the earth, Of rams and lambs, Of goats and bulls, All of them fatlings of Bashan. 19 You shall eat fat till you are full, And drink blood till you are drunk, At My sacrificial meal Which I am sacrificing for you. 20 You shall be filled at My table With horses and riders, With mighty men And with all the men of war,” says the Lord God. Ezekiel 38:18-23, 39:1-20
So. Where does that leave us? It leaves us with Israel standing while all the nations who are today pushing for her annihilation, well, annihilated. When will this happen. Don’t know. Will the rapture happen first? Again, no idea. We do not know how long it will be between the rapture occurring and the antichrist making his peace covenant with Israel, which catapults the world into the Tribulation Period. My guess is they will be very close to one another. A catastrophic event like the war of Gog-Magog coupled with the disappearance of hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people including children will make for a perfect global situation to welcome a one-world leader, someone who “has all the answers”.
While some think the Psalms 83 and Ezekiel wars are separate events (read the Psalm 83 link below, Are We Living in the Last Days), others say they are the same. I tend to agree with the first group, for the reasons they give.
Regardless, Israel will be victorious over its enemies. Of course, after the antichrist breaks his covenant with them they’ll be in hot water again, but Jesus Christ will come in all His glory, followed by His saints (those raptured) and clean up the mess. The King of Kings will set up His kingdom in Jerusalem, bursting open that sealed Eastern Gate (Zechariah 14) and there will be unchallenged peace in Israel at last.
Informational sites:
discoverthenetworks.org (Radical Islam)
gentleislam.com (Radical Islam)
Are We Living in the Last Days (Psalms 83)
A Mom Looking Up 