Chapter 2
Old Testament Prophecies
Ezekiel 38 – Russia's role
Ezek
38:1-6
38:1 (Gog and Allies Attack Israel
(Some say this event is going to
be the battle of Armageddon itself.)
1.Now
the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
2
"Son of man, set your face against Gog, (the
prince of the land of Magog) of
the land of Magog, the
prince of Rosh (Russia?), Meshech (the
Moschi), and
Tubal, and
prophesy against him,
3
and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O
Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech (Southern
Russia),
and Tubal (Eastern
Turkey).
4 I
will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you
out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly
clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them
handling swords.
5 Persia,
Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and
helmet;
6
Gomer (Eastern
Europe) and all its
troops; the house of Togarmah (
South Eastern Turkey near Syrian border) from
the far north and all its troops - many people are with you.
"The leader of this army is named Gog, ruler of "Magog," which means "the land of Gog." It was located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The title "chief prince" can be translated "prince of Rosh," a place that hasn't been determined yet. But if "prince of Rosh" is the correct translation, then this man will rule over Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. The latter two places are located in eastern Asia Minor along with Gomer and Beth-Togarmah (Armenia). Prince Gog's allies will be Persia (Iran). Cush (ancient Ethiopia which is South Egypt now North Sudan), Put (Libya), Gomer and Beth-Togarmah, located near the Black Sea.
Since all these nations except Put, Cush, and Persia are located north of Israel, it's tempting to identify Rosh with Russia and therefore Meschech with Moscow and Tubal with Tobolsk, both cities in Russia; but we would have a hard time defending this on linguistic grounds. This doesn't rule out the participation of modern Russia, since it is located in the north (vv. 6, 15; 39:2), but neither does it demand it."
Ezek
38:8-9, 11
8
After many days you will be visited. In
the latter years you (the
northern coalition of countries) will
come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered
from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been
desolate; they were brought out of the nations (return
of the Jews to Israel), and now
all of them dwell safely (there will
be Security in Israel).9 You will
ascend, coming like a storm (Air
power), covering the land
like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with
you (armies from the
North)."
11
You will say, 'I will go up against a
land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell
safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars
nor gates.'
The
prophet Ezekiel encourages his listeners (and readers) by telling
them the end of the story even before he begins: God will defeat this
vast coalition army and rescue His people Israel in their land. This
invasion won't occur until "after many days ... in the latter
years" (v. 8), at a time when Israel is enjoying peace and
security under the protection of the politic leader who signed the
covenant. This will place the occurrence of this war sometime in the
Tribulation period and is associated
with the 6th
Trumpet and the 6th
Bowl Judgment (refer Chapter 4).
Prince Gog and his allies will think that Israel is an easy target,
but they forget the protection of the God of Jacob."
The perplexing question: Why would Gog and his allies want to attack Israel at all, knowing that a powerful ten-nation European alliance had promised to defend the helpless Jews?
The overt purpose stated in Eze 38 verses 12-13, is to seize the wealth in the land of Israel, a purpose that the other nations understood. We now know that there is oil available in the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Israel.
But if our suggested scenario is correct, perhaps these nations also want to prevent the rebuilding of the Jewish temple. The nations named are identified with Islam, and they would want to protect the "Dome of the Rock," a revered Muslim monument which has stood on the temple site for centuries.
Whatever
Prince Gog's thinking might be, it's clear that it is the Lord who
brings this army out. Prince Gog thinks he has worked out the whole
scheme (vv. 10-11), but it is God who is in charge. The northern
coalition comes into the land of Israel confident of victory, but
they are walking into a trap.
This prophecy yet to be
fulfilled is looming probability in the not to distant
future, considering today's situation in the Middle East
and the role of Russia in it. Recently the possession of Crimea war, its dominant role in the conflict in Syria and now its invasion of Ukraine.
Ezekiel
38:16-17
16 You will come up against My people Israel like
a cloud, to cover the land (air
power used in the battle against Israel). It
will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so
that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog,
before their eyes."
17 Thus says the Lord GOD: "Are
you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the
prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I
would bring you (northern
forces) against
them?
18 "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,
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."'
Gog's attack against Israel will come from all sides. Gog will come from the far north. With him will come his allies from the east (Persia = Iran & Iraq), the south (Cush=North Sudan/southern Egypt ), and the west (Put= Libya, Tunisia & Algeria). In reference to the 6th Trumpet Judgment in Revelation Chapter 9 this army could also include China as its size is quoted as 200 million in Rev 9:16.
They will advance against Israel like a cloud (Ezekiel 38 v. 9) that covers the land. This awesome army will overrun all obstacles as effortlessly as a cloud (aircraft) sailing across the sky.
This attack will be another means of God's displaying to the nations His holy character and sovereign power. In going against Israel, the nations will come to know God for He will show Himself himself. As a result of the unsuccessful attack Israel will be delivered and God glorified.
When the armies reach Israel, God's anger will be aroused against them. He will cause a massive earthquake in Israel that will interrupt Gog's invasion plans and spread fear and confusion throughout the ranks of the invading forces. (Note: There is no mention of either Saudi Arabia and Jordan, Egypt, Kuwait etc)
In the pandemonium, communication between the four invading armies will break down and they will begin attacking each other. Every man's sword will be against his brother.
(Ezek
38:21 "Every man's sword will be
against his brother”). Fear and panic will sweep through
the forces so each army will shoot indiscriminately at the
others.
The slaughter of the armies will be aided by additional
"natural" catastrophes, including torrents of rain,
hailstones, and burning sulphur (v. 22). The rain will combine with
dirt and debris from the earthquake to produce massive mud slides and
floods. Large hailstones will pelt the survivors, killing many. The
"burning sulphur" might be volcanic ash.
To summarize Ezekiel 38 (and 39):
Ezekiel the prophet revealed how Israel (God's people) would be restored to their land from many parts of the world. Prophesied 2500 years earlier it is occurring today!
Once Israel becomes strong, a confederacy of nations from North would attack, led by Gog (mentioned also in Revelations 20:8)
Their purpose would be destroy Israel.
Israel's enemies come from the mountainous area SE of the Black Sea, and SW of the Caspian Sea (currently in Central Turkey), as well as from the area which is present day Iran, North Sudan, Libya and possibly Russia.
Gog could be a person but from the context Gog could be a symbol of evil in the world. Whether symbolic or literal, he represents the aggregate military might of all the forces opposed to Israel.
Notice this war does not involve Israel's neighbours like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait etc.
- Many say that this battle described in Ezekiel will occur during the 7 year Tribulation period and associated with the 6th Trumpet judgment continuing with the 6th Bowl judgment. (See Chapter 4)
The Antichrist
Now
to the Antichrist.
Firstly let's examine what the Book of Daniel
says about him.
Dan
7:8
8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn
(antichrist), a little one,
coming up among them, before whom three of the first
horns (antichrist, who arises
from the EU, will remove 3 kings from the union) were
plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the
eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words (his
gift of the gab).
Again
in: Dan 8:23
23 "And in the
latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors (wickedness;
rebellious acts; evil doings) have
reached their fullness, A king shall
arise (antichrist), Having fierce
features, Who understands sinister
schemes.”
In
the Epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul states;
2
Thess 2:9-10
9 The coming of the lawless
one (antichrist) is
according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying
wonders (imitates what Christ
has done and is doing. Obviously many will be awed by him),
10
and with all unrighteous
deception among those who perish,
because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might
be saved.
In
The Revelation to John the disciple, Christ revealed to him:
Rev
13:1
Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast
rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns (10
Kings of the revived Roman
Empire which exists
today. Its is apparent that the EU in today's scenario is in a crisis
and there's no telling that the number 10 would eventually
materialize. God's word has never been incorrect!),
and on his horns ten crowns, and
on his heads a blasphemous name.
The
nature of the Antichrist
Daniel
8:24-25
24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall
destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
25 "Through
his cunning He shall cause deceit
to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart.
He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even
rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without
human means.
Names
of Antichrist (The Antichrist's actual name is not revealed. Each
writer of the Bible has his own name for him)
The Assyrian: Isa
10:5
Gog: Ezek 38:2
The little Horn: Dan 7:8 and 8:9
The
Chaldean: Hab 1:6
King of Babylon": Isa 14:4
Insolent
and skilled in intrigue: Dan 8:23
The prince who is to come:
Dan 9:26
The willful king: Dan 11:36
In
the New Testament he is referred to as:
The
man of lawlessness: 2 Thess 2:3-8
The son of destruction: 2 Thess 2:3-8
Antichrist: 1 John 2:18
Man of Sin: 2 Thess 2:3
Beast: Rev 13:1
Whatever
his name be; let us be discerning when he makes his
appearance.
The Antichrist's nature
changes after the Rapture, when Satan takes over his body.
He then becomes a part of the Satanic trinity
(Satan, Antichrist and the false prophet who appears later
in the Book
of Revelations).
And how do we identify him when he appears?
He will arise from the 10 nations.
Dan 7:24
24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom (revived Roman empire) are ten kings that shall arise (EU): and another shall rise (come to world prominence) after them; and he shall be diverse from the first (leaders of the 10 countries), KJVHe may be Jewish
Jesus said in:
John 5:43
I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. NIV
Christ Jesus was of the tribe of Judah (Heb 7:14). The Jews were waiting for a Jewish Messiah not one from another race! They rejected him, the real Messiah King, but will receive the false leader.A Man of boasting appearance.
Dan 7:20
"that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows."
The Book of Revelation, written more than 500 hundred years later, says the same thing:
Rev 13:5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.(3½ years)
6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. (Denouncing the God of all creation) NIVThere's something about his eyes.
Refer Dan 7:20
He is outstanding in his field.
"whose appearance was greater than his fellows." (Dan 7:20)
"in his field of diplomacy, in contrast with his peers, he is regarded as something of a phenomenon." Barry SmithHe will be an outwardly peaceful man and a flatterer.
Dan 11:21
":but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries." KJV"Watch out therefore for a smooth talking diplomat who says one thing but means another" - Barry Smith
He will think to change the times and law.
"The reasons is obvious. Times were denoted by the advent of Christ, dividing B.C from A.D.
His reality is attested every time you date a letter or read the date on a coin. This annoys the leader of the revived Roman Empire who tries to change it." This was stated by Barry Smith in 1988. Sadly B.C. and A.D. have been discontinued in some countries, who now use BCE and CE; Before Common Era and Common Era, respectively. Are atheists really so intimidated about the spread of Christianity that they have to try and take Christ out of everything? Besides, the only reason a time period would be before or after "Common Era" is because of Christ.
Laws governing homosexuality and use of Christ in schools have been also changed. Even the some churches have accepted gay marriages.
Once accepted will permit an Image of himself to be installed in the Holy Place
Dan
12:11
11
"And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away (three
and a half years) , and the
abomination of desolation is set up (an
image), there shall be one thousand
two hundred and ninety days (=30
days warning or setting up of the image + 3½ years.)
- See my Timescale listed in the Illustrations.
Even
Jesus refers to the above passage:
Matt
24:15
"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of
desolation,'(image of the
antichrist or in some verses referred to as Image
of the Beast) spoken
of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place"(the rebuilt
temple in Jerusalem) (whoever
reads, let him understand),...”
The
fact that Jesus refers back to Daniel (written about 500 years
before) shows the importance of this image. It is the cue for the
beginning of the 3½ year Great Tribulation period.
Again
in:
2 Thess 2:3, “the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”
He
will confirm a Seven-Year Treaty and will break it after three and
half years.
Dan
9:27
27
This king will make a seven-year treaty with the people, but after
half that time, he will break his pledge and stop the Jews from all
their sacrifices and their offerings; then, as a climax to all his
terrible deeds, the Enemy shall utterly defile the sanctuary of
God. TLB
He will be destroyed by Christ at His 2nd coming at the end of the tribulation
2 Thess 2:8 8 Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. NLT
Return of the Jews
Partial Return of the Jews
"The
purpose of the partial return is to prepare the land for the mass
return. The partial return (now
in progress) fulfills only
those prophesies that concern the land and the opposition of the
Arabs.
Obadiah 17-21
17 "But
on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be
holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
18
The house of Jacob shall be a fire, And the house of Joseph a flame;
But the house of Esau shall be stubble; They shall kindle them and
devour them, And no survivor shall remain of the house of Esau,"
For the Lord has spoken."
Esau,
elder brother to Jacob, established himself as a powerful and wealthy
chief in the land of Edom just south of today's Jordan. Esau tried to
conciliate his parents (Gen 28:8,9) by marrying his cousin Mahalath,
the daughter of Ishmael (Isacc's half
brother, Ishmael settled in the land of Paran, a region lying between
Canaan and the mountains of Sinai). This
led him to cast in his lot with the Ishmaelite tribes; (from Easton's
Bible Dictionary)
Petra or Bozrah is located in Edom. The
Edomites remembered the old quarrel between the brothers, and with
fierce hatred they warred against Israel.
19
The South shall possess the mountains of Esau, And the Lowland shall
possess Philistia. They shall possess the fields of Ephraim And the
fields of Samaria. Benjamin shall possess Gilead.
20 And the
captives of this host of the children of Israel Shall possess the
land of the Canaanites As far as Zarephath. The captives of Jerusalem
who are in Sepharad shall possess the cities of the South.
21
Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion To judge the mountains of
Esau, (Edom) And
the kingdom shall be the Lord's.
Bible
commentary from Barnes on the partial return of the Jews in Obadiah
17 says: ["But
on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, And there shall be
holiness; The house of Jacob shall possess
their possessions."]
"The
sifting times of the Church are the triumph of the world; the
judgment of the world is the restoration of the Church. In the
triumph of the world, the lot was cast on Jerusalem, her sons were
carried captive and slain, her holy places were desecrated. On the
destruction of the nations, Mount Zion rises in calm majesty, as
before; "a remnant" is replaced there, after its sifting;
it is again "holiness;" not holy only, but a channel of
holiness; "and the house of Jacob
shall possess their possessions (literally
inherit their inheritances)"; either their own former
possessions, receiving and "inheriting" from the enemy,
what they had lost; or the "inheritances" of the nations."
The Valley of the Dry Bones
The state of the Jews prior to and after the return to their promised land is likened to the Valley of Dry Bones prophesied by the prophet Ezekiel in Chapter 37.
Valley
of Dry Bones (the dead)
Ezek
37:1-3, 11-14
37 The Lord took hold of me, and I was
carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with
bones.
2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the
valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and
were completely dried out.
3 Then he asked me, "Son of man,
can these bones become living people again?" "O Sovereign
Lord," I replied, "you alone know the answer to that."
11
Then he said to me, "Son of
man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, 'We
have become old, dry bones all hope is gone. Our nation is
finished.'
12 Therefore,
prophesy to them and say, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my
people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again.
Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
13 When this
happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord.
14 I
will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and
return home to your own
land. Then you will know
that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the
Lord has spoken!'" NLT
Final return of the Jews
Great
world-wide Persecution of the Jews.
Deuteronomy
28:63-64, 68
"Just as the Lord has found great pleasure in
causing you to prosper and multiply, the Lord will find pleasure in
destroying you. You will be torn from the land you are about to enter
and occupy.
64 For the Lord
will scatter you among all the
nations from one end of the earth to the other. There you will
worship foreign gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known,
gods made of wood and stone!
68 Then the Lord will send you back
to Egypt in ships, to a destination I promised you would never see
again. There you will offer to sell yourselves to your enemies as
slaves, but no one will buy you." NLT
Commentary
on Deut 28:68
"Modern critics, prefer to consider
Egypt-used here as a type of future bondage and misery- a
personification of all the foes of Israel (Hengstenberg,
'Pentateuch,' i., p. 123; Delitzsch, p. 27). These curses
have been dreadfully fulfilled on apostate Israel, and of this every
Jew of every subsequent age has been a living memorial.
'Here,
then, are instances of prophecies delivered above 3,500 years
ago (1450 BC); and yet, as we see, being fulfilled in the world
at this very time; and what stronger proofs can we desire of the
divine legation of Moses? How these instances may affect others I
know not; but, for myself, I must acknowledge, they not only
convince, but amaze and astonish me beyond expression: they are
truly, as Moses foretold (Deut 28:45-46) they would be, a sign and a
wonder forever' (Dr. Newton)." (from Jamieson, Fausset,
and Brown Commentary)
"This is an astonishing chapter: in
it are prophecies delivered more than 3,500 years ago, and now
fulfilling.
O God, how immense is thy wisdom, and how
profound thy counsels! To thee alone are known all thy works from the
beginning to the end. What an irrefutable proof does this
chapter, compared with the past and present state of the Jewish
people, afford of the truth and divine origin of the
Pentateuch!"
(from Adam Clarke's Commentary)
But then in Deuteronomy 30 Moses prophesies:
Deut 30:2-6
2 “and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you. 4 If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. 5 Then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”
The Jews must repent and turn to God, the God of their fathers, before they can completely possess their land.
They
do not accept Jesus as Christ now, but will during the 7 year
Tribulation period. (this will be covered when we come to the Book of
Revelation)
Mass return of the Jews
The
mass return will include Jews from all lands. Let's refer to the
prophet Ezekiel again.
Ezek
36:22-24
22 "Therefore, give the people of Israel this
message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but
not because you deserve it. I am
doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while
you were scattered among the nations.
23 I will show how holy my
great name is the name on which you brought shame among the nations.
And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes,
says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the
Lord.
24 For I will gather
you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.
NLT
Viewing
the situation today this may look impossible, yet, never discount
what God has promised.
With God nothing is impossible.
The millennium reign of Christ will see for the second time the return of the remnant (Jews):
Isaiah
11:10-11
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner
for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest
will be glorious.
11 In that day
the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant
that is left of his people from Assyria (covers
northern Iraq, Eastern Turkey and southern Russia),
from
Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush (Ethiopia),
from Elam (Iran),
from Babylonia (southern Iraq),
from Hamath (Syria) and
from the islands of the sea. (NIV)
The Ark of the Covenant
The
Ark will rest again on Mt Zion, and people will visit it until after
the return of Christ.
Scriptures
that reflect this are:
In
the same Chapter of Isaiah 11 which deals with the return of the Jews
for Christ millennial reign,
Isa
11:12 “He will raise a banner (Ark) for
the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the
scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. “
(NIV)
In
Isaiah's prophesy regarding Ethiopia, it is mentioned that the Ark of
the Covenant resided there and that it would brought back to
Israel.
Isaiah
18:3,7
3 All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it. NIV
7 In that time a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts From a people tall and smooth of skin,
And from a people terrible from their beginning onward, A nation powerful and treading down,
Whose land the rivers divide — To the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, To Mount Zion. NKJV
In the millennium reign of Christ, the Jews will no longer need the Ark of the Covenant as Christ's/ Messiah's presence will be with them during His 1000 year reign. Scripture that reflects this is in Jeremiah 3.
Jer
3:16-18
16 "And when your land is once more filled with
people," says the Lord, "you will no longer wish for 'the
good old days' when you possessed the Ark of the Lord's Covenant. You
will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be
no need to rebuild the Ark.
17 In that day Jerusalem will be
known as 'The Throne of the Lord.' All nations will come there to
honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil
desires.
18 In those days the people of Judah and Israel will
return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land
I gave their ancestors as an inheritance forever. NLT
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