Saturday, August 20, 2011

The Battle of Gog and Magog_part 3


In part two we identified most of the nations led by Russia against Israel in the war of Gog and Magog: Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and others. Ezekiel 38:9 says –

"You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you."

There may be other nations and people that join with Russia in this attack that are not specifically named, but their purpose will be the same, to destroy Israel. While they may not like or trust each other, their hatred of Israel will join them together for this war.

While Israel is left alone to face this attack something strange happens. The world and even Israel will be amazed as God Himself gets involved. He causes even the natural elements of wind, fire, and hail to fall on the attackers. He will strike them with confusion so that 'every man's sword will be against his brother' much like the LORD did for Gideon (Judges 7:22). The KJV says only a sixth of Gog's armies will survive.

But God does not stop with the armies; He causes fire to fall on 'Magog and those who live in safety in the coastlands.' Is this fire nuclear or is it God's supernatural command of the elements? One thing is clear, the people of Magog will be judged for their anti-Israel and anti-God stance as well as their armies. Who the 'coastlands' represent is not as clear. Some believe this represents the lands of Gog's allies. But, I believe it represents those of the west who chose to let Israel face this threat alone, thinking they would be safe from the conflict. The word translated 'coastlands' can also be translated “continents”. Perhaps it represents a pre-emptive attack on the U.S. by Russia or Iranian terrorists to insure it does not get involved. One thing is certain; Israel will know the name of the LORD and the nations of the world will know that God is the holy One in Israel.

The people of Israel will burn the weapons of Gog's army for seven years.  The fuel value will be so great that the forests will not have to be used for fuel. Russia is reported to have been making weapons of compressed wood since the year 2000. Or is it just the fuel that they burn? There has been much speculation how this might happen, but whether the weapons are modern or ancient, they will be burned.

People will be burying Gog's army for seven months. Men will be continually employed to travel throughout the land looking for remains and marking their location for burial. It almost sounds as if they will be contaminated, which could suggest nuclear radiation. But, also in Judaism any dead body would represent contamination. A special place of burial called the Valley of Hamon Gog will be made on the east side of the Dead Sea, an area presently controlled by Jordan. So what happens to Jordan?

This war will usher in great changes in the world. For one, all the dispersed of Israel will be brought home.

"..I will now bring Jacob back from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Israel ..." 39:25

There are yet millions of Jewish people living in others countries such as the United States, Russia, European countries and others of South America. The ‘Aliyah’, or return, has not yet been completed.

Another major change will be the breakdown of Radical Islam and I expect a great many Muslims will be turned towards the LORD. Israel’s borders will be extended; probably to include much of present day Jordan, much of Syria, and some of Southern Lebanon. This is the area promised by God to Abraham and it is the area controlled by Solomon during his reign.

No doubt the anti-Christ government in Europe will begin ascending after all; there is never a ‘power vacuum’ very long in the world of politics. According to the prophet Daniel and the revelator John it will begin with a ten nation structure that will give its power to the ‘beast’. He will make a seven year treaty with Israel and I expect the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt during this time. What is truly amazing is that when God so clearly shows His care for Israel in just a few years they will sign a 'covenant of death' with the anti-Christ (Isaiah 28:15 ; Daniel 9:27).

Many Bible scholars believe this war is about to break out. One of the signs is the sudden turning of Turkey against Israel. One of the confederates of Gog is listed as Beth Togarmah which has always been understood to be the area of Turkey. But, until recently Turkey has been friendly toward Israel, even trading with her. However, the new leader of Turkey has clearly turned against Israel in a bid to appease its more radical neighbors, such as Syria.

Another sign of the soon outbreak of this war is the tension growing between Iran and Israel. While the U.S. and other western nations threaten sanctions on Iran it continues to move ahead with its nuclear program and several analysts believe Iran will have a nuclear bomb by the end of the year. Russia, whom many believe is the Gog of Ezekiel, is also threatening the western nations not to levy sanctions against Iran. According to Koenig's White House Report, they are continuing to supply sensitive information to Syria, Hezbollah, and Iran as they did during the Lebanon war:

"The Russians are building a port in Tartus, Syria, along the Mediterranean Sea. According to The Jerusalem Post, during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, the Russians translated Israeli troops' cell phone conversations with their families and passed their location and deployment information on to the Syrians — who transferred that information to Hezbollah on the front lines, who were awaiting the Israelis' arrival. Most of the Israeli deaths can be attributed to these actions"

In the light of these points, we have Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, giving away to the Russians sensitive data on our nuclear armaments and missile defense system. President Obama has indicated personally and through diplomatic channels that if Israel doesn't do what he wants, they can forget U.S. help. Of interest is the fact that Ezekiel doesn't seem to include the U.S. in any defense of Israel.

This prophesy is not only a warning to Russia and the Islamic nations but also to those western nations who should stand with Israel, but don’t. God has allowed us all to see the outcome – all that is required is that we believe Him!

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