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EZEKIEL

Please turn in your Bibles to Ezekiel chapter 38, as we continue our study through the Word of God. Last week in our study in Ezekiel chapter 37 we saw the rebirth of the nation of Israel, in a physical sense. We saw these dry, lifeless bones come to life as this once dead nation came to life once again. But spiritually they are dead as a nation and that will not change until they receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and this will take place, on a national level, at the end of the tribulation period, as they call upon the Lord and He returns to set-up His kingdom here on this earth!

But, what we see now is a land that was desolate, come to life in 1948. Dr. Theodor Herzl, the playwright from Austria who began the tremendous Zionist movement back into the land of Palestine, said this: "There is a land without a people. There is a people without a land. Give the land without a people to the people without a land." And that is exactly what God has done!

Dr. Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel, said the following as he was speaking before the Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry: "The Jewish nation is a ghost nation. Only the God of Israel has kept the Jewish people alive." You can’t argue that point, for as you study this nation and her people, you can’t come away without seeing this miracle of God. God has sustained them and brought them back into the land once again, bringing them back to life!

And lastly, David Ben-Gurion, who was the first prime minister and minister of defense in Israel, said the following: "Ezekiel 37 has been fulfilled, and the nation Israel is hearing the footsteps of the Messiah." Yes, there is a man coming who is riding in on a white horse, but it is not the Messiah, but the Antichrist. And for 3½ years he will usher in a time of false peace before he pours out his fury upon this world and specifically the Jews. You see, after Ezekiel 37 comes Ezekiel 38, and a war against Israel will break out as a huge army comes sweeping down upon them to destroy them, just prior to the start of the 7 year tribulation period.

That is what we are going to be looking at this evening, and with that background in mind, with Israel back in the land, we are going to be seeing these nations who will come sweeping down upon Israel to destroy her, and what God will do against this army.

EZEKIEL 38

VERSES 1-2

1. Understand that Gog is the leader of this group of people called Magog and as we are going to see, Gog has several allies that are going to side with her in this invasion. The name "Gog" means "ruler" or "man on top." You might call him a dictator!

2. Now who is Magog? Obviously this is an important question and one I think is easy to understand as you look back in history. Magog was one of the sons of Japheth listed in Genesis chapter 10, and Japheth was one of the three sons of Noah. Now if we look at the historical records, it is easy to see that Magog is referring to the ancient people known as the Scythians. Let me give you some examples of what I mean.

A. HESIOD

Hesiod was "The father of Greek didactic poetry" and he was a contemporary with Ezekiel, living in the seventh century BC. And he identified Magog with the Scythians and Southern Russia.

B. JOSEPHUS

Josephus, writing around the time of Jesus, said: "Magog founded Magogians, thus named after him, but who were by the Greeks called Scythians."

C. HERODOTUS OF HALICARNASSUS

Herodotus, writing in the fifth century BC, is known as the "Father of history." He once again speaks of the Scythians as being the people of Magog.

3. Now I’m sure most if not all of us have heard of the great wall of China, which is still standing today. It has been described by ancient Muslim writers as the "Ramparts of Magog." In other words, it was designed to keep the Scythians out, and the Scythians are the ancestors to what you would call Russia today!

4. Also, this army is going to come from the "far north" or "the uttermost parts of the north." This is the area known as Russia today, for it you draw a line from Israel northward, you will run into Moscow. Also understand that Russia is spread out from east to west some 6,000 miles, spanning some 11 time zones! So it is hard to miss who Ezekiel is speaking of. In fact, Rabbi Chaim Valoshinere said the following in the mid-nineteenth century: "When you see the Russian army begin to move southward and enter Turkey, put on your Sabbath garments and get ready to welcome the Messiah." You see, he saw, as others, this war with Russia breaking out and then the Messiah will come! I believe there will be a seven year period of time, known as the tribulation period, that will separate this war from the coming of the Messiah to set-up His kingdom on this earth!

5. "The prince of Rosh" is probably better translated as "The chief prince of Meshech." Now Meshech was the sixth son of Japheth and is associated with modern Turkey, probably eastern Turkey.

6. Tubal was the fifth son of Japheth and many feel this is speaking of Tobolsk in Russia. Others feel this too is speaking of modern day Turkey.

VERSES 3-6

1. God is going to fight against this massive army that is coming against Israel, and Magog will be drawn into this battle, they will be forced to assist in this war. In other words, Russia is going to be drawn into a battle she doesn’t want to get into at this time. Who is going to draw them into this battle? The nations she is aligning herself with! Also we will see that Russia will be after the booty that is in Israel, the wealth and the land she can obtain. But first, lets look at these nations that are going to come down with Russia in this battle.

A. PERSIA

Back in 1932 Persia changed its name to Iran! And Iran is the principle leader in the rise of "Islamic Fundamentalism." You see, this army is not made up of only Arab’s, that is not the uniting force that has drawn them together. Then what is the glue that holds this army together? They are all Muslims! And of course, very anti-Israel!

B. ETHIOPIA OR CUSH

Some of your Bibles may have Cush, while others have Ethiopia, but it is the same place and it refers to "Black Africa." And it probably covers some two-thirds of the African continent, with the other one-third being the upper portion of the continent. And again the principle faith here is Islamic Fundamentalism, they are Muslim!

C. LIBYA OR PUT

Libya covers the upper part of Africa, from the midpoint westward, reaching from Libya to Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. And again, they are Muslim!

D. GOMER

The people of Gomer are the Ancient Cimmerians who established themselves in the Rhine and Danube valley, and they are the Eastern Europeans - Germany!

E. TOGARMAH

This group of people settled in the area of modern day Turkey and Turkestan. And they too are moving towards Islamic Fundamentalism. Now this can also be speaking of the five republics that broke off from the Soviet Union when communism broke up. These five Southern states are: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tadzhikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. They too are Islamic and they have nuclear weapons, and they too would like to see Israel destroyed!

2. I believe it will be one of these Muslim nations that starts this war, and because of alliances that have been made with Russia, they will be drawn into this battle to assist them. And understand that the first nuclear weapon launched into Israel will make that Muslim nation a hero throughout the Islamic community. During a private briefing at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Robert Hunter, our ambassador to NATO, declared: "That a nuclear confrontation in the Middle East it is not just likely, it is certain. It is just a matter of timing." And I will add, God’s timing!

3. Also, the Russians have a cavalry that is significant enough to transport many of its troops into battle. Is that what is being spoken of here or is it speaking of our modern day transport vehicles, like tanks? If oil is difficult to obtain, horses may be the way to go in this battle. There is also difficult terrain that some of these vehicles might not be able to get through, but horses could. We shall see, but either way, these things are going to come to pass, the Russians are coming!

VERSES 7-12

1. This is fascinating to me. God is saying that in the latter days they will come against the Jewish people to destroy them. A people who were brought back into the land, which occurred in 1948, a land that was desolate for almost 2,000 years! And now the Jews have returned to Israel from all over the world!

2. Also, it speaks of "un-walled villages," something that was not too common in the day’s Ezekiel was living in. You see, the walls were there to protect you from the enemy, for without them the enemy could just walk right in to your city and destroy you. Even Jerusalem was a walled city. But today, you can go to Israel and you will see that there are no walls around Jerusalem, no gates, and no bars. And God is saying that it is during this time that Russia and her allies will come sweeping down upon them like a storm.

3. One of the reasons for this attack is "to take plunder and to take booty." If Russia has control of the Middle East, she would control over 65% of the world’s oil supply! Japan and Europe only have around 100 days of oil reserves. Also, Russia, together with South Africa, controls the major source of 12 strategic minerals needed for advanced technologies and missel defense. Also, in the Dead Sea there is 3 trillion dollars of potash used for fertilizer and the making of weapons. And if you can control the Middle East, you will control the gateway to Africa, Asia and Europe!

4. You might be thinking that I am exaggerating this a bit, but I am not! Way back in 1973 the Soviet Secretary-General, laid out his goals in the "Brezhnev Doctrine." He said: "We will take the two great treasure chests upon which the west depends: the strategic oil reserves in the Middle East and the strategic minerals in South Africa, and then we will dictate the terms of surrender to the United States and the west."

Yes, that was some 27 years ago, but the philosophy of Russia has not changed! Sun Tzu was a brilliant military strategist of ancient China. And one of his most fundamental techniques is summed up as follows: "When you are weak, pretend strength. When you are strong, pretend you are weak." He also said: "Offer your enemy bait to lure him, pretend disorder. Then strike him." As you examine what Russia has done in the past, you can easily see that their philosophy has not changed one bit on the inside, even though outwardly it does appear to be different. Let me show you what I mean and I think you will see how foolish we have been to embrace Russia, for their plan is working out beautifully, we have taken the bait!

5. Back in the 1930's, Dimitri Manuilski, a political instructor at the Lenin School for Political Warfare and the teacher of Mikhail Gorbachev, said: "War to the hilt between Communism and Capitalism is inevitable. Today of course, we are not strong enough to attack. Our time will come in thirty to forty years. To win, we shall need the element of surprise. The Bourgeosic (Capitalist)...will have to be put to sleep. So we shall begin by launching the most spectacular peace movement on record. There will be electrifying overtures and unheard of concessions. The Capitalist countries, stupid and decadent, will rejoice to cooperate in their own destruction. They will leap at another chance to be friends. As soon as their guard is down, we will smash them with our clinched fist." That is what we see happening behind the scenes in Russia today!

6. You might be thinking that Communism fell back in 1991, but it didn’t! Listen to me carefully and you will see what a fool we have become in this nation. Back in November of 1987, some 4 years before the supposed fall of Communism, Gorbachev told the Soviet Politburo, which is the principal policy-making committee of the Communist party: "Comrades, do not be concerned about all you hear about Glasnost and Perestroika and democracy in the coming years. These are primarily for outward consumption. There will be no significant internal change within the Soviet Union other than for cosmetic purposes. Our purpose is to disarm the Americans and let them fall asleep. We want to accomplish three things: One, we want the Americans to withdraw conventual forces from Europe. Two, we want them to withdraw nuclear forces from Europe. Three, we want the Americans to stop proceeding with the strategic defense initiative."

These are the goals he laid out back in 1987, some 13 years ago, and all three of those goals have been met.

A. We have withdrawn several thousand troops from Europe, leaving only a few token forces.

B. President Bush ordered the withdrawal of all nuclear missiles from Europe and all nuclear weapons from American navy ships.

C. We have stopped SDI, the Strategic Defense Initiative that President Regan wanted and promoted. This was to help protect us from enemy attack of ballistic missel’s by shooting them down before they hit their target.

Not too bad, 3 for 3, he is batting a thousand! Back on October 19, 1994 Gorbachev presented the "Final report of the global security project" to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York. In it he called for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, global gun control and the strengthening of the United Nations. And my friends, we are continuing to be pawns in his game, pushing forth his agenda and our demise. Still not sure, listen carefully how foolish we have become. Believe it or not, Gorbachev has his headquarters in San Francisco and his office space is paid for by the American taxpayer! Are they good at what they do, deception? You bet! And this bear, Russia, is preparing to move forward, and yes they will be drawn into this battle, but only sooner than they planed, but it was going to eventually happen. Folks, these evil plans are being prepared right now!

7. Folks, as tensions heat up in this part of the world, and these third world countries, which are very unstable, and very anti-Israel, are working on or have obtained nuclear weapons, it is only a matter of time until someone launches one towards Israel! And as I have said, I believe this will be the hook that brings Russia down into this battle, along with the spoil that is in the Middle East for them to take, and it will give them the gateway to Africa, Asia and Europe! And as Alexander the Great said, "Whoever controls the Middle East, controls the world!"

VERSES 13-14

1. Here are a group of people who seem to be totally ineffective in trying to stop or preventing this war from taking place. Who are these people that have no power over Russia and her allies?

Let’s look at Sheba, Dedan, Tarshish and those young lions.

A. SHEBA

Sheba is probably speaking of Saudi Arabia, and they do not have too much might to do anything about this invasion, they have no influence over this army. Thus, Saudi Arabia is not involved in this battle.

B. DEDAN

Dedan is also associated with those who live in the Arabian Peninsula, and are also powerless! Dedan is not involved in this battle, nor can they stop it from happening.

C. TARSHISH

Many have suggested that Tarshish speaks of Britain, for "Britannia" means "a source of tin." Now this is not an easy one to identify, but this is a strong possibility.

D. THE YOUNG LIONS

If Tarshish is Britain, then the young lions could be referring to the United States. Keep in mind that this is only conjecture. The thing to note is how powerless we are at stopping this massive war from occurring. We are no longer a threat. All we can say, along with Saudi Arabia and Britain, is "Bad boys, stop that!" All we can do is give them a good tongue lashing, which they don’t even respond to because these words are empty, there is no muscle behind them! Why is that? Possibly because this event takes place after the rapture of the church, which will not affect Russia or her Muslim allies like it will affect this nation. This is a possibility, we can’t be dogmatic about it, but I think it is a good possibility and you can decide for yourself.

VERSES 15-16

1. I truly believe this event, the war with Magog and her allies, is the next big event on God’s prophetic time-clock after the rapture of the church. But as we look today, we see God positioning those that are going to be involved in this battle. These people, coming from the far north, will descend upon Israel like a storm, but they will not be victorious in this battle against Israel!

2. Listen to what Chuck Missler said in his book, The Magog Invasion. He said: "All of the allies of Magog (Russia) are reasonably well identified and all of them are Muslim. Their intense hatred of, as well as their commitment to destroy, Israel unites them in a common cause...The present line-up of allies with Magog makes Ezekiel 38 and 39 appear more imminent with each issue of our daily newspaper." I would have to agree!

VERSES 17-23

1. This is kind of a preview of what God is going to talk about in Ezekiel chapter 39, the destruction of Magog and her armies! But here we see Gog, the ruler of Magog, come sweeping down upon Israel, and God will destroy them, 5/6 of this army will be destroyed, and with Russia out of the picture, Europe will emerge as a world power, the place the Antichrist will come from!

2. So what does all this mean to us as Christians? Paul said in Colossians 4:5-6, "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." In other words, don’t waste the time that God has given to you. Be faithful and use the time wisely. This war is coming, there is no stopping this evil plan, but don’t let this interfere in what God has called us to do - to shine brightly in a world that is in darkness, for some will be drawn to the light of God and be saved! Redeem the time!